Consumer Alert: Need to make repairs around the house? There’s an app for that!

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – This consumer alert is all about those projects around your house. We’ve all been faced with the choice of trying to fix it ourselves or hiring a contractor. That’s certainly the case at my home. My honey-do list is as long as my arm. My sweet hubby does his darndest to fix it, but it’s trial and error. So often it ends up taking forever and costing a fortune.

Now there’s an app to help you and your hubby with that repair. It’s called Frontdoor. You can video chat with an expert who helps you diagnose the problem and tells which parts and tools you need to fix it. So it’s DIY without the trial and error. Frontdoor leaders say you don’t have to be skilled to use the service.

“The large majority of the time by walking you through it you’ll be able to resolve the issue,” said Kathy Collins, Senior Vice President of Frontdoor. “If you cannot resolve the issue, what we will do is send you a short list of pre-qualified vetted contractors in your area, and you can choose who you would like to come to your home and help you finish that repair.”

There are some things that Frontdoor will not help you repair. Electrical as well as heating and cooling issues are examples. Instead, it will advise you to hire a professional. The app is available in your app store.

It’s really an ingenious idea. So of course, our next question was about the cost. Your first video chat is free. After that, you have to buy a $100 membership which gets you three video chats a year. And for $35 a month, you can get what is essentially a home warranty service. As far as I’m concerned, the jury is still out. But it’s certainly a clever concept.