How it works
Describe the job, choose the professional you want, pick a time and pay through the platform. Everything below is how the booking actually works - the pricing, the vetting, the payment, and what happens if plans change.
The booking
Under two minutes, start to finish. You see the price before you give us anything more than the shape of the job.
Choose your service category, tell us about the property, and say how urgent it is. The estimate updates as you go - no form to submit before you find out what it costs.
You see the professionals available for that job nearby, each with their rating, distance and profile. You pick. We do not assign you a stranger and call it a match.
Choose a date and slot from your Pro's real availability. Emergency call-outs are booked for service within two hours instead of a scheduled slot.
You see the full price - service, platform fee and any surcharge - before you authorise anything. Payment is processed through the payment platform; Nakel never stores your card details.
Figures shown are illustrative. Your booking is only confirmed once the payment authorisation has completed successfully on the platform - see the booking terms.
Pricing
Four things can move the number. All four are visible before you authorise the payment, and none of them changes afterwards without your say-so.
| Component | How it works | Typical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Every category publishes a starting price - from R250 per basket for laundry to R500 for electrical call-outs. | From R250 |
| Job & property | Scope and property size adjust the estimate. Larger homes and bigger jobs take longer. | Varies |
| Urgency | Standard, priority and emergency slots are priced differently because they cost the Pro differently. | Varies |
| Emergency & after-hours | Call-outs requested for service within 2 hours, and after-hours work, may attract a surcharge. It is displayed during booking and payment. | Up to +58% |
| Platform service fee | Clients pay a platform service fee for using the marketplace. Subscription plans may reduce or remove it in future phases. | 3% |
The estimator on our home page gives you a starting number in under a minute. The binding figure is the one shown at the payment step - including the platform service fee and any surcharge. By completing the payment step you're accepting that quoted price.
Nakel retains a commission on each completed booking. The Pro's share is paid out on the weekly reconciliation and payout cycle, subject to any adjustments, disputes, refunds or chargebacks.
Matching
Most platforms dispatch. We shortlist - then hand the decision to the person whose front door it is.
We filter for Pros who are approved for that service category, cover your area, and have availability in the window you asked for. Emergency requests are filtered harder - only Pros who can realistically reach you inside the two-hour window appear.
Each Pro's profile shows their rating, their distance from you, their service categories and their work history on the platform. Reviews can only be left by customers who paid for a completed job.
Until the booking is confirmed, your Pro sees the job - not your address. Contact and location details are shared only once the booking is locked in, and only to the extent needed to actually do the work.
You are not charged for looking, and we will not pad the list with Pros who cannot genuinely take the job. If nothing fits, widen the time window or get in touch and our team will help.
Vetting
When a Pro applies, we may share their information with accredited third-party verification partners - with their authorisation - to run the checks below.
SA ID, passport or valid work permit, checked before a Pro can accept any work on the platform.
Run through accredited partners as part of the assessment, to the extent permitted by law.
Trade certificates and any licences required for the category are verified, along with reference checks.
Proof of address, a bank-stamped account letter, and CIPC registration where the Pro operates as a business.
Every Pro is bound by our Safety, Professional Conduct and Safeguarding Policy. A serious breach means immediate suspension or permanent removal from the platform.
Payments
All bookings are made and confirmed through the platform using an approved payment method.
A booking is confirmed once the payment authorisation has completed successfully through the platform. Until that point, nothing is reserved and your Pro has not been committed to anything.
Payments are processed through the payment platform and collected by Nakel into the applicable platform accounts. Nakel does not store your card details. Card payment remains the expected method in the live flow.
The Pro's share of the booking is held by Nakel and released on the weekly reconciliation and payout cycle, subject to any adjustments, disputes, refunds or chargebacks.
If a job was not delivered, was materially defective, or was materially different from what you booked - or if you were charged twice - you can request a refund within 48 hours of completion. See below.
On the day
One rule matters more than the rest: someone has to be there to let the Pro in.
They receive the job detail, your contact information and the address - everything needed to arrive prepared and on time.
You need to be at the property, or to have arranged lawful access for the Pro. A Pro is not required to wait more than 30 minutes past the scheduled arrival time.
Your Pro is an independent professional. They are responsible for how the work is performed and for meeting the standards, licences and safety requirements of their trade.
You rate the Pro, and you have 48 hours to raise anything that was not right.
If the Pro cannot get in, they have still travelled and still lost the slot. Reschedule early rather than late.
Ratings & reviews
A rating is only worth reading if the person leaving it paid for the job.
Reviews can only be left by a customer who paid for a completed booking through the platform. No open review form, no bought ratings.
Ratings, reviews and work history sit on the Pro's own profile. It travels with them and it is the thing they are protecting on every job.
Complaints and repeated booking failures are reviewed. Where warranted we cancel bookings, restrict, suspend or permanently terminate accounts - for Pros and for Clients.
Emergencies & after hours
A burst geyser at 22:00 is a different job to a leaking tap on a Wednesday afternoon, and it is priced like one.
Emergency call-outs are requested for service within two hours. The shortlist only shows Pros who can realistically reach you inside that window.
Emergency and after-hours work may attract a surcharge. The exact surcharge and total price are displayed to you during booking and payment - completing payment means accepting that quoted price.
Pros must notify you promptly if they have to cancel and, unless circumstances make it impossible, at least three hours before the scheduled service. That notice period does not apply to instant bookings, which by their nature move faster.
Nakel is a booking platform, not an emergency service. If there is a risk to life, a fire, a gas leak or a crime in progress, call the emergency services first.
Changes & refunds
The earlier you tell us, the less it costs. These are the fees from our Terms of Service, in full.
| When you cancel | What you are charged | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| More than 24 hours before | Cancellation is free of charge. | Free |
| Between 1 and 2 hours before | A cancellation fee equal to half of the total amount paid. | 50% |
| Less than 1 hour before | A cancellation fee equal to the full amount paid. | 100% |
| No access on arrival | If you are not there and have not arranged lawful access, the amount paid may be forfeited. A Pro is not required to wait beyond 30 minutes. | Up to 100% |
You can request a reschedule through the platform, subject to your Pro's availability. Ask far enough in advance and it is usually processed without a fee; inside a period that would otherwise attract a cancellation fee, that fee may apply.
Request a refund within 48 hours of completion where the service was not delivered, was materially defective or materially different from what you booked, or where a duplicate or unauthorised charge occurred. We may ask for supporting evidence.
Requests are assessed in good faith using information from both you and your Pro. Depending on the circumstances the outcome may be a full refund, a partial refund, or a credit to your Nakel account.
Nothing in our cancellation or refund policy limits the rights you have under South African law, including the Consumer Protection Act. Unresolved complaints can be escalated to an appropriate regulator or ombud scheme.
Full detail in the cancellation and refund sections of our Terms.
Support
Clients and Pros can reach our support team about bookings, payments, complaints and refunds.
Call +27 64 061 5952, Mon-Sun 07:00-19:00, for anything urgent about a live booking.
Send the detail through our contact form and we will review it against the booking record and reply within a reasonable period.
Clients and Pros try to resolve things directly first. Where that fails we can step in to facilitate - reviewing evidence and proposing a fair outcome, on a non-binding basis.
For professionals
Apply once, get verified, and start receiving booking requests in your categories and service areas. You accept what fits your diary - and you are expected to turn up for everything you accept.
Free to search. No card needed until you book.
