Taskrabbit's ‘Happiness Pledge' may not make you so happy, attorney says

Darlena Goetz of Orange County needed help mounting a new television, so she hired a handyman, or tasker, through the app Taskrabbit. 

When the television was up, she wanted to recenter the credenza beneath it, moving it just a smidge. 

“I said to him that we need to lift it and set it down,” Goetz said.

Goetz was concerned the fragile legs would break if they tried to scoot the credenza. And that’s exactly what happened. 

“The next moment he decided to take his hip and just shove it. And that’s when it snapped off both legs. I just looked at the guy because I’d just told him we need to lift it,” she said.

Goetz said that 2-inch shove ruined her $2,800 credenza. She said she later asked the tasker about his insurance, but he didn’t respond. 

“I can’t afford to go get another one. That was a very big expense for me to do. I was sick over the whole experience,” she said.

But then Goetz felt, well, a little happy. She learned Taskrabbit has a “Happiness Pledge,” allowing users to recoup up to $10,000 for property damage due to a tasker’s negligence.

So, she filed a claim, but it was denied. Taskrabbit said Goetz missed the 14-day deadline to submit the requested paperwork, even though she said she told them she’d be two days late. The company instead offered her a $125 credit toward a future task. 

“I’m just tired of getting stepped on by companies or people, and I just thought, 'This is enough,'” she said.

Attorney Deborah Chang said there are a lot of exclusions in Taskrabbit’s Happiness Pledge.

“It should be called ‘Not Really Happy Pledge’ or ‘Not So Happy Pledge,’” she said.

Chang said one exclusion is that 14-day deadline to file a claim. You're also required to try and resolve your dispute with your tasker first. If that doesn’t work, then the company might pay your claim, but there’s no guarantee. 

“What it basically says when you read all of the pages is that we have the discretion whether we want to to give you a penny or nothing or up to $10,000, but you have to jump through a lot of hurdles before you even get our attention. If you’re looking to them to make it happy, then you might be looking for a long time,” said Chang. 

The I-Team reached out to Taskrabbit, and it confirmed that it denied Goetz’s claim because she missed the deadline. But it said if Taskrabbit users ask, it can reopen claims and extend deadlines.

After the I-Team hopped on this one, that’s what happened – Taskrabbit refunded Goetz the $2,800 she paid for the credenza. 

Tips when hiring a tasker

• Consider hiring one that has insurance
• Report any problems to the company right away
• Read the company’s Happiness Pledge for all exclusions