Ask first.
Hire second.
The questions people actually send us, answered plainly. If yours is not here, the team answers email.
The basics
What is Wrklo?
Wrklo is a Nigerian app for hiring local tradespeople: plumbers, electricians, mechanics, tailors and about twenty other trades. You describe the job, verified professionals near you respond, and your payment is held until you confirm the work is done.
How is Wrklo different from finding someone on WhatsApp?
Two things. Every professional has had their ID checked against government records, so you know who is coming to your house. And your money is held instead of handed over, so a job that goes wrong is something you can dispute rather than money you have lost.
Where does Wrklo work?
Jobs go to professionals near the address you give, so it depends on how many verified professionals are close to you. If nobody responds you have lost nothing, because posting is free.
Do I need the app?
No. You can do everything from the website. The phone apps are for people who prefer them, and for professionals who want job alerts on their phone.
Hiring someone
How do I post a job?
Four things: the trade you need, a short description, where the job is, and when you want it. There is no title to write and no budget to guess at.
Do I have to name a price?
No. Professionals give a price after they understand the job, usually after seeing it, because a plumber cannot price a leak he has not looked at. You approve the price before any money moves.
When do I pay?
After the work is done and the professional sends you a price. You pay, the money is held, and it only reaches the professional when you confirm the job is finished.
What if I never confirm?
The job closes automatically after the countdown shown in the app. That exists so a professional who has done the work is not left unpaid by someone who just stops replying. You are warned before it happens, and you can raise a dispute at any point before it does.
Can I choose who does the job?
Yes. You see who responded, what they charge and how other people rated them, then you decide. Nobody is assigned to you.
Can I cancel?
Yes, and what happens depends on how far the job has gone. Before you have paid, cancelling costs nothing. Once work has started, the app shows you exactly what cancelling would cost before you confirm it.
Money
What does Wrklo cost?
Nothing for customers. Professionals pay 5% of a job once it is completed and paid for. There is no subscription and no listing fee.
Who holds my money while the job is in progress?
Your card is charged through Paystack, a licensed Nigerian payment company. The money is then held against your job instead of being passed to the professional, and it is released when you confirm the work.
How do I pay?
By card, on Paystack’s secure payment page. Wrklo never sees or stores your card number.
Can I pay the professional in cash instead?
You can, but understand what you are giving up. Cash is not held, cannot be disputed, and leaves no record for anyone at Wrklo to look at. Every protection here depends on the money going through Wrklo.
How does a professional get paid out?
Money from completed jobs lands in their Wrklo wallet, and they send it to a bank account in their own verified name. An account in somebody else’s name is blocked.
Verification and disputes
What does "verified" actually mean?
That the person gave us their National Identification Number, that it matched a real government record, and that a photo they took in the app matched the photo the government has on file. It means we know who they are. It says nothing about how good they are at the job.
Does Wrklo guarantee the quality of the work?
No, and any app that says otherwise is overselling. What Wrklo promises is that your money is not released until you say the work is done, and that there is a dispute process if you disagree. Judging whether someone is good at their trade is still up to you. Ratings and photos of past jobs are there to help.
What happens if I am not happy with the work?
Raise a dispute before you confirm. The money freezes, both sides send in their evidence, someone at Wrklo decides, and whoever the decision goes against gets a set amount of time to appeal.
Is the full amount of a job protected?
No. There is a limit, and it depends on how long the professional has worked on Wrklo and how well. The amount that applies to your job is shown before you pay, and the rules are set out in the terms of use.
Someone asked me to pay them directly. What do I do?
Refuse, and report them from the chat. Asking to be paid outside the app is the most common way people get defrauded on apps like this, and the request itself is the warning sign.
Working on Wrklo
What do I need to start receiving jobs?
Your National Identification Number, a photo taken in the app, your trade and your address. Most people are approved within minutes because the check happens automatically. Bank details come later, the first time you send a price or open your wallet.
Why is my verification taking longer?
Almost always a mistyped number. The app tells you if it was not found so you can correct it. If something else did not match, a real person at Wrklo looks at it. You are never rejected automatically.
How do I get more jobs?
Answer quickly, give a clear price, and finish what you start. Jobs go to professionals near the customer, so being verified and quick to reply matters more than anything else.
Does quoting for a job cost me anything?
No. You are only charged when a job is finished and paid for. Giving a price for work you do not win costs you nothing.
Still unsure?
Read how the money moves on the pricing page, or what is and is not covered on the safety page.