Name of App: GoodService
Available On: Android, iOS {download here and here.}
Their Promise: Think of GoodService as your personal assistant. For you, they’ll place orders, give out pertinent information, provide contacts for services {plumbers, mechanics, dry-cleaners}- just about anything. You’re Aladdin and you've just found your genie.
THE SETUP
THE DETAILS
Hits: Polite responses, online payment for any and all orders
Misses: Fast response time, but fairly long delivery time {expect at least an hour of waiting time}
How to: We suggest you place specific orders to find you exactly what you want. Even if your query is vague, they’ll respond to the best of their abilities.
Who it’s for: Working people who have little to no time to run errands
THE SPEND:
The order total {MRP, if you need some kind of product}, with an additional delivery charge {which is determined by the distance their riders have to travel}. Queries are free of cost.
THE TEST
I use my smartphone as much as the next person- for e-mail, Instagram, Facebook, you name it- but I’ve never really forayed into the apps making all our lives easier. Presenting #LBBTests- where I’ll take you through the what, where, when and how of them modern miracles.
Let’s start from the very beginning
Fuelled by curiosity and laziness in equal parts, I put GoodService to the test. They promised many a thing; could they really deliver? {Yes, pun intended}.
It was fairly fun- I requested a whole jumble of things, from food deliveries to contact numbers of movers and packers, to even having just markers delivered to see exactly how solid the promise was.
LBB Tip: GoodService does not make promises they can’t keep, for the most part. If they can’t deliver something when you want it, they’ll suggest another time. No beating around the bush, just clean, to-the-point communication. And call me sceptical {wouldn’t you be, after dealing with unhelpful, rude people at every turn of life?} but I didn’t think anyone was this polite anymore.
Back to my list of requests- I needed shampoo but I’m fairly fussy so I asked for a picture of the product they’d pick up. I was convinced it was a long shot, but they happily obliged. Can I say I was touched without sounding cliché?
Take-out tales
Calling in for food has fast become one of my least favourite things to do. So hurray for GoodService! I could get them to do all the dirty work. The restaurant I wanted food from doesn’t usually deliver- I was trying to be a hard taskmaster and get the food I was craving all in one shot; let's say success was mine.
They proceeded to place my order, inform me when it was picked up, didn’t forget my Diet Coke {I’ll admit, I expected them to} and even let me pay online! All while I lounged around in my PJs and indulged in a friendly debate with my brother about whether a pizza could pass off as a balanced diet. I could get used to this.
The sun has to set
Now, I’ve been accused of being a sceptic many a time; I cannot lie, but no one is perfect- not even GoodService. I won’t say I was hoping for the other shoe to drop {I really wasn’t}, but it did.
Context: I’d asked for half a kilogramme of fresh paneer from a local store, along with six whole tomatoes. I was asked to wait for my ETA and price points. Trusting that ship to sail as smoothly as all the previous ones, I got lost in work and remembered a few hours later. I’m not quite sure what happened here, but it was too late to do anything except have the products delivered the next morning. I was disappointed- it had been going so well too!
Asking pertinent questions
You’ve been thinking it, I know you have- will the digital fairy godmother bring us that post-work beer to take the edge off?
Well, there you have it. Sadly, you’re still going have to work for that giggle juice. And cigarettes, cause they won't deliver those either.
THE VERDICT
The way I see it, there are more pros than cons, so this is a win! On days you wish you just had someone to run out and pick up a few items, or when you need information but don’t have the time or energy to hunt for it yourself, GoodService is a lifesaver. They’re well-mannered, pay attention to detail, and ask all the right questions. Go download your new personal assistant now!
