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Find and compare local service providers
Find and compare local service providers (plumber, electrician, mechanic, house cleaner, tutor) on reviews, quotes, credentials, and availability, then give a shortlist, red flags, and the questions to ask before hiring. Use when the user needs to hire a local service and wants options compared.
Partly self-tested · demo only, live search untested
What "self-tested" means: our own AI agent ran this skill against the fictional demo files and we published its real output, failures included. The same agent also wrote the skill and the demo data, so this is not an independent review. Check results yourself before you rely on them.
Drop the folder into your agent's skills directory (e.g. ~/.agents/skills/ or ~/.claude/skills/), or paste SKILL.md into any chat assistant. Demo files included:
demo/providers.md
Test record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Status | Partly self-tested: demo data only; live search of real local providers untested |
| Version / date | v1.0 test: 2026-10-13 (no failures in this skill were scheduled for the Oct 14 fix round; re-labeled only) |
| Model / agent | Grok Bot (the same agent that wrote the skill and the demo data, so this is not an independent test) |
| Input | demo/providers.md: 5 fictional plumbers in the fictional town of Fairview, quoting a gas water-heater replacement |
| Method | Grok Bot followed SKILL.md on the demo table. No real businesses were searched or contacted, so the "gather from two review sources" step was not exercised. |
Real output
| Provider | Evidence from reviews | Quote, normalized | Credentials | Warranty | Earliest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copperline Plumbing | Strong: 4.7 from 312 | $1,895 all-in (incl. haul-away + permit) | License + insurance stated | 6 yr tank / 1 yr labor | Thu |
| Steady Flow Plumbing | Good: 4.6 from 87 | $1,780 + $95 haul-away = $1,875, permit unknown | License + insurance stated | 6 yr tank / 1 yr labor | Fri |
| Fairview Home Services | Good: 4.4 from 148 | $2,150 all-in, plus an expansion tank | License + insurance stated | 6 yr tank / 2 yr labor | Next Mon (misses the 1-week window if today is Mon) |
| Bright Pipe Co. | Weak: 4.9 from only 9 | $1,450, no haul-away or permit mentioned | Not stated | 1 yr labor | Tomorrow |
| Ace-Quick Rooter | Mixed: 3.8 from 204 | "$1,600–2,400, see on site" (not comparable) | Insurance not stated | Not stated | Wed |
Red flags - Bright Pipe Co.: no license or insurance stated, a 50% deposit, a cash discount, and the lowest quote by far. Its high rating rests on only 9 reviews. - Ace-Quick Rooter: no firm quote, and several reviews mention surprise fees.
Shortlist 1. Copperline Plumbing: the most review evidence, a truly all-in price under budget, and it can do Thursday. Top pick. 2. Steady Flow Plumbing: about the same price once haul-away is added ($1,875), but ask whether the permit is included; if not, the real cost goes up. 3. Fairview Home Services: over the ~$2,000 budget by $150, but includes an expansion tank and the longest labor warranty. Worth it if the expansion tank is needed anyway.
Questions to ask each finalist - Is the permit included, and who pulls it and schedules the inspection? - Does my system need an expansion tank (or other code updates), and is that in the price? - Exactly what does the labor warranty cover, and who honors the tank warranty? - What deposit is required, and when is the balance due? - Can you put the all-in price in writing before work starts?
Verify yourself: check each finalist's license on your state or city licensing lookup, and ask for a certificate of insurance.
Known failures / limits
- Live data untested. All providers, ratings, and quotes are fictional. Real review sites may block agents, show different numbers, or contain fake reviews the skill can't detect.
- "Next Mon" vs. the 1-week window depends on the user's actual date. It was flagged conditionally, which is correct but vague.
- Expansion-tank need is a technical question the skill can't answer. It correctly turned it into a question for the plumber.
- Self-test bias: the same agent wrote the demo and ran the test.
The skill file
---
name: compare-local-providers
description: Find and compare local service providers (plumber, electrician, mechanic, house cleaner, tutor) on reviews, quotes, credentials, and availability, then give a shortlist, red flags, and the questions to ask before hiring. Use when the user needs to hire a local service and wants options compared.
license: MIT
metadata:
library: TriedSkills
job: Find and compare local service providers
version: "1.0"
---
# Find and compare local service providers
## Inputs
The job ("water heater replacement"), the area, the timing, a budget if known, and any provider info the user already has (quotes, listings). If live search is available, gather 4–6 providers from at least two review sources.
## Steps
1. Collect, for each provider: average rating **and review count**, quote (and what it includes), stated license/insurance, warranty, earliest availability, and source.
2. **Normalize quotes.** Mark what each one includes (parts, labor, haul-away, permit). Never compare an all-in quote to a labor-only quote without saying so.
3. Weigh reviews sensibly. A 4.9 from 9 reviews is weaker evidence than a 4.6 from 300. Say why.
4. Flag **red flags**: no license or insurance stated where the trade normally requires it, cash-only, large upfront deposits, quotes far below the others, pressure tactics.
5. Recommend a **shortlist of 2–3** with reasons. Name a top pick only if the evidence clearly supports one.
6. List **questions to ask** each finalist, and remind the user to verify licenses with the official state/local lookup.
## Output format
Comparison table → red flags → shortlist with reasons → questions to ask → what to verify yourself.
## Guardrails
- Don't contact providers or book anything.
- Present review data as the source shows it, with the date seen. Don't invent ratings, reviews, or license numbers.