How Slatejack works
We are a directory and record keeper — not a contractor, not an escrow, not a party to your work agreement.
- 01
Businesses publish a rate card
Before a listing goes live, the business publishes hourly, flat, call-out and per-unit pricing. Our team reviews it. No listing without prices.
- 02
You compare pricing openly
Browse by trade and city and read the actual numbers — not a vague 'starting from'. Reviews flag any business that has charged over its published rate.
- 03
Booking freezes the rates
When you send a request, we copy the entire rate card onto the booking record along with your acknowledgement and a timestamp. Neither side can edit it afterwards.
- 04
Work and payment happen off-platform
Slatejack never collects job payment or holds funds. You pay the business directly under their terms — we are an introduction and record-keeping service.
- 05
Overcharges get reported
If an invoice exceeds the snapshot without your written approval, file a report from your account. We review it against the frozen record and can suspend the listing.
When the price needs to change
Real jobs uncover real surprises. A business can charge more than the locked rate card — but only through a written, itemised change order that the customer signs. There is no other route. Anything billed beyond that is undocumented, and the frozen booking snapshot proves what was agreed.
What the business can do
- Raise a change order from your dashboard on the booking itself.
- State what changed on site and why the extra work is needed.
- Add itemised lines — hourly, flat, call-out or per-unit, with quantity. The added total is shown before you send.
- Withdraw it any time while it is still pending.
- Message the customer in the booking thread to talk it through first.
- Once approved, you hold a signed, timestamped record of exactly what was agreed.
What the customer can do
- You get notified the moment a change order is raised.
- You see the reason, the explanation and every added line item with its price.
- Approving requires typing your full name — that signature and time are stored on the record.
- You can decline, with an optional note, and the original locked rates stand.
- Only the listed items are added. Everything else stays at the rate you booked.
- If you are billed above the snapshot without an approved change order, file an overcharge report.
Disputes go open → reviewing → resolved or dismissed. Our team reviews them against the full trail: the booking snapshot, every approved or declined change order, and the message history. Slatejack does not collect payment or set prices — we keep the record.