To help ensure your swimming pool is clean and clear for your family and friends to enjoy, focus on two areas:

• Maintaining or adjusting the chemical balance of the pool water.
• Removing debris and foreign particles from the swimming pool.

The chemical balance of swimming pool water cannot be maintained by adding pool chemicals only when we remember to. Pool water needs to be tested on a regular basis and adjusted in accordance to the results. The most common chemical used is chlorine. If used in large quantities, or if not maintained properly, chlorine may irritate the eyes and skin of swimmers. A swimming pool owner should also be aware of the proper maintenance instructions for the chemicals and follow the manufacturers’ instructions when applying chemicals to the pool.

To remove unwanted substances from your swimming pool, many rely on a water circulation and filtration system. Regular brushing and vacuuming of our swimming pools helps ensure a minimum of foreign material in the pool water. In addition, you also need to clean the filter itself and replace the filtration medium when necessary. A swimming pool filtration system uses the same basic principle of passing water through tiny channels. Particles larger than these channels are trapped and separated from the main body of the water. This process continues until all of the channels are blocked. At his time, the filter must then be cleaned and the cycle repeated.

Debris and suspended matter usually find their way to the bottom of a pool and may need to be removed by vacuuming.  You may want to consider vacuuming as part of your regular maintenance. The swimming pool vacuum operates in a similar manner to the common household vacuum, except it draws water through the vacuum head instead of air. There are two ways this may be accomplished:

• One method employs a jet of water supplied by a garden hose to power the suction which draws the dirt into the head to be trapped in a cloth bag.
• The other method uses the suction power supplied by the filter which draws the debris and suspended matter from the pool floor for removal through the filter. When there is a considerable amount of debris to be removed, the filter valves should be adjusted so that the vacuumed water will bypass the filter and run to waste.

Don’t feel overwhelmed. Let QwikBids get you the service professionals who can take care of this or any other project you want done. QwikBids providers are already prescreened. In addition, you can remain anonymous until you choose a company with the best fit!

Word of mouth is always great when you seek services and have no idea where to begin. But sometimes, there are projects around the home that require a specialist for an array of odd things you may need done. Too often, there are no suggestions from family or friends. However, there’s an alternative to having to “shoot in the dark” when choosing a service provider for your many projects. 

In the metro Phoenix area, whether it’s landscape, swimming pool maintenance, or handyman service, rely on feedback from homeowners like you!

QwikBids offers a unique rating and feedback system that’s easy to understand and is always completely free to consumers. Aside from word of mouth, feedback from other homeowners is the most reliable way to know you’re getting the best deal in addition to supreme workmanship.

Consumers have an incentive to leave feedback too. For their feedback, QwikBids donates $10 to the charity of their choice! How cool is that?

Very recently, a homeowner decided it was time to visit QwikBids with an assortment of projects that needed to be done. From what we could tell, she was looking for one company to come in and do it all. She placed her bid request (always free!), got numerous bids and scheduled a reputable handyman to come out to do the work.

After the work was completed, she happily gave feedback. She wrote, “Dan is the best! He is very knowledgeable, efficient, honest and his prices are very fair. He did a great job on fixing a messy electrical problem I had in my master bathroom. Dan is the first person I will call when I need any electrical, plumbing or repair work done in the future.”

This feedback will help many in choosing a service provider, but this is also very favorable to Dan, as he has now established a customer relationship through his performance and fairness. Good job, Dan!

What’s more, the customer chose Sequoya Elementary School for the $10 donation. She had her projects done superbly at a great price, and helped our kids!

It all starts with all-important feedback. Visit QwikBids today to take advantage! It’s free to consumers, plus you remain anonymous until you choose a service provider. Convenient, easy and just makes sense!

The Maricopa Home and Garden Show was a hit! It was funny as we wrangled with where our booth was, but met a lot of terrific folks willing to help us along the entire way.

We met many vendors from throughout the Valley. Most of those vendors represent much of what the Valley has to offer in provider services. There was a display of pest control (an aquarium filled with native scorpions), pool maintenance and supply, and landscape professionals. There were pool builders, roofers, and general contractors from all trades on hand.

These people are the backbone of our local economy!

So QwikBids wanted to meet the folks that made our world go around in the Valley. We wanted to meet the faces behind the work and company names. We wanted to know more about their industries, their challenges, and their success stories. As we went along, we learned more about not only the display of commerce, but also the challenges facing our local, smaller businesses dedicated to their trade.

We will sit still no longer.

QwikBids is ready for the challenge and urges all to embrace a new way of doing business, by not only getting the best price for a service, but also contributing to our trusted charities in our communities.

In an effort to make the community and its leaders aware of our up-and-coming concept, QwikBids is introducing a new, innovative way for all to benefit.  We’ve taken our ideas to the public. It’s time to put our unique way of bringing customers, service providers, and charities together for not only productivity, but also boosting our ailing economy.

QwikBids is planning many more appearances at other shows around the Valley, as well as other venues on local television. Sonoran living will be featuring QwikBids for the second time really soon, and we are doing our part for charity at the Silent Auction and Poker Tournament in Goodyear, hosted by the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

Needless to say, the show ended up being a complete success. We learned how QwikBids can fit into the community and flourish for many years to come, and we learned valuable ways in which to contribute to all.

 Commitment to satisfaction doesn’t show itself every day, but at QwikBids, things are a little different. We believe that through registration with us, Service Providers are stating the obvious, “We’ll do whatever it takes to not only provide quality, but competitive pricing as well.

It came as no surprise then, a consumer was so impressed with their contractor they just had to let us know; and so, QwikBids wants you to know too!

“MS” writes, [The company I chose] “was fantastic. They were prompt, clean and did a fantastic job. We had several schedule changes and they were willing and able to accommodate us at the very last minute. I would recommend them to anyone who needs perfect craftsmanship at a very competitive price.”

Keep them coming consumers!

QwikBids is more than happy to share these experiences with our readers, Service Providers, and of course, customers who use our unique system to get the job done right!

For the sake of training and learning, QwikBids staff will follow a bid request by a customer from start to finish. More and more, we are seeing consumers catch on to the QwikBids idea, and what a difference it has made for them. Simplicity is king!

A consumer had a frustrating leak in which they tried to remedy themselves. Now, QwikBids encourages consumers to save the extra buck in these hard times by doing it themselves if it is feasible. But this consumer was done trying to deal with the problem (maybe more important things to do?). Here was the description of the project:

“Problem 1:  Flexible line underground which has many drip lines off it keeps getting leaks. We fix one leak and it leaks further down the line. There does not appear to be a pressure control on the valve. Need pressure reducer installed at valve and 3-4 feet of tubing replaced near end of line. Must remove granite/dirt and replace in both areas.

Problem 2:  Another valve is leaking either around the solenoid or the valve lid.  Probably needs a part replaced.”

An irrigation leak in the Valley, especially during this time of year, is definitely a problem. So of course, the consumer wanted it bid on quickly and the project started right away. Within a few days, we were happy to see a consumer that realizes the value of QwikBids. He wrote, “Quick response. Fixed my irrigation system the next day. Used good quality parts that will last. Went above and beyond by checking the whole system and setting timer. Very nice and knowledgeable gentleman.”

Need we tell you more? It speaks for itself! This consumer also chose to donate $10.00 Arizona Animal Welfare League (awarded to the charity of choice because of feedback to the provider).

Go to QwikBids today for the project you have either been putting off or the repair that needs to be done quickly!

QwikBids encourages all consumers and service providers to write in about their experiences with us. So when a consumer called in to the corporate office this morning, it was a pleasant surprise.

Erin Gort, an Account Specialist with QwikBids, took the call. Erin says the consumer, who remains anonymous per QwikBids Privacy Policy, wanted to let us know how his experience was going and had a few questions. “I’ve received compliments over the phone before, but never to this extent,” she says. “He stated how much he loved our concept. He was pleased that we were so much easier than the Yellow Pages because service providers and quotes came to him.”

The consumer, Erin tells me, had 6 service providers bidding on the project, giving him many choices.

The consumer went on to tell Erin that he found QwikBids in an Ahwatukee Foothills News newspaper article and thought he would try QwikBids out. “He said after his experience with us, he is telling everyone, how it works and how easy it is,” Erin adds.

When I sat down to speak with Erin more about the consumers and service providers, she was all smiles. “Everyone I’ve talked to loves the concept, whether it has been a consumer or registered provider,” Erin says of QwikBids. “It’s really working and catching on!”

As it goes, any company can measure its success by the satisfaction of its customers. But you know what’s even better? When this same success can be realized by the satisfaction of the service provider and QwikBids as well, we just have to share!

Here is yet another satisfied customer:

A customer (sorry, anonymous!), needed drywall repair from some water damage. The request for bid was placed, and Andy the Handyman was chosen. So Easy!

A note from the customer following the project was a small one, but the meaning when we receive these compliments is huge:

“Andy did a great job repairing the drywall. I will use his service(s) again. Thank you very much QwikBids & Andy!!” – QwikBids Customer

Now, it’s your turn. No need to keep putting off that project.  Use QwikBids, and when you get it finished, let our readers know how effortless and pleasant your experience was!

In this faster-than-ever paced world we live in, it’s great knowing there’s a place to go to get things done quickly and efficiently. So when someone asked me if I knew of a carpet cleaner that could get a job done the same day, I suggested QwikBids!

They placed a request for bid to get the carpets done. It was as simple as logging in and describing the project. Did we mention it was FREE? QwikBids did the rest. The carpet professionals responded qwikly! The request was placed at 3:22 PM, and by 3:35 PM they chose a provider and made the appointment to get the carpets cleaned. All at a great price!

One of the great features of QwikBids is the notification options available to the providers. One of the carpet cleaners was actually on a service call when he responded to the bid request. He handled the entire process from his cell phone!

So here’s the deal: Not only are consumers getting a great deal and the convenience of QwikBids handling the background and reference checks, they are getting the bids in a blink of an eye. These days, time is everything!

QwikBids is emerging as not only a valuable asset to service providers, but also to consumers and charities alike. Today we would like to talk about placing bids on the QwikBids website, what you should expect from your requests for bids, and what happens after the project has been completed. We had a lengthy conversation with a customer about these things, how things could be improved, and what service providers can expect as well.

Lee Olson, General Manager of Hilton Garden Inn/Scottsdale Perimeter Center in Scottsdale, Arizona says his recent project went well using QwikBids. Lee said, “I needed some tile removed from both of my elevators and carpet laid down in its place. I also wanted to save as many of the tiles as possible because those type are not manufactured any longer (Lee had this type of tile throughout his lobby, and needed backup pieces for repairs). I wanted to get a fair price from a few different businesses as I always do on projects.”

Lee explained that he sometimes dreaded many projects because of the hassle finding quality, affordable professionals. “I have to always find at least three different providers for comparison before making a choice. I check the references, licensing, and insurance status on each and this gets very time consuming. There must be an alternative; I have a hotel to run,” he said.

Lee isn’t alone. Most, from the homeowner to the building contractor, must endure the same pain locating a quality service provider for their projects. But as the word gets out about QwikBids, more and more customers and service providers are seeing the advantage. For customers, the unique bidding process assures not only a fair price, but also quality workmanship. Lee reacts, “The best part is I only have to place the bid, choose the service provider, and simply set up a time for the project to begin. I didn’t have to do the background or references on who I chose; that was handled for me. It was really convenient, I remained anonymous, and I could focus on running my hotel. Where have these people been?”

The service provider Lee chose was very eager to please, and made a good name for themselves among other service providers with QwikBids. “These guys didn’t waste time. We set up the date to begin, they did an outstanding job, and they even saved a few tile for me. I also got a great price that didn’t hurt my budget,” he added. Lee went on to say he gave great feedback to them on the QwikBids site. I explained to him that he had done a service to the community when he left feedback. QwikBids also gives $10.00 to charity for customer feedback received. Everybody wins! Way to go Lee!

Finally, we got down to my last question. We asked Lee if he had any advice for other customers out there. He gave it some thought for a moment, then offered, “I recommend this service highly and plan on using QwikBids again for a multi-million dollar renovation coming up. Whoever thought of this concept is a genius!”