At Airtasker (an Australian competitor) we take the approach that it'ds an open marketplace and both sides need to confirm that the task is complete before money exchanges hands. We've found it's very, very rare that the buyer will "screw over" the runner.
Also it seems much easier for us to scale up new runners than it is to get more task posters.
It's super fun working for a startup that is focused on real-world interactions. Situations like the one you describe are difficult to deal with and definitely highlight the value of good community management and customer service. It's a shame that TaskRabbit let you down. Maybe in the future if Airtasker expands to the US you can give us a try :P
Disclaimer: if it wasn't obvious I work for Airtasker.
Also it seems much easier for us to scale up new runners than it is to get more task posters.
It's super fun working for a startup that is focused on real-world interactions. Situations like the one you describe are difficult to deal with and definitely highlight the value of good community management and customer service. It's a shame that TaskRabbit let you down. Maybe in the future if Airtasker expands to the US you can give us a try :P
Disclaimer: if it wasn't obvious I work for Airtasker.