WRAPTORHelp & Docs

Installers — hire vetted freelance wrap installers (and get hired)

Who it's for

The Installer network has two audiences. For shop owners and managers, it's where you find and hire freelance wrap installers when you need overflow help, a specialty skill, or a set of hands in another city — and pay them safely through Wraptor. For freelance installers, it's a free public profile that brings shops to you, plus the tools to message clients, get paid into escrow, and build a verified reputation. It is separate from your shop's Directory listing (which faces customers) — this faces shops hiring labor.

Where it fits

Hiring an installer slots into the production stage of the job workflow: when a job is booked but you're short on install capacity, you bring in outside help. The public installer directory lives on the open web at wraptor.io/installers (no login to browse), and once you hire someone, the work itself still runs through your normal Jobs board — you can hand the installer a job packet or work link to do the install.

Overview

There are four pieces, in the order you'll use them:

  1. The directory (/installers) — a public, searchable list of freelance installers with ratings, rates, skills, location/travel radius, and trust badges.
  2. Hire requests & messaging — reach out from an installer's profile, then go back and forth in a built-in 1:1 message thread.
  3. Escrow payments — pay the installer through Wraptor; the money is held until the job is done, then released. Cancel before release for a full refund; open a dispute if something's wrong.
  4. Reviews & badges — after a real hire, rate the installer; installers can earn Verified and Insured badges.

For an installer, the mirror image is: join → build a profile → get verified → receive hire requests → message shops → request payment → get paid → collect reviews.

Screens & navigation

For shops:

  • Directory — wraptor.io/installers (public). Drill into any installer at /installers/<name>.
  • Message — the Message button on an installer's profile opens a thread; your inbox is Installers in the dashboard sidebar (/installer-messages), with an unread badge.
  • Installer payments — Installer pay in the sidebar (/installer-payments) lists every payment and its status with the right action on each.

For installers (a separate login from a shop account):

  • Join — wraptor.io/installers/join → a short onboarding → your dashboard at /installer.
  • From the installer dashboard header: Profile, Hire requests, Messages, and Payments.

Capabilities

Browse & compare (shops, public)

  • Search installers by location and filter by skills, Insured, and rating.
  • Each profile shows headline, bio, years of experience, rates (hourly / per-sq-ft / day), skills, travel radius, portfolio photos, average rating, and Verified/Insured badges.

Hire & message (shops)

  • Send a hire request from a profile (your shop name and email pre-fill) with the job location, dates, and a message.
  • Message any active installer directly — a thread auto-creates on the first message; no hire request required first.
  • Each new message nudges the recipient by email once (until they read it), so neither side gets spammed. Replies arrive in-app within a few seconds.

Pay safely with escrow (shops)

  • An installer sends you a payment request (amount + description); you pay it into escrow with a card.
  • A platform fee (8%) is added on top — the installer receives their full quote; you're charged quote + fee.
  • The money is held by Wraptor, not sent to the installer yet. When the installer marks the job complete, you Release it — or it auto-releases 7 days after they mark it complete, so honest installers aren't left waiting.
  • Before release you can Cancel for a full refund, or Dispute if something's wrong (which freezes the funds for Wraptor to resolve).

Join & get found (installers)

  • Create a free public profile: name, headline, bio, location + travel radius, skills, experience, rates, and portfolio photos.
  • Apply to Get verified (a one-time admin review) and optionally upload proof of insurance to earn the Insured badge. Both are free; neither is required to list.

Get paid (installers)

  • Set up payouts once via Stripe (a guided onboarding). You can't request payment until payouts are active.
  • Request a payment from any shop you've talked to — pick the shop, describe the work, enter your amount. The shop pays it into escrow.
  • Mark a job complete to start the shop's 7-day release window; you can Cancel a request before it's paid.

Reviews & reputation

  • After a hire request is accepted, the shop can leave a ★1–5 review with an optional comment (one per shop, editable).
  • Reviews are verified-hire only, so ratings reflect real jobs. Your average rating and count show on your profile and on directory cards, and shops can sort by rating.

Step-by-step tasks

  1. Hire a freelance installer (shop)

    1. Go to wraptor.io/installers, filter by your city/skills, and open a profile.
    2. Click Send hire request (or Message to chat first). Add the job location, dates, and details.
    3. When you've agreed on a price, the installer sends a payment request; open Installer pay in the sidebar and click Pay to fund the escrow.
    4. Hand off the work — assign the job and share a job packet or work link.
    5. When the install is done and the installer marks it complete, click Release (or let it auto-release after 7 days). Leave a review.

  2. If something goes wrong before release (shop)

    1. Open Installer pay and find the payment.
    2. If the job was called off and not started, click Cancel for a full refund.
    3. If there's a disagreement, click Dispute — the funds freeze and Wraptor reviews it, then either refunds you or releases to the installer.

  3. Join as a freelance installer

    1. Go to wraptor.io/installers/join and create your installer account (separate from any shop login).
    2. Complete your profile — skills, rates, travel radius, and portfolio photos matter most.
    3. From your dashboard, apply to Get verified and (optionally) upload insurance for the Insured badge.

  4. Get paid as an installer

    1. On your dashboard, open Payments and Set up payouts (Stripe onboarding) — do this once.
    2. Click Request a payment, pick the shop, describe the work, and enter your amount.
    3. After the shop pays and you finish the install, Mark complete. The shop releases the funds, or they auto-release in 7 days.

Settings & permissions

  • The public directory and installer profiles need no login to view.
  • Hiring, messaging, paying, and reviewing require a signed-in shop account; everything is scoped to your shop.
  • Joining as an installer uses its own login, kept separate from shop accounts.
  • Verification and dispute resolution are handled by Wraptor admins.
  • Escrow card payments run through Stripe; installer payouts use Stripe Connect.

Tips & common pitfalls

  • Escrow protects both sides — pay into Wraptor, not directly. The hold is your safety net; release only when you're satisfied (or let the 7-day timer do it).
  • Message before you hire. Confirm scope, dates, and price in the thread first, so the payment request matches what you agreed.
  • Installers: set up payouts early. You can't send a payment request until Stripe payouts are active.
  • A held payment isn't paid yet. Funds only reach the installer on Release (or auto-release) — cancelling beforehand refunds you in full.
  • Verified ≠ Insured. They're two independent badges; an installer can have either, both, or neither.
  • Jobs — run the actual install; hand off a job packet or no-login work link.
  • Directory — your shop's customer-facing listing (don't confuse it with this installer network).
  • Plans and AI — plan tiers and AI credits.
  • Workflow map · Personas