What is Romio?

Romio is an app to find and book trusted local services recommended by local Experts and people you know within your social network. The app officially launched in New York City this fall with a gradual expansion to other major US cities in 2019.

What makes Romio different?

Romio does recommendations differently. Rather than rely soley on reviews, which are often manipulated, we incorporate the recommendations of often nationally recognized featured in the media as go to domain experts that Romio staff have fully vetted. Those experts interests are alligned with users and received incentives the more users recognize the quality of their recommendations and rebook and share their recommended services on our platform. The app serves users seeking local services, 'experts' recommending local services and 'service providers' offering local services. Say you’re a user looking for a dog walker in TriBeCa. Romio aggregates relevant, local Service Provider recommendations from credible Experts (i.e. Veterinarians, experienced Dog Trainers, etc.) to provide reliable high quality referrals. These referrals are then compiled into 'best of' lists – so you can discover and book the top recommended Dog Walkers in New York City. Alternatively, say you’re a Veterinarian and know an excellent Dog Walker. Now you have a platform to share a recommendation to be discoverable on Romio and help those seeking this service in your community. Similarly, Beauty Influencers can recommend their favorite Hairstylists, Athletes can endorse their Personal Trainers and Parenting Bloggers can champion superstar Babysitters.

Services are vestted carefully by trusted experts and friends. Services get to keep most of their earnings which motivates them more to deliver a great services to Romio users. Experts and friends are motivated finacially to deliver the very best recommendations to users. Romio is the community that works. We liberate people to do the things that they love, and help users find the very best services around them.

What are the benefits of joining Romio?

"For Users, Romio is a one-stop shop for all service needs spanning Fitness, Parenting, Pets, Lifestyle, Real Estate and more industries. Users can search, discover and book local services – all within the app. And when Users book services, they can have peace of mind knowing exactly who they're hiring – since recommendations are provided by trusted, vetted Romio Experts and people you know. For Service Providers, Romio provides a platform to increase business exposure, turn their social networks into a referral network, attract new customers, manage clients and network within similar industries. For Romio Experts, providing solid recommendations will increase your ""Romio Rank"" status – increasing exposure on the platform and within your industry. Being in the Romio Expert community also gives opportunities to network with fellow Experts and Service Providers in similar fields."

What makes a service "trusted"?

The two pillars of our trust model are recommendations made by local Romio Experts and friends in your social network. A "Romio Expert" is someone who is well-connected in their industry or community and highly qualified in his / her field. For example, a Veterinarian with a 4-year Veterinary degree would qualify as an Expert in the Pet industry.

How does Romio rate Service Providers?

We don't believe in a star rating system, since it’s highly flawed and outdated. Instead, we rank service providers via endrsements where they are ranked within a leaderboard style – with the #1 spot at the top with the most vetted recommendations, filtered down to the service provider with the least amount of recommendations. This "vouching" system is superior to reviews and the social pressure helps deliver superior services to users.

What is the criteria for becoming a Romio Expert?

Experts are individuals who are viewed by others as knowledgeable in a specific subject matter and whose recommendations earn respect and garner trust. Some of the factors that we consider in determining the level of expertise are media publications, network of folloers around a specific domain expertise, professional knowledge, education, word-of-mouth, online reputation and body of work. We also consider the “local” contribution that someone can make on the platform. To be a local expert, you need to have strong connections to the community or place in question. For the moment, that’s just NYC. As we roll out to other major cities, we look forward to expanding that definition and growing our network.

Is there a web version of Romio?

Yes. The Web version enables you to browse services, which you can then book via the app. We plan to release a web version to with full app functionality in the coming months. In the meantime, Romio is available in the iOS Store and Google Play Store.

How does Romio make money?

Romio takes a 15% service fee on all services performed. Up to half of this fee is given back to whomever referred the Customer and/or Service Provider, while the other half is spent on marketing expenses to continue to grow Romio and the Romio community.

How does the ranking system work for Romio Service Providers?

Our team has spent over 18 months meticulously recruiting the city's top influencers and onboarding their favorite expert service providers from their personal address books. Providers are then ranked according to a unique algorithm that accounts for the number of expert recomendations recieved, response rate, and the number of positive reviews from users. We have found that this process helps ensure a quality service with every booking, even if you have never worked with a provider before.

Am I responsible for providing supplies and equipment?

Providers are responsible for all supplies and equipment to complete the job unless otherwise specified during the booking process.

Do I need to provide my credit card information every time I make a booking request?

"Romio works with major credit cards (like American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover), debit cards tied to checking accounts, and prepaid cards. Our payments are processed by Stripe. Review Stripe's FAQ if you have questions or concerns about the security of your payment info."