Urban Company launches 15-minute ‘Insta Maids’: Price, cities, offers; ‘expected better’, say netizens

Home services firm Urban Company has forayed into the quick commerce business with its latest offering ‘Insta Maids’, a maid-for-hire service. The service provides users with access to maids within 15 minutes, aiming to make house help services convenient for those who need it.

Here is everything you need to know about Urban Company Insta Maids service:

What is Insta Maids?

Urban Company’s latest service Insta Maids aims to revolutionise India’s house help market, which is largely unorganised at present. The service promises quick availability of maids with efficient work.

According to reports, the Insta Maids services includes utensil cleaning, brooming, mopping and cooking preparation among others.

Price details

Urban Company has launched the services at an introductory price of ₹49 per hour.

“For our customers, the introductory pricing of ₹49 per hour is a limited-time offer. As the service scales, prices will adjust to ensure both sustainable earnings for our partners and viable economics for our business,” the startup has said in a post on X.

Insta Maids available in THIS city

The experimental offering is at present available in select areas of Mumbai.

“Currently, the service is in its pilot phase, and we look forward to expanding it to other cities soon,” the company said.

House helps to earn ₹20,000 a month

Urban Company said that its partners will earn as much as ₹150-180 per hour for their services. They will have additional benefits like free health insurance and on-the-job life and accidental insurance.

“Partners working for 132 hours per month (22 days × 6 hours per day) are assured earnings of at least ₹20,000 per month,” Urban Company said.

Netizens react

While some users welcomed the move, many debated on the usage of the word ‘maid’ in the name of the service.

“Expected better from Urban Company. :/ Has no one told them that the term “Maid” is outdated, gendered and in general derogatory? Also, what’s with the visuals on the ad,” one user said.

“Urban company has launched this in Mumbai. There may be high probability you will find many illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Nepal working in this industry,” another flagged.

Many users were however welcoming of the price point of the service.

“I mean Banglore maids can’t scare me anymore. 49*30 =1470 is a good price to have. Haha,” a person said.

“RS 49 is the cost you pay for limited time, just like Zomato and Uber did in original days. Maids will be compensated at much higher rate by VC money meanwhile After inaugral offer rates will be set at market rate. That’s basic economics,” another added.

Urban Comapny’s newspaper ad that went viral shows the original price of the service as ₹245 per hour, which is significantly higher than the introductory offer.