SServ YU

How it works · Guide

Everything you need to use Serv YU.

Whether you're planning an event or offering a service, this guide walks you through Serv YU step by step — searching, booking, listing, and getting paid.

For clients

Find and book a service in five steps.

  1. Create your account

    Sign up as a client (or use Google). Verify your email, then add your name, phone and area so providers know where you are.

  2. Search for what you need

    From the homepage, search a service, type your town, and pick your event date. Use filters for sub-category, city, budget and rating — or tap Use my location to find providers who actually cover your area.

  3. Compare providers

    Browse verified providers with real ratings and prices. Switch to map view to see who's nearby. An availability banner flags who's free for your dates.

  4. Customise & add to cart

    Open a service, choose your package, date and (for time-slot services) start & end time, and quantity. Add it to your cart or checkout straight away. You can shortlist favourites with the ♥.

  5. Request, pay & rate

    Send your booking request. When the provider approves it, you pay securely by card. Afterwards, leave a rating to help the next client.

Your dashboard keeps your cart, liked services, profile and bookings in one place — track each request from “Pending approval” through to “Confirmed”.

For providers

List your business and manage every booking.

  1. Register your business

    Go to Add Your Business and complete the wizard: account, location & coverage radius, services, and review. Add your business registration number for a verified badge, and verify your email.

  2. Add a service

    Pick a category, then add the sub-categories it covers — choosing one adds it instantly, and Other lets you type your own. Set a service name, your price (you decide — Serv YU never sets prices), and add photos.

  3. Set how it's booked

    Choose by the day (hire, furniture, décor) or by time slot (DJ, MC, staff, catering). Add a duration, a cool-down between jobs, and your capacity (or tick “Doesn't matter” if you never run out). Extra technical details are always optional.

  4. Set your availability

    Close recurring days (e.g. every Saturday & Sunday) or block specific dates. Clients instantly see these greyed out on the booking calendar, so you never get a request for a day you're off.

  5. Approve bookings & get paid

    Requests arrive in your dashboard. Approve one, request payment, and get paid by card. Build up reviews, and publish your own events with posters and tickets.

One rule: you can't book your own service. If you try, Serv YU will gently (and repeatedly) remind you. 😄

Key concept

Two ways to be booked.

By the day

Hire, furniture & décor

Booked across event dates. Your capacity is your stock — 3 marquees means you stay bookable until all 3 are taken for a date. Clients pick dates on a calendar that greys out full days.

By time slot

DJs, MCs, staff & catering

Booked for a start and end time. Your cool-down adds recovery/travel time after each job — booked 1–2pm with a 2-hour cool-down means you're free again at 4pm. Staffed services (e.g. 3 guards) stay available until the whole team is booked for that slot.

Reading the booking calendar

What the colours mean.

When a client books a by-the-day service, the calendar shows each day's status at a glance:

Open — available to book.
Limited (amber) — some units already booked, but still available. Still selectable.
Fully booked (grey) — every unit taken; not selectable.
Unavailable (red) — the provider is closed that day (e.g. weekends or a calendar block).

A date range can't cross a red or grey day, but it can include amber “Limited” days.

Payments & fees

Simple, secure, and one flat fee.

Card payments

Payments are taken by card through a secure, PCI-safe gateway. Serv YU never sees or stores your card details.

Request first, pay after

You only pay once the provider approves your booking — so you're never charged for a slot they can't fill.

One flat fee

Serv YU takes a flat 10% commission on completed bookings. No listing fees, no subscriptions — every feature is free.

FAQ

Quick answers.

Do I need to pay to list my business?
No. Listing and every feature are free. Serv YU only earns a 10% commission when you complete a paid booking.
Who sets the prices?
You do. Providers set their own prices for every offering; Serv YU never sets or caps them.
Can I be both a client and a provider?
Yes. One account can do both — switch between your client and business dashboards anytime. You just can't book your own service.
I didn't get my verification email.
Check your spam/junk folder first — verification emails sometimes land there. You can trigger a fresh one from the sign-in page. Emails can take a few minutes.
Why don't my closed weekends show for clients?
Set them from your business dashboard using “Close Saturdays / Close Sundays”, and make sure it saves. Once saved, those days show as red “Unavailable” on the client's calendar.
What areas does Serv YU cover?
Serv YU is launching in the Eastern Cape first, then expanding province by province.