"FTC accuses gig work app Handy of misleading ads and opaque fees for workers", 7 January 2025

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and New York’s attorney general have accused Handy, the gig app customers can use to book cleaners, handymen, and more, of making deceptive claims about how much workers could earn through its platform.

In a complaint filed... in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the FTC and the NY attorney general alleged that Handy, which is owned by Angi (formerly Angie’s List), advertised earnings that “don’t reflect the reality for the overwhelming majority of workers on the platform.” Handy also failed to clearly disclose fees and fines, the complaint alleged, leading to millions of dollars being withheld from workers.

Handy has agreed to settle — but not admit any fault.

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According to the complaint, Handy marketed its platform as a way to get paid for jobs immediately. But its ads didn’t mention the fact that workers have to pay a fee — and in some cases, complete another job — to unlock the fastest payouts. (By default, it takes around a week to get paid for a Handy job.)

Handy also set unreasonable expectations about earnings, the FTC and NY attorney general alleged.

Moreover, Handy charged many workers opaque fines, the FTC and NY attorney general said — including fines incurred through no fault of workers. According to the complaint, a bug in Handy’s system resulted in jobs not being properly canceled and thousands of workers being fined $50. Workers could only avoid that fine if they took steps such as giving GPS permission to Handy’s app and waiting more than 30 minutes at a job site.

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Handy itself has admitted that many of its workers are on public assistance or live in public housing, according to an FTC press release.

In a settlement proposed by the FTC and NY attorney general, Handy would pay $2.95 million to refund any workers harmed by the platform’s practices. Handy would also have to back up claims it makes about how much workers can potentially earn and make it clear how workers can avoid its fees.

In a statement, Handy said it has agreed to the terms.