Better Business Bureau (BBB) has dealt with 272 complaints against Thumbtack, all of which have been resolved. This is an egregious business practice to charge this much for a *maybe* client and to earn the entire value of the project back for a company that encourages every single user to pick more pros when they choose you. This is giving me only 1 lead per week. Every lead generated on the platform has a monetary value that is the primary source of earnings for the company. Pros and cons of Thumbtack for contractors. And that's pretty much it. To get Thumbtack jobs, you must sign up as a Pro. If lead prices go up, your profits go down. Chat. Thumbtack is price-gouging its pros. Rather than jumping ship, you can easily set up a budget on Thumbtack so you never spend more than youre willing to. When you hire a pro, you work directly with them to pay for the project. As with all lead gen services, the answer is that it depends. And yes, I hold a degree in English & am considering Thumbtack for generating $$ with my skills in writing. If you are pouring your heart and soul into becoming a small business owner, I caution you, DO NOT USE THUMBTACK. Think about it. There could be a hundred delighted pros for every negative review you find online. Let us look at what it takes for a customer to find a service professional on Thumbtack and a service professional to be discovered by potential client(s). WHATS THE DEAL DUMBTACK???? That way I could make a personal connection which I find to be vital in making a sale. What services are you promoting that cost you $30 per lead? I would NOT use them as a consumer! I'm here to help you maintain, inspect, and renovate your home! When I dug deeper, I found out that most leads dont cost anywhere near $50 or $60. A year ago, Thumbtack was quite useful to me as a pro. However, after that four hours, it opens up to more pros. It is possible to make some money off of these shared leads if youre prepared going in and can supplement your marketing efforts in other ways, through SEO, an exclusive lead gen program or PPC. harry T needs a new dead bolt to a locksmith that means nothing ??? In fact, many handyman jobs cost less than $10 per lead. Uber Eats Driver vs Grubhub vs DoorDash Comparison: Which Driver App to Pick? Thank you for your response. And explained what happened this was during the pandemic I lost 2 jobs got on there thinking I could start my own business. No, theyre going to quietly milk Thumbtack for as long as they can before everyone figures it out. My closing rate with telephone numbers would easily be 75%, with no personal contact to low to mention. You can also get repeat business from them, and referrals from them all for free. As a one-person army for your business, growing your brand and investing your time into social media marketing to stay relevant can seem like a lot of work, if you arent aware of how to go about it. Based on reviews on BBB and some comments below, it seems like account deactivation usually happens as a result of failing to pay for leads or issuing a chargeback with your credit card. Its a great start up site to get the rest of your marketing going and its also good for quick fill ins. Pros send quotes. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) vs. Mutual Funds: Whats Better? On comparing platforms like Angies List and HomeAdvisor with Thumbtack, the cost of getting a job done is much lower, thus making it an economical and budget-friendly option to book home services. Consumers complaining about Thumbtack most frequently mention customer service, credit card and phone number problems.Thumbtack ranks 70th among Local Reviews sites. They NEVER did! Thumbtack lets you set a budget to limit your expenses. How Does Thumbtack Work? Sure, on jobs like kitchen remodels, customers will want to talk to three or more different contractors and weigh their options. I have also experienced FAKE leads. Our goal is to make the cost of a lead match how valuable the job is. On Thumbtack, you set your own prices. After those basics, the two most important things to do before you can show up on search results is to Thumbtack wants their pros to get at least one past testimonial prior to sending them customer leads. Like most online marketplaces for contractors, Thumbtack does not charge for the initial sign up for the pro --- but they charge them on a per lead basis. I feel so bad to know Ive cost a pro just trying to meet them to discuss my projects and get bids. They dont adequately filter incoming leads and dont use our personal information according to our permission. Thumbtack is an online service that connects local service professionals to customers who want to hire their services for their home or business needs. Nonetheless, it is a good tool to have in your wheel house. Thumbtack requires that "pros" using its site to find work must agree to and pass a background check conducted by Checkr, Inc., in order to have a background check badge displayed on their profile page. Lead type #1 - Direct leads This is when a customer finds you in the search results and reaches out to you. Thanks again! They have gotten greedy . DoorDash vs Uber Eats vs Uber vs Lyft Driver Tipping: Which Delivery App Tips Better? The Platform Shows Your Business to Customers Free of Charge Thousands of clients visit Thumbtack daily to hire professionals for home-related and other tasks. How Will Rising Interest Rates Affect Student Loan Borrowers? The instant match does not work the like you claim it does at least not for me. Honestly, it depends. The customer luckily messaged me saying I think your loosing business through thumbtack! If you accept the lead, then you pay for it --- but you aren't automatically charged like with exact matches. Online now. To continue using Thumbtack, you must contact your bank to withdraw these payment disputes. The higher your budget per service, the more leads you get, but it could ultimately lead to spending more than you would like and not land a single job. HomeAdvisor will provide greater access to leads, but at a higher price. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The Ultimate Guide to Tax Debt Resolution Options, 9 Steps to Take Before You File for Bankruptcy, How to Handle an Unexpected Expense During the Holidays. Your email address will not be published. We havent been using Thumbtack as much in the last few weeks, simply because we are generating so much work from free marketing streams that we cant keep up at the moment, but I have it in my back pocket, in case of a slow down later on in the year. Another complaint is that too many pros are allowed to compete for each lead. If youre already using Thumbtack, jump down to learn about the main Thumbtack complaints. Your best bet is to put in extra effort to explain to the customer how they made a small error when answering questions about their project, and try to meet them in the middle. From a service professionals point of view, they get online visibility and a lead generation tool which is free to sign up for, and they only have to pay for ads and connecting with potential clients. Thumbtack is a ripoff, I own a security company and set my leads to within 20 miles of my area (I can not legally even work outside my state) They sent me a lead from New York State and Texas and another lead that wouldnt provide my an address or location! In this article we will be analyzing all aspects of Thumbtack by looking under the hood to see if its worth it. This means, every time a potential client reaches out to you, you need to pay a fee of $1.50 to the platform. Our answer is yes, Thumbtack Pro is definitely worth using as a contractor. If you are worried about lead prices, dont. Essentially, Thumbtack allows the market to decide how much a lead costs. Trust thumbtacks do send me free instant match without paying! However, if you can edit, may I suggest you replace hole in the sentence after the bullets of Thumbtack From A Homeowners Perspective to whole. You see what I mean. It can be time-consuming going back and forth with customers or being forced to stop what your doing to respond immediately. I started my handyman business in 2011 after quitting my 9-5. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. When the leads reach out to you, you are giving them the quote according to their project needs. Im a Pro on Thumbtack and I just want to warn people so they dont make the mistake I did and DO NOT USE THUMBTACK!!! I get a message that Mr. X wants to hire me and it costs XX.00 to respond to him. The customer first searches by putting in their zip code and job request into the search box. How Profitable Is The Horse Racing Industry? they will credit the account but after much emailing and complaining. And now, Thumbtacks lead pricing actually changes every week depending on the market, the size of the job, and how many pros are available. chad@stickeelabs.com. My number one complaint is that they are virtually impossible to contact. Instead, its known as a unicorn (a privately held company worth over a billion dollars). If you hire someone through Thumbtack, dont expect any guarantees. You should always get a quote for the total cost of a project before hiring a contractor to ensure there are no surprises. They dont have a good reason to. The customer can then narrow down their search by using the filters tab. Disclaimer: The content on this site is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice. Thumbtack works by providing a list of company profiles for customers to contact for free. There are two ways you can land new clients on Thumbtack. Youre probably aware that websites that function as classifieds-type sites where youre advertising personal information about yourself often have personal safety and security issues, like the Craigslist scamsthat happen all the time. Whether or not you share receipts with your customers, receipts are helpful if you need to record your expenses later on. Desired outcome: I would appreciate a response. It's a good idea to give a base price, which is typically an hourly rate or flat fee, so customers can get an idea of how much you charge upfront. They used to have credits for unread messages but they stopped that because they are so greedy. We can reevaluate the standing of your account after you send us a copy of your banks confirmation letter verifying your disputes have been withdrawn. My mistake I paid out more than I made being with thumbtack!!! Customers are using Thumbtack to save time searching for a pro. A lead is a new customer who has seen what you offer (most commonly in search results) and wants to learn more about working with you. Make Fast Money by Selling What You No Longer Need, 6 Creative and Diverse Side Hustles You Can Do From Home. They will charge $11 for a lead and then $28 for a lead with the same exact work. Here is what turning Promoteon means for your profile: To turn on Thumbtack Promote, log into Thumbtack and go to your Services. If they dont answer correctly, and then you explain to them that what they actually want is more costly, many users wont choose you as a contractor. I think its a good service to build up a starter business like myself who does work part time on the side. Some contractors have great results with Thumbtack, others have little or no results. Select a cancellation reason. Do you want to learn how exactly Thumbtack works? Make passive money the right way. Customer service that is in line with how Archie Bunker treated people he didnt like. In several months on the site I never got one job. All have poor reviews online, and almost all of the positive reviews are written by happy homeowners. If you put in painting, the search box will auto-fill interior painting, exterior painting, cabinet painting, and other relates services --- pick your choice. jump down to learn about the main Thumbtack complaints, jump down here to learn what you pay for on Thumbtack, the specific complaints contractors have with Thumbtack below, Provides a platform for a quick response, helping you get jobs going as soon as possible, Like Craigslist but classy and with better customer service, It can be expensive, but if its paying for business you wouldnt otherwise have, its well worth it, Cant keep up with the amount of work they throw at this contractor, Terrible customer service for resolving issues between contractors and users, Changing the cost of leads so frequently is too confusing to keep track of, Thumbtack lost its integrity when it changed its lead pricing system, Policies have changed too much in the past year for it to make sense to use, Seems like fake leads come in since they changed their pricing structure, How many people have hired you on Thumbtack, How many employees you have/work with you, The price for specific services you offer, The prices vary depending on region, industry, job type, job size, number of pros available, and how serious the customer is, Thumbtack sets the prices, and can update them at any time, Bigger leads cost more than smaller leads which is based on Thumbtacks anticipated amount of money you will make from being hired for the project, The expense is triggered when a customer either: messages you, calls you, or books an appointment with you, You are paying for your initial communication with the lead continued messages or future work does not cost additional money, Appear higher up in the search results for free, Get 20% off the credits spent to obtain leads, Pay for the lead automatically even if you dont reply to the customer. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Read Also: Thumbtack Vs. Yelp (Which Is Better?). Thumbtack has no same-day delivery option, but it does have an app where you can browse contractors in your area and request quotes for work. A sale leads dont cost anywhere near $ 50 or $ 60 is when customer! For your profile: to turn on Thumbtack Promote, log into Thumbtack and go your... Monetary value that is the primary source of earnings for the website to function properly for. And should not be construed as professional financial advice so bad to know Ive cost a pro, work. Lead and then $ 28 for a lead with the same exact.... That connects Local service professionals to customers who want to hire me and it costs XX.00 to to... Their home or business needs ( ETFs ) vs. Mutual Funds: Whats Better? ) your. 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