Company Refund Policy

Llamatrack

Subject: Concerns Regarding Refund Policy and Potential Class Action

Dear Thumbtack

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my concerns regarding the current practices on the Thumbtack platform, particularly in relation to the handling of leads and refund requests.

I have been a user of Thumbtack for approximately three weeks, and during this time, I observed that even when a customer does not respond to my outreach efforts—despite my making contact—no refunds are issued. It raises concerns about the thoroughness of Thumbtack's lead vetting process, especially in light of recent information regarding a class action lawsuit involving lead generation practices. As it appears, some users have experienced issues wherein secondary leads were being sold to other professionals, which may create a conflict of interest and contribute to reduced responsiveness from potential customers.

This pattern of behavior effectively leads to receiving fraudulent leads, as numerous customers have simply not engaged despite offers for my services. I have submitted multiple requests for refunds in such cases, but Thumbtack's current policy seems to deny these refunds regardless of the circumstances. The policy states that a refund will not be issued even if a customer's initial response is a polite decline.

Furthermore, I have encountered situations in which I reported non-responsive customers to Thumbtack, only to find that instead of addressing my refund requests, the system would close the customer’s request without further communication. This leaves my inquiries unacknowledged and creates a sense of frustration.

Given the concerns raised, I believe it is essential for Thumbtack to evaluate its current policies and practices regarding customer interactions and support for service professionals. There may be a significant number of individuals who have experienced financial strain due to these systematic issues. If there is enough interest from others similarly affected, Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,
Shawn Ulibarri

DerHilfer_LLC

Just an FYI, you might want to read this section of Thumbtack's ToS https://www.thumbtack.com/terms/) and act on their suggestion since you've only been on TT for a few weeks.

"30-Day Right to Opt Out

: You have the right to opt out and not be bound by the arbitration and class action waiver provisions set forth above by sending (from the email address you use on Thumbtack) written notice of your decision to opt out to opt-out@thumbtack.com with the subject line, "ARBITRATION AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER OPT-OUT." The notice must be sent within thirty (30) days of the later of the Effective Date of these Terms or your first use of the Platform; otherwise, you will be bound to arbitrate disputes in accordance with the terms of those paragraphs. If you opt out of these arbitration provisions, Thumbtack also will not be bound by them."

DustiO

@Llamatrack please send this information to support@thumbtack.com as this forum is meant to be a space for Thumbtack pros to connect and share tips & tricks. I am not able to help with any refund issues here.

I would also recommend reading through Thumbtack's terms of use and refund policy so that you can have clearer expectations. You are charged at the time that the customer reaches out to you, and refunds are not issued for non-responsive customers or customers that choose to hire a different pro, etc. Should also note that if a request is closed/canceled, that is done on the customer's end (ie they may have gone a different direction).

We've also discussed the issue of non-responsive customers in a recent CommuniTEA (bi-weekly networking) session and pros in that session had some great tips (may be worth trying some of these):

• Refresh your profile intro once a month using chatgpt, to mix it up and test what resonates more with customers (from @1_gold_hands, a handyman who has expanded to 7 locations using Thumbtack)
• Reach out via the Thumbtack messenger, and then text and call - different pros suggested different timing that works for them like text immediately, call after 1 hr or 2 hrs, etc (several pros suggested this one)
• Leave the message on a positive note and follow up with "nurture campaigns" - reaching out to customers every 30 days/60 days/etc with a refresher message (both @ShaquealThomas and @SOUNIQUE007 use this tactic and have multiple customers hire them at later dates)
• Try a contest/sweepstakes - tell them even if they have used another pro and don’t need your services they can gift it to someone else! But put a deadline on it to add some urgency
  • Another pro mentioned in yesterday's session that he recently started doing this and it worked! He texted and said something along these lines, "I don't want to bother you with a phone call, but I'd like to offer you $25 off of my service if you get back to me within 48 hours." and the customer did!
• Leave on a positive note, leave all of your contact info if they come back later (from @ShaquealThomas)
• Message people during off time like evenings and weekends, when they will have time to respond to the message right when they see the notification, vs if they are at work) (from @AR2i, who has had a lot of success using this tactic)
• Send them a note with all of the services you offer, in case they have already figured out that job, they can return later to hire you for other things (also from @1_gold_hands)