The new Phone number situation

KesXcent

Hi Team!

Long-time Thumbtack user here and I am really concerned about not having access to real phone numbers now.

I replied to a lead, paid a significant amount of money. They did not reply to my message and when I try to call them, it is through a call fowarding service - which the client is not answering. I tried sending a text and call. The call does not connect to the clients phone. It just rings and then hangs up.

What protections are in place now for the pros? Are we getting refunded on leads that do not reply to us within a certain amount of time? It used to be that if a targeted lead didn't read or respond to a reply in 4 hours, we would get a refund. That was years ago. Now I am paying triple what I was and getting significantly fewer leads, and now I can't even access a client's REAL phone number.

The pros are the ones paying. How is our business being protected by this practice?

DustiO

@KesXcent I took a look at your account and couldn't find any leads where you did not receive a phone number - can you share the customer name for the lead in which you didn't receive a phone number and then I can help further. Thanks!

KesXcent

Hi Dusti, The name is under Jerry G.

I didn't realize calls would be recorded as well.

DustiO

@KesXcent I see it now (I didn't go far enough down!) — it is because this customer is in an area where we are testing temporary private phone numbers. Temporary phone numbers offer an extra layer of privacy for customers and allow Thumbtack to better support you in the event that things go wrong (via call recordings). This is a short trial, so I would recommend reaching out to support@thumbtack.com with your feedback so we can be sure that it gets logged, since the team will be very closely monitoring pro and customer feedback. I would also recommend requesting the customer's direct contact info once you connect with them.

As far as what you mentioned re: lead prices — you currently have your max lead prices set at the highest level. Have you tried lowering those to prices that make more sense for you? You can play around with that as you are not locked in for any amount of time on those prices. Might be worth trying some different competitiveness levels to see if it makes a difference!

KesXcent

Thanks for the clarification Dusti. I have sent this over to support but I am curious as to other individuals' experiences with this service and whether it is hurting businesses or helping them.

I was hoping to connect with other Travel Professionals on the community but it doesnt seem like there are that many. Thumbtack remains one of the only viable sources of real travel agent leads.

I have played with the lead prices and brought them all the way up to the top once my budget is done, so I can be exposed to more leads over the marketing budget.

DustiO

I haven't heard any other temporary phone number feedback so far, but it just launched late last week. Thanks for flagging for us!