Thumbtack customer service has to get better!

Nitaikn

I'm writing here out of frustration with Thumbtack support. @DustiO

Before I start, I want to make it clear: I know leads might not answer, and I don't expect every lead I pay for to convert.
However, as a Top Pro who pays about $1,000 a week for leads and has only 5-star reviews, I expect better from Thumbtack support—not only for myself but for any pro out there.

I’ll start by explaining what happened and will continue with what I think about the situation and why I'm here now, using my precious time typing all of this.

A little background: I own a roofing company and, like in any business, sometimes I get leads that do not match the services I offer. When that happens, I simply request a refund and expect to receive it—because I’d like to be charged fairly for leads. I also like to call Thumbtack right away to have the money transferred to my bank account instead of them holding it as credit.

What happened: I received a lead for fascia replacement. We do not offer fascia replacement. Like many times before, I requested the refund and expected to receive it, since the refund policy states that leads for services I don’t offer qualify for a refund. Just that this time, the automated refund system decided that this lead is not eligible. Not a big deal—but alright. Thumbtack says the next step is to write an email.
I wrote the email to request a refund for the lead and got an email back from the refund team saying the lead doesn’t qualify, but as a one-time courtesy, they would credit my account. I immediately thought to myself, "Okay, this lead is completely eligible for a refund—but that’s okay. As long as I get credited, it’s all good."

I then called Thumbtack support to have the credit transferred back to my bank account, and here’s where things got upsetting.

First call: A lady answers and tells me the lead is not eligible to be transferred to my bank account because it’s a courtesy credit and not a refund. I explained nicely that the fact it shows as a courtesy doesn’t mean it’s correct, and I requested that this be looked into again so I could get a proper refund.
The lady again explained why it’s not eligible for a refund. I politely asked to speak to a supervisor who could help me a little better, since it was clear she couldn’t help. Of course, she tried again to convince me the lead isn’t eligible for a transfer and said she could only pass a message to a supervisor. I told her I didn’t want to pass a message—I wanted a conversation with a supervisor to resolve this misunderstanding. Again, she said the only thing she could do was pass a message, and a supervisor would email me within 72 hours.
I agreed, thinking I would get actual help from a supervisor. I thanked her and disconnected the call to wait for a supervisor’s email.

Same day: I got an email back from a supervisor saying the lead was a courtesy refund and it’s impossible to have it refunded to my bank account—without leaving any phone number or explanation of what to do next, or anyone to speak with. Just left in the dark with an even less helpful answer than the lady I spoke with.

So, I called Thumbtack again and requested to speak with a supervisor. Again, the rep explained that the only way to reach a supervisor was to tell her my issue, and they would email me in 72 hours.
I explained I had already done this and only received a poor response. My request was to speak to a supervisor and go over the situation with someone who could help—not just get another email response.
Again, the rep said there was nothing else she could do and this was the only way.

At this point, I was completely frustrated—thinking to myself: If only the person deciding what's eligible for a refund had paid just a little more attention and care, I wouldn't be here right now arguing with unhelpful representatives and management.

I kept insisting on speaking with someone on the line who could actually help me—or at least schedule a call with someone who could. If not a supervisor, I asked to be directed to anyone who could help me with this matter. All she had to say was that the only thing she could do was send another supervisor email request.
I didn’t agree to this since I had already agreed once and it wasn’t helpful. I wanted to speak to someone, explain the situation, and get help.

Overall, the situation is very simple:
Eligible Refund → Wrong decision by refund team.
The rep put me on hold and told me it was impossible. Then she said, “If you have nothing else to request, I will need to end the call.”
I was shocked. I asked her:
“It’s been 35 minutes and I’ve asked over 50 times during this call to speak with someone with a little more authority than a rep—since a rep can’t help me—and you’re telling me it’s impossible?”
She put me on hold for a second, came back, said it was impossible—and disconnected the call.

I was boiling at this point.

WHY DO I NEED TO GO THROUGH SO MUCH JUST BECAUSE OF A SYSTEM ERROR ON YOUR END?

Now to be clear:
I don’t care about the amount. I don’t care about the credit.
I understand mistakes happen—but when they do, why make your customers go through hell to fix it?

If only a supervisor—or someone with authority—had answered for just a 2-minute call, I wouldn’t have had to go through any of this.

And it’s important to note: THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED.

I’m writing all of this not because I want my money. I did receive my money.
I’m writing this because I want you to fix your customer service. The customer service line is supposed to help, not just be there to talk in a nice tone.

If an error happens on your side, I expect customer service to be helpful. Any child could’ve seen the error. And only because of your “no-supervisor” policy, I had to waste my whole morning emailing and calling—while I have a business to run.

Our time is valuable. Our money is valuable. And there is no respect for either one.

This is just one of many complaints I have about the service—but this one bothered me the most.

I still haven’t gotten a call from a supervisor, even after that rep disconnected the call.
It’s the second time I’ve had to go through hell just to get a refund for a lead that was clearly eligible.
Even if the automated refund system makes mistakes, it shouldn’t be so hard to reach someone helpful on the phone.

I’m really disappointed in Thumbtack, and I cut my service offerings in half today because of this incident.
I know other Pros feel the same way and have gone through the same hell for refunds they do deserve.

And I still want it fixed.
And I still haven’t gotten a call from any supervisor.

Thank you to whoever read this whole thing.
Thumbtack needs to fix their customer service—not just by training reps to speak in a nice tone and robotic sentences, but by actually resolving their Pros’ problems.

DustiO

@Nitaikn I will certainly pass this feedback on to the team — sorry for the frustrating experience. As a former business owner, I know your time is extremely valuable. I took a look at your account and you currently have fascia repairs checked as a service that you offer, this is likely why the refund was denied initially and then a courtesy credit was granted after your appeal. I would recommend going in to your preferences and unchecking that box to avoid getting these types of leads moving forward.

Nitaikn

@DustiO The complaint is for your customer service. as I wrote, im not worried about the refund.
if somebody over the phone would've have the abilities to explain this I wouldn't have to go through all of this.

they can simply say this but instead they say this is the refund team decision without explaining why and they dont let you talk neither to a supervisor and neither to the refund team.

again as I wrote in the post. its not about the refund.

your customer service is bad.

DustiO

Understood and will for sure pass this along to the team. Thank you!