The new Phone number situation
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?
Answers
-
Hi Dusti, The name is under Jerry G.
I didn't realize calls would be recorded as well.
1 -
@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!
0 -
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.
1 -
I haven't heard any other temporary phone number feedback so far, but it just launched late last week. Thanks for flagging for us!
1 -
serious issue for me as well. Just took effect yesterday. I need to be able to see an actual phone number if I’m Paying 35$ for inquiries guys. This app for years has been set up solely to make the money off the ones keeping it afloat. That’s a fact I’ve had to live with but this is actually too far and will probably drive me from the site (5 year plus top pro) by the end of the week
1 -
really funny coincidence that they stop sharing actual phone numbers at the same time ai chatbots finally get to a certain level. Gotta love it. It’s been a good run I guess
0 -
Dusti… do you have any comments about that?
The app has had support lines available only for customer issues and technical problems for years. They’ve never had a pro phone line to call for any issue at all or any sort of pro protection.
1 -
@BENHOPPESPHOTO there has always been a support team for pros, unsure why you were lead to believe otherwise. You can find all of the support information here - also available if you simply click "contact us" in your app.
0 -
if you click contact us in the app and reach a Support line that line can only help with getting logged back in or with lead discrepancies. There is a trust and safety team that takes weeks or months to respond and will not call a pro ever if there is ever a real need.
2 -
it is frustrating that everyone who works for thumbtack pretends trust and safety doesn’t exist until you need them but then it’s impossible to talk to anyone on the team. The phone support is non existent when it comes to pro stuff. They can help you get logged back in and that’s about it.
2 -
The goal Of the site is supposedly to support pros (the ones who pay the site) but things like this happen and they’re not optional and we get almost no (I got one day) heads up to know about it. If the goal of the site was to support pros why would you chose the way we run our business. ‘It’s more successful’ for who? I’m running my business and I know what’s been successful. You guys can’t even figure out how to get the targeting range figured out for photography why would you be able to get sensitive contact info figured out ? Clients appreciate seeing me profile picture when I call as they’ve told me 100s of times (yes 100s I’ve been hired MANY times on thumbtack over the last 6 years) it’s just sad because at a certain point they’re not even pretending to be helping pros.
1 -
Like to know the status on these issues. This thread was very insightful and echoes many of the same issues I've been having for several years!
Thumbtack must do a better job of catering to the Pro's who are paying for this services. Here are a few of the many issues we've been experiencing with Thumbtack over the years.:
The customer's/leads are not properly vetted resulting in window shoppers who cant afford our services and are not ready to take action.
There should be a way for potential client's to contact the Pro's directly as many businesses have potential client's going into a funnel so they can be captured and marketed to directly in the future.
There are specific services that aren't listed for leads/prospective client's to consider which results in leads/prospective client's selecting the wrong services.
Duplicate contacts should immediately be refunded. This is simple stuff but when I have to ask for a refund multiple times a week, my confidence is Thumbtack's intentions is being challenged!
Its imperative to understand that all businesses are different and a 1 size-fits all website business model is reducing both consumer/lead and the Pro's confidence. There should be customizable fields to include traditional and non traditional services, personal messages & tips from Pros to prospective clients/consumers/leads when they visit our profiles .
Lastly, if Thumbtack cares about the Pros best interest, there should be a location for Pros to offer applicable recommendations to improve the Thumbtack user experience. Being able to quickly reply to quality leads is essential. If the leads are horrible, if the lead isnt allowed to directly call/text the Pro so that the prospective client details can be saved for future marketing efforts by us or our staff/VA then we are paying for poorly vetted, partial leads controlled by Thumbtack.
0
Resources
- All Categories
- 13 Link your Thumbtack account with partner platforms
- Pro Mentorship
- 35 Comunidad en Español
- 1 Featured Events
- 15 On-Demand Webinars
- 207 Network and Collaborate
- 121 Thumbtack Pro Rewards
- 1.1K Business Resources
- 201 Inspiration
- 73 Business Resilience
- 317 Thumbtack Resources
- 323 Community News
Welcome! Check out our Community Code of Conduct. (review here)