how do i refuse and not pay for a lead?

SpectrumVictor
SpectrumVictor Posts: 24 ✭
in Business Resources

it seems like you get charged no matter what.

i declined a lead and they still charged me for it.

what's that about?

I can recognize some of these bad leads when i see them. how do i not have to pay for them?

Comments

  • DustiO
    DustiO Administrator, Moderator Posts: 2,506 admin
    edited February 24

    @SpectrumVictor you will be charged at the point in which the customer reaches out to you. I would recommend always reporting bad leads and requesting a refund. You can also follow up on refund requests at refunddisputes@thumbtack.com - also always recommend revisiting your preferences often to be sure you are set up to get the types of jobs that you want to do.

    If there is one specifically that you'd like me to look at, I am happy to do that. Depending on what these are, you could also try and adjust your preferences to avoid those leads (but I'm not sure what makes them "bad" for you/your industry, so unsure if this would help).

  • R_11
    R_11 Posts: 2

    If the customer does not reach out to me then I do not get charged? Is this correct

  • R_11
    R_11 Posts: 2
  • DustiO
    DustiO Administrator, Moderator Posts: 2,506 admin

    @R_11 you pay automatically when the customer reaches out with their job details (when you see the lead appear in your account). You can read more about it here, this might make it clearer/easier to understand.

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  • ArvinC
    ArvinC Administrator Posts: 66 admin

    Hi @SpectrumVictor , I completely understand why this feels confusing. You’re charged when a customer reaches out to you with their job details, whether it’s a direct lead or an Instant Match lead that fits your preferences. The charge happens when the customer contacts you, not when you respond or accept, so there isn’t a way to refuse a lead after that point and avoid the charge. If a lead seems invalid or outside of your preferences, you can report it and request a refund. ( You can also follow up on refund requests at refunddisputes@thumbtack.com) as @DustiO recommended reviewing your job types, travel area, and other preferences to help reduce leads that are not a good fit.

    It may also help to think of it how Google Ads works. You’re paying for the opportunity when someone clicks or reaches out, and then you and the customer decide if it’s the right fit. The key is fine tuning your targeting so the right customers are the ones contacting you. Please let us know if anything here is still unclear, we’re happy to help.

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  • DerHilfer_LLC
    DerHilfer_LLC Posts: 137 ✭✭✭

    I've been a project manager for 15 years. The happiest customers are the ones who have had their expectations set properly.
    If you think you're going to the casino to get rich, you'll leave disappointed and broke, almost exclusively.
    If you think you're going to the casino to watch flashy lights, play some games, drink a few beers, you'll probably enjoy yourself.
    I'm not advocating casino gambling, but in both cases, you're giving your money to the casino.

    The best piece of advice I can offer based on my experience is stop thinking of "leads" start thinking of them as "fees". Don't refer to people making the requests as "customers" and start calling them "Users". These aren't "requests" they're "inquiries"
    Thumbtack exists to make Thumbtack money.

    That being said, the way you can get some results out of Thumbtack is to use what I call Guerrilla tactics.
    Number one, only have Thumbtack on when you can monitor it and immediately respond to any inquiry with a message that reads simply "Thanks for contacting us! We'll reach out to discuss your needs." Send it.
    Now you're only doing this to appease Thumbtack's algorithm.
    Next, immediately call the User and schedule an appointment. If he does not answer, that's normal, you're not getting this job. I refer to these people as "Tire Kickers". Leave a VM any way. Every now and then, I'm shocked when a Tire Kicker calls back.
    If he does answer, keep him on the phone for several minutes to make sure other Thumbtack Pros go to VM.
    What's most important is you need to track all the data points Thumbtack shows you to be as effective as possible. With the data you can limit services you offer to only ones that actually make you money.
    I used to suggest screenshotting all requests and I personally used that data to determine how many "only picked me" inquiries suddenly became "selected four pros". (I've seen as high as six and I have screen shots.) This isn't a bad practice, it's just not as relevant.
    Offer only the minimum service. I had a User request "assemble five beds". Thumbtack charged me $82. The User had ONE. She says she had no idea why it said five. However, my settings allowed Users to make inquiries for multiple items. Now I have it set to "one" and I have no risk of that happening again. BTW, I charged the customer $128 for that single bed assembly. After mileage, I made $7 an hour.
    Which leads me to another point. Thumbtack isn't going to sustain your business. Hope that any User who converts to a customer by hiring you hires you again. Never leave a customer without a business card and a conversation about future work.
    "Hide my business" any time you're not available to reply within seconds of an inquiry. "Hide my business" at the end of every business day. Thumbtack will un-hide your business at 8:00 the following day. Even the days your business is closed, so keep that in mind too. - a corollary to "number one".

  • ArvinC
    ArvinC Administrator Posts: 66 admin

    @DerHilfer_LLC we really appreciate you jumping in and sharing your experience here. It’s always valuable when seasoned pros take the time to offer practical insights and strategies that have worked for them.

    We love seeing pros support each other in the Community and share real world approaches to making the most of the platform. Thanks again for contributing to the conversation and helping keep it constructive.

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  • ArvinC
    ArvinC Administrator Posts: 66 admin
    edited February 25

    @SpectrumVictor , I don’t see this as an attack at all, and your feedback is absolutely valid. No one is questioning your experience or suggesting you need to change how you speak to clients. You’ve clearly built a strong business and that perspective matters.

    I think the intent here was just to share different approaches, not to dismiss the improvements you’re suggesting. We absolutely value feedback about where Thumbtack can do better, especially from seasoned pros like you.

    Thank you for continuing to speak up. We are listening.

  • DerHilfer_LLC
    DerHilfer_LLC Posts: 137 ✭✭✭

    Thumbtack could improve, but I think they see an endless line of Pros who are willing to sign up and try the service, fail, give up and leave. And that's OK to them since they got paid. Not my business model. Mine is and has been "a great day is when the customer is happy and I make money. A good day is the customer is happy. A bad day is when the customer is unhappy."
    I'm OK with breaking even some times. I even lose money occasionally (a large number of those are Thumbtack Users, how strange?). And once a month or so, I work for free just for that feel-good of helping out someone who can't afford to pay, not me, not anyone. Recently, I built a metal shed the customer could not assemble because she had her gasoline lawn mower in her living room fearing theft. I told her I'm not billing her when the job was done, but asked for a NextDoor mention.

    Before I was a project manager, I was a application developer, web developer, web master and database administrator (among other things tech related). That wasn't one job, that was all my titles from 1997-2014.

    I am the absolute worst technology consumer because I know what is possible.

    Update broke your application? Lack of testing.

    Application requires training? Poor UX/UI considerations.

    "It works for me…. (on my deprecated Windows XP machine using Internet Explorer v3.0)"? Developer has blackmailed the CEO. He's better off publishing his pics on that O site and making a couple bucks.

    Thumbtack could improve but they don't want to because it's not their pain point, it's yours.
    I've had my business hidden since March 2025, let's just say it's not my pain point any more. If it weren't for the random emails I get now and then from this forum, I probably would forget about it.

    In completely related news, the absolute best lead generation service I'm using is PRE networking. I've mentioned this before and many people said "I wish that was available in my area!" I talked to our chapter's president and asked what's the best way to help anyone who wants more information about PRE. Here's her contact page. I highly suggest reaching out, probably by email since there's a lot of west-coasters on this forum. It's less than $1,000 a year and has brought my business 225 labor hours and 27 customers in nine months. That's more than 10% of a full-time laborer's hours for a grand.

    https://www.prenetworking.net/member/venus-hawbaker

    Also, bookmark that page. Thank me later.

    NextDoor Opportunities costs me $1,800 a year. I've only been using the service for a few months, but the very first lead paid for more than the first month's fees.

    I've tried Bark.com as well. I'm not convinced that it's anything different from Thumbtack except I'm not forced to pay for Users. I've engaged about five Users, made one sale and spent zero dollars because there's a flaw in Bark that allows me to bypass buying a $160 package about 20% of time. The ones I can't bypass, I simply ignore. Fool me once, shame on you.

    Compared to Angi, Thumbtack is a philanthropist. I got nothing but scammers, SEO marketers and it cost me about $800. I think I made maybe $300 gross revenue. So Thumbtack should pat themselves on the back that they're not Angi.

    Craigslist only got me scammers. But I only spent $5, so I guess it's nothing ventured, nothing gained.

    I need to be more active on FB. The reason I'm not is because I'm too busy being a laborer. The goal for this year is to delegate more work to employees now that I've hired a few.

    Thumbtack should be aware they're not the only game in town. Maybe they're happy being marginally better than Angi? I shouldn't take their joy away.

    I think that's enough commentary before I start rambling.

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