Intro to the community

Townpump
Townpump Posts: 7 ✭
in New Pro Hub

My name is Brian Parana, listed as "Brian Parana Health & Nutrition Specialist" on Thumbtack. For the past 12 years, Thumbtack has been a cornerstone of my business as a nutritionist. Over that time, I’ve consistently maintained Top Pro status, invested well over six figures into the platform, and earned over 700 five-star reviews helping clients transform their health.

While I still believe in Thumbtack’s core mission to connect pros with people in need, the experience over the last two years has become increasingly frustrating. Lead costs have surged nearly 10x, yet lead volume and quality have significantly declined.

Despite repeatedly tweaking my profile and speaking with customer service, I am routinely charged for leads that fundamentally do not match my services specifically requests for in-person appointments or insurance coverage, even though the very first three lines of my profile state that I am online-only and do not take insurance.

I want to remain a dedicated user, but the combination of soaring costs and weak lead filtering is pricing out long-term, top-performing pros. I strongly hope Thumbtack refines its lead-matching accuracy and pricing structure so veteran providers who built their businesses here can afford to stay.

Comments

  • ArvinC
    ArvinC Administrator, Moderator Posts: 390 admin

    Hi @Townpump , welcome to the Community, Brian! 👋 And wow, 12 years on Thumbtack and more than 700 five-star reviews is quite a journey. Thank you for sticking with us for so long and for taking the time to share such detailed feedback.

    I hear your concerns, especially around the changes you've experienced with lead costs, volume, and customers reaching out for services that don't align with how you operate your business.

    One thing I'd recommend is double-checking your targeting preferences to make sure they reflect exactly the types of jobs you want, particularly your travel and job type preferences. Since you've mentioned that you've already made adjustments and spoken with Support, I'd also encourage you to continue reporting specific leads that don't appear to match those preferences through your account. Having those individual examples tied directly to your account gives the team more context to review what you're experiencing.

    I'll also include the feedback you've shared here with the appropriate teams so they have visibility into your experience, particularly around lead matching and costs.

    I really appreciate that after so many years on Thumbtack, you're here because you want to see the experience improve and continue making it work for your business. Thank you for sharing your perspective, and we're glad to have you in the Community!

  • Townpump
    Townpump Posts: 7 ✭

    Thanks for sharing that feedback. Please push this up the ladder to upper management, as I know I'm far from the only pro experiencing this.

    I've looked at insights, adjusted my profile text, and talked with customer service multiple times, but it hasn't resolved anything. I'm still paying $60 a pop for leads that are bad fits right out of the gate.

    Pouring hundreds of dollars a week into the system with zero conversions isn't viable.

    Unfortunately I’m currently looking at alternative channels to move my ad spend somewhere with a More

    proven ROI.

  • ArvinC
    ArvinC Administrator, Moderator Posts: 390 admin

    Thanks for following up, @Townpump . I hear you, and I appreciate you clarifying that you've already reviewed your settings, looked through your insights, made profile adjustments, and worked with Support.

    For any specific lead that you believe falls outside the preferences you had set at the time, I'd encourage you to report that lead directly from your account and request a refund review. That allows the team to look at the details of that individual lead alongside the job and targeting preferences associated with your account.

    You can find the steps for requesting a refund here:
    https://help.thumbtack.com/article/request-a-refund

    On the broader concerns you're raising around lead quality, pricing, and the return you're seeing from your spend, I'll include this additional context with the feedback we're sharing with the appropriate teams. I know you've invested a lot into Thumbtack over the years, and I appreciate you continuing to provide specific examples and context around your experience.

  • Townpump
    Townpump Posts: 7 ✭

    yep if Thumbtack worked like it did years ago I have no problem giving you plenty of money but now it’s very hard even seeing someone reach out to me knowing that I just got charged $60 for someone that is unlikely to be a good from the get-go or not even going to respond to me

  • Townpump
    Townpump Posts: 7 ✭
    IMG_2191.png

    This is also very discouraging I am getting multiple people leads that have more than 6 to 8 professional they contacted I thought they were only limited to reaching out to a couple people to help maximize the relationship with people they are reaching out to


    It’s very difficult to be able to win this lead when I have so much competition at such a high price point

    IMG_2192.png
  • Townpump
    Townpump Posts: 7 ✭

    I used to be excited when I would get Thumbtack leads, and now I literally just dread it because I don't see the payoff. Even just today, I've spent $160 with you guys, and I just do not feel I'm going to get the return on that investment of time and money.

    IMG_2193.png

    Is there anyone to have an actual, real conversation about my thoughts and feelings, especially since I've been using the platform for so long?

    Because getting customer service isn't having a real conversation. It's just talking to an FAQ page.

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