Let’s talk about search results

[Burgstahler]

Let's talk about being charged when we contact the potential customer back.   Otherwise, it doesn't make sense!

Many customers just want to chat and the Thumbtack Pro should not be charged.

[Chef2018]

I know that Thumbtack is trying to accommodate everyone and is always changing, which change can be good. However, when you are constantly changing things it makes it confusing and hard to keep up sometimes.
I honestly think over the last few years the best, most affordable, direct way was when you would buy quotes. When each job was a few credits that ranged from a few dollars up to $10 or so.
As a caterer, the reviews customers have left and putting me in the spotlight helps. However, when a job cost $60 that is a big chunk of my income. Even setting a lower budget to $40-50 weekly and potentially getting one or two jobs, adds up to $150 or more a month spent with no guarantee.

Caterers have a lot more expenses than other businesses. Overhead cost/rent, employee cost, ideal food cost is 33%, the standard 20% service charge we have covers supplies like plates, napkins silverware, overall operating expenses.

Hope this all makes sense, as I would like to continue to grow my business, but with pricing like this it makes it difficult. The reason I chose Thumbtack 3 years ago when I first started, was because it was easy and straightforward and less expensive than the competition.

[nutrinancy]

I am a registered dietitian nutritionist.  Sadly, I have not converted a single lead to a client.  I turned off Instant Match because it was costing me money for no results.  Recently, I have sent three quotes but did not get a reply from a single person.  If I am going to get charged because of this Pro match and I cannot convert inquiries to clients, I will have to leave Thumbtack as there is no ROI for me. 

[SillyCar]

I just deleted my credit card from my account. Does that let you know what I think about your business model and the repeated unnessecary changes you've made to it?

I'm actually afraid that you might just start charging me without my consent because you changed your system to default me into it and then you'll tell me that I need to adjust some simple setting that I never set.... Does that make you feel good about your business? I'm not trying to be a jerk, that's how all of your changes have made me feel.... but the solution to all the negative discussion you guys have been getting has been said by tons of your customers on these posts and it's so simple. All you have to do is listen and care what YOUR customers are saying.

For the love of all that is good and decent, please go back to the system where you show us the requests and how much it will cost us to reply (up front, and at reasonable rates like it used to be) and WE DECIDE IF WE WANT TO SPEND ANY MONEY ON IT..

NOBODY WANTS TO BE INVOLVED IN A BUSINESS MODEL WHERE THE OTHER COMPANY DECIDES HOW MUCH YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND! Period..... Whether you let me set a budget that gives you a maximum or not, if you're deciding when, how or which requests or "leads" I spend my money on, that doesn't work for me. And if you're charging me just because someone contacts me, that doesn't work either. Do you go to Best Buy and just hand them your credit card and let them send you electronics and movies and games etc. that they choose for you? Even if you give them your preferences of what you like and a monthly budget?.... Absolutely not, correct? That's essentially what it feels like Thumbtack has been trying to do to their customers in my opinion.

Sounds like Thumbtack could stand to make a lot of money this way though, but how many people will stay with you if they're getting charged just because a customer (or any random Thumbtack employee pretending to be a customer) reaches out to them? From your email: "you'll only pay when a customer contacts you". I'm sorry, but I don't want to pay just because someone contacts me. I'm contacting you right now, should you be paying for that?.....

Just curious....

Also, from your Promoted Services article I read: 

"Extra tips

• Seeing prices up front is important to customers."

Really?!? You're going to tell us in your "extra tips" that seeing prices up front is important to customers? Aren't we YOUR customers? Where do YOU show US your pricing up front? You used to, and when you stopped, we told you we didn't like it, but you ignored us and just kept changing your system (way too often by the way) to benefit you.

How much am I paying at 20% off if I use Promote? I have no clue.... If I've missed where you clearly list your pricing up front, please point me to it and I'll write a nice retraction here, but I did look and was unable to find it, so at the very least, it's not easy to find....

By the way, If my business got as much negative discussion as your recent post "Let's Talk about our Pricing", I'd be scrambling to fix it, and it seems like you want people to think that's what you're doing, but really, in my opinion, you're just desperately trying to get your customers to sign up for automatic billing of any kind that benefits you and you can sneak by them to get them paying automatically and regularly..... I suppose that would be good for my business too, but I wouldn't sleep well at night.

I would like to suggest that you actually listen and run an honest business where YOUR customers pay what it's worth to them, when they decide and know what they're paying for up front and you should do just fine....

What do you think?

[SillyCar]

Three Kudos in less than 5 min? Sounds like I might be on to something here.... Thumbtack, you listening?....

[IMMAPhotography]

Well, it is good that you think about doing some improvements. But I have issues with this one. Right now many of the customers just sending me message just asking a question. I am a photographer. I send the client a quote for the photography service they requested. They replied and asked, "Are you doing videography as well?" And then I have to pay for the quote. This thing could happen more and more when this new feature start. You need really do something to be fair for the Pros. You have to tell the customers if they send us any message, you gonna charge us. 

[Diceofseven]

Doesn't work, every job I have got through this app has fallen through or stopped communicating few days out. Stopped using it of frustration. Have yet to have made a dime on my points purchased. Word of mouth and local freelance groups are a much stronger connection. With Thumbtack a client can just back out after i get it all setup and on the calendar and I lose time and money not to mention other actual paying jobs.

[Camezo]

I would like to ask about “partial matches”. I have received way too many of those and I am concerned that if I turn on “promote” that I will be getting charges for leads outside my immediate travel area.

I also have a suggestion/request:
It would be nice to have the ability to set a travel area for EACH service I provide. There is a big difference in a customer who is willing to travel to me and one I am going to. As one of my services is in the customer’s home and one is customer comes to me, it would be a great advantage to be able to set it up to reflect that i will only travel so far but customers can come here from basically wherever.
Thanks!

[ALLSteve]

For the life of me, I have no clue how y'all are going to be able to match my business with anyone! How can my business show up in search results when it's buried as a subcategory under landscaping? And the idea of paying for an automated contact repulses me!

Lately, the overwhelming majority of leads forwarded to me have nothing to do with my specialty. If y'all start charging me for "matches" like the leads you've been sending (and that I can currently choose to pass on) I'll drop Thumbtack like a hot potato.

For years now, I've been asking and asking and asking for a separate category listing for the work I do. The responses are always polite but never helpful. We Pros are your customers. Y'all should treat us as such.

The original Thumbtack model is what I signed up for. Except for the lack of a stand alone category, the original system worked. All these changes you're making are making things WORSE. And the reports I'm getting from other Pros are nearly universal in their condemnation of the changes away from the pay only if you try to contact the customer and they reply to you.

In my experience, many people don't know what it is they are looking for when contacting me. A looky-loo shouldn't cost a Pro anything except the time it takes to tell them they aren't a good fit.

And reading this and other threads in these chat forums should tell y'all that constantly tweaking how you do business with your Pros is a recipe for disaster.

[tomdans]

For businesses just getting off the ground, have you considered some sort of free option?