New Contest - Use Thumbtack as a Customer!

[DustiO]

Spring has finally arrived here and I’m so happy that the snow is melting! As the snow melts, I am reminded of all the things I need to do around my house.

This is a great time to try Thumbtack as a customer (if you haven't already). Do you need some spring cleaning done? Maybe it's time to get those branches and leaves removed from your gutters. Or perhaps this is the time to get your air ducts cleaned. I just hired a Thumbtack pro to clean all of my tile/grout.

Using the platform as a customer offers SO MUCH insight to a pro. It helps you improve your profile, because you can see what makes other pros stand out.  And it helps you improve your communication with potential clients, because you can see what type of communication you value most.

We would love to hear about your experiences as a customer, and we want to give away $250 to one of you!

To enter the contest:

1. Find and hire a pro on Thumbtack.
2. After you’ve hired the pro, reply below and tell us:
1. What type of pro you hired and what job you had done.
2. One #LoveIt (something you enjoyed about your experience as a customer) OR one #CouldBeBetter (something that you think we could improve upon).
3. One thing you’ll do differently as a pro now that you’ve seen the customer experience.

Our team will read about your experiences and pick a favorite.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY.

[mikejackson561]

Wedding and Event photography needs to be in its own selection and make Corporate Event Photography is own selection.  

[RevRay]

Yes, we have tried to use Thumbtack as a customer on numerous occassions.  We typically don't get any response from any pros.  If we do receive a response, then is the only response the we get.  To sum it up, it has not been a good experience for us.  

[Shuddrbug1]

1. Hired someone to clean ducts in my home.

2. #couldhavebeen better. The guy did an ok job, but didn't have the equipment he stated he had in the response.

3. Always be upfront with clients about your abilities and the type(s) of equiipment you use.

[TimWilliams]

As a General Contractor I am always looking for quality sub contractors for a myriad of different projects. If my existing cache of subs aren’t available, or if the job requires a specific skill set that is unusual I always go to Thumbtack first. I have met several top notch people from Thumbtack.

[Pat]

I did try Thumbtack to hire a plumber and an electrician for an addition I was doing in Jaffery, NH.
No responses, ended up hiring a plumber from Home Advisor, and found an electrician from an internet search. Never tried you again.
No a great story, so I won't hold my breath on winning, LMAO.

[Batkitty5961]

I used Thumbtack twice.
The first time I was looking for House Cleaner‘s. I have a very small condo that is only 517 ft.². I work three jobs so I only needed some simple cleaning like vacuuming and dusting and maybe a little window cleaning. I barely got any responses and the English was horrible. They wanted to give me a price without even seeing my small condo.... and the price was way too high. It took them over a week to get back to me. It was shady at best. I gave up and never hired anyone.
The second time I was looking for a handyman to just put up some white wire shelving to create some more storage space in my small coat closet about 5 feet long. One shelf one simple shelf. I know it was a small job. They could do it at their convenience. I only had two people respond. One man who told me he would call me back but right up front told me the job was probably too small for him and Then complained that he was charged by Thumbtack somewheres between 10 and $15 for the lead and that my job wasn’t worth it. He never called me back even when he said he would. The second man quoted me some ridiculous fee without even knowing what the job was… Then kept calling me back and begging me for the work. He was a very nice man but it was difficult to understand his broken English. I did end up hiring him and he was conscientious about doing a good job… But clearly he was not skilled. He did an average job even though he had to come back twice. He charged me a fair price… But only because he was sorry he couldn’t put up one simple shelf in one visit. I never called him again as I am not comfortable with his skill level.

[Wale]

I have use thumbtack as a customer, it has been the worst experience finding a reliable pro! There should be some way the pro pays for wasting the clients time and day. They don’t show up on time at least the ones I have encountered. They ratings or “top pro” status should be on the line.

[MrChris]

Yes, 

I tried to use thumbtack as a customer about three (3) or so years ago.

Then I got a message from an administrator (at Thumbtack) who threatened

to cancel my account because this kinda action is prohibited in the EULA!

I politely explained that I was just trying to get an idea of what other Thumbtack Pros 

were charging but was again warned that this is illegal to do according to my agreement!

So I don't know what specifically you are after here but I will just recuse myself from any further 

infractions!

THANX!

Christopher M Hudetz

[Cyrus]

I have bad.bad.bad. experience
With thumbtack
That charge me .$59.$60.$60
With out any service
I did call Sarah
He did evening
I don't like this coa

[Scotter1]

as and Elvis impersonator i have only one show so far i have been with  thumbtack 1 year so you can you can do the math as they say.

[DustiO]

@Pat and @RevRay This is exactly why we are so excited for the new Thumbtack - before we rolled this out 80% of customers never heard from a pro. You should give it a try again! I have used Thumbtack as a customer so many times, many of those before I even worked here! I have had a couple of non-happy experiences, but that is just what happens as we are dealing with humans and humans aren't always the best 😉 Overall, I have loved my experiences hiring pros through Thumbtack and I recommend it to everyone I know - I mean, where else can you find everything from a balloon artist to a plumber?! 

Thanks for sharing your experiences and I hope you get the chance to try again!

[Carlos63]

I would say I used a thumbtack pro as a customer about 5 years ago I hired a plumber to do some Plumbing in my kitchen the plumber came with his 5years old son and he pay more attention to his son than he did the job. The job took a lot longer than it was supposed to be ,so what I have learned from being a Thumbtack pro is never bring your kids to work. Unless they are old enough that they are your assistant or helper not to babysit.

[DustiO]

@TimWilliams @Shuddrbug1 Thank you for sharing!

[DustiO]

@Batkitty5961 Thanks for sharing! I am sorry you didn't have the best experience. I hope you were able to leave a review for the pro and give him some feedback so he can do better moving forward 🙂

Now that Thumbtack has changed a little, you are able to look at a list of pros, see their profiles and reviews, and decide whom you want to reach out to. Hopefully next time you will have a better experience, because you won't be waiting around for pros to send you quotes!

[DustiO]

@MrChris - you are correct, we are not encouraging you to hire pros in your same field 🙂 But we highly encourage everyone to use Thumbtack for all of the other hundreds of services we offer! I am a wedding cake professional on Thumbtack (for nearly 5 years now!) and I have used Thumbtack for multiple projects - from having my website built, to cleaning tile and grout, to personal training. Hope you will try it again! Let me know if you run into any issues.

Thanks!

[bio]

dry wall, did not work out!

[DustiO]

@Carlos63 Thanks for sharing - and I hope you can try using Thumbtack as a customer again, as the experience has only gotten better 🙂

[SharonM7]

1. What type of pro you hired and what job you had done. I hired a handyman. 
2. One #LoveIt (something you enjoyed about your experience as a customer) OR one #CouldBeBetter (something that you think we could improve upon). #LoveIt!! He was just so helpful. He asked me to write him a review, which I was going to do anyway. His price was also very reasonable.
3. One thing you’ll do differently as a pro now that you’ve seen the customer experience. Be courteous! We all know that, but when we experience hiring someone firsthand, we remember it in our own work. 

[LexiAssist]

1. Hired a pro to get some head shots for my business profiles.

2. #LoveIt because she was professional and delivered exactly what she said she would.

3. Talking to another Thumbtack Top Pro gave me prospective on the different trades with in Thumbtack. We had a goon discussion about lead cost that helped me keep an eye on what I am being charged.

[abrahamvillafan]

Is berry nice of you helping me when I got stuck with some thing Thumtack personal always there to help me

[tculmann]

I had to hire a mover last spring and went to Thumbtack. The group I chose was awesome.

The administrative assistant was on top of it. She would respond to my messages right away.

The 2 guys hired were the best movers. They had to load a 2 1/2 townhome in a 16 ft truck and unload

into a strorage unit. 

They were extremely efficient, shrink wrapped breakables and fit all of the items in one trip. They stayed wothin

the 2-2 and half hour window which kept my cost down.

I wanted to hire them to move me out of state but it was not in their contract.

Great experience. #Verypleased #bestmovers   Tammi Culmann

[ScottArcangel]

Lol wow... If 80% of customers didn't hear from a pro - and now pros don't hear back from 60% of their customers... I don't know, there's a math equation in there somewhere!

(60% figure seems pretty consistent as far as pros using the promote system, paying for leads from customers who reach out, and then not hearing anything back from the customers)

[ClaimYourVoice]

I've used Thumbtack as a customer twice. I wanted to get a present for my sister, who's very hard to shop for. I figured a few hours of gardening would be just the thing. I live in New Jersey. She's in Massachusetts. I went on Thumbtack. Immediately found a gardener  in her area who was happy to lend his muscle to a good cause. It saved my sister's back and worked out wonderfully.

Then I needed a piano tuner. I'm a Thumbtack Top Pro as a singing teacher, so I have expectations of a piano tuner. I found someone close to me who came out within 2 days, did a great job tuning my piano, charged reasonably. I gave him a great review and plan to use him regularly. I also like that now he shows up on my Thumbtack page, so if I lose his contact information, it's right there. 

I'm completely happy as a customer and as a pro.

[tlittlej]

Not to attack you but actions like yours are the reason the Pros, well old ones like myself, stopped using this site.  Your research costs us money.

[TheProfessor]

For a customer using Thumbtack, it is a no lose situation since they are not paying to find a professional. Thus, no matter how bad Thumbtack is, the customer cannot lose any money, thus it is a great tool for the customer. On the other hand, the professional risks everything and in most cases, the information provided by the customer is almost worthless. For example, a customer needs writing and editing services and when you see the lead it says under 2000 words. The professional has to guess if the user wants 10 words or 1999 words but the professional pays the same for the lead. In another case, the customer says I need some help writing an article and wants to get more information from professionals. Thus, you end up paying $10 to $20 for a lead that is basically an information seeker who will not buy anything from you. In my opinion, since the user pays nothing to post his or her lead, most leads are worthless to a professional. I know, I have purchased many leads from thumbtack and most were worth zero. So as a customer, Thumbtack is great because I will get many responses from professionals even though I know in advance that I will not hire anyone from there, just want to get free information, but I know that I will find my professional from asking my neighbor who he used to fix his roof. The professionals, they all end up paying for leads that they can never get.

[Excalibur]

I used Thumbtack to hire someone to replace my garage door after I backed into it with my van.  It was great ( #loveit ) to be able to see bids from the "big guys" whose ads I had heard on the radio right next to the "little guys" who were in the process of building their businesses from the ground up.  I ended up hiring a husband and wife team ( #loveit ) who came in the middle of a cold Minnesota winter to replace my garage door.  They did an excellent job on the installation, and when I had some questions a few days later, they were quick to respond.  I left them a 5-star review as any customer who is fully satisfied would do.

On the #CouldBeBetter end, there wasn't anything with my garage door that I would/could ask to change.  However, I attempted to hire an electrician to install a light in my living room.  I put it out once.  No bids.  Then I talked to a contractor who said that electricians don't like to use their valuable hours bidding small jobs.  As a result of the conversation, my second bid request was highly detailed about the scope of the project with promised exemptions from quoted prices if the job was not as I had described.  I had hoped to lure an electrician to give me ANY price with the understanding that s/he could raise the price later without any guff from me, and still -0- bids.  I know the new system allows me to tap directly into an electrician and more or less force them to pay for the quote, but given that the third time I put out the bid request I still had -0- replies, I figure I will just end up contacting someone directly.  Could be better if there could be a bidder.

[alangholt]

I have used Thumbtack as a customer! I hired a photographer, a DJ, and rented chairs and tables for my kid's Bar Mitzvah party. It was easy, I had quotes and was able to compare, and then the service from my chosen pros were excellent all around. As a pro, I feel I'm doing the best I can - replying swiftly, telling exactly why I'm different and how I'm able to help meet the needs of the customer, and being ready to meet them. I expect no less from those I would look to hire for my own needs as a customer. I recommend Thumbtack to friends who are looking for help for various things, and also to my students who are looking to step out as a pro.

Also - Thumbtack helped me launch my wedding officiant business, and for that I'm so grateful.

[Rebus]

I decided to enter thumbtack as a Pro after I used as a customer. I asked myself “why in the world I am not doing this myself?”
Since then, I only being very grateful.

[photojessie]

Hired a hair stylist through Thumbtack Customer. She styled my hair for a competition I was doing.  Something I absolutely loved was how simple it was to fill out the form to get the right pros to contact me.  #loveit when I got more responses than I needed. I also loved how easy it was to communicate from the customers perspective. From this, I now send out more quotes since I know the leads are read and not always responded to but all seen on one screen. 

[Pere]

Thumbtack is god app
ľm reach New costomers

[Allstar1]

I think I got this by mistake.....I have never used Thunbtack, but I am a pro , and I have worked for thumbtack.   I have a "BEST OF 2015" and a "HANDYMAN OF THE YEAR"  on my Wall, in my office.   I won it for two years .  I also have 100%  5 STAR revues , and anyone can read them. 

Larry

[LVphotog]

Yes! I agree! I’ve been suggesting this for over 12 months, as they have expanded some other options in the categories, hopefully they will make that change soon!

[DrJill]

I used Thumbtack as a customer two years ago and found it difficult to find what I was looking for.  I did not find a pro that was suitable for the house repair job that I needed.  I had better luck with the phone book.

[bonnie_bill]

We have unsuccessfully tried using TT as a customer 3 times. This was before the massive changes to the costs associated with lead generation for the pros. We received one response one time out of three that was not a suitable solution to our need.

Unfortunately now we are well aware of the costs and method of charges to the pros so we would not feel comfortable using TT as a customer.

Sorry, but this is our perception of what has evolved with all the changes to the lead generation model and the huge increase in associated costs.

[Wisedove]

I used Thumbtack in Ohio to fix my elderly mothers front pole lamp. The pro came and fixed the light. My mother was pleased and I gladly paid him. A few months later, when visiting Ohio, my mother mentioned the light wasnt working again. I got ladder, pulled out wire and found previous guy (not pro) used masking tape to wrap wire nut connection, soaking in moisture causing an arcing fire onto the metal pole.

[Dwga]

Yes, I have hired a Thumbtack pro. It was an awesome experience. I now have a new picket fence around my front property with a working gate. The pro was very timely, efficient, and the price was very fair. I did not haggle him to death for next to nothing like customers looking to hire me do. I respected his position a pro here to sell his business and I got a perfect product. Have had cold feet to get back on Thumbtack myself since it was always a lose-lose for me.

Darcy

DWgraphicarts

[jbelden]

It was new for me being on the other side of the Thumbtack experience as the customer. As a customer, I have had a good experience. I hired a pro to help me with advance STATS as I am getting my Ph.d.  He was not the cheapest, so I thought about his value, and as a pro myself, I understand. I picked this particular pro because when he emailed me he was friendly, had experience, and was prompt. I currently still use him today and will continue to use him throughout my program.

[juneb]

I hired an Accountant to help me do my annual tax return and going forward to do my quarterly taxes as well.  It took so much pressure off of me as I'm not a tax expert and don't have to worry about the minutiae of taxes now!  #LoveIt  I spoke to three prospects and settled on my choice as he was very approachable, affordable, and took my questions seriously.  Most importantly, he was very responsive when I had questions and continues to be a year later.  

As a Pro, I didn't learn to do anything differently but definitely saw how being quick to respond makes customers feel valued.

[DustiO]

@SharonM7 Thank you for sharing! I love to hear this!

[DustiO]

@LexiAssist Thank you! It is so great to experience the platform from the other side, we really can learn so much!

[DustiO]

@ClaimYourVoice I love this so much! Thanks for sharing!

[DustiO]

@Excalibur Thank you for sharing! I'm sorry your second experience was not the best. We are always working hard to make Thumbtack better, and feedback like this is great to hear.

[DustiO]

@alangholt Thank you so much for sharing! Love this! I also recommend Thumbtack to everyone, did that even before I worked here! 🙂

[DustiO]

@Rebus This is great! I hear a lot of similar stories from pros who actually found Thumbtack as a customer and ended up becoming a pro. Love it!

[DustiO]

@photojessie Thank you for sharing!

[DustiO]

@Dwga Thank you for sharing - loved hearing this story!

[DustiO]

@jbelden Thank you for sharing! You continue to inspire me!

[DustiO]

@juneb This is awesome, thank you for sharing!

[djjoune]

I hired a photograpgher for an event, but I was looking for a videographer.  A lot of them did not even respond or say they can't do it. They probaly just pass the gig I am assuming. One thin I think you can do better is show the client the calender so they don't even ask the vendor if they are available and have they pay if they promote automatically for no reason.  Also let the client know that vendors will pay to talk to them so they message unless they are serious instead of just shopping for price and make everbody pay and only thumbtaack is really benefiting. You guys can also do better on how you quote the gig, I think its inconsistent. 

[dagomatic]

I have been asking for this for 5 years. Requests from Top Pro's are just not a priority.