Zip Code Filter

[ClaimYourVoice]

Friends, I'm a singing teacher in Northern New Jersey. I've been a top pro continuously for years. I live within 25 miles of NYC. Anyone in the New York Metropolitan area knows that people from NJ and NY prefer to stay in their own states. I have never had, and never expect to have a student from NYC come to me for lessons. I have been BEGGING Thumbtack to put in a zip code filter for years. I've complained 4 times in the last week because my budget is being completely blown by New Yorkers who don't notice where I live and then say they're not interested. Today, I was told by the rep, who was as nice and as helpful as was possible, that I was his second call today complaining about this. Later, another rep told me this was a regular complaint. My piano tuner, who I found through Thumbtack and was also a top pro, told me Thumbtack was a minor advertising tool for him specifically because of the New York/New Jersey issue. He depends on Yelp. I would hope that everyone who is affected by this would complain. There's no excuse for it, but without a flood of complaints, I doubt they'll get around to  fixing. I must have complained at least 20-30 times over the years, and I'm a multiple top pro. There has to be a remedy. 

[MR]

@ClaimYourVoice  I echo your request. I have no interest in receiving leads from zip codes within the Chicago city limits as I do not practice in the courts that they would go to. I only want suburban leads. 

TT.. please add my vote and all others to the tracker where you are keeping track of all error and enhancement requests so that it receives the appropriate priority.

[Meckell]

@MR your feedback is always appreciated and passed on! Make sure you check out my response to ClaimYourVoice about this.

[MR]

I read number three and it seems like that is something more geared towards the lead and not the pro. I think what is being requested here is an option for the pro, not the lead, to decide what ZIP codes he or she is willing to work in and what ZIP codes he or she does not want to see leads from. this is a filtering method that the pro uses to determine who their customers will be, not a filter for the lead to determine what pro they want to use.
I think the request here is more of a pro focused request and not a lead focused request. I feel that number 3 is just the opposite.

[ClaimYourVoice]

I'm defininitely requesting for the Pro. We have a much better idea of our business requirements. Also, the dangers to the customer or the pro are different. The customer might get drowned in profiles of pros they're not interested in. We lose our budget when they request us anyway. 

[MR]

@ClaimYourVoice   Absolutley! The TT focus has to be on the pro first and foremost and not on the lead. Most of us have chosen how our business is structured and how we perform the business so that we can determine what we want to do, and what we do not want to do. Adding a zipcode filter is just one of those differentiators we are able to use. For me, I won't represent someone in the city of Chicago because their case will be heard in downtown Chicago -  a place where I just don't want to go as I greatly prefer working in the suburban courts. TT should not even think they can make that decision for me.. nor can a lead. If a lead contacts me from Chicago and if their case will require a court appearance, I will give the lead a referral and move on. Period.

Issue here though is I pay $$s to TT to ultimately give someone a referral which is unfair to me because if the proper filters were in place, the lead in Chicago would not have been able to select me and get into the Inbox. I may see them in the Jobs tab.. but not the inbox.

I hope my example makes sense. I am sure my need is not isolated to my area of service.

[ClaimYourVoice]

This friend speaks my mind!

[MMM_Memories]

Hey @MR doesn’t TT already do this?
I think there’s an option of selecting which zip codes/areas you want to work with. Instead of selecting the radius (50M, 100Miles) option.
I’ve done this before. But be warned its painful!!! It’s insanely painful.

I work in the greater NY area too and I too agree this should be fixed. There should be some way to one-click ‘Include/ignore NYC’ ‘Include/ignore NY state’
And offer different option for different services and price points. I mean I’ll pay $50-75 in tolls and parking getting to NYC for a $$$$ Wedding. But do I want my profile in front of a NYC User who posts a job for under $250, who’s actual budget is $100, while TT charges me $30 for the lead and then expects me to pay $75+ in costs just getting there and then ghosts me when I point out my actual rates are away above $250 to begin with?!!
True story.

I brought this up when I had a one-one with the design team about a year ago. I guess nothing came of it.

[MR]

@MMM_Memories  Interesting - I have seen a city picker, but not a zipcode picker... but the issue is, even if I deselect the city of Chicago, if the lead says they are willing to drive the distance from their location to my office, I can still get the lead in the Inbox and this pay for it - which is NOT what I want because regardless of the fact they travel to me, they are still going to have their case in Chicago which I don't want.. so it would be nice to have an option that allows me to say I dont care if lead is willing to come to me, if they live in a certain geography, I do not want to know about them. 

TT says they "only show us jobs we want to get" - but they are wrong, because I dont want those jobs, no matter what TT or the lead says. Again, I need to be in control of that decision - NOT the lead. 

[MMM_Memories]

Oh yes. You’re right. That doesn’t work.
I guess we’re both thinking about the ‘city picker’. That’s not the answer though, too many flaws.