They charge us even if we click decline because the customer showed interest....it's turning completely unfair.
I totally agree. We were incented to buy more credits and would buy a block every month or two. We dealt with the "no volume-discount, cash model" as it still augmented out fairly seasonal business in the slow times. Now, it is not affordable and ridiculous that I get charged if someone sends a one line reply back and I never hear from them again. We just can't afford this model, and it seems very un-small business friendly.
Also, now with catering, they did away with the amount the customer wants to spend. So if I'm in the $20-$30/person range and the customer is looking for $10/person catering, I've jsut wasted my money and time.
I like the way the site is operating for me, now. I'm seeing fewer jobs (seasonal) but I'm only bidding on the jobs I want. This is working better for me. And I prefer this to Angies List and Home Advisor. We don't get enough leads from Angies List to juctify their $350/mon fee. And Home advisor just buries us with jobs that are too small to do beyond 5 miles from the yard. We advertise across a 50 mile radius, But if truth be told you're all parasitic, yes? Hell, what's a little more overhead...