Want to know more about Price Assurance?

[WillC]

@Scorpion, I think we may want to clarify the different kinds of leads on Thumbtack. If you’re sending a custom quote in the job/opportunity tab, you’re only charged when the customer responds to your quote. Those customers have reached out to other pros first, but we want you to use these jobs to supplement your business. If they never respond, or say “no thanks” to your message, you won’t be charged.

When a customer reaches out to you directly through your profile, that’s when they have expressed interest in your business. If it’s an exact match to your targeting preferences, you’re automatically charged at that point. If it’s not an exact match, you have the option to review the lead and accept before that happens. 

We don’t want you to feel like you’re wasting money on Thumbtack. Price assurance is here to make sure you’re only being automatically charged for valuable leads. Be sure to check out this post to learn more about how price assurance works.

[catfish97]

If we don't get hired we don't need to be Charged.

[Kameron]

@catfish97 @misstalima @Zolliology1 @MoJoCater The pay per hire option is one we've definitely thought about and looked into. In the end, there's not an accurate enough way for us to know when a hire has actually taken place and when a job has been completed. We've seen that the new way we charge per customer response has been much fairer for pros than when we used to charge for every quote sent. With that said we know there's always room for improvements and work hard every day to take in pro and customer feedback to do so. Not all customers who contact you will end up hiring you, but our goal is for you to earn enough from the jobs you end up winning to make Thumbtack is worth it. 

[MoJoCater]

That may work for other individuals/businesses. However, due to the unwarranted charges for unproductive "leads", as you call them, I have now lost almost $200. This is now acceptable. 8n my opinion having to pre-pay for leads that either, do not reply or choose a different vendor, is poor business. I agree that the connection between customer and vendor using Thumbtack's service should pay for it. Perhaps a pop-up window stating if further communication will not be permitted until the following fee is paid, after a reply from the potential customer replies. Additionally, add a button on the customer page to decline services from a vendor to prevent unwanted charges.
These are just suggestions of a few ways to possibly resolve this situation.

[abynus]

If the lead is remote to me, and the preferred contact method is not "this can be done over the phone or internet", why should I be automatically charged for the lead when physically it's impossible to do?

And on other leads, the location of the lead should be displayed on the lead headpage, instead of just saying "Remote".  That would help us quickly decide whether to submit a bid for the lead.

[WillC]

@abynus This is a great question. We’d love to learn more about this specific situation to give you an accurate answer. Please contact our support team for additional help at 800-948-2034.

[MoJoCater]

Here is my question, WHY ARE WE BEING CHARGED BEFORE WE EVEN HAVE THE JOB??

There needs to be some serious thought and reprogramming put into this. I have turned down to jobs due to date conflicts and was charged for letting them know, for being a good business owner. That is my main issue with the whole thing. It needs to be changed that you are charged only when you are hired. A hold of the $25 in your account may be a way to do that. However, if you do not get the job the money is released from the hold and returned to you.

Just my thoughts.

[DJStevie]

Why should refund be given for only "read" messages ? Refunds should be given for no replies as well!!

DJ Stevie 11-12-2019

[SamF]

@DJStevie Thanks for the feedback! Unread Refunds only covers leads where the customer did not view your message because if a customer views your message, this shows us that they are still engaged with their project. This means that there is still an opportunity for them to respond and hire you.

[DJStevie]

@SamF 

There should be a time frame for a refund if a "customer" never responds to us. May I ask, how is a "customer" viewing my message is still possibly thinking of hiring me when they never even sent a written response?

DJ Stevie 11-13-2019