New Contest - Use Thumbtack as a Customer!

[tlittlej]

@DustiOI was responding to MrChris because as he stated "I was just trying to get an idea of what other Thumbtack Pros were charging" and that in fact does cost pros money, unless it was during your system where we didn't get charged until they messaged.  I stopped using your site after I was charged $51 for someone asking me what I do, if they could see my work, and if I had a website.  Things that should've been accessible to them because my profile was complete.

I also used as a customer to find a second shooter for a wedding and had to go through the same security.

With that, I'd never return to use this site in any capacity because of the horrific changes and the fact you don't have Pros, the people who actually pay for your service, in mind.  The changes I've seen have been for the betterment of customers and your eye catching commercials, but as a Pro to see this and then be mistreated, underserved, secretly charged, and then lied to about "our feedback being heard" you've missed the ball morally, but financially as a business, you're winning which we know is the most important thing.

[Lar]

Dusti,

I would use Thumbtack as a customer but probably not in the way that the vast majority of Thumbtack's customers use it.

As a Pro myself I know that any Pro I reach out to is going to have to pay to get my lead so I'm not going to waste another Pro's money and time with some vague notion of a vague job that I may or may not want done maybe sometime whenever.

Before I start using Thumbtack as a customer I would first decide on precisely what I want done, when I want it done and roughly what I'm willing to pay. With those things in mind I know that when/if I find the right Pro I'll be in a position to hire them. Most customers that use Thumbtack don't do take the time to do that which is why Pros receive so many 'ghost' leads.

I'll reach out to ONE Pro, just one, not two or three or four like customers usually do. I'll choose one Pro with good number or RECENT VERIFIED REVIEWS, a decent number of hires and an informative profile that gives me a clear picture of what they're about and their level of professionalism.

I'll see if/how that first Pro responds and give then a few hours to reply. If they reply and I like what I hear and the price is right then I'll hire them. If they don't reply or their reply is lacking in some way then I'll politely thank them for their time, move on, select another Pro and repeat the process till I find a Pro that fits the bill.

I certainly wouldn't bash out a bunch of requests knowing that each one of those requests is costing the Pro at the other end real money. I know what its like to be contacted by countless leads who don't reply and don't end up hiring anyone on Thumbtack. 

My category was never busy, it's a niche market. I know some of my competitors on a friendly basis. Thumbtack isn't working for them either. I only have to look at all the quotes I've sent over the last few months which were either 'ghosts' or went cold on me. Hardly any of those leads ever hired another Pro on Thumbtack. Hardly any of them. Think of all those leads and all those Pros sending quotes and the vast majority of the time no Pro ever gets hired.

That tells me all the fellow Pros in my category are either...

(a) the most dysfunctional bunch of Pros you've ever met in your life because all of us combined can't turn a fraction of the leads that we receive into actual hires.

OR

(b) most of the leads that we are getting from Thumbtack really don't know what they want, don't know what they want to spend and don't have a serious desire to hire anyone or reply to Pros that respond to their requests. If they did then overall I would see more of the leads I quote on getting hired either by me or one of my fellow Pros.

Regards,
Laurence.

[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.

[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]

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

[bio]

dry wall, did not work out!

[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. 

[DustiO]

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

[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.