There are 2 questions that I would appreciate a response to.  I have requested clarification of both these areas before and never recieved a response.  Please also see my posting during the last on line forum regarding Promoting Services. 1. TT tags some promoted services with a "great value" description.  How is "great value" determined and why does TT make subjective judgments about the content of a pro's work without any knowledge of the actual content. In my sector, resume writing, value should be based on cost vs. quality ratios. How does TT arrive at those ratios? Great value tags give some businesses extra promotion by inferring those services are better than others. Without specific qualifiers and metrics presented, this ranking process seems a bit unethical.  Please explain your thinking and why this process is fair to all. 2. Reviews  Why does TT manipulate the order of reviews on my profile? Again, it seems that TT is making subjective judgements.  Reviews should be listed in chronological order to demonstrate to clients the continutity of work and that a pro is currently competitive in the sector. My test prep customers have expressed suprise that my first review is from 2017.  It gives the impression that I have not conducted any tutoring since that date. This, in turn, drives down potential hires and affects the bottom line for TT as well as my business.  Every pro should be listed chronilogically and TT should not, once again, be promoting winners and loosers according to their subjective analysis of which reviews are strong or weak.  If everyone's reviews are listed the same way, customers can figure out who they wish to hire by equal comparison. My reviews are a product of my expertise and performance within my sector. Why does TT have the "right" to manipulate  order and presentation of my reviews to "influence" clients? Thank you for your reflection on and response to these issues.  I would like to attend the live stream session, but my work schedule prevents me from doing so as I have students scheduled for that evening. ... View more

Good afternoon. My first question relates to rankings in the Promote feature. Why is TT making subjective judgements about businesses on PROMOTE? For example, some businesses receive a tag of "great value". Value is a ratio of price to quality. How does TT have the ability to discern the "quality" of one pro's work versus another's? It would appear that TT is now in the business of picking winners and loosers and influencing potential customers.  We professionals should be able to compete against each other on a level playing field. I would like to see TT drop the "great value" tag and allow services, reviews, and hires, to speak for themselves. On a related subject, my clients have shared with me that the search process is very cumbersome, time consuming, and frustrating. When searching for a local pro they have to scroll through many profiles to find where the pro is actually located. Can TT include a physical location as part of the basic up front information that goes along with price? in my sectors, resume writing and test prep, clients are searching for in person services. It is difficult for the client to get that location information quickly and easily. Therefore, much frustration during the search process and many potential clients who do not follow through.  Perhaps more information to the client at the point of initial search would alieviate the problem that so many of us experience: "leads" that are paid for and go nowhere.   On a final subject that I have presented to Support agents but never have had resolved. I realize this is off subject for this forum, but appreciate the opportunity to once again try to get a response. Recently TT has added information to the Test Prep Services details. There is now a statement (devised by TT) that included with instruction/teaching/prep are "learning materials".  I do not purchase books or materials for students, nor do I advertise that in my profile or list of services. It is deceptive for potential clients to assume that material is included when it is not. Would TT consider removing that statement or at the least allowing the pro to opt out of it when it does not apply?  I appreciate your time in addressing these concerns.  TT used to be a fantastic advertising platform for all my services.  With all the changes that have been implemented, my business has been severely impacted. Hopefully, with so many concerns outlined by the pros in this and previous forums  and with so many great ideas from successful business professionals, once again the TT model could be made to work for everyone. ... View more

Subject: RE: A reply to a topic you are following has been accepted as asolution!   I have reviewed the responses to the pros regarding the search results community forum.  Let’s start with the good news and the bad news.  Bad news first! Since the roll out of the new policies, pricing, and procedures my resume writing business via Thumbtack has declined significantly.  The good news?  I have time to actually sit down and write yet one more letter to TT in hopes of getting someone’s attention to reverse some of the parameters of your business model. By way of introduction and history, I am a “Top Pro” and have been for the last few years.  I worked very hard to gain that status; reduced fees to generate business and produce a long list of strong reviews. When TT changed fees to the “pay for contact” structure my fee per client interaction increased $21 per contact.  My fee for services at that point in time was a flat $125 per resume (as stated on each and every quote I send as well as in the profile, services, pricing sections on TT).  TT was taking a whopping 20% of my income.  If one adds Instant Match fees to that we are getting beyond unsustainable.  I decided to raise my prices to compensate for the TT price hike.  The result? A sharp decline in my TT hires.  Now, with the new search process the number of customers who reach out to me is almost non existent.  I have gone from 3-5 solid jobs per week to 1 or 2 over the last month. Something is seriously wrong here and I don’t think it is the just result of the Promote process and new search process. More on that later.  The problem goes back to the fact that pricing, at least in my sector, is completely out of whack.  Not only that, but no one can explain to me how prices are set ( right – special algorithms) and why in my case they fluctuate.  I provide the same service at the same price to every one of my customers.  That is stated up front – resume, conference, cover letter.  If they choose to check boxes that TT thinks up such as coaching, Linkedin etc that is your idea.  You have no idea, nor do I, if they even want those services.  So far not ONE client has required any of those as ad on services. My point is that my fee is my fee. 1)TT fee for a lead should be consistent 2) 20% of my fee to TT is extortion 3) even at the now $16 fee we are talking 13% to TT.  Please explain how that fee is derived and how it is justified. One solution:  fees for a lead for a service should NOT fluctuate.  Standardize them.  But please make them justifiable based on the fee for service.  Currently in my resume service sector, they are not. Solution 2: stop making subjective judgements about the “value’ of the job.  The job is valued at what I charge for it as per the quote I provide.  I am NOT like every other pro.  Most small business owners are quite unique.  Universal algorithms may be current technology BUT they are not producing a realistic business model for those of us actually performing services. TT needs to get hold of who the pros are that are the backbone of TT business.  If it is, indeed, the small business pro such as I, then it would appear TT is not listening to what we are telling you. Countless pros tell you that pricing is way overblown, that their requests have declined, and the system is cumbersome, hard to understand, and arbitrary. Countless pros have told you that they promote very individualized and personalized services.  TT is NOT acknowledging that. TT is making everything one size fits all.  The old system allowed us, the pro, to make the decisions based on OUR business model, not TT’s.  As to search results.  My clients (TT as well as outside of TT) tell me they do NOT like to scroll through some list of pros  and get canned, generic responses.  They value the direct and personal contacts that I made when responding to a quote directly.  Currently I am competing with a list of pros who  are not located anywhere near this service area.  When a client does not ask to do the work by phone or internet they should NOT be given a list of pros who only provide service in that manner.  That never was the case before the new plan, but it appears that is the case now.  That is the only way I can explain the tremendous decrease in my business.  Are my clients seeing a list of pros from Arkansas to New Jersey ( I am in Fort Worth) , getting fed up because they want someone LOCAL, and never contacting anyone?  That is the only possible answer here.  Of course, the fact that TT rate hike forced my rate hike may have a negative impact as well. Solution: find out why and tell us why our business volume is decreasing.  If a customer does NOT want remote service for a job, they should NOT be given a list of pros that only work remotely.   For 3 years I competed with only 3 or 4 pros in the area. For most jobs, there were only 2 of us offering in person services. That should make the quote or contact rate less and not more. The customer could compare our rates and services via direct quotes easily. My success rate to land the job was 90%.  The new process has not brought me more customers, I have less than ever.  My profile is still A+ , superbly written and presented. I answer all requests within just a few minutes.  My performance is highest level. In other words, nothing on my end has changed to dissuade a client from hiring me.  Yet, my TT business is in the sewer. Solution: Make the process simple for the client. You are providing them with way too much information they did not request.  It used to be very straight forward.   They could compare rates and services quickly and easily based on information in a quote.  Now they scroll and read and do nothing to hire.  They are put off by the lack of personal response. They are happy to initiate a request and lets pros compete for that job. They do not like having to make it through the list and sort information out for 20 pros.  Its time consuming!! If that is not the case, please explain to me where my business has gone and why. Please,  no more canned, generic posts about profile strength, rate of response etc. Finally, if the cost of a contact were less expensive (actually reasonable) then I might be able to afford to use Promote or Instant Match.  They are just another burden to my bottom line and that bottom line is shrinking daily.  I keep hoping someone will see the reality of what is going on and listen to the vast number of responses you have received.  These responses are not abstractions or faceless metrics.  TT was a great vehicle for me and for others.  That has changed and you have the ability to alter that negative result, to turn in around in something viable for the small business pro and for Thumbtack.  Thank you for reading this post.  Nancy E ... View more

My clients want personal and in person service within or close to their zip code area. They are not looking to sift through a list of resume writers who offer remote services across the country.  With the old system, I could respond directly to their needs and requests.  Now the burden is on them to find ME!  I have lost all control of the quote process and the ability to determine which resume job is a good fit for me.  Clients cannot see the pros location on their profile unless they scroll all the way through the material to the end. Instead of competing with "like" pros in my area, I am now competing with people who offer distinctly different services all over the country. In the last couple of months, with all these new processes, my business has declined significantly. Being able to answer specific requests with a personal response was the backbone of my business and the reason TT was such a productive and innovative tool for my clients.  All that has changed. Neither my business nor my customers are being served well here. Furthermore, I cannot access any information about what decisions the customer actually made, so my ability to tailor my services to market pricing and demand are non existent. Being able to retain the ability to respond to customer requests is the key to effective marketing and customer service.  You are not looking at this process in the right way - from ease of use by customer AND benefit of individualized response by the pro.  I feel that all of the changes have been made to benefit the corporate bottom line and have thus removed the ability of the pro to control his/her business from the equation. In addiont, I have submitted numerous written questions and requests for explanation on TT arbitray and expensive pricing as well as its forays into subjective analysis of what the value of a job is.  Never receive a response and never see any meaningful change in the process. I wish someone would listen to us, the small business pros, who were the foundation of the original TT structure. ... View more

I appreciate that Thumbtack is inviting additional feedback on the pricing issue. I have submitted several written comments over the past few months, all of them to question and "protest" the pricing related to contacts via Thumbtack.  I hope you might review my past concerns which I will attempt to restate here. I have never received any direct response to any of that correspondence In brief, the pricing for contacts is arbitrary, grossly overpriced, and has never been justified to me, though I have ask repeatedly for explanations.  Example: you talk about value of the job. Well, the value of the job is what I charge for it and in my case that is $150 to write a resume.  That is a flat fee from which you are currently extracting $25 - a whopping 17% of my income.  Please justify that.  Many of the "contacts" which I pay for simply evaporate after just asking "when is your next availabilty" or what is your price?  In some cases i have never had a chance to respond due to technical glitches. My price is clearly stated and I am being charged 17% for that kind of nonsense question.  In the past, a fee of $2-$5 was a reasonable amount to pay for a quote. Now it borders on highway robbery to pay up to $25 for a contact that goes nowhere.  For SAT math and math quotes my fee is hourly and does not change. I am being charged a variety of different fees for these contacts.  Math is math! My hourly fee does not change. You do not know, nor do I, when requests are posted how many sessions are required.  I get charged anywhere from $12 to $20 for the same work.  Why?  Please look at my history and that of my husaband's account, Lee Enright, to see the inconsistencies. I have asked over and over how these fees are determined.  In the case of resumes, often I am one of 2 pros in the area to respond.  That should decrease my fees, not inflate them - yes? Since the price jump I have had to increase my resume fees to cover your fees.  My business has fallen off my 25% as a result.  You probably don't feel the impact of my getting less contacts and sending less quotes (for fear of paying for things that go nowhere). That is most likely because your huge price increase have masked that revenue decrease.  At any rate, the impact on my end is severe and I am VERY careful to only quote to customers that seem very interested or able to afford my fees (sector, level etc) . I worked very hard to develop a market niche here in Fort Worth and I appreciate Thumbtack as a vehicle to attract customers.  However, the price increases are unsustainable on my end.  Furthermore, no pricing has ever been explained as justifiable - very vague terms to be sure. Finally, the pricing is random with no relation to the actual services I provide.  My recommendtion is for your organization to look at the % they are charging and make that % a reasonable fraction of the job total. Pricing is not an arbitraty whole number, but must be considered as a fraction of what the pro sees as income. I don't build houses, I write resumes. To write a speech a few months back I was charged a whopping 25% of my fee OUCH!  I do appreciate the increased transparency with pricing available before sending a quote.  However, the pricing is still too high, too arbitrary, and too inconsistent.  Thank you for listening to my concerns.  I would be so grateful for a response that actually addresses my specifics.   Nancy Enright ... View more