I have really begun to question Thumbtacks grasp on reality. Over the past few months I have received leads that have fees exponentially higher for similar leads just six months ago. For reference, I build, repair and restore furniture in MD , DC and VA As example, without expecting to be gouged I responded to a lead and found I was charged $19.65 for the lead which had a customer cost of less than $200.00. This week has shown lead fees of $24.00, $41.00 and $42.00 for opportunities for work that previously would have been a fee of only $5-$7.00. When I contacted customer service regarding the $19.65 charge, the reasoning was that “the customer gave a long description of the work” and nothing to do with the actual job. Which as a note would have been less than $200.00 in work and the fee would substantially eat in to any profit that might be recognized. So if a customer provides an adequate description of the task rather than my asking for more detail to quote it now warrants a 600% increase? In what business world is that realistic? As a Top Pro, I now find myself looking the fee first before even considering whether it is a real opp or someone just shopping to find high end work at bargain basement pricing. Which reduces my zeal to respond through Thumbtack as it blows though my marketing budget at an exorbitant rate and reduces the number of opp’s I’ll consider. A more realistic fee rate basis needs to be established or go back to how it was previously done. As a follow up, I received this morning a new lead for a project that “might” be worth $400.00-, but will decline as the fee rate is $41.00. Really questioning if Thumbtack is the way to go in the future.
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