@DCFGCatering. I literally got choked up when I saw you sad face and comment. It truly is sad how this site has changed. Cost increase, less leads, ghosting, unrealistic filtering, etc. and zero flexibility on refunds. I feel ya! ... View more

@Kameron   -  when on Promote you dont have that option.  I am talking about Promote.  We dont have a choice.   We are forced to pay for the lead if they reach out to us.  If we respond or not or decline or not.  Promote is set up so that no matter what, if the customer clicks on your profile to "check availablity", "set up a call", "wants a quote" . . .    we are forced to pay for those.  The purpose of that was to filter the Pros to the customers based on their criteria - which is great.  Increases the odds of getting booked.  However, whats not right is that through Promote we are filtered to them already telling them "yes" we are available because we were filtered to them.  Our price rate is listed already.  All this information they are given about us but their options to click are "check availability" then  we don't hear from them.   That is wrong.  It's all very sketchy and ensures that Thumbtack gets paid on every single lead and every single click the customer makes.  You can not deny that.  It's a fact.  It's set up as a unfair and unbalanced business practice when a overwhelming amount of leads reach out to me on promote then I follow up immediatly and then never hear back.  Most asking "checking your availability".   Do you not get that?   That question is a direct voilation of the whole "promote" concept.  Then we don't even know if they follow up to any of the pros they reach out to who responded.  I would like to know the percentage of Pros that are getting hired compared to the amount of leads that come in.  In my video production catagory I can't even list a starting price.  So the customer is forced to contact me just to get a price.  How is that fair on promote.  Our price range or starting price or something should be on every single catagory profile.  And the pro can decide if they want to show it or not.   Lots of issues with this site over the last year.  And trust me, I have actually reached out to many, many pros on this site and have had personal conversations with.  They all agree how the site is not longer as good as it was and has become too costly and not of great value.  Truly sad.  However, we have the right to choose to stay or leave.  And I choose not to participate on this site right now until fair practices and procedures are addressed.  There are so many, many complaints across the communtiy board that have not been addressed.  Some of them are repeatedly the same complaint - and nothing has been done.  You know what they are.  You see it everyday.   ... View more

Pros need to respond 75% of the time to increase their chances of being a top pro? Pros are to respond 75% of the time? What if only 5% of the leads are worth responding to? Your numbers show that customers more likely to hire if we respond quickly? I respond quickly to every single lead - last 22 leads and 2 hires? About 80% no response back. How about fixing that costly problem. Why am I paying to be promoted and shown to a customer based on the date of their event and then have to pay for them to ask if I am available? That seems like a violation right there. I never respond to a lead that has been posted for more than 15 minutes - especially if they contacted others pros. That’s how I learned to increase my odds of being hired. However, I’ve had to be on Promote - the only way to stay at the top of the listing. Which has also cost me greatly. Spent $300 on forced leads in July and had a profit of $30. Worst ever in five years! I have chosen to step off the site until changes are made. My stats are awful! So many ghosted leads. Still waiting for those changes that were promised back in May by Marco himself. So I don’t really find these updates “exciting”. ... View more

@Meckell - to give you an update on this refund I’ve been trying to get - Since you didn’t respond to my last question- I did some research and found out who the other Pro B was by simply finding out what Pro in my category on this request has 182 reviews. Only 1 pro. So I contacted him and he confirmed. Customer didn’t response to him either. He will be sending me the screenshots from his experience with this Leah since no one from your team will tell me. And she did not ”hire another pro” as the message in my inbox says. The customer closed the account as I said, immediately after I contacted a second time. This person obviously was playing around with the site and not serious at all! Therefore she immediately closed the request. It happens. But the team at TT should evaluate this lead fornwhat it is. All the information is there that indicated this customer was not serious or just fiddling around with the site. Look at my inbox - when was the last time anyone ever purposely “closed the request” or “hired another pro” . I don’t believe we get that notice at all anymore! Of the last 30 or more leads in my inbox, not one of them, except this Leah, has a closed or hired another pro noticed been given. So now I wonder what that means. All the people that ghosted me - they ghost everyone else? When I mark a customer hired, are the other pros getting a notice that “customer hired another pro”? If customers don’t contact or respond to anyone they reach out to on promote none of us should pay. Maintaining a positive relationship with your pros, Top Pros, will keep us happy and continuing to use the site and promote TT in the marketplace. For now, after the worst two months in five years on this site - I’m out. I’ll contact customer support on the phone with all the insights from this Leah Ross and the backup information that Pro B is sending me. Truly sad that you have all the information and can see this customer didn’t follow up with either of us - clearly showing they were just playing around with the site - and are not able to do anything about it. And allowing TT to keep the $28 from me and probably the same from Pro B. Truly disappointing and discouraging. ... View more

@Meckell so you are telling me that this customer hired Pro B. Is that what you are saying? So Thumbtack Pro B - who responded in 2 hours after initial contact by customer - was hired by Leah R? Is that what you are saying here? ... View more

@Meckell You are missing the entire point. I’m trying to get a refund on a request that a customer obviously changed her mind about the entire Thumbtack filter process or something. This is not “feedback” it’s a effort on many levels to get a refund back. I had 18 bs leads in July. 18! 2 hires. TT profited $300 off me and I earned $85. Only because I did get two refunds. Otherwise my profit would have been about $30. I’d love to get a refund on every single one that reached out to me and then never responded. I respond in within a minute or two every time. But I know TT has their strict guidelines. But a few of these I will protest. I’ll say it again here. Getting charged for customers that reach out just to ask “are you available” - then never respond - when our calendar directs us to them through filtering - Is the biggest form of unfair business practice I’ve ever seen. The only question a customer should click AFTER seeing our price, samples AND knowing we are available - should be “I’ve read your profile and see your price and know your are available the day of my event and I would love to hire hire you”. Otherwise, It is not filtering. Otherwise, why keep my calendar up to date or show a price? It’s simply NOT what we are paying for to be filtered. Filtered means available, price, budget, travel area ..... we are paying to be filtered. As far as my on going request for a refund on this lead - I’ve given every detail here. And have now obtained my cell records to back it up my claim. I’ll wait a couple days and hope to hear from TT team directly. There has to be a change in these request for refunds and the filtering process. It is NOT filtering if you allow and direct the customer to ask if we are available. That simply goes against the filtering guidelines and we Pros should not be forced to pay for those leads. We should not pay for ARE YOU AVAILABLE or WANTS A ESTIMATE. There should be no questions! Just a choice to hire. Finally, a customer that asks for a phone conversation and then never calls but actually closes the request ? $28 And no response?! And I don’t even get their info? If TT would actually be honest with me and tell me the truth about the actual time stamp of the 1 other pro that responded, if the customer ever contacted them and if the customer hired them - I’d have my refund by now. And for the other pro B who responded in two hours and paid for it? They should get a refund as well. Because it says the customer “hired another pro” and/or “closed the request” an hour after posting. And pro B responded two hours after the initial request. I’m asking for a refund for both of us pros that responded to this person. Because it’s the right thing. So I look forward to hearing from someone from Thumbtack with answers. ... View more

@Meckell - I got the proof from ATT that I received a text message notification from TT on Aug 3rd at 1:43 exactly as I said I did. Within a minute of me following up a second time with Leah R who contacted me directly for a phone conversation. This message said “customer closed the request”. Though I can not prove the exact message - but I can prove that TT sent me that message to notify me. How would you like the screenshot image? ... View more

@Hankster - EXACTLY! The whole point of “promote” is the filtering process that are specifically designed for the customer to find the best possible match for their needs. Our “starting” rate is there - yes we are available that day. The only reason to contact further is because “I read your profile and viewed your work and would love to work with you”. That’s it! Thumbtack needs to guide customers so they understand these simple things that are costing us pros unnecessarily! And making us long term pros unhappy and disappointed. Is it that difficult? This would lessen the time we are on the phone pleading for refunds and start viewing TT as our supporter and business partner. ... View more

@Hankster - you mentioned me in a response the other day and I was notified but went to read it and it denied me access. I read your comments here about the refunds having no human factor and no room error. I can not believe that this is acceptable and I went another month at a great loss for leads that just ask if I am available then never hear back. I am officially staying off the site until major changes. I’ve even had customer service tell me it’s probably best for me to “take a break” considering my reported numbers the last two months. You May have read in July I profited $85 and Thumbtack profit was $300 from me. The worst margin ever. 18 leads and 2 bookings. I do not recommend Thumbtack to anyone anymore. Not for pros and not for customers. I’ve been in business 20 years - I can kick myself for continuing a services that clearly is not set up for us to succeed or willingness to work with us as business partners. It’s beyond me why I have would have to pay just for someone to ask my availability when I am being promoted to them because my calendar says I AM AVAILABLE. It’s Thumbtacks responsibility to let the customer know that since that is the preference we PAY for when being promoted. Along with many other customer questions that are already provided before they reach out. So tell us TT - what is the point of Promote then? What am I paying for by being on promote? I thought the point was about filtering to get the right pro to the right person? Don’t let “are you available “ be a response click at all! Remove it. How about one response click that says “wants to hire you”. That should be the only click button option. Boy - I’d love to have another one on one conversation with Marco. ... View more

I have to wait to get the info from ATT to provide you with proof since my word isn’t good enough. I will do that. Since that was your concern in the entire matter. In the meantime, how about simply looking at the account of this Leah. She contacted three pros. Two responded. Said she hired different pro on my feed one hour after she reached out to us.. So she either hired pro B and had a phone conversation with them or not. You know the answer to that. So - one hour after she posted her request she “hired another pro”- - but Pro B responded 2 hours after she contacted them. Hum. Doesn’t make sense. If she didn’t have a conversation with Pro B either and did not hire Pro B - or me - obviously this person didn’t want to follow that path of filtering by requesting a phone conversation. She immediately closed the request. People do that. If it was a day or two later ok. But it was an hour later. So refunding Pro B and myself is the right thing to do. You have all the facts and times on this request process so think it through. When I get a chance to get to ATT or it shows up on my online account to confirm my message alert on the 3rd around 1:44 - I’ll get to you. But that is not the real concern here. It’s the process of the persons request and the unwillingness to recognize and offer a refund. Unless you tell me Leah hired and responded to Pro B. That simple. She wouldn’t call me but waited two hours and contacted Pro B. Major department stores and even Amazon are more respectful and understanding of their customers refunds. Because they are their Customers and know that if they work with them, be more empathetic, they’ll come back and continue to be loyal customers. I have no confidence or desire in moving forward right now with Thumbtack. ... View more