You spent $200 a week with no bookings?   Consider signing up with a TT support team member assigned just to you for guidance.   Unless you are getter a big return within 30 - 60 days - you need to rethink your choices.   don't consider a week by week cost.  If your not getting a return on your investment in a reasonable cycle - it's not a good investment.  Period. ... View more

@Fino  Well - if you're not on promote you can chose who you respond to if they reach out.  Just don't respond back.  Unfortunately Not on promote is way too high to take a chance.  I removed my "video production' services because we are not allowed to put in our rate or rate scale anywhere so I was getting too many promoted leads just asking for my rate - then no response back.  At $30-40 a pop.  No Way!  Promote is supposed to streamlined a client to my services - to increase my odds of getting booked - or as they say make the lead much, much more valuable- by applying my selected preferences with rate, calendar settings I pick and show my samples and reviews.   Not being able to show my rate is a basic fundamental in customer search and not able to show any kind of range in video production is completely unfair and ethically wrong.    I've also been on a big push to remove blue click option buttons for customers that say "checking you availability" or "wants an estimate ".      How these are even options buttons when we have a calendar to show when WE ARE AVAILABLE - and on my leads is gives them an estimate already of what it will cost based on my preferences.  It just doesn't make sense.   Only let customers contact us with buttons that say - WANTS TO HIRE YOU - INTERESTED IN HIRING YOU.   And that's because they saw our rate, know we are available, read our reviews and saw our samples.  They will reach out to fewer pros - mak Nag many of us happy - and increase our odds of getting hired - which will make the high rates make a little more sense.  Because the  it really will be a "more valuable" lead.  But someone reach BG out to ask if I'm available- I respond and say yes with a relatable message to accompany that.  And they only READ it?  And never respond to me again?   No thank you.           ... View more

@Fino  just to respond to your comment about paying for leads.  I agree - we shouldn't have to pay unless we get booked.  A different website runs their site like that - I rarely use it.  As for TT - I go through waves of it being really great and cost effective - - to completely awful.  So far I've had great success three months in a row.  I don't mind paying for a lead - but some of the prices are way too high.  Considering that the same exact lead, and the specs, are the same as 2 years ago but now the price is three times hire (a fact) and unlimited can respond.  That doesn't make sense no matter what spin is put on it.  If the cost was lower and reasonable and there was some sort of cap on how many a customer can reach out to  . . . it would make sense.  All I can say for those that complain or are not happy - which I have done both many times on this site . . .    we all have a choice how we spend our advertising dollars and how we determine what is working and is it cost effective enough to be successful.  I also "pause" my business a lot when I can not respond immediately - I am on promote - I never respond to suggested leads or random people that reach out.  Too Expensive.  Price assurance is the only saving grace.   But I do also feel that if they just "read" our message and don't res[pmd - we should still get a refund - or like a $2 fee.  Nothing pisses me off more when they reach out to 3 of us, I respond in a minute - they never respond to the other two - they read mine . . .   then nothing.  No response period.  If the custmoer doesn't respond to any of our messages and just reads them,  then we should get a refund.  Because they ask "wants an estimate" . . .  the customer goes and reads them all - then never responds to any - but our rate is already shown to them before they even reach out.  UGGGGG   !     We provide enough information about our services so the only should be reaching out to us because they are seriously interested in hiring us.  NOT to ask "are you available" or "wants an estimate" . . . .      Good Luck to you . . . .     ... View more

@Sashadr817 - a good point that has been brought up many, many times. Other similar sites do provide the contact info for the same price or less than TT. The targeting is not the same - but at least we get the contact info. I don’t mind not getting contact information from the leads here - but the cost is still too high for us NOT getting the contact info or more for our money. And again - please change the blue action buttons. Customers should only reach out to us because they know we are available and they see our rate. No more exact matches where it says “joe wants your availability”. “Joe wants an estimate”. ... View more

@Shannonleen Many times I have spoken to customer service and posted here on the board requesting that Thumbtack stop sending notifications to Pros that have the tag line “wants to hire you” because it is false and highly misleading. Especially for those new to TT. I will speak again with my success coach about this. I am very mindful of every single lead that comes in. I lost a lot of money this last year on TT - right now the only thing saving me - and helping me book - is keeping a sharp eye on my preferences, utilization of Price Assurance and hiding my business when I can not respond with five minutes. And being on other platforms. Good luck! ... View more

@Shannonleen. I too have been with Thumbtack for over 4 years and had great success with the reasonable prices and workable format until Promote was introduced. My statistics clearly show the drop in bookings and significant price hike. I’m not sure about this TackMaster Program - what does it have to do with our repeated concerns like triple prices - I have been constantly “hiding my business” when I can not respond to a lead within a minute or two and keeping filters accurate. As well as keeping my calendar updated. I do my best to get each hire to give me a review and everything I can to stay within a reasonable ranking for the chance to get hired. However, yesterday a “partial match” match came in and was $48 to respond. Absolutely no way will I ever respond to a lead that cost that much. Regardless of the customers budget. Too risky of an investment. I’m a small business- just me. Price Assurance has helped me in many ways however - now if they don’t “read” my response within a hour - I pray they don’t at all. When we give them all our details before they reach out to us- then it shouldn’t matter if they just read our response to them. It should matter if they never respond after reaching out to us and reading our message. Nothing frustrates me more when a customer reaches out and it says “wants your availability”. I respond - they read it - and then never respond back. Of course I’m available! My calendar would not show you my profile if I blocked the day. So yes I agree with you. We should only pay if the customer engages with us in actual conversation back and forth. Maybe a small flat rate of $3 if they just “read” it. But certainly not $48. I signed up with a Success coach and find that better than TaskMaster. But both have something to offer and both are doing their best to make Thumbtack better for both customers and Pros - because last year’s switch over to Promote was a disaster for me. It’s getting a little better and I have hope for the future. Good luck - and choose wisely. I’ll say again - choose wisely how you make your money work for you. On this site and in life. ... View more

Exactly! Glad you understand @DJStevie Showing customers 30 Pros BEFORE any filters defeats the whole “promote”. Example, if customer enters “wedding and event photographer” the are shown 30 photographer Pros. But I am NOT a wedding photographer. Only events. But there I am. Customer should filter first before any pro is shown. Is that not the premise of “promoting” and triple increase in cost of leads? This will help with price Assurance issues, connecting the right pros and customers and reducing confusion for customers. Price Assurance is helping and makes me feel a little more assured moving forward with TT. ... View more

Here is the problem @Meckell Nothing is “Perfect” - except maybe my lasagna. Perfect Match should be changed simply to “Match”. Price Assurance has helped with maintaining my budget And ROI for sure - however booking clients is what is most important to us Pros. Customers need to be guided better to select the pro that fits best so they don’t end up clicking on 10+. I had a lead with 28 pros selected recently. Sure it only cost like $3 - not the point. Don’t show any Pro until filters are selected. TT shows a list of Pros before any filters are applied. I let all my customers that hire me know that there was a fee using TT. Just so they know for future. They are all surprised and all wish they knew that. The customer who reached out to 28 did hire me and when I told her she felt bad. She simply didn’t understand the system and needed someone and she said she just started clicking to see who who get back to her. 12 pros responded to her. I ask my customers because I need to know what worked for them and how they personally felt about the TT process. I don’t think TT reached out to any of my clients and asked them directly any questions. Anyway - Happy Holidays everyone! ... View more

What?  A three way tie and they don't all get $100?  That's too bad.  I would have given them each $100 for their great contribution, recognition amoung their fellow pros, loyalty to the company and taking the time to participate.  Congrats all three of you anyway! ... View more

Drew - This is good news!   But we would like all catagories to get equal opportunites to be seen in the marketplace.  Last night I went to the LA meet up and the speaker Nate said that the highest requested catagories in LA was housekeeping and massage therapy and . . .  crap - I forgot the others.  Sorry. But It was not my catagory even though my catagory probably has the most Pros.  Photography.  So being on Nextdoor is great, but the person sitting next to me at the event last night said to me "well what is Thumbtack doing for the rest of us that are struggling".   True!  A few years back TT had tv spots.  It got the Thumbtack name out there even though I was disappointed that it portrayed Thumbtack as a "home improvement" services.  They guy red-doing his house.  If those are the highest requested catagories then we would like to see Thumbtack start pushing the word that you are more than a "house cleaning" service provider.  There are soooo many catagories that Thumbtack has.  Are we going to see more advertising for the entire Thumbtack name . . . .   somehow portraying that Thumbtack covers photographers, lawyers, lawn care, pet care, computer repair, etc?  With the triple cost in leads, the triple effort on TT's end would be great ... View more