Just checking in - we were told several times many months ago - “big changes” are coming that will address most of the topic on the community board. We pros continue to “pay the price” while we wait. Last insight report of mine was the highest I’ve ever paid in almost five years with no bookings. Though bookings are few and far between compared to how successful my numbers were before all these changes - changes that should be made that effect cost of doing fair business with Thumbtack have yet to be made. My biggest issue - how a customer was able to contact 28 of us on a lead that Thumbtack profit was minimal $350 for a job who’s budget was under $400 and she contacted all of us! How is that right? I asked for a refund because this was way unacceptable and was denied. This along with many other changes that should be addressed. When are these promised changes coming? I just keep pausing promote on and off. The only way to manage my dollars. And when asking for a refund - it’s black and white. Never taken into consideration of the thousands of dollars I’ve spent with Thumbtack and can’t even get $7.14 refund on a bogus lead. So ..... when are these changes coming? I just hope it’s not another costly experience for us like “instant Match” was. ... View more

@videoman - Yes! Customer contacted 28 pros And 23 responded. So the question is not “is managing my services working for ME”. My question is to Thumbtack - “how is Allowing 28+ pros to be contacted a fair way for Thumbtack to manage my services?” This is the part that I can not manage that effects my business. 23 responded to that person. I’ve also had 12 and 16 contacted! It’s part of Thumbtack’s management of our services that I see so much concern for in the community. We were told months ago about some major changes due to pros concerns and still have not seen any announcement or newsletter to us all yet. Also - I find that “pausing”my services multiple times throughout the week has saved me money and a good way to manage my charges on promote. ... View more

Here is another thing I can’t manage under video production services - I just saw today when I search as a “customer” it shows a list of video producers - you scroll down and Thumbtack has a message that says “why hire professionals on Thumbtack?” And the second reason says “compare prices side by side”. Because we can not put our price ranges in this category - how is it possible for customers to see our prices or price range if we don’t even have a choice to “manage” that in this service category? And therefore customers can not do a side by side price comparison. That’s not fair. And so when we ask for a refund because the customer has a budget that’s way below market rate and something we would never, ever quote to begin with - there has to be some compromise here. It’s simply wrong for Thumbtack to refuse a refund when clearly we don’t have the ability to manage our rates. Besides - my hourly rate varies on the project as well. A corporate promo video rate is different than a individual who wants a :30 second Instagram video. We have no way of “managing”’this and therefore pay for leads that are not suited for us or the customer. ... View more

@silverlinevideo Thank you for your post ! As a fellow pro in Video Production services - I too am spending way too much on production leads where people’s budgets are below professional rates. Or they don’t respond - or they reached out to 10 of us. I had one lead contact 28 pros! There are NO options to manage this service on our end to make it fair to us. Thumbtack doesn’t even allow for us to post our rate in this category. How is that even fair? How can Thumbtack allow for me to put in my rate to manage my service in one category - but not another? How is that right? Thumbtack not allowing me to manage my services by allowing me to but in my price range let alone provide a way to filter these customers that can not afford my range but I am forced to pay because I’m on promote? Also, promote fee in video production is sometimes three times more than a similar job if the customer had clicked “event videographer”. I just PAUSE promote a lot in this category. The question “is managing your services working for you?” Oh my - read the community comments. No notable significant changes have been made to the platform that is helping us manage our services. It’s May. How is it that five months have gone by and still, video production category can not manage our service by having a “price range”. At least be more empathetic when we ask for a refund on a request where that simply can not afford us. Otherwise .... why even give us Pros the ability to even manage our services at all. Same here my friend - getting charged video production job leads that I would never have bid on in the past. Never! Good luck! ... View more

@NickPollyLvIHR - Nick - And fellow pros - I also have several services. Let me give you some advice which works for me. What I learned is that you can change your budget anytime HOWEVER, it won’t go into effect until the upcoming Sunday (or Monday). Thumbtack only resets your budget preference once a week. It does not go into effect immediately. Another “preference” that needs adjusting. I actually set my budget in each category to about $100 a week (FYI it never reaches that) - and as the week progresses, if one of my service categories budget spending gets too high for my liking - I “pause” that service for the remaining week. Sometime throughout the week I pause all my services. All depends. I want the immediate option for my budget to be controlled, as we owners should be able to do. So “pause” promote is the best option for me to control the spending but also have to option to immediately be able to be put back in promote when I want. I also turn promote “on” and “off” quite often throughout the week. Because I have found that responding quickly is the best odds for booking. If I can’t respond quickly because I am at an event or sleeping , I pause promote. Too much money being spent when I am not able to respond quickly. This is the only way I found that allows me to keep control of my weekly budget and reduce the amount of erroneous charges. When I reach about $40 a week in a particular service and I didn’t book any - or all the leads were awful ..... I immediately pause promote for the remainder of the week in that category. I won’t spend more than that a week. Or maybe the week is going great and I don’t mind spending more in that category- keeping promote on. Control of my budget immediately. So if my budget is “set” for $40 a week and I want to increase it midweek - it won’t take immediate effect. That’s why I just keep my weekly budget high. Pause when I need to. Another example - My “video production” services doesn’t even allow me to show my prices at all - how that is even acceptable when selling a service I don’t know - another “ preference” that needs adjustments. Therefore, I get many paid promote leads a week in this category from customers who’s budgets are well below professional rates and I am forced to pay. That can’t keep happening because it’s costing me a lot! So my only option for immediate control is by pausing promote at my discretion. I highly recommend this - even to those who have only one service. ... View more

It's been great reading other pros responses to your question to the community.  Reminds me again - - Why is it that Pros can not post a "starting price" or "budget range" or any hourly rate at all in video production services?   I still can not believe that TT thinks that it is appropriate that we are forced to pay for leads in a catagory that we can not even post our price.  Twice in the last week I was charge $20+  for customers whos budgets were well below professional videography services - my services.  I tried for a refund with no luck.  Because TT doesn't allow for filtering customers with our set prices or range.  It's simply wrong.  With all the emails and notices and postings about how much TT wants to help us get the right customers . . .   then why can TT simply not provide US with efficient tools.  We are selling a service.  How is it that TT simply cant allow for us to post prices? And filter appropriate customers to us that, on promote, we are forced to pay for.  How can TT think that is right?  The whole platform changed to "get the right customers"  . . .  put in your preferences and "promote" your serices.   And as another said on this feed .. . . .   before - I would see a persons budget and I could make the choice if I wanted to respond to a lead that was below my rate.  Sometimes I would.  But now I have no choice.  There is nothing your customer service department, or your moderators, can say here that will convince me - 20 years in business - that by NOT allowing us to have our rates posted AND TT not having a filter that controls promote leads to our specific rate/budget ranges - is flat out unfair and not showing support to our success.  I have 4 services I provide - and to see the descrepancies accross the board in these services  is eye opening.  So - its simple . . . .     VIDEO PRODUCTION should have a price range that our customers can see so then know before contacting us.  Every service on this site should.  It's the basic need a customer needs to know about your services . . .   your price.  And TT should be filtering these leads to us since we are paying for it.   Twenty years.  Experience, success . . .   why am I as many others here, have to keep expressing concerns over simple, common business practices.  Why is it a conversation that allowing for our pricing to shown and filter in Photography be allowed . . .   but not Video Production?  Beyond comprehension why that was taken away. ... View more

Good question! I’ve managed my services from my end - done my part. However, my concern is “is Thumbtack managing its services to help us?”. Today I got a promoted lead that the customer contact 28 pros. Twenty Eight Pros. This is not managing the amount of pros a customer can contact that is fair and balanced for success. That’s Thumbtack’s “manage” choice - not mine. Being charged for promoted leads that are below my price range is not something I can control or “manage” - only Thumbtack can control that - which would help me manage my services better if I am not promoted to a person who can’t afford my range. I do all I can to be successful under the options that TT provides. I feel that Thumbtack should do more in their end to “manage” their services towards us pros. Allowing a customer to contact 28 promoted pros does not show a unified union between pros and TT. Each pro a customer reaches out to decreases the odds for the other pros. It’s a mathematical certainty. And to charge $18-$22-$30 for a promoted lead along with 5 - 14 - or 28 other pros is something Thumbtack needs to manage better so us Pros can be more successful. So - is Thumbtack managing THEIR services so that it’s working for us? I look forward to changes coming soon. Again - 28 pros were contacted on a Promote lead???? Look at my account from last night - E. Ming. Can anyone explain that? ... View more

Thank you. I did get a response from your team saying that when we promote - our prices don’t matter - only our availability and travel. So I see it from both sides. However, it should be taken into consideration because I don’t feel pros should have to pay for a promote lead when their specific budget and hours needed don’t fit our price. A price we list. Having a paid conversation with someone who is no near our professional rate is not fair. Strict rules on this should be lifted when requesting a refund. It’s the right thing to do in a partnership relationship. ... View more

I’ll respond here - so my fellow pros can learn from these situations. customer is Pete H. I do appreciate your response however what is really unsettling when TT is continuing to make a profit off these mismatches and then don’t refund us. Sure we can do the sales pitch on how great we are - the bottom line is - we are encouraged constantly to keep our preferences up to date so we “get the right leads” and UNDER $500 is not a lead based on all my preferences. Period. Then when the customer has even less to spend, I shouldn’t be wasting my time on a sales pitch. Period. I should never, ever have been promoted to this person. And TT to decline my request for a refund when clearly this customer is outside my preferences shows the true disconnect of TT, does not show support to us pros - who have been through a costly process as TT tries to figure out this system to make it fair and balanced. It would be nice to have TT be a little more forgiving in these cases. Big picture - TT promote us been bringing new clients and bookings for me. But as a self employed pro - every penny counts and when the cost to for me to continue doing business with TT has almost tripped - it all matters. I oversee ever single lead I get. ... View more

Karmeron ~ What I would like to add is that this week I had a customer reach out to me for still photography for a wedding - on Promote so it cost me $18.98 automatically.  Customer request was listed as 4 hours with a budget UNDER $500. Because we put in our price, keep our calendar up to date, have our preferences clearly listed AND include our "starting" rate . . . .   how is it that this customer is seeing my profile on Promote when my "starting rate" is clearly marked as $125 an hour.  For one, the customer should be able to put in their specific budget.  "Under $500" could mean $300.  If not specific - The customer is able to contact me - me get charged the fee - only to find out that his budget is actually $400 and wants a photographer for 4 hours.  That doesn't include the pros time to travel or to edit or prepare photos for delivery.  Also, the customer initial contact statement to me is a generic "when are you available" - - -   I am available that day otherwise they wouldnt have seen my profile.  These are things that are happening where us Pros are getting charged these erroneous charges and we are not getting "refunded" for.   Anyway,  this is NOT my customer - and my profile should have never beenn presented to this customer.  This is exactly why I fill out all the preferences and pay for promote so I do not get custmers like this.  Sure it would be exactly $500 with my rate and the hours the customer is requesting, but the customer request is UNDER $500.  Only to learn they don't even have $500.  When I requested a refund - because this customer is outside of my preferences listed - therfore I should never have been promoted to this person.  And like the quote from @MarcoZ - restated in this feed by @Lar -  this lead is not worth my time, not worth my money,  but I was sent a response to my request for a refund that said NOT ELIGIBLE because it matches my travel, job and availability preferences.   What about my starting price?  That is just as important!  That is why UNDER $500 is not specific either.  If a customer puts in specifics like $200 budget for 8 hours for a wedding photographer - you going to send this lead out to everyone?  No.  This is wrong - and that I did not get a refund on this is one of many, many things that is not showing complete partnership and understanding with the TT team and the TT pros that are paying for this service.  Cut and dry . . .   NOT ELIGIBLE for refund.   Can you answer that for me?  Why I got this lead, why this person was able to contact me and why I can not get a refund on a lead that is outside of the scope of my preferences . . .      ... View more