@DJSteve All good points that should be thought out before these new and drastic changes happen. I’m with another platform that works the same as Thumbtack did when we were all successful. We see the leads come in and only pay when we respond to that lead. It works great. We get their contact information just like we would if we were paying for marketing lead. As it should be. Paying $37 for a promoted lead time and time again here on Thumbtack and getting No Response and No Contact information is not right and has seen my ROI drop dramatically since promote. A lot of my comments on the community board keep getting deleted which is not right either. We need to share thoughts and have the team know what works and what is not and be a community that shares. ... View more

What?! Well I’d like to know if this is happening in Los Angeles. Might explain why leads dropped off. But I don’t feel this is something that would be helping pros secure business and stop the triple cost to be on this site. These types off “test” are not helping us pros. Here’s what worked .... when we responded only to leads we felt were the right fit. We paid a reasonable fee to respond only to leads we want. What worked was what this platform did before instant match and before promote and when you ran commercials on tv (that didn’t focus on home improvement only). My stats over the last five years prove what worked and what is now not working now. Having 42 leads in a row and only booking 2 compared to the great success I had in 2016-2018 is astonishing. Disappointing to hear this when the suggestions on this site, over and over, still have not been addressed. ... View more

your words are eloquently written. I feel the same. I have found that since the dramatic change over a year ago - I can not be successful on this site as I once was. I would love to maintain my services on Thumbtack but have found that a I have to constantly put myself on pause due to the financial loss monthly. Other service provided websites allow pros to pay and respond to those jobs that they are a fit for - rather than Thumbtacks method now by allowing customers to click on as many pros as they want - and they encourage the customers to contact as many as they want - because every click is a profit for Thumbtack. I’ve made many suggestions how to maintain Pros on this site - but no changes that effect our cost has happened. When you get 40 paid leads in a row and 2 bookings it’s hard to stay hopeful. As Thumbtack struggles to make adjustments at the cost of its pros - stepping back is the only choice for many of us. We do want to come back. Many have built up their profile page with reviews and samples and five star ratings. The facts of the statistics are there now that we Pros can look at from 2015 to 2019. It’s staggering. We all hope that Thumbtack makes these major changes soon. Encourage customers to only reach out after they review our page, price and samples. Stop offering up more pros once they select a pro or two. Reduce cost. Find ways to address the many, many customers that don’t respond back to us when we are forced to pay on promote. Over $20 and no response four leads in a row can kill us small businesses in a week. That discourages us Pros to stay with this platform. Especially when the same lead would be $8-$11 back in 2107 and before. I appreciate your response here because it’s nice to learn there are other businesses owners who experience the same. It helps the entire community when we voice our experience. ... View more

I already went and looked at how best I can target. Thank you for the tip! You know this area! :)))). The other issue is the leads dropped off 90% from the last four years where all I ever used was Thumbtack. Never needed anything else. Google better now! ... View more

I’m I LA - it’s crowded and competitive and I will revisit then areas again now that you mention it. :) ... View more

@ChefOfAllSeason ohhh all the way east! :). Well thanks for sharing! Off site chat group eh? Yes - this would restore a lot of faith in many! I don’t mind keeping my money in their system and getting credit back - refund back not necessary. But again today - a guy reached out to 9 of us and no response back. Good luck to you and all my best for a great holiday season! ... View more

Just asking again - how long has this been implemented in your area? ... View more