While there may be some obvious benefits that lures several professionals to join the platform, there are some disadvantages as well that might be important to consider if you are still deciding about joining Thumbtack. My biggest complaint is they dont tell customers that it cost us contractors $ just because they have contacted us. Thumb tack raised the price per lead to $80.00 for most skilled home improvements ". If you are an eligible W-2 employee, you can only deduct work expenses on your taxes if you decide to itemize your deductions. Be courteous when you communicate with a customer and get all the details that you need to know before you can get started. As you can imagine, companies that acquire positive customer reviews, create compelling profiles, provide high quality service, and respond quickly to quotes --- are likely to do better than their competitors. As a pro, you get listed on the search engine for free. You answer a few questions, and a pro will get back to you with a quote. Hello Dan- Great info. Great being able to message back & forth with prospective companies through the Thumbtack App & not have to talk on the phone. Verified reviews are from customers who hired a pro on Thumbtack, while unverified reviews are from customers who found the pro somewhere else. Fortunately my business is doing really well and my schedule is pretty full at the moment. . For example, a painting gig might cost $8 per lead and . Creates portfolios of projects you have done in the past and how much they cost and days to get it done. The investment catapults the six-year-old start-up into the ranks of the unicorns, a popular term for privately held companies that are valued at more than $1 billion. Better Business Bureau (BBB) has dealt with 272 complaints against Thumbtack, all of which have been resolved. Just a heads-up that some of the services were reviewing here have affiliate partnerships with us, so we may earn a commission if you visit one of them and buy something. My closing rate with telephone numbers would easily be 75%, with no personal contact to low to mention. Thumbtack has gotten to be just like home advisor. Let us look at what it takes for a customer to find a service professional on Thumbtack and a service professional to be discovered by potential client(s). Thumbtack is TERRIBLE. Handyman Insurance Everything You Need to Know, The First 5 Steps to Starting a Home Based Handyman Business, Handyman Pricing How to Figure Out Your Hourly Rate, Handyman Business Names: The Ultimate Guide, Handyman Licenses and Laws How To Avoid Getting Stung, Home Advisor Pro Review: What You NEED to Know, Quit Your Job In 6 Months Or Less The Ultimate 9-5 Escape Plan, Learn how to start or grow a handyman business, The 3 Most Common Handyman Business Mistakes, Copyright 2012-2021 Handyman Startup LLC |, they will have more control over the industry. Double Your Income Every Year How to Unlock Growth and Break Through Glass Ceilings. Ill talk about the controversial issues around Thumbtack, the pros and cons of using it, how much you can expect to pay for a lead, and tips for maximizing your results if you decide to sign up and test it for yourself. Tap Cancel project. To start, you type in what service you're looking for and your area code. This is going to probably be a $500 or $1000 hurdle. Thumbtack is a platform where individuals can connect local professionals for a project they need done, almost as an intermediary between customers and local businesses. Here are the main methods you can use: https://help.thumbtack.com/contact-thumbtack/chat, https://www.messenger.com/t/user:159298128452/. To your point, dont rely upon it solely for leads. The customer also made a mistake in responding is embarrassed because of the whole ordeal and wont talk to me. I have seen many house defects over the years and saved my clients tens of thousands of dollars. The cool thing about Thumbtack is that they will discount the lead the more contractors they give the lead to. Thumbtack does not generate fake requests. What a dishonest business. Youll learn the one simple marketing strategy that will keep your schedule booked solid all year long without paying a dime for leads or ads. Thumbtack is one of the leading mobile applications that makes money from every successful job completed on the app. What each of these services has in common is that they are built to serve the consumer, not the contractor. Enter the type of service you provide and your location. We have used thumbtack for a couple of years for landscaping. However, enrolling in the background check is recommended because you get a special profile badge telling customers that you have been vetted. Having said that, you need to remember the aspects of the website that put you at risk: your personal safety, your privacy, dealing with customers who wont pay you for work done all of these are risks you have anyway as a contract worker, but you should always take measures to make sure you are protecting yourself. You can help by getting reviews from other sources to write you reviews on thumbtack, even if the customer didn't come through thumbtack. 2023 FangWallet, LLC. Has anybody experienced being hired and then the client not showing up or canceling? You can make a booking immediately with the company. Thumbtack is a platform that matches customers with service professionals from over 1,000 categories like plumbing or renovation. . Hi Dan. In fact, there are a number of top home service apps such as Thumbtack that help to facilitate your household tasks. When I explained that some of us dont want to give our services away at ridiculously low prices and I wanted them to ask potential clients if price, reputation, length of time in business, or something else was most important to them. He left a 1-star review after he lied about hiring me, He said he hired me, and he never did, I never got paid I never even knew his name I just told him I wasnt doing the type of work he required. Credits cost $1.50 each, or less if you buy in bulk. At this time, there's no way to send payments through Thumbtack. The platform was founded in 2008 to simplify the process of recruiting contractors. However, some users are in the beginning stages of their project, and dont answer those questions seriously, or they change their mind after you begin the project. I believe that if you pay for a lead you should get a telephone number which used to happen about 25% of the time but 0% now. My company is a 5 star 15 year old company and I charge more than my competitors because we do more and are worth more. Eligible W-2 employees need to itemize to deduct work expenses. Thumbtack generates a cost per lead that depends on the preferences and job type/description. Thank you for the review. To get Thumbtack jobs, you must sign up as a Pro. The benefit of opportunities is that you can see the cost of the lead before reaching out, and you only pay if the customer responds to you. My mistake I paid out more than I made being with thumbtack!!! By the way, I am enjoying the pricing course so far. What you pay for are credits that you spend to obtain new leads through the website. Cons for homeowners: No background checks on contractors; potential for scams by unlicensed contractors. Mark, There are a number of specific scams that contractors have noted about Thumbtack. The users however have more incentive to misrepresent themselves in an attempt to maliciously trick contractors and try to gain their personal information, or put them into a situation where they can do something like rob them. Thumbtack has over 1,100 chores to choose from, ranging from assembling furniture to finding a personal trainer, so rest assured knowing you can get any home task done. Thumbtack requires that "pros" using its site to find work must agree to and pass a background check conducted by Checkr, Inc., in order to have a background check badge displayed on their profile page. Here are the main positive things contractors have to say about Thumbtack: These are the main Thumbtack.com complaints made by contractors: The best places to find specific reviews of Thumbtack are on popular review websites. Thumbtack has been raising huge amounts of capital over the years, and is currently valued at a over a billion dollars. YieldStreet Review 2023: What is YieldStreet and How Does It Work? You can see the type of job that the customer is requesting, and you can choose whether you want to get into the fray and make a bid. You must formally resolve the dispute with your bank. Ive been a Top Pro for almost three years and the price of leads continues to go up. There are two ways you can land new clients on Thumbtack. Image Source: Thumbtack To answer the question, "What is the Thumbtack website about?" we only have to take a look at the home page to see the 4 main categories of professional services.. Events: DJs, wedding services, catering, event planning and photography, bartending, face painting and makeup, magicians, and photo booth rentals; Home: Cleaning, yard work and landscaping, interior . So you can be charged for a lead, just from that contact. The search box will auto-fill a list of services offered in Thumbtack. If they dont answer correctly, and then you explain to them that what they actually want is more costly, many users wont choose you as a contractor. I am a massage therapist. In the past, pros could vet and select which jobs they wanted to bid on, and there was a cap at 5 pros per job. Be sure to notify us within 45 days. How It Works Book projects, fast and easy. Youll want to do things like building a website, soliciting reviews on websites like Yelp, and doing SEO to get your website to show up on Google so you can generate free leads. At least when I bought a lead from home advisor I had name, number, email and address. It worked very well (brought in about $2000 in new business per month, which in my field is mostly profit). Service 185 Value 177 Shipping 54 As a customer, you will have access to connect with service professionals for your home or business needs in your town or city. Serves Houston, TX. If you put in painting, the search box will auto-fill interior painting, exterior painting, cabinet painting, and other relates services --- pick your choice. Customers are using Thumbtack to save time searching for a pro. There are a million little things that, cumulatively, determine any business success, but the two most important things Dan got me to do: specialize in one high-paying trade, and build a good website.]. It operates under a marketplace business model. Select the service from the suggested keywords that best describe your job request to proceed. Pay a pro Thumbtack Help. I stopped using them, as their formula just led to low bidders, not good work. FangWallet was created to make financial knowledge easy-to-read and accessible to the masses. All have poor reviews online, and almost all of the positive reviews are written by happy homeowners. Where does Thumbtack get their leads? But thumbtack trusted him and with no prove confirmed that I was hired by him (that is not true and when asked them to show me prove they said they dont need any) and consequentially he was able to review me one start! Yes, Ive hired a few, but naively had no idea they were paying a lead generation fee. Then, based on some filters, Thumbtack displays a list of pros to choose from. Select the services you need (or chores you want done). Uber Boost vs Surge vs Uber Eats Boost: Which Driver Bonus Promotion Pays More? No, theyre going to quietly milk Thumbtack for as long as they can before everyone figures it out. According to Thumbtack CEO Marco Zappacosta, he stated in 2017 that "On average, the pros on Thumbtack earn about $70/hour and earn a yearly mean income of almost $75,000/year (and this sample is inclusive of workers in every county in the US, not just the coasts and major metros)". Thumbtack works by connecting customers in need of a service to local professionals who can provide that service. How Much Should You Pay to Thumbtack? Also, if the customer doesn't view your response within 48-hours, then you will be refunded the lead. Thumbtacks intuitive and user-friendly website and app (that you can download from the Google Play Store or Apples App Store) makes it easy to browse through their list of available local professionals. Remember that it takes some contractors a decent amount of money to find a job from their leads, and that you are 4x more likely to get profile viewsby spending some money on Thumbtack credits. Just dont rely on it as your sole source of leads because you dont control it. Apparently Thumbtack isnt bad as people thought! The customer luckily messaged me saying I think your loosing business through thumbtack! Unfortunately, once your account is deactivated, it can be difficult to get it back up and running, which could cause problems if you rely on them for business. (Download the app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store). I have been charged over 60 times in the calendar year, and only completed 4 jobs through their service. The bottom line: is Thumbtack worth it for contractors? Proudly powered by WordPress. I was never given the lead I paid for the lead as well as three other pros were also charged for that lead. Sometimes a contractor will not do what you want, will not do it right, or will not do it by the deadline. Thumbtacks goal is to make hiring a plumber, handyman, gardener, dog groomer, or any local service business as easy as ordering products from Amazon. Thats nice, but the cost of that convenience is that they will have more control over the industry. I havent found it so since June, when the system switched to charging for leads. Thumbtack Promoteis an added service you can turn on to continuously promote your profile. Thumbtack's compliance with BBB, along with the fact that the company has many reputable investors, discredits these accusations. Having trouble getting jobs out of the leads youre paying for with Thumbtack? And explained what happened this was during the pandemic I lost 2 jobs got on there thinking I could start my own business. The customer can then narrow down their search by using the filters tab. Ex. A review of complaints was completed in November 2022. I come at it from the professional service provider side. Pro Tip #3 create a website and spend a fraction on Google ads and generate traffic to your website and f*ck the scammers at Thumbtack. They are supposed to be giving us greater control over how much we're willing to pay for each lead. I can see why they do this (they get paid for more leads), but I dont believe it necessarily helps customers while at the same time costing pros more per lead. While you cant edit or delete it, you can update a review to add new details or clarify your experience. Acorns Review 2023: Is The Acorns App Good For Investing Online, Simple, Effective Solutions for Traders to Automate Their Backtesting, How BTC Casinos are Taking Over the iGaming Industry, 3 Ways That People are Making Money with Crypto, 3 Crypto Casino Apps You Wont Regret Downloading, Prefer Using Bitcoin for Payments. some customers call everyone and then never hire. I cant seem to filter them out, so I just delete them. Whoever wrote this has obviously never worked for thumbtack! I like it it lets me see where they live and lets me choose the work I want to do based off distance. It is an online directory that allows users to search for, rate, and hire local service providers to work on a variety of personal projects, including home improvement, financial and legal services, and event planning. Dont do that. I have also experienced FAKE leads. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. But leads are still a bargain, especially when compared to Home Advisor. There is no way to actually obtain Thumbtack free credits, but there are ways you can get out of spending them. Good call Allan. Answer (1 of 2): When I used it, they charged $15-28 per lead. And that's why I am your guide on the intricacies of home maintenance, saving money, and avoiding costly mistakes. We got your credit card aspirations covered. Customers want to see who they are hiring. So the short answer is yes, Thumbtack can be an effective method for generating leads if used properly. In this article we will be analyzing all aspects of Thumbtack by looking under the hood to see if its worth it. You guys ever thought that the fake clients are actually thumbtack associates with one job and that job is to create these fake leads and respond to bids to rip us off? Also, customers request quotes from multiple pros, Thumbtack charges each and every one of those pros for the lead, the customer decides to either not do the job, hire from another agency, or simply ghosts on all communication. Low, low, deep down low, quality leads. Relying on services like this leaves your business exposed in a way that can crush profits if anything changes. I use thumbtack to keep busy while doing higher valued commercial work. You can see the price of leads before you decide to receive them and fine-tune which leads you receive. for leads, and dont get any work out of it. Total waste of money unless youre the lowest priced quote. Overall, you need to be smart about any lead generating service. Desired outcome: I would appreciate a response. Copyright Home Inspector Secrets 2023 This is the kind of upselling Thumbtack expects to achieve from creating such a platform. According to some reviews online, there used to be a maximum of three to five pros submitting bids on a job, and now there could be as many as fifteen bidders for a single job. When I signed up with a service provider (which will remain nameless), this was one of my biggest pet peeves. So if you hire a tile installer who doesn't finish your backsplash, or the tiles fall off the next day, we can pay you back up to $1000. In general, reviews from Thumbtack customers are very positive. Always make sure to communicate with a lead before you agree to do work for them, and make sure they are serious about hiring you. Its by far a better strategy. Read Also:Thumbtack Vs. Yelp (Which Is Better?). It may be because it is outside of your service area, or some other factor. Read Also: My Thumbtack Review (Ultimate Guide). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Helpful Resources to get you started: Understanding your tax bracket IRS provides tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2021, IRS Website 2021 Tax Brackets Breakdown, The Tax Foundation 2021 Federal Tax Bracket Explained, NerdWallet Contribution Limits (the max amount you can contribute to each account) IRA Contribution Limits, IRS Website 401k Contribution Limits, IRS Website Continue reading Episode 2: 401k and Roth IRA Continued. One good thing about Thumbtack is that you can see the prices of leads before you ever pay for a single one. they refuse to require customers to leave phone numbers they now auto bill for some leads they may be charging 5 pros for the same lead and the information they give you is vauge example i am a locksmith. 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Yelp ( which is better? ) everyone it... To send payments through Thumbtack response within 48-hours, then you will be analyzing all of... To see if its worth it for contractors provider side expects to achieve from creating such platform! There thinking I could start my own business can only deduct work expenses gotten to be just like home.!