Thumbtack is a total rip off.
Avoid this corrupt and deceptive company at all costs. Here are the reasons why. #1 The "leads" they send out are mostly people price shopping. Many of which are not serious at all.
#2 Thumbtack has no way of "age checking" people (especially kids) who send out particular requests.
#3 Many people (and you can find these all over the internet) accuse them of sending out fake/padded leads. Bottom line here is the trust issue is worsened.
#4 The customer service dept is a total joke. They respond with only copy and paste answers and cant fix zilch.
#5 In my two years with them I have never once EVER inked a client. in fact 98 % of the quotes I send out either never get opened or I hear no response.
#6 Endless complaints all over the internet. Don't believe me? Do a Google search and read the horror stories.
Monetary Loss: $75.
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They are a rip off I kind of figured when my inbox started filling up with inquiries and my reasonable quoted were declined. Luckily I only spent $17 when a light bulb went on that this is BS!!
To be fair...I did some research before joining my business with this lead service. It seems the vast majority of complaints are from people in the photography business. As you are aware, that is a VERY cut-throat field right now. Any kid with a digital camera and a laptop thinks they are a photographer. I have vast experience with lead services of all types with my business. Fake leads are more likely coming from competition, or just price shoppers. The only thing thumbtack does not do is inform the clients that we pay to quote. Would that stop looky-loos? MAybe maybe not.
The truth is that advertising is a *** right now. The phone books just died, google has a virtual monopoly, and getting found is VERY hard. Accusing a Business of cheating and stealing just because you didn't close a lead isn't fair. I spent $4,000 in 2 years on very good 1/2 page color phone book ads with tracking. I didn't get 1 call in those 2 years. Not 1. Are the yellow pages a "scam"?
As far as thumbtack, it works for some businesses better than others. In my field (pest control), I have spent $34 (7 of that on the background check), and sold 3 jobs for a total of $950. Booked, done, and paid for. Another lead chose a competitor and he can attest to them being real. Another just thought pricing would be way lower and decided not to do anything. It happens. BTW, I have paid $50 a lead with other services (on $300 jobs).
I just wanted people to look past the whole "I didn't get a job, ergo, must be a scam" That attitude is dangerous to your own business. Blaming the wrong thing means you can't fix what is wrong. Maybe you need to study your competition or find a niche.
Anyone who spent money on a yellow pages/phone book ad is not someone I am going to pay attention to. Thats hilarious.
5 years ago it still worked in my industry. 3 years ago it fell apart.
My industry is tailored to middle aged homeowners.
Not exactly the "web-saavy" sect.
What's "hilarious" is that someone can find 100 or so "scam" complaints, mostly by photographers, and extrapolate that a multi-million dollar lead service is a "complete scam" because they didn't get a sale. In a luxury industry (lets face it...feed the kids or have "pro photography" done.....), in a bad economy, with no real education or license needed.
Scaring customers away from a service, that in truth, is fully "Y.M.M.V." Just because photographers in certain areas don't get jobs, does not make thumbtack a scam.
That is just wishful thinking on the part of the scorned pro. Also, if $75 is a huge loss worth calling shenanigans, obviously your business is more of a hobby at this point...
Also, the statement "the leads they send out" is inherently false. They don't send the leads, the clients do.
15 years in business you get looky loos and price shopping. I get calls all the time where they get a quote and laugh and hang up.
a day later they call back, claiming they had no idea of the prices and go with us anyway. Photography isn't something people use all the time, so very likely they have no idea what it costs.