Leaving Thumbtack: a 6 year review

I know, I know, I hate announcing departures too. But after spending thousands of dollars from Thumbtack, I think I'm more than qualified to talk about this service.

TL;DR

I've lost as much money as I've made. Cost per lead ranges from $8-$199 without booking the client. Great for low priced photographers/professionals who are starting out but can easily put a hole in your wallet.

WHAT IS THUMBTACK?

Thumbtack, like Angie's list is where you hire contractors to do a specialized job. You can hire a maid, design your website, hire make up artists, and wedding photographers.

It's a great platform for people who are looking for services.

HOW DOES THUMBTACK WORK?

A potential client sees a friendly message, "Hire pros in your area" fills out the search box asking for their zip code.

Questionnaire:

After entering the zip code, the site asks a few questions:

"When is your preferred date(s)?"

"What kind of service(s) do you need?"

Finding Pros:

Thumbtack shows a list of professionals (pros) in the area based on the provided information.

Choosing Services:

The client selects the services they need, such as photographers, with limited details about the pros.

Vendor Notification:

The chosen vendor receives a message asking for their availability, including the client's name, phone number, zip code, and service requested.

Hiring Process:

If the lead is genuine, the client hires the pro.

The pro then does the job, gets paid, and completes it.

No harm done, right?

THE GREAT THING ABOUT THUMBTACK

When a vendor advertises on Thumbtack, they'll get a profile with a photo, description, frequently asked questions, what their services are, and they can set their own prices. Great.

Until a lead reaches out to the vendor.

THE PROBLEM(s) WITH THUMBTACK

When a client reaches out to a vendor, even before they contact them, Thumbtack IMMEDIATELY takes a cut. It does not matter if they are real or not.

(Yes, Thumbtack, this seemingly unintimidating "helpful" app charges the vendor's wallet BEFORE the client hires.)

MORE Problems with Thumbtack:

• Cost per Lead is astronomical. $21-$199 per photographer job.
• Lowest Price Wins. You're competing, not from the portfolio standpoint, but by price. I know this because I call my clients asking them if they've seen my work. Surprise. They look at my site.
• Get Ghosted. Those PAID LEADS? about 7/10 will ghost you. You're completely in the negative, depending per job, I've experienced $50-$400 in the hole.
• Lack of Customer service.Thumbtack doesn't believe in that. There's no number to call, no email to send, just an FAQ and a bot that disputes your leads if it deems fake or not.
• Early bird gets the worm. Did you get a lead in the middle of the night? take it. When you're driving? take it. Because when you see "4 of 5 pro" responded, you're already too late.
• Unfair ranking. The number of reviews, how quickly you respond, if you're online , or how much you are willing to spend to be competitive will determine if you're seen first.
• LOW QUALITY LEADS and CLIENTS. If someone hasn't seen their portfolio/website, how can they be sure that they're getting beautiful photos? why should they even pay their hard earned money?

Here's what I mean.

WHEN I STARTED OUT

I actually fell into a hole when I started out with Thumbtack.

I booked about 3 of 10 of those leads costing me between $350-$500. I made about $900 from those 3. I've made no money at all.

I begged customer service, who at the time was able to call someone in the Philippines, to resolve leads who never intended to book me. They'll refund you once in a while.

Who is this for?

I WOULD NOT recommend this app to anyone.

However, I was able to build my portfolio, get great reviews, and starve and skip meals.

Beware, there are sharks who will lower their price in order to keep out new photographers out.