Thumbtack.com


Country United States
State Aruba
City San Francisco
Address 454 Natoma Street
Website www.thumbtack.com

Thumbtack.com Reviews

Most Useful Comment
  • Apr 23, 2014

If this were a normal ""rip-off"" report, I would be lividly angry at the company. I should say right at the outset that I am not. I am more puzzled than anything.

However, after having responded to several of thumbtack's ""sales leads,"" I decided to look them up on Google, and sure enough, there were a number of other people who felt about this company as do I.

My complaint is that thumbtack's business model, as it were, really does NOT work. They CHARGE you for submitting a ""bid"" on a sales lead, but there is never enough information upon which to submit a bid. So, each time I have replied to a lead, I have been forced to say something like: ""Please give me a call so that we may discuss your project in more detail. I do not have enough information upon which to give you a quote. Here is my telephone number and email address... Let me tell you a little bit about me and my company. ... I should also mention that we enjoy working with small businesses like yours (I have yet to see a lead that was not from a very small company or individual), and our prices are affordable. I look forward to hearing from you.""

That is all that I can say, as the prototypical ""project description"" is something like: ""Katie D. Marketing strategy. 10 employees. Will drive to consultant, or can meet at our office."" FULL STOP. That is all the detail that I have ever received on a thumbtack lead.

Clearly, the problem is with thumbtack's procedures. They don't mandate that the prospective client describe their project in sufficient detail so that a service provider can make an intelligible bid. I don't know how ANYBODY does it!

So, thus far I have wasted some pf my time and some of my money responding to a few of these so-called sales leads. I have never received even a call back from a prospective client interested in discussing their project.

HOW THE HELL CAN ANYBODAY SUBMIT A BID ON A PROJECT WHICH HAS NO DESCRIPTION??

The whole thing is ludicrous. You can say that what thumbtack does is a ""scam,"" but it can better be described as JUST PLAIN DUMB. They should probably call themselves

""dumbtack."" I don't see how they can keep any consultants continuing to submit unintelligible bids on undescribed projects.

My simple advice is: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY WITH thumbtack! They are just plain DUMB as a company. It is really too bad, as the small business market for advisory services is one which is greatly under-served. But thumstack's procedures just don't work.

Oh well. thumbtack IS a scam, but a really DUMB one. I would AVOID THEM.

Mark as Useful [1 vote]
  • Apr 27, 2015

Convinced it's a Scam

I'm convinced Thumbtack is somehow hiring people to create fake leads and when the vendor sends back a reply (for which said vendor pays at least $9.99), the fake person gets a cut. It must be one of those "work at home" things I see advertised. But I know for a FACT 75% of these "leads" are not legit. Wish Dateline would do an expose on them!

  • Mar 17, 2015

Thumbtack = casino

In many ways, it's hard to deny that Thumbtack is a scam. Thumbtack operates on the very same principle as Las Vegas - let someone win a couple of times, and you've got them hooked. From then on, feed them just enough of a glimmer of hope that they'll pull that lever again and again.

I've used Thumbtack for my web design business. Out of over 40 "quotes" ("quotes" is in parenthesis for a reason), I've gotten only 2 jobs. Most of the others I've never heard from after I bid. Certainly the possibility exists that my "quotes" are either too low or too high, but I've done some experimentation in that aspect. I've bid stupidly low and stupidly high prices for basic website design, as well as more reasonable ones. If I bid $100 for a website, I would certainly expect to get a response from the requester asking if I was serious. Conversely, if I submit a "quote" of $10,000 for a personal site, I'd expect the same. But no, no one asks - because they more than likely don't even exist.

Why "quotes"? Because Thumbtack has an expanded definition of the word. If I get a request for a "quote" for web design, it generally is the equivalent of - "I need a website for my business - how much would you charge me for one?" This is the exact equivalent of taking your car to the mechanic saying, "My car is making a funny noise - how much would you charge to fix it"? The mechanic is going to need more information in order to give you a "quote". Do you think it would be right if the mechanic had to pay a fee to ask you for that info? Well, that's Thumbtack's model. If I ask a requester for more info on the website they need, I get charged as if I actually submitted a "quote". They consider asking for more information as if it's a "quote".

You are charged that money whether you ever hear from the requester again or not. All they have to do is view your "quote", and the money is gone. Actually, Thumbtack already has the money up front. You by 'credits' from them in packages.

But, the most incriminating piece of evidence as to Thumbtack being a scam - when they are accused of posting fake job requests, they are very quick to post a copy and paste response asking what they would have to gain from posting fake requests. Well, since every single "quote" submitted and "viewed" makes them money, it's fairly obvious what more leads can do - even fake ones.

Mind you, you have absolutely no way of knowing whether or not the lead is real or if your "quote" has actually been viewed by the supposed requester. All you are doing is pulling the handle on the slot machine and trusting that the casino has scruples and can be trusted. My trust just ran out.

  • Aug 10, 2014

Total Waste of Time and Money

I agree with the previous reviewer. Thumbtack should be called Dumbtack. I have seen many complaints about TT sending professionals fake leads. Although I can't prove it, my experience with them leads me to believe this accusation is true. There are probably a handful of real requests submitted by real people who are looking for a service. However, it is not worth spending your money to find a needle in a haystack. Even if it is not a scam (which I seriously doubt) they employ deceptive tactics and the business model sucks.

First, they advertise the site as a free service. It is free for consumers who wish to request a quote. It is free for professionals to post a profile and receive leads. When you choose to respond to a lead, it is not until after you compose an email and try to send it that you will get a pop-up telling you to buy credits to send your response to the prospective client. If a lead looks credible, of course you will respond. Especially after you took the time to set up a profile and whatever else. By the way, only a basic profile is free. Creating a website, having a license verified or agreeing to a background check costs extra. There is nothing in their ads or on the introductory page of the website to warn professionals or consumers about this fee structure. This practice is sneaky at best, fraudulent at worst, and obviously designed to suck people in.

Second, the leads they send are mostly useless. It's obvious they are not screened. I didn't respond to most of my leads because they were too far outside my area. Or they requested a male when I'm obviously female. Or they requested a service I don't even provide. You don't have to pay for leads you don't use, but it's still a waste of time, and yet another example of ineptitude. Also, the clients don't know someone is paying to respond to their requests, so even the requests that seem worth a reply could be window shoppers. TT does nothing to weed these people out. The only way to contact prospective clients is through TT' s website and questions such as, "Is this a real request or just an inquiry?" will be flagged. This hit or miss approach is highly suspect as well as being an exercise in futility.

Third, the request form is too vague. The only contact information included is the client's first name and last initial. Phone numbers are optional. Even if the client includes it, you have to pay TT before you can see it. This practice is unfair to both parties and makes it all too easy for TT to fabricate names and numbers. Additionally, there is not enough info about the type of service the client is seeking. For example, I advertised a massage practice. I could go to the clients or they could come to me. My fees were based on time and distance. The request form only had a drop down menu in increments of minutes, such as 0-15 (You gotta be kidding me) 30-60, 60-90 or 90-120. This was no help at all. There was a vast difference in rates between all these time slots and the quote section on the reply form only allowed me to quote ONE number. There was no option for the client to choose an in call rate or an out call rate. There were only boxes to check off to show whether the client wanted to travel to me or vice versa, within a certain number of miles. Some of the clients checked both. Again, there was a vast difference in rates. Without a specific location, I could not give an accurate quote. None of the clients included any specific information in the comment section of the request form. ( That should have been a red flag). Asking for specific details about a client's location or budget (anything that might help determine a realistic quote) was forbidden and the questions were deleted. Whenever I responded to a request, I had to include the whole range of fees in the comment section of my reply form, which differed from the original quote and probably caused sticker shock (that is, assuming the requests were even real).

Last but not least...The most telling thing that makes me think TT is fabricating leads is the obvious inconsistency in volume. When I originally posted my profile, I got one or two leads. After I bought a package of credits, the number of leads I received increased dramatically. When I used up my credits, I got a few refunded because they said the client never viewed my quote. After I used those and didn't purchase any more, the number decreased dramatically and stopped altogether after I did not log on to my account for about two weeks. I eventually deleted my account because of inactivity. I hardly think it was a coincidence.

The bottom line is, whether it is legit or not, Thumbtack is not a productive way to advertise or build business. The only reason I'm giving them one star is because zero is not an option.

  • Apr 29, 2014

Thumbtack.com is a complete Fraud, and Scam. Servive Professionals, Please DO NOT put your credit card in or purchase ""CREDITS"" from THUMBTACK.COM, it is a fast way for them to Rob and Scam you out of your hard earned money and professioanl reputation. These people are unethical and DO NOT PROVIDE QUALIFIED LEADS.

They TAKE your MONEY at nearly $12.00 PER BID, and pocket they pocket your money. Their ""Leads"" are scams and people who are NOT SERIOUS, However you PAY $12.00 each time you bid somebody who isn't qualified and that money, -YOU""RE HARD EARNED MONEY -goes right into the founders of Thumbtack.com's pocket's - Marco Zappocosta and Jonathan Swanson are FRAUDS AND CON ARTISTS.

They are preying on Service Professionals with the promise of business and leads, however, it is simply JUST A MONEY MAKING SCAM FOR THESE MEN who DO NOT CARE and REFUSE to REFUNFD YOUR hard earned CASH if you as for it. I live in the state of California an not only wil;l file a complaint with the BBB but also in CA you have 3 Days to CANCEL and as for a full refund and these Con Artists Do NOT ABIDE By the LAWS of California.

RIP OFFS< CON.S SCAM ARTISTS, FRAUDS. LINING THEIR OWN POCKETS WITH THEIR FAKE FRAUDULANT LEADS THAT AREN'T THE SLIGHTEST BIT REAL, but you pay nearly $12.00 to bid each time on UNQUALIFIED, FAKE LEADS.

SAVE YOUR TIME AND MONET, BOYCOTT THIS SITE !!!!

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