Thumbtack

DO NOT TRUST THUMBTACK In July 2016, I did an online search for mold inspectors and somehow ended up on ThumbtackWhat I was looking for was an estimate, but I was contacted immediately by WDR Services in Springfield, MAThe person who contacted me, [redacted] , appeared legitimateThere was a photo of his truck on Thumbtack's website, and Thumbtack referred to him as a "professional." In his response (through Thumbtack) he said "We are Nationally Certified Mold Professionals." Mr [redacted] came that day, took readings, and told me that I would have the results in 24-hoursHe collected a check from me for $which was to cover the cost of the test ($225) as well as the written results of the moisture testing for the wallsA week passed, and I still did not receive the resultsMr [redacted] claimed that the lab was short staffed, but said I would get the results the following weekAnother week passed with no test resultsOnce again, I contacted Mr [redacted] via ThumbtackThis time there was no responseHis phone number did not work When it became clear that I had been defrauded, I contacted ThumbtackI informed them that not only were WDR Services not "professionals," they did not even existThere was no listing for them in the yellow pages, and the photo of the truck was a fakeThe positive reviews were probably fakes as well Thumbtack advertises itself as a businessIt is notTheir claim of being a source for professional services - which I trusted - is not backed up by any kind of verificationIn this case, I was robbed of $And by making claims,Thumbtack was complicit in fraud Do not trust anyone who advertises with ThumbtackYou are better off with [redacted] At least you know you are taking your chances when you answer a [redacted] ad

Our company is one of the Thumbtack Pros that uses Thumbtack to get leads for our moving companyRecently, we received a review from one of our customers that we did a move for posted on ThumbtackThe customer claimed on his review that we had damaged a refrigerator handleWe received one email from customer support during a time when all our sales force was in depositions all day in a lawsuit where we are suing a customer that failed to pay for their move by our companyThumbtack, the next day deactivated our accountWe immediately responded to Thumbtack and provided them with a signed release and damage report signed by the customer at the end of his move along with a copy of the signed written contractDespite all this overwhelming evidence on our behalf Thumbtack took the side of the customerWe were put on hold for minutes before we could talk to the customer dispute resolution specialist and then had to go over all the documents with them before they agreed that we were right and Thumbtack agreed to reactivate our accountWe then had to recontact Thumbtack before they actually reactivated the account which was another hoursWe lost business because Thumbtack took days to reactivate our accountThumbtack has refused to give us any refund for leads we paid for but were unable to contact in a timely mannerAdditionally, Thumbtack recently reformatted their website and now if you are sending emails to a customer you have a one inch by 1/inch box to type your email to the customer and can only view it in it's entirety after the email is sent other than scrolling through the little box Thumbtack providesI would caution other potential Thumbtack Pros to consider another source of getting leads than ThumbtackThumbtack always takes the side of the customer with the grievance and does not seem to want to hear the Thumbtack Pro's side of the storyFurther, their so called innovations in communicating with potential customers quite frankly SUCKS! Instead of thinking outside the box they created a "Tiny Box"...which is where they should put their current CEO [redacted] in!

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/03/05) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] CRS Contact Email: [redacted] @thumbtack.com Hi [redacted] , I am writing to you in response to your Revdex.com complaint against ThumbtackI apologize for the poor experience you had using Thumbtack and hope that I am able to help answer your questions and concernsI am so sorry if it appears that we haven't delivered on our advertised valuePlease note that I've processed your credit purchases, which brings your total refund to $These funds will post to your bank account within a few business days We ask our customers a variety of questions and are only able to display the job details that they are willing to provideIt is completely up to the customer as to how much information they would like to fill out when navigating through the job request flow on our homepageWe understand that some job requests may lack the necessary information in order to provide an accurate quote and therefore do not force our pros to quote on every customer leadIt is entirely your choice as to whether or not you would like to spend your credits on a particular customer leadWith that being said, we encourage our service professionals to utilize our 'Suggested Questions' forum in order to suggest a question to ask the clientIf your question meets our guidelines, we will contact the client with your question and share their response with you and other interested service prosFor more information about 'Suggested Questions', please visit the following link: http://www.thumbtack.com/pros/how-to-suggest-a-question In regards to the customer lead example you provided in your Revdex.com complaint, the leads we send you are generated by customers who fill out request forms with drop-down answer optionsTherefore, the requests will look similar and have the same "uniquely worded responses." We realize this can look a fishy, so we are starting to require customers to write a little something in a free-form text box on the request forms - just to show you that these responses are from real customers looking for really great service pros, like yourselfThis feature change will be applied in the near futureFurthermore, due to privacy and security concerns, we do not provide our customers' contact information unless they willingly share this information when submitting the request I do want to strongly convey that we are not in the business of scamming our service professionalsNot only is it fundamentally against what we stand for here at Thumbtack, it wouldn't make sense from a business perspective eitherOur goal is to be the online marketplace for local servicesWe can only grow if we are connecting real, serious customers with real, quality service professionalsSpending time, effort, and funds on creating fake leads simply isn't a winning strategyWe spend a lot of time talking to service professionals who have seen a lot of success on Thumbtack - we're proud of them and you can see some of their stories here: http://www.thumbtack.com/pros/stories Thank you so much, again, for your feedbackWe are working hard to create a great experience for both our service professionals and consumers, however, sometimes we do not get it rightPlease let me know if you have any other questions or concerns Sincerely, ***

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/03/05) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] CRS Contact Email: [redacted] @thumbtack.com Hi [redacted] , I am writing to you in response to your complaint to the Revdex.com against ThumbtackI apologize for the poor experience you had contacting our customer service team and hope that I am able to resolve all your issues and concerns Regarding your background check purchase, we have processed the refund and the funds will post to your account within a few daysYour personal data is no longer being stored or collected by our company since you deleted your account I would like to first apologize for failing to provide you with a great customer service experienceOur email and phone teams were not properly equipped to handle the spike in ticket volume that stemmed from our company's significant growth in the past few monthsAgain, I am sorry that our customer support team did not respond to your email in a timely mannerWe are actively hiring and building out this team in order to prevent this from happening in the futureOur goal is to provide a fantastic customer service experience each and every time you contact Thumbtack Lastly, I'd like to encourage you to try Thumbtack for yourselfWe actively strive to provide a great experience for every service professional and customer, and hope that you will give us a shot even after reading those negative reviewsI'd like to strongly convey that we are not in the business of scamming our service professionalsNot only is it fundamentally against what we stand for here at Thumbtack, it wouldn't make sense from a business perspective eitherOur goal is to be the online marketplace for local servicesWe can only grow if we are connecting real, serious customers with real, quality service professionalsSpending time, effort, and funds on creating fake leads simply isn't a winning strategyWe spend a lot of time talking to service professionals who have seen a lot of success on Thumbtack - we're proud of them and you can see some of their stories here: http://www.thumbtack.com/pros/stories Thank you so much, again, for your feedbackWe are working hard to create a great experience for both our service professionals and consumers, however, sometimes we do not get it rightIf you'd like to try Thumbtack for yourself, I'd be more than happy to add complimentary credits to your account in order to bid on customer leads for freePlease let me know if you have any other questions or concerns Sincerely, [redacted] Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2014/03/06) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) The company processed a refund and assured me that my information was no longer stored due to account deletion

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 8, 2015/08/25) */ Hello [redacted] , Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.comI can understand your frustrations, and know it can be difficult when you are not seeing the success you were hoping forI am glad you have contacted us so we can make your experience with Thumbtack more positive We understand that every dollar counts when you run your own businessWe also know that we do not succeed as a company unless our professionals are finding successBecause of this, we have done research into the things our most successful professionals are doing to get hiredThese tips have been compiled into online articles such as this one: [redacted] Because we care about your business and success, I have provided your desired resolution I also wanted to let you know that we are available to help our professionals and would love to hear from you if you have questions or concernsYou are always welcome to contact us at XXX-XXX-XXXX or via email at [redacted] @Thumbtack.comPlease let us know how we can help I wish you continued success with your business [redacted] Thumbtack Support Team XXX-XXX-XXXX [redacted] @thumbtack.com www.thumbtack.com

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/01/23) */ Dear [redacted] , We appreciate you reaching out to us about your concerns through the Revdex.comIt was wonderful speaking with you over the phone, I am glad we were able to get in touchI wanted to take the time to address your concerns here as well We care greatly about our professionals' experience when using ThumbtackWhen it comes to pricing, we urge our professionals to base their pricing on what they think is appropriateWe never want there to be a concern that one would need to lower their pricing to win a customerOften times, customer understand the difference between a low price and a good deal; they just need to understand what they are paying forCreating an intriguing quote filled with your qualifications, background, and passion [redacted] your business will help customers see the value they will receiveConcern of how to price has been brought to our attention in the past, here is a great article dedicated to this topic: http://www.thumbtack.com/blog/pricing-101-how-to-price-your-services-for-success...⇄ Your frustration for the raise in credit price is very understandableAt Thumbtack, we try to be as fair as possible when it comes to the amount of credits being chargedWhen we first decided on how many credits to charge for quotes, we did extensive research to find out the average revenue received per service across the countryWe then compiled a list of all the services and their revenues, then placed a credit value between 2-on each oneOur team recently updated this research, which caused an update to credit values associated with certain service We are constantly improving our site and we greatly appreciate your feedbackOur goal is to help professionals grow their businesses by introducing them to new customers, just like the many customers we connected you withI am glad that we were able to come to a positive resolution and we look forward to helping you succeed in the future [redacted] Thumbtack Support Team Phone (XXX) XXX-XXXX E-mail [redacted] @Thumbtack.com Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2015/01/28) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) I will revisit thumbtack within a year to see if things have changedFor now taking a long break

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/08/22) */ Dear ***, I am writing in response to your Revdex.com complaint with ThumbtackI appreciate the opportunity you've given us to discuss your concerns and resolve themI know that we have already resolved your concerns over the phone However, I'll respond to them below as well I apologize for any potential delay in receiving requests from customers through ThumbtackWe love helping our professionals grow their businesses, and we recognize that to be competitive, you need to be able to receive and respond to customer requests quicklyI want to assure you that our system is designed to send customer request information to all potential professionals at the same timeEach request is sent via email or text message, depending on each professional's preferencesAll requests are also available on the professional's dashboard When we spoke on the phone, we did some troubleshooting and found that you were currently receiving requests at the same time as other professionalsAll of our customer requests go through a request verification process before they are published to our professionalsWe can only grow if we are connecting real, serious customers with real, quality prosWe spend time, effort, and funds on a request verification process to flag suspicious requestsWe then go in and manually check those that have been flagged as suspiciousOnly requests that are cleared by these processes are forwarded to our professionals One other thing to keep in mind, which we talked about on the phone, is that we only send text messages between the hours of 8:am and 9:pm of your local time zoneHowever, we send emails and update your request dashboard as soon as the request is publishedI really appreciate your help in gathering data for our technical team in case you find any other issuesWe will take your feedback and improve by it I appreciate you contacting me so that we could resolve your concerns and, most importantly, help you in the process of growing your cleaning businessBased on your concerns and to help build your faith in Thumbtack, I also refunded a total of $to your card on filePlease do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have any other questions or concerns Sincerely, [redacted] **

Horrible , corrupt staffFraudulent business practicesIf you criticize or make any suggestions they block you out of your account and refuse to speak to youIllegit leadsDon't bother wasting your time or $$$ with this corrupt company

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 8, 2014/05/22) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] CRS Contact Email: [redacted] @thumbtack.com Dear * [redacted] ***, I am writing to you in response to your Revdex.com complaint against ThumbtackI apologize for the poor experience you had using Thumbtack, and hope I'm able to address all of your concernsI spoke with [redacted] who took your call this afternoon; I fully aware of the issues that were addressed in that conversation I would like to first apologize for failing to provide you with a great customer service experienceAs mentioned by ***, we are building out our support team in [redacted] and currently experiencing some 'growing pains', which is expectedWith that being said, we're actively hiring more staff members and updating our call center tools in order to prevent this from happening in the futureIn regards to your account, I'd like to personally apologize for the difficulties you had in setting up multiple profiles over the phone - these issues are being addressed with proactive coaching and quality assurance auditsOur goal is to provide a fantastic customer service experience each and every time you contact ThumbtackOur goal is to improve each and every day in order to provide super-helpful customer support Thank you for providing us with such high quality feedback suggestionsPlease note that we have recently implemented a new feedback process which allows agents to submit "suggestions" that are analyzed by our product team on a regular basisI apologize if this phrasing offended you in anyway - the agents were simply trying to be as helpful in possible and followed the guidelines that are currently set in placeOur company takes these suggestions very seriously and actively reviews this feedback The biography field is limited by a character count on purposeThis limitation allows Thumbtack to rank higher in search results, which is ultimately to the benefit of our professionals, like yourselfWe've performed extensive research and have optimized our marketing platform to drive as much search traffic to our professional accountsRemember, this is for your benefit and note that you are free to fill out your service description in as much detail as you'd like At this time, we are not able to validate a licenses that is not state issuedThumbtack is unique in that we offer a wide range of professional services on our site, and are therefore unable to verify every type of license that existsWe made a business decision to only validate state licenses, but hope to offer these verification across other licenses in the futurePlease note that your Thumbtack competitors do not have this ability as well, and therefore does not put you at a disadvantage when the customer evaluates your quoteOur suggestion is to scan your license documentation and upload this to the media section of your profileYou're more than welcome to highlight this licensing in the quote message as well I'm sorry that our five-quote limit on customer job requests is causing you trouble - I understand how frustrating it can be to click on a work request after you receive it, only to find that it's already reached its quote limitWe're here to help you get more business, so we take your feedback very seriouslyThe main reason we instituted this cap was to help reduce competition and improve your chances of winning a job when you submit a quoteWe run a lot of surveys and focus groups with both our service pros and customersBoth professionals and customers have overwhelmingly supported a shift to the 5-quote maximum, rather than 10, but we do understand that there is some variation in sentimentConsumers have long told us that for popular work requests, they feel inundated with quotes, and simply do not like receiving and sifting through up to options - some of which may arrive after they've already made their decisionMost have indicated that they are unlikely to choose quotes that arrive after the first Instituting the cap was a way to help make the process easier for consumers while also preventing our pros from spending time on quotes with which consumers are far less likely to engageWith that being said, I really like your suggestion to allow the customer to choose the limit for themselvesI've personally passed this feedback to our product team who may run this as a beta test in the futureAgain, our Thumbtack Credits program was designed to create a process that is transparent and fair to all of our pros while retaining ease of use for consumersOur initial tests of the program showed that it helped to alleviate the 5-quote cap issues some pros were facing Furthermore, we've decided to stick with a pay-per-lead model after experimenting with many different payment structuresWith our current business model, we give you the control over what you pay for and when - it is free to create a profile and to receive customer requests relevant to what you doYou choose who you'd like to respond to and you only pay when you choose to quoteThere's never any obligation to respond to the customer requests we send youThere are no annual fees or minimum payments - our professionals have expressed overwhelming support for this model since it allows them to quote when it feels comfortable and only pay for customer job requests that are a good fit We are a small company with a big missionWe are actively refining and improving our process of connecting service professionals and consumers, as it's important to us that we create as many great customer experiences as we canI hope we were able to resolve your issues, and please do not hesitate to reach out directly if you have any other questions or concerns Sincerely, [redacted] CRS Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 10, 2014/05/26) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Because they still maintain their "model" is appropriateIt isn'tI first connected with the site as a consumer looking for web design specialists for my HOAI got five referralsOne was out of our area, another didn't respond to my request for a bid based on our needsAnother, kept sending me a contract to sign even after he was advised that (1) I was not the decision-maker and (2) his "package" included services we did not need or wantHe did not address our specifications four timesOne doesn't seem all that qualifiedThe remaining one doesSo that's five referrals, one good candidate, and one extremely marginal candidateIf need to move forward with four candidatesSo what do I do? I was incensed that the five candidates I received made the cut because they were the first five to respondGive me twenty referrals so I can get the best candidateSpeaking as a professional marketing my business I can't sit in from of my email, waiting for referrals so I can guarantee that I end up in the first fiveI have clients to serviceI would think that customers would prefer to consider a professional who is actually busy, i.ehas business, rather than someone waiting by the phoneThumbtack promises me that by using their service, I'll get more business then prevent me from selling myself (see below)Now, some believe many of the referrals are fraudulentThe fact is the five referral limit is designed to hide the fact that they don't have a lot of qualified professionals and that they wouldn't know how to serve them if they did Being a professional, I decided to give it a try myselfI have cataloged my experiences in amendments to my original complaintMy final assessment is that they have a lot of "professionals" whose quality cannot be assessed because the state doesn't license them - which is the case for most professionalsYou want an accountant; the state licenses accountantsWant a bookkeeper? No licenseSo a bookkeeper could be a Certified Quickbooks Pro-Advisor, critical skills for a bookkeeper, but since it's not a state-issued license, this cannot be posted as part of their profileSame goes for land use planners (AICP), site designers (LEED Green Building Council), public participation practitioners (IAP2), informed consent specialists (SDIC), microsoft network administrators (MSCE, Microsoft), wetlands biologists (PWS, Society of Wetland Scientists ), arborists (ISA, International Association of Aboriculture), economists, business plan consultants, geographic information systems specialists (GISP, URISA), etc., etc., etcSo exactly what professional credentials do states license? Not many, reallyI have years experience as a land use planner I have Bachelor's degrees in political science and economics and a Master's in Community and Regional PlanningI am a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and have five other certifications in public participation, informed consent, and charette planning and managementOf that information, none of that will show up under credentials They have a section of questions you can answer to give a potential customer valuable information about youLike, "What do you like about your job?" For some reason Thumbtack thinks that professionals are selected on the basis of answers given to questions asked in a fast food restaurant interviewEvery client who has hired me want to know what I can do, how fast I can do it, and the expected outcome not, if I like traipsing around in the field rather that selling their project to the planning commission Add to this that when categorizing my land use planning business their learned "professionals" placed me in accounting, writing and editing and with respect to my writing and editing business had me listed as a wait for it search engine optimization specialist Their response is full of "proprietary" research that has told them that their model is appropriateGo tell that to any college business administration program, trade organizations, professional societies, and the Small Business Administration you'll get laughed out the door So, no, there is no compromise position because they would require me to pay for a service that is so fundamentally flawed that I will get no new business Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 12, 2014/05/30) */ Dear * [redacted] ***, I'm sorry if my previous response did not satisfactorily address all of your concerns [redacted] and I have spoken to you about the Thumbtack business model and the reasoning behind our current quoting guidelines and how they relate to the overall customer experience Again, I'm sorry that our five-quote limit on work requests has caused you troubleThe main reason we instituted this cap was to help reduce competition and improve your chances of winning a job when you submit a quoteBoth professionals and customers have overwhelmingly supported a shift to the 5-quote maximum, rather than 10, but we do understand that there is some variation in sentimentCustomers have long told us that for popular work requests, they feel inundated with quotes, and simply do not like receiving and sifting through up to options - some of which may arrive after they've already made their decisionMost have indicated that they are unlikely to choose quotes that arrive after the first Instituting the cap was a way to help make the process easier for customers while also preventing our professionals from spending time on quotes with which customers are far less likely to engageRemember, both parties are not obligated in any way to the services provided by Thumbtack - professionals like yourself willingly submit quotes for attractive customer job requests and customers are under no obligation to hire any of professionals that submit quotesWith that being said, serious customers use Thumbtack because they are able to connect with qualified professionals in less than hours I'd like to point out that we've built a large network of professionals in an attempt to provide multiple quotes for every customer job requestI looked at your last customer job invite - this request was sent to other professionals that offer a similar serviceWe've spent a lot of time (and money) inviting professionals to Thumbtack and enjoy sharing their success stories I'd like to reiterate that we are not able to validate a licenses that is not state issuedThumbtack is unique in that we offer a wide range of professional services on our site, and are therefore unable to verify every type of license that existsAt this time, we've made a business decision to only validate state licenses, but hope to offer these verification across other licenses in the futureRemember, your competitors on Thumbtack do not have this ability as well, and does not put you at a disadvantage when the customer evaluates your quoteOur suggestion is to scan your license documentation (and other certifications) and upload this to the media section of your profileYou're more than welcome to highlight this licensing in the quote message as wellCustomers are responsive to these credentials, which is likely to put you at an advantage in the quoting process In regards to the questions section on your profile, this is simply just a list of questions that are recommended by ThumbtackYou are more than welcome to create custom questions and respond accordingly I'm sorry that you were listed under search engine optimization on your profileWe serve over a thousand different request categories and therefore must categorize professionals into different, yet organized service groupings, with all request categories whitelisted by defaultPlease note that these service categories have sub-categories, and you are able to edit these settings in your profile at anytime [redacted] went ahead and deselected this request category from your account when discussing these concerns on the phone with you We are a small company with a big missionWe are actively refining and improving our process of connecting service professionals and consumers, as it's important to us that we create as many great customer experiences as we canI'm sorry that our platform is not a fit for your professional services, and encourage you to stay updated with Thumbtack since we are constantly making improvements to our product Sincerely, [redacted] CRS Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (4200, 14, 2014/06/03) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Their refusal to allow me to list certifications from professional organizations, i.enon-state issued licenses, compromises, severely, my ability to market my services through themWhat it does serve is Thumbtack's marketing strategy, i.eto be able to brag about all of the professionals they've signed upHowever, failure to address the certification issue means that their database of professionals is littered with individuals and firms who are not qualified to perform the services they offerListing certifications issued by professional organizations would expose eighty (80) percent to evaluations of their qualifications which would eliminate them from further consideration through a competitive bidding processIn addition, the five (5) referral limit requires Thumbtack's "professionals" to sit by their computers and concentrate on responding to referrals promptly rather than doing actual client business: failure to respond promptly as occurred in my case eliminates many professionals from consideration Their professional groupings is absurd: listing me as an SEO professional when my qualifications don't permit me too provide those services, confuses potential customers AND has me reviewing invitations to bid for jobs for which I have no services to offer I believe that Thumbtack's Business Model is designed (1) to inflate the number of "professionals" in their database so as to enable them to advertise large numbers of professionals regardless of their quality or competence; and (2) hide the fact that many of their "professionals" lack the requisite experience and skills by controlling the amount of information available to those searching for professional servicesThey do not allow professionals to list professional credentials (college degrees or professional certifications), categorize their services, or prepare and offer FAQs about their services Thumbtack's standard questions are not relevant to professional marketing and are the types of questions which would be asked of individuals applying to jobs in the fast food industryEverything is standardized and controlled to the nth degree Thumbtack's Business Model reflects the fact (my opinion) that their employees have a stunning lack of understanding about the vast number of service categories offered by their members, do not understand how and why professionals are hired and have no clue as to how small businesses operate

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/11/10) */ Dear ***, I am writing in response to your Revdex.com complaint with ThumbtackI appreciate the opportunity you've given us to resolve your situationI know that we have already resolved your concerns over the phoneHowever, to ensure that we addressed each of your concerns, I will respond to them below First and foremost, I apologize for the negative experience you had with the customer who hired you on ThumbtackI had called and left a voicemail on October 28th and followed that up with an email asking you to contact me so that we could resolve this for both partiesWe take customer complaints on Thumbtack very seriously, but also understand there are two sides to every storyIt is clearly imperative that we speak to both parties so that we can make the most accurate and holistic decision possible I emailed you again on November 5th, which you stated you also did not receiveThis email was again asking you to contact me directly within business hours so that we can get the customer complaint resolved It was only after not hearing from you, which I can completely understand if you didn't receive the messages, that I was forced to close your accountAfter I spoke to you today, we resolved the situation and immediately re-opened your accountYour account has been reinstated exactly as it was minus the credits on the account, as those had already been refunded I appreciate you contacting me so that we could resolve your concerns and, most importantly, help you in the growth of your businessPlease do not hesitate to contact us directly if you have any other questions or concerns Sincerely, [redacted] Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2014/11/11) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Issue was resolved over the phone

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/02/27) */ Dear ***, I am writing in response to your recent Revdex.com complaint against ThumbtackThumbtack takes pride in providing care and attention to all of our customers and professionalsWe appreciate you reaching out to us about your concernsI want to take the time to address your concerns, as outlined below Here at Thumbtack, we hold the standards of our customer service in high regardWe strive not only to be the best service in our industry, but also provide the best customer service in the industryWe obsess over our customers and their experience when they contact us for helpWe strive to provide helpful information to address customers' questions or concernsWe value transparency and we openly acknowledge areas of improvement Thumbtack aspires to create a positive experience for those who reach out to our support team; we apologize if your recent experience did not meet those aspirationsWhile we may not always be able to provide the solution a customer is requesting, we should always work towards the best resolution for all parties involvedSince growth and improvement are two things we seek as a company, we welcome your feedback We strive to keep the same value of transparency we previously described in the review system on ThumbtackIt is important to us as we grow as a company to establish ourselves as someone that can be trustedWe feel that an open and fair review system is key to building that trustCustomers, who are introduced to a professional on Thumbtack, are able to leave reviews to provide feedback about their experiences with that professional The feedback from those customers can help advocate and grow the professional's business on ThumbtackCustomers rely heavily on reviews when they are considering whom to hireWe feel an open review system is important to allow customers the opportunity to build trust in the marketplaceThis is why it is our policy not to remove reviews so long as the customer and professional have done business togetherTo do otherwise would compromise the integrity of our review system We recognize that there are two sides to every story, which is why professionals have the opportunity to respond to any review they receiveWe have found that a well-written, professional response to a negative review can have just as much of a positive impact on a professional's reputation as a positive reviewMost people recognize that not every interaction is going to go perfectlySeeing how a professional responds to a difficult situation speaks highly of their professionalismIf a professional is having a difficult time crafting a response to a review, we are more than happy to help by offering suggestionsOur goal is to help each professional find the greatest success they can on our site Here at Thumbtack, we do not attempt to be the judges of which reviews are true or notMany times reviews can be subjective and based on a customer's feelings about his or her experienceWe do not believe that it is fair to tell a customer how they are allowed to feel about a situationReviews are also a space where customers are able to freely share their feedback, within reasonIn this particular case, the review did not have any material that would violate our Terms of Use, which is why we have not removed the reviewWhile the customer's feedback was lengthy, it focused on their experience It is not our intention to take sides by so doing, it simply means we did not find anything in the review that would warrant removalWe suggest writing a professional response to the review, and would be glad to offer suggestions to aid in doing so, if you are interested We understand the importance of protecting the integrity and reputation of your name, and we must do the same for our business by upholding our review policyHowever, it is understandably frustrating to receive a negative reviewWe want to be as helpful as possible while maintaining the integrity of our review systemThough we have made the decision not to remove the review, we absolutely want to provide as much assistance as we can to find a beneficial resolution to all involvedIf you feel that pursuing legal action to have the review removed is the best course of action, we understand and are glad to provide any information we can that may be of helpIf a court of law does find the review to be or slanderous and orders the review to be removed, we will gladly comply once we have the documentation to do so We have found the best option to be that we allow reviews to be updated or changed by customers, which often happens when a customer feels his or her complaint has been resolved by a professionalWe have found that when a professional reaches out to the customer to discuss the complaint, and works to find a positive resolution, customers often willingly remove or update a negative reviewReaching out to the customer to resolve such complaints in a friendly, professional way is a great way to ensure the continued success of your business, which is Thumbtack's goal as well We have attempted to reach out to you, but have not been successful in connecting with your companyWe would like to discuss this situation further with you at your earliest convenienceWe hope to hear from you soon so we can work toward a positive resolution to this matter [redacted] Thumbtack Support Team Phone X-XXX-XXX-XXXX E-mail [redacted] @Thumbtack.com Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/03/16) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Thank you to [redacted] for taking the time to address our concerns; unfortunately we find the response to be unsatisfactory and furthermore an advocate for our cause The response to our complaint begins with a macro, automated and generic paragraphs, sent to virtually every customer that reaches outHow could this be personal? This is quiet contradicting to your initial statement that, "Thumbtack takes pride in providing care and attention to all of our customers and professionals." Such great care that you send the same macros to everyone? Is that really necessary in an already sensitive circumstance? Very attentive and caring Furthermore, Thumbtack states and emphasizes that they are someone one can trust; yet if a customer leaves a review, Thumbtack prefers to "stay out of the equation." This has been confirmed by their head of customer service, and multiple staffAlthough they state, "It is important to us as we grow as a company to establish ourselves as someone that can be trustedWe feel that an open and fair review system is key to building that trust." They do not disclose that a 'fair review system' means they will take the side of the review, at the expense of the professionalNo matter what Thumbtack prides itself that they, "obsess over our customers and their experience," but this is clearly not trueFrom the initial email to support, to the multiple phone calls, and now a Revdex.com complaint - they devalue the professionals and value the costumer/consumersThey want revenue from that angel, not us professionals whose life depend on these words/reviews We have yet to be offered a resolution or to be provided the best customer service in the industryInstead we keep getting the same route responses, as if a script is being readEvery time you speak with a different Thumbtack agent, you hear each contradicting themselves and their team membersHow is it that no one is on the same page? Aren't there only one set of rules? How is it that we are being told contradicting information, and different services are being outlined and performed Thumbtack has a Terms of Use, but if you try to reference it, Thumbtack will simply say "we do not need to follow it strictly." How trusting is that? A company who does not even follow their Terms of Service? A legal documentThen why is it posted and drafted? For legalityWhen we asked the manager of why they were not following their Terms of Service, he honestly stated that they "did not need to strictly follow their policies; this is a loose outline of procedures." [redacted] states that the review does not violate Thumbtack's policies, yet we are happy to outline multiple violationsThis review violates the Terms of Use on the basis of being "excessive in length," and having, "false, libelous, slanderous, and defamatory" informationWe have shown this to multiple agents and this can be publicly viewed for allThis review is extremely length in nature, contains numerous statements/accusations, and is slanderous and defamatory in natureThis review was posted as a form of black mail and we have shown this to Thumbtack on multiple occasions Despite the clear examples and voluntary burden of proof, Thumbtack refuses to remove the rantEven though there are clear violations of their Terms of Use, their agents insist and pride themselves on leaving an 'open community.' And what happens if someone crazy leaves a fabricated experience? Good luck removing it! Thumbtack will not remove ANY reviewNO MATTER WHATOnly if one uses profanityWhat kind of a trust could be built on this premise? No professional could trust anyone like this; it is trusting blindlyThis experience has shown us that Thumbtack is on the side of the random customer and not the returning professionalThey are worse than Yelp in that respect Thumbtack states that they will remove a review based on informationIn one of our reviews, the customer contradicts themselves the entire timeMaking bogus accusations and clearly lying in his pathMultiple agents have confirmed thisYet the review remainsTruth is, Thumbtack will not remove a review based on informationThis policy/promise and many others are the backbone of ThumbtackThey have a pretty, legal document that has no meaning in actualityEvery time we went over the Terms of Use and the violations, we were met with a smart come back, a loophole, or a way to bring it back to a 'No.' We reached out to Thumbtack in hopes of finding a new, stable relationshipInstead, we feel taken advantage ofAll the money we have spent on quotes, time spent on this, and this is how we get treated in the end Customer's feedback is instrumental in our growth and developmentWe value all experiences, good and badYour worst customer is your best source of knowledgeWith that being said, we've always had both positive and negative reviewsWhat we can not condone, are reviewsThis has been the root of the issueThumbtack standing by a rant, versus looking further into the situation and examining all sides Customers should beware that Thumbtack does not follows their Terms of Use; in fact, it is a loose framework of hopeThis is evident in every conversation or communication exchangeThey will blatantly admit thisAnd if the customer is lying? They advise you to go to courtInstead of doing due diligence, the professional is sent to do more work, pay fees, and be further inconvenienced by a deceitful personalDoes this sound fair or just? Before reaching out to Thumbtack, we tried to resolve the matter on our ownFrom repeated outreach, to multiple calls and discounts, this customer was growing out of controlAfter repeated refunds, we grew out of resourcesThis customer still wanted more money and now began threatening to go to social media if we did not budge for more refundsWhen we finally stood our ground and tried to be fair, this customer threatened us with black mailThis is when and ONLY why we reached out to ThumbtackWhen things became unfair and illegalYet we are still being treated like the robberYet we have clearly been robbed The word Integrity is used repeatedly in this response, yet that is not indicative of the character at ThumbtackThere is nothing morally acceptable about what has transpired hereThumbtack is allowing a reviewThis is not honest, nor moral okayIn addition, integrity refers to being whole and undivided, yet clearly - Thumbtack is not whole, but dividedIf they were whole and undivided, they would find a resolution that would benefit ALL parties, not leave one in distress and frustrationIt's been weeks now, if not months since this issue has occurred, yet Thumbtack claims to "obsess" over their customerWhich part is being obsessed over in our case? Nothing is made urgent, nor expedited in any manner When we last spoke with an agent, he confirmed all of our thoughts and had absolutely nothing to say in returnThumbtack states that they provide great customer service and obsess over their customers, but how have they helped us? Maid us happy or satisfied? Made us feel like they took care of our issue/concerns? We were told that Thumbtack can attempt to contact the customerSo if they can not get a hold of him, how does that help me? How have they resolved our issue? How has thumbtack taken care of us? Other then allow criminals (they have no filter on people) to write false, illegal, defamatory comments about our business Thumbtack has allowed a stranger to slander our business; and thus has physically and emotionally caused me a lot of pain and suffering This is far from resolved and I am not hopeful at allI hope people see this and are awareI bet most of their reviews are 'revolved' because people miss the correspondence from Revdex.com or neglect the deadlineI highly doubt any or most of these issues were truly resolved Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2015/04/02) */ Dear ***, Thank you for reaching back out to us so we can continue working to resolve this matterClearly, this is very important for you and your business; we want to give the proper time and attention in helping to see this resolvedI want to assure you that your concerns are important to us as wellWe are committed to continuing to work toward finding a resolution We last spoke on March 16th to further address your concernsIn that conversation, you raised several points that you requested we address with the customerWe have since spoken to the customer regarding those points, and they agreed to make some edits to the review that they felt were fairWe have reached out to update you on those changes, unfortunately, we have not been able to connect as of yetWe will continue to reach out to you so we can discuss those changes with you directly We would like to address your concerns regarding our terms of use and how it is applied as far as reviews are concernedWe have made it a point to not edit or remove reviews from customers in order to uphold the integrity of the review systemHowever we do reserve the right to edit or remove reviews in extreme circumstancesIf we find inappropriate content in a review, we will do our best to edit the offending material while preserving the main body of the reviewWe do not attempt to be the judges of which reviews are true or notWe recognize that customer's thoughts about an experience may differ from those of the professional, but neither opinions are unfair to express In order to establish an unbiased view, we offer professionals the ability to write a response to all customer reviewsThis helps ensure professionals have an equal opportunity to be heard, as well as to showcase their pursuits to resolve the customer's concernsWe have recently made improvements that allow professionals to edit their responses in an attempt to make it easier to manage those responsesWe have found that when professionals reach out to a dissatisfied customer, they are often able to resolve the issue at handWe want our professionals to be able to display the quality service they provide, even when it has not been an ideal situationHaving a chance to update their original response allows them to display the results of their efforts to resolve the customers complaint Our goal is to provide the best experience possible when using ThumbtackOn occasion the need arises to investigate certain complaints in order to ensure the trust and safety of our marketplaceOur objective is to always remain neutral as we investigate such complaints; our interests do not lie in taking sidesWe strive to determine what has transpired so we can better determine, if any further action is applicableThumbtack values fairness by resolving each complaint with favor for all parties involved We understand the impact that reviews can have on a professional's serviceThough we value transparency, that is not to imply we support or malicious reviewsIf, during the course of our investigation, we receive documentation that clearly shows wrong doing, we will take all appropriate actionsIf there is any documentation that you are able to provide, that shows the customer has indicated they are going to make admittedly statements with the intentions of harming your business, we ask you provide us with that information for further considerationWe genuinely care about our professionals, we want to ensure that we are protecting them, as well as our mutual customers Your frustrations in regards to this situation is completely understandableRest assured, that though there is a disagreement about our decision not to remove the review at this time, we will continue to work with you in an attempt to find a favorable resolutionWe look forward to speaking with you again soon [redacted] Thumbtack Support Team Phone X-XXX-XXX-XXXX E-mail [redacted] @Thumbtack.com

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/11/16) */ I'm very sorry to hear about your experience with this professionalThings like this don't usually happen on Thumbtack, but when they do we do what we can to make it rightWe attempted to reach out to you so we could discuss this situation in more detail, but we weren't able to connect with you We want to do all we can to protect the trust and safety of our customers and professionalsWe have a team of agents specially trained to handle these situationsThey'd love to speak with you more about your experience with this proIt is very important to Thumbtack that the professionals that work through our site are honest and reputableOn the rare occasion there is a problem, we expect them to take care of the customer in a friendly and professional manner Thank you for bringing this matter to our attentionWe never want this to be the experience you have when using Thumbtack, and we appreciate the opportunity to get this situation taken care ofWe hope you will be in contact with us so we can move forward with resolving the issueWe also encourage all professionals to contact us with any questions or concernsWe are always here to help

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/07/14) */ Hello ***, Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention through the Revdex.comWe work very hard to ensure only valid requests are making it through to our professionals, but we recognize that our system isn't perfect and appreciate any feedback that helps us improve Our goal at Thumbtack is to help professionals grow their businesses by introducing them to new customersCustomers come to us looking for professionals who can help them with their personal projectsThey fill out a request form that lets them provide details on the kind of help they needWe do our best to make sure that when those requests are submitted to professionals, they are legitimate opportunities for work To do this, we've created an extensive review system that checks every request submitted through our siteWe monitor for information that would indicate the customer is not actually looking to hire a professionalThe system is certainly not perfect, so we always investigate any concerns professionals may have with the requests they receiveIf we find that a request is not legitimate, we refund the credits a professional has spent to respond Thank you for providing feedback and helping us to improve our systemI'm happy we were able to provide your desired resolution If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know [redacted] The Thumbtack Support Team XXX-XXX-XXXX [redacted] @thumbtack.com www.thumbtack.com Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2015/07/20) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/10/13) */ Dear ***, I am writing in response to your Revdex.com complaint against ThumbtackIt is disappointing to hear that you have not found more success with us thus farWe want to do all we can to help professionals be more successful and grow their business with ThumbtackI appreciate you speaking with me so we could discuss some suggestions to help you be more successful with Thumbtack In reviewing your profile, the biggest opportunity would be getting some reviews for your profilePositive customer reviews can have a great impact on whom a customer chooses to hireReviews are the best way for potential customers to see the quality of work and customer service that you provideWe have found that professionals that have at least four positive reviews are four times more likely to be hiredI have sent an email with instructions on the different ways to get reviews for your profile Something else that may help would be to update your profile pictureA company logo is good, however many customers like to see whom they may be hiring, so a picture of yourself may be betterThis can help put a customer at ease, and feel more comfortable hiring you It is also a good idea to personalize your quotes to customersWhen responding to a request, referring to the customer's specific needs tends to get a better responseThis shows the customer you are interested in them, and have taken the time to go over the details, rather than just offering a general response As requested, I have issued a refund for the credits you have purchased up to nowPlease allow 3-business days for bank processing of the refundIn addition, I have applied free credits to your accountIt is our hope that by implementing some of the changes we have suggested you will find greater success, and begin being hired soon and often I appreciate you giving Thumbtack the opportunity to help your business grow and be more successfulIf there is anything further we can help with please let us know, we're always here to help Sincerely, [redacted] S

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/05/07) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] CRS Contact Email: [redacted] @thumbtack.com Dear ***, I am writing to you in response to your Revdex.com complaint against ThumbtackI apologize for the poor experience you had using Thumbtack and hope that I am able to address all of your questions and concernsThis is a follto your recent conversation with [redacted] , one of our Thumbtack Customer AdvocatesPlease note that [redacted] has added complimentary credits to your account, and I've processed your refund request for your last two credit purchasesThe refund will post to your account within a few business days First, I'd like to thank you so much for your loyalty to Thumbtack and providing a great service for our customersI noticed that you were hired times on Thumbtack, which is absolutely remarkable! Without a doubt, you are a top Thumbtack professional, and have received remarkable reviews from clients on our site I'd like to mention that this technical difficulty is a known issue and our engineers are working to improve our email notification systemThis glitch is occurring for a very small percentage of our users, and I apologize that you are experiencing these difficultiesWe are currently investigating this issue and believe that your email domain is incorrectly marking us as spamThis triggers an account deactivation, as well as a follemail asking if you meant to mark us as spamPlease note that we are currently reevaluating this process in order to prevent engaged pros, like yourself, from accidental deactivationAgain, I am so sorry for the frustration that this has created In the meantime, I suggest changing the email on your account to an @Gmail accountI realize that you have already switched your email address in the past, however we've had very few reports of lead email issues from Google users I do want to strongly convey that we are not in the business of scamming our service professionalsNot only is it fundamentally against what we stand for here at Thumbtack, it wouldn't make sense from a business perspective eitherOur goal is to be the online marketplace for local servicesWe can only grow if we are connecting real, serious customers with real, quality service professionalsSpending time, effort, and funds on creating fake leads simply isn't a winning strategyWe spend a lot of time talking to service professionals who have seen a lot of success on Thumbtack - we're proud of them and you can see some of their stories here: http://www.thumbtack.com/pros/stories We are a small company with a big missionWe are actively refining and improving our process of connecting service professionals and consumers, as it's important to us that we create as many great customer experiences as we canI hope we were able to resolve your issues, and please do not hesitate to reach out directly if you have any other questions or concerns Sincerely, [redacted] CRS Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2014/05/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Hello [redacted] Thank you for helping [redacted] immediately take care of me and my concerns, I greatly appreciate you both and feel you both went above and beyond my expectations with the credits Furthermore; I hope that this problem is fixed asap since it really does cause a hardship to me and others and appreciate your acknowledgment that there is in fact this on-going issue Sincerely, ~ [redacted] ***-***

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/03/16) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] CRS Contact Email: [redacted] @thumbtack.com Hi ***, I am writing to you in response to your Revdex.com complaint against ThumbtackI apologize for the poor experience you had using Thumbtack and hope that I am able to address all of your questions and concernsI went ahead and refunded your credit purchases, which brings your total refund to $Please note this refund usually takes a few business days before posting to your bank account I would like to first apologize for failing to provide you with a great customer service experienceOur email and phone teams were not properly equipped to handle the spike in ticket volume that stemmed from our company's significant growth in the past few monthsWe are actively hiring and building out our customer support team in order to prevent this from happening in the futureOur goal is to provide a fantastic customer service experience each and every time you contact Thumbtack I looked into your Thumbtack account was able to find your bidding history (quotes)I understand your frustration in not hearing back from these customers, however please note that even our most successful service professionals do not hear back from some of their customer leads as wellFurthermore, I noticed that you do not have any reviews on your profileService professionals with at least review are 400% more likely to hear back and get hired on ThumbtackWe've made it easy for new Thumbtack pros to add reviews - simply send the 'Review URL' to your past clients and they'll be able to easily leave you a review on your Thumbtack profileI believe that your low prices combined with great reviews will result in a positive Thumbtack experience between you and your future clientsIf you're interested in continuing to use our services, I recommend visiting the link below, which contains a list of best known practices on how to submit a winning bidThese tips include how to build a winning profile, getting reviews, and much more: http://www.thumbtack.com/pros/how-thumbtack-works#get-hired I do want to strongly convey that we are not in the business of scamming our service professionalsNot only is it fundamentally against what we stand for here at Thumbtack, it wouldn't make sense from a business perspective eitherOur goal is to be the online marketplace for local servicesWe can only grow if we are connecting real, serious customers with real, quality service professionalsSpending time, effort, and funds on creating fake leads simply isn't a winning strategyWe spend a lot of time talking to service professionals who have seen a lot of success on Thumbtack - we're proud of them and you can see some of their stories here: http://www.thumbtack.com/pros/stories Thank you so much, again, for your feedbackWe are working hard to create a great experience for both our service professionals and consumers, however, sometimes we do not get it rightPlease let me know if you have any other questions or concerns Sincerely, ***, CRS

I searched for a contractor to do some work on my home, a bathroom remodelSeveral of the people that were referenced to me by Thumbtac were not able to show or admitted they did not have a licenseOne I hired had set up web sites of projects he supposedly completedAs it turns out he was a scammer that ran with my money, I am taking him to courtI thought Thumbtac did the research on the people they representAs it turns out, they do not.The person I hired had his business dissolved years ago for not keeping up with states requirementsHe not only did not have a business, but he does not have a license and was not supposed to be operatingI notified the company, and they said they would try to help, but all they did was take my information and never returned my callsNO One should use them! They are out there to collect fees from anyone who will get mixed up with themEmployers be ware, they could be sending a criminal to your home or place of business, and they would not give a rats tail if you were murdered so long as the creep gave them money to supply a victim

The concept is good, but the execution is poor...I shouldn't have to verify that those providing quotes are legally allowed to perform the work they are quoting for a site that claims to link people with local professionalsI found out after paying a deposit that the contractor was not registered in my city...which is a requirement for all general contractorsThis person walked away with my deposit for work and materials and I had to file a small claims suit against themI also provided this feedback to thumbtack through their support email address and have not been contacted by their market integrity team as promised

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/09/22) */ Hello [redacted] , Thank you for reaching out to us through the Revdex.com with your concernsIt was also great to speak with you over the phone, and I am glad we were able to come to a resolution that you were happy withI'd like to address your concerns here as well I know it can be very discouraging when you are not getting hired and it can be equally frustrating when customers do not respond to your quote messagesI want to assure you that we do not fabricate customer requests and all requests go through a step verification process that is both automated and manual to ensure their validityThrough our research, we've found that 80% of customers come to Thumbtack ready to hireThat being said, we encourage each professional to report anything that may seem suspicious and we will look into it We care about the success of each of our professionals and have great tools to help them find that successThis information can be found in our Pro Center here: https://www.thumbtack.com/pros/Professionals are also encouraged to reach out to our customer support team through email and phoneOur customer support team is trained to be helpful and are very knowledgable about what it takes to succeed on Thumbtack Please let us know if you have any questions or concernsWe're always here to help and love to hear from our professionals I wish you the best of luck with your business Sincerely, [redacted] Thumbtack Support [redacted] @Thumbtack.com XXX-XXX-XXXX

Thumbtack is a races company Thumbtack closed my account because I refer another pro with the refer link they link the accounts and gadgets us take a background check it pass the other person did not I spent over 50,with the company and they refuse to reactive my account The supervisor were very racist towards me and my only question was how did Myou account get link with someone esle