Hi, Ed! Like you, I had my concerns about Thumbtack, but decided to wade in anyway. It took a while, but over a couple of months, I finally landed a job…then another…then another. One of them turned into a recurring series of projects in my home town. I have found that you have to be careful with any of these "lead-gen" sites, but if you're discrete, you can find some work. I don't rely totally on Thumbtack, but they've been decent in helping me fill some open spaces. I don't compete with the "bottom feeders" and there are plenty of them. Nothing is more aggravating than competing with a "20-something" whose daddy bought him a Red Scarlet and he'll do a job for $25 an hour. I set my price and prospects either choose me or they don't. And I'm OK with that.
I was really rough on Thumbtack early on, as I was wondering (again, like you, if they weren't just trying to bilk credit dollars out of pros. They are actually fairly decent in crediting back credits if 48 hours pass and a quote you sent wasn't "opened."
Thumbtack is a couple of years old now, and I think they're trying hard to improve. I have established a direct communication with their CEO and he is actually quite responsive. My takeaway regarding Thumbtack is that they're OK. Not great–not that any of them are (including the wedding lead-gen portals), but used wisely, they can fill in a hole or two in your calendar.
My $0.02 for the day
TW
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