Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Thumbtack, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Thumbtack, Inc.

  1355 Market St Ste 600 San Francisco, CA 94103-1337

• 

  Thumbtack, Inc.

  12936 S Frontrunner Blvd Ste 500 Draper, UT 84020-5485

• 

  Thumbtack, Inc.

  12936 S Frontrunner Blvd Draper, UT 84020-5480

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/04/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Ive a member of the Thumbtack ************* for 3 years. They sell leads for several services to honest and dedicated professionals.Their charge pros, in advance, for what they call direct leads, which are supposed to be jobs that match exactly the service that the pro is offering. Now, their customer filtering system isnt competent enough to determine such a match thus charging pros for leads that arent exactly matches.This company seems to try and adapt to their market problems and obstacles at the expense of their customers - the pros.They make them set a weekly budget from where they take their not-transparent lead charges, which keep on changing in a impossible way for pros to understand. Since pros, rightfully so, keep their weekly budget to a minimum, the company, feeling cornered by their own greed, unilaterally decided to make it mandatory that pros take - from a certain date on - what they call Instant bookings. This was created before but had no success among professionals because they charge them exponentially much more for these leads. Their argument is that they do all the hiring decision work on behalf of the pro. This is abusive because:1) Takes the filter for jobs out of experienced pros hands.2) Charges much more for each lead thus exhausting their weekly budget much sooner and making pros pay for their lead losses.Lastly, since the pros customers dont pay for hiring on Thumbtack, their process of selecting leads is so shady the customers dont feel the responsibility of hiring a true pro, leading to cancellations that arent refundable by Thumbtack.In fact, they created such a limited refund policy that a pro can rarely get compensation for their own mistakes.The last outrageous move from this company was sending an email to pros saying, basically, that if you decide to lower your weekly budget, well charge you more per lead.They act as if customers were of their own; customers are of the pros.I obviously have proof of the above.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/13/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to the Better Business Bureau, Nuno. We appreciate this feedback, as we're always trying to improve Thumbtack for our users. We understand that you have concerns regarding lead pricing, Instant Book and refunds. We want all pros to be successful on Thumbtack, so we would like to include some more context into our policies. Regarding what determines the cost of a lead or booking, our goal is to make the cost match how valuable the job is. Prices will vary since a jobs value can change based on things like project size, how many pros are available, and your market. You can learn more about how leads and bookings are priced here: ***********************************************************. As for Instant Book, we understand this is a big change and we're here to help during this transition. Weve learned with instant booking, pros are more likely to get hired and customers are more likely to get their job done. We understand this is a big change. Feel free to learn more about Instant Book here: **********************************************************. And we are always happy to review a refund request. Please note that all sales on Thumbtack are final and non-refundable per our refund policy in our Terms of Use under the section Thumbtack Fees and Taxes., which all users on Thumbtack agree to upon signing up. However, we know every dollar counts when you are a business owner, so there are certain situations where we will add credit back to your Thumbtack balance. You can read more about our refund policy here: ***********************************************************. We hope this information helps. If you have further questions, please reach out to our Support team here: ************************************************************************;
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/02/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Thumbtack has a new service called Instant booking that they mandate every professional must use regardless of whether they want to. The fees are almost twice as expensive and so far in have only had a handful of customers actually proceed with the service.My issue is that in spite of the mandate, thumbtack has not provided more Opportunity dor the professional to give more exact pricing ir estimates to the customer before booking. I do Jobs that had different pricing based on each request yet thumbtack does not give me any avenue ** provide customers pricing before paying this new fee. It is an unfair and unethical business practice that they are forcing rather than giving the option to the professional.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2023

  We appreciate the feedback on your lead prices, well be passing this along to our team. Weve learned with instant booking, pros are more likely to get hired and customers are more likely to get their job done. We understand this is a big change. We urge you to join our pro community to chat with other pros and get tips for your business. *******************************************. And you can learn more about Instant Book here: ****************************************************************;

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/02/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Im fed up with Thumbtack and their charges. I was charged $25 for a lead. They used to be around $3. I was instant booked (which they demand now). The person immediately canceled and now they want to give me a credit. Its ******** and I want my full credit to my bank account back. They cant just send a ******** lead, charge you, then give a credit. Thats stealing and they have to be stopped!!

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2023

  We really appreciate you reaching out, ********. We understand that the introduction of Instant Book is a big change, but weve learned with instant booking, pros are more likely to get hired and customers are more likely to get their job done. However, there may be reasons that customers need to cancel. If the lead is canceled by the customer within 15 minutes of making the booking, well automatically refund the amount back to your Thumbtack balance. For this particular lead, it was after that 15-minute period. You can learn more about Instant Book here: **********************************************************, and if you have further questions, please reach out here: ******************************************************************. As for the refund being returned as a credit, all sales on Thumbtack are final and non-refundable per our refund policy in our Terms of Use under the section Thumbtack Fees and Taxes.. However, we know every dollar counts when you are a business owner, so there are certain situations where we will add credit back to your Thumbtack balance. You can learn more about our refund policy here: *****************************************************. If you have further questions, please reach out here: ******************************************************************. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/18/2023

   
  Complaint: 20950101
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This is not an answer to the problem. Instant book is terrible and most pros wish you would stop. Youre greedy and completely out of line. This person the instant booked wasnt home and never responded. Its the case most of the time. Youre charging 3times what you used to charge and only causing me the trouble of paying more money, driving to a house with no one home. Bullshit! I want my money back. There will be a class action lawsuit soon enough if you dont cut out your greedy awful business practices. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  Business Response

  Date: 12/26/2023

  Thank you for providing your feedback. We will be sure to share this information with the relevant department.With that said, we have identified that this process is the best option for our platform. We understand if this does not align with your business needs. We wanted to ensure we provided you with the information to make the best decision for your business.Please be sure to review this link to understand our expectations for Instantbook. ************************************************************* you have any questions you would like to discuss further, please contact our Service and Support team Monday - Friday, 6 AM - 6 PM MST. Here are the different options we have for you to proceed with:
  - Phone support is available by calling **************
  - Text support is available by texting **************
  - Email support is available by emailing ******************************** or ****************************** for Spanish Support.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Thumbtack charged me over $100 erroneously. The lead they took the money for canceled before I ever spoke to them. So this is a closed loop. Thumbtack took my money. This Phantom lead canceled. Thumbtack keeps my money. I've had no contact with anyone. They say they're keeping my money because the lead canceled more than 15 minutes after he booked the appointment. I don't understand why someone else's Behavior and proclivities affect whether I get a refund or not?

  Business Response

  Date: 12/08/2023

  Thanks for reaching out here, ******. We definitely understand the frustration in not getting hired. As a lead-generating platform, customers can reach out to you wanting to learn more about your business or they can instantly book with you because they are ready to schedule with you. Customers can only reach out or book you if their project details match your targeting preferences. You're investing in getting your business in front of potential clients, which doesn't always mean you'll be hired, however, we hope that you are. Customers are searching for the right professional for their job. While we help in this search, it's up to the professionals to sell themselves. This includes making the customer feel confident in providing an address to someone online or increasing the chances of getting hired for the job. The lead in question was an instant book lead. Weve learned with instant booking, pros are more likely to get hired and customers are more likely to get their job done. However, there may be reasons that customers need to cancel. If the lead is canceled by the customer within 15 minutes of making the booking, well automatically refund the amount back to your Thumbtack balance. For this particular lead, it was after that 15-minute period. You can learn more about Instant Book here: **********************************************************, and if you have further questions, please reach out here: ************************************************************************;

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We signed up for thumbtack on the week of October 23rd. Its been over a month now. We paid $400 and were promised wed be up and running within 7 days. Weve attempted to contact thumbtack and our representative over 20 times in the past 30 days with NO communication received back. Were always promised well hear back and we never do. This is unacceptable. Wed like to hear something from the business, as of this point it just feels as thought weve been scammed.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/08/2023

  We appreciate you reaching out here on the Better Business Bureau and we're sad to hear about your experience. We want all pros to find value in Thumbtack and we're definitely here to answer any questions you have. We see that you were able to speak with a sales representative on 11/30/23. They provided more information about your account and tried to give you tips on how to make your account successful on **********************. If you have further questions or concerns, please reach out here: ************************************************************************;

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/08/2023

   
  Complaint: 20933716
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  We did speak with our representative- who was of no help to us. He admitted to us that he blocked our executive assistants number & that he lost his phone for 4 weeks. This was after he was absent prior. 
  

  We understand life happens; and we arent trying to pivot blame to our representative. At the end of the day, our dissatisfaction is not just with our rep, but with thumbtack as a whole. After over 30 days of you holding our money hostage we received nothing. Your customer care team has been of no use in assisting us. 
  

  We use a multitude of lead platforms & have extremely healthy relationships with all of them & dump thousands into it monthly. Our only exception is thumbtack. We have not been, for a single second, happy that we registered. Weve heard tragic tale after tragic tale on contractors boards & decided to give this a shot anyways. Its unfortunate to see all the bad reputation have merit. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  David 

  Business Response

  Date: 12/18/2023

  Hi *****, thanks for providing more context here. We've reached out to our teams and someone will be following up with you via email. Please keep an eye out for that and use that thread to continue resolving you concerns. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  A customer made a direct booking which i had cancelled weeks ago bc i work full time in addition to doing side work. This particular direct booking asked me to come to their home without them being there on a day I am not available as per my schedule on thumbtack. Its sketchy obviously and not a good idea. In addition, I have it set up so that thumbtack doesnt take more than $40 PER WEEK for bookings and that was the second charge so $80 total. Its a scam. Im sure theyll rectify the problem after this complaint but its not fair they wouldnt work it out on their chat after three attempts . I want a refund to my bank not thumbtack account. Put back what you stole where it belongs. Thanks for your service!

  Business Response

  Date: 12/08/2023

  Hi *******, we appreciate you reaching out here. We want to look into this issue for you, but unfortunately, the phone number and email you provided on the Better Business Bureau does not lead to a Thumbtack pro account. Please reach out here with that information: ******************************************************************, so our team can look into this for you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/26/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I want to turn off instant booking on all my items it's a scam your company is pulling no way I'm going to ********* from ** to work I noticed every time. I sign up for job skill at this app say you going to be on instant booking, I'm going report this too BBB. this company should be shame. it should go a different page and turn on instant booking. Why steal from people you are trying help. Now I have to go on all my job skills. and turn off instant booking. you steal any more money from me. THUMBTACK STEALING money from people account. making information not letting customer to turn off auto charge before finishing job skill.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/04/2023

  Thank you for taking the time to share feedback about this new feature with us, we'll pass it along to the right team. Weve learned with instant booking, pros are more likely to get hired and customers are more likely to get their job done. We understand this is a big change. We hope to continue to optimize the experience by listening to service provider's feedback. If you have specific questions about when you're charged, or if there's anything we can currently help with, please let us know. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I tried to contact this company on November 16th. They have no phone support for Pros. It immediately sends you over to text message support that is not functioning. So I had to call and pretend to be a customer in order to reach a representative.I should not have been charged for anything by this company because I had not yet set my *** lead prices. how is it possible that I was already booked and charged if I had not done this? In addition, it clearly stated that I wouldn't be able to book work until my background check was finalized. I never finished my background check and was still charged for using the service somehow.When I made the first call, I was told I needed to reactivate my account in order to be refunded. I did so and was waiting to hear back about the escalated issue. In this time, I was booked and charged again. I immediately cancelled the booking and now need to be refunded for this mistake too.At this point, I have spoken with two representatives over the phone. Neither of them were able to connect me with a supervisor over the phone. Instead, the supervisor contacts you within ***** hours over email. The supervisor did not give me any further solutions. I find this to be a really ineffective and frustrating system that doesn't prioritize the professionals that thumbtack relies on to make them money. These are exploitative business practices.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2023

  Hi *****, thanks for you reaching out here. We see that a Thumbtack supervisor emailed you on 11/28 with a link for you to book a call them with them. If you have further questions or concerns, please respond to that email thread of use the link in the email to book a call to discuss this further. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/29/2023

   
  Complaint: 20907827
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have not yet spoken with a supervisor over the phone. The next available appointment is on the 4th of December. I booked an appointment to have a phone call with **** on Monday, December 4th. So far, the responses from your company have not reasonably considered my position and have not addressed a main and valid argument-- that I was not yet finished with my background check and that was required in order to book any leads. I will continue to try and speak with a supervisor over the phone and will update BBB once this has transpired.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 12/04/2023

  Hi *****, thank you for following up about your initial complaint. It sounds like you had a call scheduled for today with our team, we hope that you were able to receive the assistance you needed. If you have additional questions or concerns following the call, please send a direct response to our team's last email. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/06/2023

   
  Complaint: 20907827
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I had an appointment on the 4th with **** to discuss matters over the phone. Not only was it rescheduled without my consent or permission, but it was also cancelled on November 30th.

  In addition, I think there are some policies that need to be revised. I had explained to the representative that I did not want to continue my service with Thumbtack. Since my account needed to be reactivated in order to receive a refund (which I don't believe to be true since the supervisors were able to look at my account even when it was deactivated), it was the responsibility of that rep to let me know that I needed to turn my leads off. This is especially true because I expressed confusion with navigating the service.

  When I said this, the supervisor stated that some accounts need background checks and some do not. It doesn't make sense that some accounts are required to have background checks and some are not. It states when you start an account with ********************** that you will need to have a background check done before using services. If there is nuance to this, this needs to be specified and policy descriptions need to be updated. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Between January and March of 2023 ************ known as thumbtack Deleted my account after I had been paying them a $100+ a week for leads And I end up losing all my clients because of a misunderstanding that I can't talk to a human being about every time. I try to follow the prompts to talk to somebody about this. I get absolutely nowhere is just a revolving door. The problem began. I started working with someone who previously had a thumbtack account that they decided not to use. So they deactivated it without my knowledge. I was trying to coordinate a job with this person. Then thumbtack sends me a message saying. I have to reinstate the other account in order to continue using thumbtack. I tried to let Let them know that the counts are not linked. Literally was just using his phone number and even so, they would not allow him to reactivate his accoand they saying that I can't do anything with mine Until he reinstateswhich is ridiculous. But now the biggest problem I have is being harassed by a company. That Keeps sending me emails for jobs and offers that I can't even accept every time. I try to log in to stop the emails. They still won't let me past the main screen. All I want is to be left alone. And the platform which was good at the time, has horrible completely disrespectful customer service The biggest thing to get on my nerves with. It is the fact that when I try to resolve the problem, they only respond through text and assured me that the customer service quality is just as good as talking to a real person which is completely ridiculous. So now I'm out of money at lost clients and months later. I'm still getting Taunted by the website, I wasn't going to leave review. I don't usually do this but now i'm beyond frustrated. Thumbtack, you need to get your stuff together.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2023

  We appreciate you reaching out on the Better Business Bureau regarding your concerns about your account and the notifications. We see that you were able to reach out Support team on 11/27/23 and they have removed you from all further notifications. Please note that it can take up to 48 hours for the change to take effect, but after that time you should no longer receive emails from Thumbtack.Thanks again for contacting Thumbtack.  We wish you and your business all the best.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/20/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I filed a dispute under **********'s ***************** after hiring a professional through the Thumbthack platform. The professional in question performed unlicensed work and provided unsatisfactory services, forcing me to hire another individual to rectify the issues caused. Despite ********** advertising a Guarantee for the work performed by their pros, my request for a resolution under this guarantee was denied. I provided all required documentation and firmly believe that I meet the criteria set out in the Guarantee Guidelines.Initially, ********** responded to the complaint by cancelling the professional's account. However, the account was later reactivated, which I interpret as an indication of **********'s disregard for customer satisfaction and a selective adherence to their own guidelines. I have since terminated my account with ********** due to the lack of support and resolution from the company. Furthermore, the professional's account, responsible for the unlicensed work, remains active on the platform. Meanwhile, I am left with a structure that was constructed without a license, without a permit, and that received a stop work order. This situation underscores my grievances regarding **********'s handling of the issue and their perceived failure to enforce their own standards and guarantees.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2023

  We appreciate you reaching out here. We're sorry to hear about your experience on Thumbtack. We see that you have been working with our Trust and Safety team and they have provided you with information regarding the outcome of this incident. We understand that you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your incident and Thumbtack's policies and processes. We've provided you with the information needed to move forward, and you've shared your next steps. If you have further questions, you will need to reach back out to our Trust and Safety team.