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Christine G Aeq

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Thumbtack - This platform is a scam!

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I have been charged for 5 direct leads so far, and of those leads, 4 were outside the scope of the parameters indicated on my profile. For instance, one lead wanted a mural applied to a degraded asphalt parking space.

After contacting her and confirming she wanted an asphalt parking space painted, I indicated the asphalt would need to be repaired before paint could be applied. She stated she was not willing to do that and canceled. My profile clearly indicates that I only paint walls and ceilings, or objects; the only parameters offered by the platform, other than windows. I asked for a refund and was denied.

Another case was for a lead that indicated the desired area to be painted was 25 - 50 sq ft, yet on the same page also indicated that he wanted two 12x12 areas painted, which is a total of 288 sq ft, not 25 - 50.

This was also outside my parameter indication.

Another lead wanted a spray painted mural on his vehicle, which again, is not within my scope.

Yet another simply told me she would let me know when she wanted the mural done after emailing that I was available and more than willing to do her project, but she never responded again. I didnt even get to discuss price or any other details.

Then today I got a call from someone at Thumbtack I could barely understand saying they wanted to connect me with people who want my services. He put me on hold and someone else came on stating they wanted to make sure my profile was filled out as completely as it needed to be to get the maximum benefit from the platform and quoted me $300 for the service. I indicated that my profile was already completely filled out and I didnt need his services.

A telemarketing bait and switch basically.

What it boils down to, at best, is the parameters available to pinpoint your services are too ambiguous, and they use that flaw as a gotcha. Theres nothing to indicate details for materials used by the artist or enough differentiation regarding working surfaces theyre willing to paint on, which comes up frequently, so if someone wants a parking space with potholes in it painted, youre on the hook regardless. Mistakes made by customers are ignored which result in charges they wont refund. Customers just fishing for information and pricing also result in charges they wont refund.

Its a total scam and completely detrimental to a one-man operation trying to make a go of pursuing a life long dream. Shameless.

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Loss:
$48
Cons:
  • Poor customer service and excuses
  • Contracts are scammers
  • I did not like the responses i got from potential clients

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: Run away!

2 comments
Thumbtack
Thumbtack Response

Hi Christine, we're sorry to hear about your experience, and your update. We appreciate the specific feedback you've shared about your services and the job details.

We'll pass along this feedback to our team so that we can continue to improve the pro experience. As for your targeting preferences and outstanding concerns, please email us at support@thumbtack.com, if you're not working with our support team already.

Amiyah Kzm

2 minutes after posting this review I got an email stating my targeting was turned back on after I spent an hour this afternoon getting it turned off. This means they would start charging me for arbitrary leads again, so I removed my payment information from the platform until itโ€™s resolved.

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