I have a Thumbtack question. I have been advertising there for over a year and have still yet to close on a sale, despite the enormous amount of leads I've gotten. I've read a lot of stuff about these people being a scam(you have to pay for the leads up front) anyone here ever actually close a sale with Thumbtack or have a weird experience with them? I am probably going to stop using them, but when those leads come in it's tempting since the competition in my area is extremely fierce due to a lot of illegal home-bakers(NYC) TIA!

It looks like it's a scam in that you're not given qualified leads. Any time you have to pay for leads it isn't a good thing. You'd be better off getting a good website and working on your SEO to get to the first page of google so that people can find you when they do a search.

AI have thumbtack and I've booked about 7 weddings off of there. I don't mind paying for the leads, but I am very selective about what I reply to. I figure the 3.33 I pay is equivalent to whatever advertising or anything like that I would pay.

AI use Thumbtack. The lead cost is minimal. I haven't gotten any biz yet, though. I've found that publishing minimums in the description helps eliminate the bargain hunters.

Yeah, the lack of business thing is what's getting to me. Also, the complaints on other web sites are that the leads are fake, or Thumbtack employees trying to get people to spend money on quotes. I still have yet to get any business there.(I live in Queens) and cake shops in Manhattan will charge starting at $10 a serving(I am charging $3.50 buttercream and $6.50 fondant to start)so I feel that my prices are reasonable. If I got at least one sale, I would be a believer, but I am really on the fence.....

I'm resurrecting an old thread to ask if anyone is using Thumbtack currently. Have you had good results? In a late night (read: half asleep) attempt at figuring out how to get more job leads I stumbled upon the website, signed up and bought tokens (points? tickets? whatever those things are called). I'm having buyers remorse after reading all the complaints online. 

My experience was that the customers using it were looking for the lowest bidder, not quality.

From the 3 leads I've been given to quote I get the same feeling, @leah_s ‍ . Ugh, glad I bought the smallest amount of credits. 

 I gave up on them and then took it further by contacting the attorney genera'ls office for New York state to complain about their questionable practices. I had someone on there actually book me for a tasting and then day of she says "oh we decided to go with somebody in our neighborhood instead". I was livid  because back then I wasn't collecting payment upfront for a tasting, which I normally charge $25 for. Now I collect the fee at the time they book the tasting and it's paid before they even show up for their appointment. I don't know  if thumbtack is  still around or not, but yeah I think that they are scammers.

So far I've gotten 5 requests for quotes in 2 1/2 days. Not bad.

However, 2 of the requests were by children. One I didn't realize was a child, so I quoted it. When Thumbtack provided the full name I of course googled her and found out she's a sophomore in high school. Another request I didn't even bother with because it specifically stated in the request that it was a girl planning her Sweet 16.  

Seriously? I suppose I could give them the benefit of the doubt and say maybe these kids are working to pay for their party, but I highly doubt it. Don't know if it's worth complaining to Thumbtack about. 

Thumbtack is a scam. I reported them to the Attorney General for my state. It's obvious that they hire people to ask for quotes. It's a waste of time to put one together, set up a meeting and then have them bail on you the day of. Also, I am out money because I had to pay for leads. I know now that any place that wants you to pay for leads is not usually up to par. This is my only means of income(at the moment) so I don't have time to play.  No thanks.

I've had very good experiences with Thumbtack (i'm in Michigan). I've booked several weddings, birthdays, and showers. Certainly not every quote leads to a booking - and many wedding couples will do tastings with more than one baker - so I don't expect that every tasting appointment will lead to being hired - but enough do that makes the amount I pay for credits worthwhile.

The customers have been a fair mix of people looking for the lowest prices - but most have shopped other bakeries, so know the going rates in the area. I've been most surprised by two different weddings that were booked by brides that lived out of state - but were getting married here. Cakes designed, booked, and paid in full, all via emails and texts. 

The credits aren't that expensive - maybe give it a try and see how it works out in your area. Just be selective when deciding if you want to submit a quote.