Dear Thumbtack, I’m Still Mad!

By Mike Coday •  Updated: 11/17/16 •  3 min read

Thumbtack Leave a Review

Dear Thumbtack,

It’s been awhile since we’ve talked.

After our last phone call, several months ago, I lost all my enthusiasm for working with you — haven’t even spent another dime of the money I put on my Thumbtack account to buy leads.

As an early adopter, I enthusiastically introduced you to several of my email lists of service contractors (e.g. roofers, window installers, general contractors, kitchen and bathroom remodelers, etc.) These are good people. I’ve developed deep relationships with them over many years of loyal service.

I’m honored to say they trust my advice. It took a long history of consistently valuable and solid communication to gain that trust, and, as you can imagine, it wasn’t exactly easy to do. However, when I told them to check out Thumbtack, they did…in droves!

Many signed up for your service immediately and many more signed up since, after I referred you during my public speaking events or with my private coaching clients.

However, I don’t trust you any longer Thumbtack.

You pulled the classic bait & switch on me.

After you got what you wanted from me, you changed the rules. I don’t know if it happened before or after you took investment money from Google, but you broke my trust in the dark of night without so much as a whisper of good faith communication. I was shocked because I never pinned you as the arrogant, insensitive type.

I woke up one day and my hard-earned reviews were gone.

You changed the rules and retroactively deleted most of the reviews I entrusted to you. There was no grandfathering, no good faith, and no working together. You made a unilateral decision to silence the voices of the very same people I introduced to you.

Contractors aren’t exactly your stereotypical review crowd. They don’t go around dropping online opinions like they’re trying to earn Yelp Elite status. Most of my reviews were the very first review that person had ever left — most have yet to review anyone or anything since — many never will leave another review. They’re just not the “reviewing” type.

You’re still showing a few of my recent reviews, but what happened to my other 100 amazing reviews?

I was extremely proud of my Thumbtack reviews because they were tangible, undeniable proof of the outstanding value I’ve brought to my audience — the written documentation of many faithful years of service.

Yes, I’m still mad, and I’m trying not to become bitter because I really want to like you, but I’m having a hard time letting this one go.

It’s just not right what you’ve done…

…but you could make it right.

Peace,
Mike

P.S. No, I don’t want to direct message you; neither will I contact you privately. You didn’t bother contacting me personally and I won’t be contacting you. I would just like to wake up one day and be surprised to find you’ve made things right again. If you want to move forward under your new review policy, we can do that, but let’s grandfather in all the old reviews first, okay? Sure, it will take extra programming, or hard coding them in to the profile, but wouldn’t that be the right thing to do?

Mike Coday

Mike started selling roofs in '95 while working as a youth pastor at a small church in North Texas. A decade later he transitioned to speaking at industry conferences and training outside sales teams. Today, he works exclusively as the premier consultant to roofing company owners who are driven for growth.