ReplySmith

Updated 2026-10-20

Angi, HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack review response templates

On Angi, HomeAdvisor (now Angi Leads) and Thumbtack, you paid for the conversation that produced the review. That changes the emotional temperature: a bad review on a lead you bought feels like being charged twice, and the reply too often shows it. The platforms' own guidance is plain and the same everywhere: thank the reviewer, acknowledge the situation, offer to fix it, and move the details to email or phone. Angi reports that pros with three or more reviews are 39% more likely to be selected, which is the real reason to answer every review, including the ones that sting.

The lead-platform-specific case is the review from someone who never hired you. Thumbtack lets a customer review the experience of contacting a pro whether or not they went ahead, so a review about your quote, your response time, or the fact that you declined the job is legitimate there and needs an answer that doesn't say “you weren't even a customer.” Angi verifies the reviews it adds against a customer and a project, so on Angi the no-record case is a verification question for Customer Care, not an argument in the reply.

Angi, HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack platform notes

Checked 2026-10-20. Angi's and Thumbtack's help pages were not readable from our build environment, so these notes come from search excerpts of the linked pages, including Thumbtack community threads answered by staff moderators; confirm in your pro account before relying on a specific.

  • Angi: pros reply to reviews from their profile, and Angi's own guidance for a negative review is to apologize, offer to fix the issue, and ask the homeowner to get in touch by email or phone. The same article lists Customer Care (phone, plus weekday live chat) as the route for review problems; we found no self-serve dispute form. Source: Angi Help Center: how to have success with reviews
  • HomeAdvisor Pro is now Angi Leads. Its guidance: respond to both good and bad reviews, thank the reviewer, show empathy, and move the conversation offline. Pros can request reviews from past customers by giving Angi the customer's name and contact details so the project can be verified; Angi says pros with 3+ reviews are 39% more likely to be selected. Source: HomeAdvisor Pro (Angi Leads) help: success with reviews
  • Thumbtack: a customer can leave a review based on their experience with you whether or not they hired you, and your reply appears alongside the review. Staff moderators say response time also feeds Pro Rewards status and search ranking. Source: Thumbtack Community thread (staff replies): negative review for not replying
  • Thumbtack: reviews are removed only if they violate the Terms of Use, and moderators point pros to support@thumbtack.com for that; the reply box is not the route. Source: Thumbtack Community thread (staff replies): review standards
  • Thumbtack: a new pro can add reviews from up to 10 non-Thumbtack customers to their profile while getting started; the Help Center's review page covers how unverified reviews are shown. Source: Thumbtack Pro Center: reviews
  • Character limits: none published in any of the sources we could read for the three platforms; the reply box shows any cap. Homeowners read these on a phone between quotes, so two short paragraphs is the right length anyway. Source: Angi Help Center: how to have success with reviews

The templates

Replace every [BRACKETED_PLACEHOLDER] with your specifics before posting - an unedited template is worse than no response.

Positive review on a completed job

Thank you, [CUSTOMER_NAME]. The [JOB, e.g. “panel upgrade”] at your place was a good one to work on, and I'm glad [THING_THEY_PRAISED, e.g. “the cleanup”] stood out; that's something we make a point of. If [RELATED_NEED, e.g. “the kitchen rewire”] comes up down the line, you have my number. Thanks again for taking the time to write this. - [YOUR_NAME], [BUSINESS_NAME]

Negative review on a completed job

[CUSTOMER_NAME], I'm sorry. [SPECIFIC_ISSUE, e.g. “The leak at the new valve”] shouldn't have happened, and the way the follow-up was handled made it worse. This is [YOUR_NAME], the owner. I'd like to come back out at no charge to put it right, and I've called and emailed you today to set a time. [CONCRETE_CHANGE, e.g. “Every valve install now gets a pressure test before we leave”] is in place from this week so it doesn't repeat for the next customer.

Mixed review: good work, missed timeline

Thanks for the fair review, [CUSTOMER_NAME]. You're right that the [JOB] ran [DELAY, e.g. “four days”] past what we promised, and I should have called sooner when [CAUSE, e.g. “the material backorder”] came up. I'm glad the finished work is what you wanted. We've changed how we schedule [CATEGORY] jobs so the dates we give now include a buffer for supplier delays. Thank you for the honest four stars. - [YOUR_NAME], [BUSINESS_NAME]

Review from a lead who never hired you (Thumbtack allows these)

Hi [CUSTOMER_NAME], thanks for the feedback, and I'm sorry the quoting stage didn't work for you. I understand [THEIR_POINT, e.g. “the estimate came in higher than you expected” / “I took two days to reply”]. For anyone reading: [BRIEF_CONTEXT, e.g. “we price a full site visit into every quote, which is why we're rarely the cheapest number”]. If you're still looking for someone for [PROJECT], I'm happy to talk it through again at [PHONE], no pressure either way. - [YOUR_NAME], [BUSINESS_NAME]

Estimate or pricing complaint on a paid lead

Hi [CUSTOMER_NAME], thank you for the review. I'm sorry the estimate for [PROJECT] felt out of line. The number covered [WHAT_WAS_INCLUDED, e.g. “permit, materials and a two-person crew for three days”], and I should have walked you through that line by line instead of sending it over. If you'd like, I'll go through it with you at [PHONE] and show where the cost sits; if we're still not the right fit, I'd rather you knew why than wondered. - [YOUR_NAME], [BUSINESS_NAME]

Review you can't match to any job or lead

Hi [REVIEWER_NAME], we've checked our jobs and leads and can't find a project or conversation that matches this review, and the details don't line up with our work ([ONE_FACTUAL_POINT, e.g. “we don't service [AREA]”]). It may have been meant for another company with a similar name. We've asked [PLATFORM] to verify it. If you did work with us, please call [PHONE] with the date and address and we'll look into it straight away. - [YOUR_NAME], [BUSINESS_NAME]

Do

  • Offer the fix in the reply and make the first call yourself; on lead platforms the next homeowner is reading to see whether you come back when something goes wrong.
  • Answer the never-hired review as a sales conversation, not a rebuttal; on Thumbtack the quoting experience is a legitimate thing to review.
  • Ask Angi to verify a review that matches nothing; Angi adds reviews it has verified against a customer and a project.
  • Reply fast; Thumbtack's moderators say response time feeds ranking and rewards status.

Don't

  • Don't mention what you paid for the lead; readers don't care, and it reads as resentment.
  • Don't argue a price in public; explain what the number included and offer to walk through it by phone.
  • Don't say “you were never a customer” on Thumbtack; the customer can review the contact experience without hiring you.
  • Don't expect a review to come down because it's unfair; Thumbtack removes reviews only for Terms of Use violations, and the route is support, not the reply box.

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