Short answer: hipages and the other lead platforms can work, especially when you are starting out and need jobs this week. But a lot of tradies end up paying a lot for leads that go to five other blokes at the same time. Here is the honest version.
Where lead platforms help
You are new, or quiet, and need work fast.
You do not have a website or any way to be found yet.
You are happy to compete on price and speed of reply.
Where they hurt
You pay per lead whether you win the job or not.
The same lead is sold to several tradies, so you are in a race to the bottom.
Stop paying, and the work stops the same day. You never built anything that is yours.
That last point is the big one. Money on a lead platform rents you customers. It does not build a pipeline you own.
The fix is not "quit hipages"
It is "do not depend on one lead source." Start with the cheapest fix there is: stop losing the calls already ringing your own number. Every one that rings out while you are on a job is a lead you did not have to buy. When you can't pick up, BizEdge texts the caller back in seconds from your own BizEdge number. Here is how it sets up on your mobile: a few standard codes, then one test call. Text-back will not replace hipages on day one, but every customer it saves was yours already.
Then, while you keep using what works, build your own way of getting found: your Google profile and reviews sorted, and ranking when someone searches your trade in your suburb. Over time, more of the work comes to you directly, and the per-lead bill shrinks.
It can work when you are new or quiet and need jobs this week. But you pay per lead whether you win the job or not, the same lead is sold to several tradies, and the work stops the day you stop paying.
Should I quit hipages?
Not necessarily. The fix is to not depend on one lead source. Keep using what works while you stop losing the calls you already get and build your reviews and Google presence, so over time more work comes to you directly and the per-lead bill shrinks.
What is the real cost of lead platforms?
They rent you customers rather than building a pipeline you own. Stop paying and the work stops the same day, and you never built anything that is yours.