ComplaintsforHomeAdvisor

Contractor Referral

Current Alerts For This Business

There are 4 alerts for this business. See all alerts

Pattern of Complaint:

On April 12, 2022, BBB recognized multiple patterns of complaints regarding billing and customer service issues. They were grouped into 2 categories:

• Business Owners/Contractors allege signing up with HomeAdvisor and setting a monthly expense budget; at the end of the month business owners find out that HomeAdvisor's charges are exceeding the agreed upon expense budget. Contractors/Business Owners also allege signing up with HomeAdvisor under the impression that they will only be charged for leads or “Opportunities” if their business actually gets the job. Business owners further claim they are being charged each time they press “Interested” in the opportunity, even if it includes incorrect information on which they can’t follow up with. Additionally, business owners assert these issues are leading to high unpaid invoices that eventually get sent to collections and/or are settled with a discount.

• Consumers allege being charged for more than the agreed-upon rate or being up-charged from their pre-paid rate. Consumers also contend having issues with contractors not showing up to the appointments, changing appointments last minute, and/or receiving minimal or no assistance from the business when incidents occur.

On May 25, 2022, HomeAdvisor provided the following response to the Business Owners/Contractor’s allegations:

“HomeAdvisor’s enrollment process requires pros, before joining the network, to review and affirmatively agree to an “Agreement to Key Terms,” which instructs the pro to review, and provides direct links to, the Terms and Conditions and Key Provisions page on the website. It also clearly and conspicuously explains that, among other things: (1) Project leads are not guaranteed jobs; (2) Standard leads will automatically be deemed accepted by pros and carry automatic charges going towards a monthly spend target set by the pro; (3) Once a pro is approved to join the network, the pro will be billed a membership fee; and (4) Opt-in leads are available and will incur additional charges. By checking the box to confirm the Agreement to Key Terms, the pro indicates that it agrees to these provisions, as well as to the other terms and conditions. The Key Provisions page describes how leads work, including costs; how to receive credits; what a spend target is; that pros are charged for leads regardless of whether the lead is converted to a job; and that there are no guarantees about how many leads a pro can convert to jobs. The Terms and Conditions (which have always been publicly available on HomeAdvisor’s website) provide even more detailed information about how HomeAdvisor works and how various homeowners may submit service requests that are then provided to one or more pros as leads.

To increase opportunities for jobs for pros and to improve the prospects that homeowners will find a pro to complete their projects, HomeAdvisor provides “Opportunity Leads,” which either are slightly outside the pros coverage area or involve tasks pros aren't currently buying leads for but are likely within its area of expertise. Pros are provided with a “free look” at these Opportunity Leads, and the pro is not charged unless it affirmatively accepts the lead. When Opportunity Leads are presented to a pro for consideration, HomeAdvisor conspicuously identifies them as Opportunity Leads that may fall slightly outside the pro profiled tasks and/or location.”

Since the business disagreed with the Business Owners/Contractor’s allegations; on May 25, 2022, BBB requested information/documentation to validate the business’ perspective.

On May 26,2022, the business declined to provide the requested information and provided the following response:

“We are very confident in the process of pros accepting terms and conditions, especially when it comes to pricing and material terms. They must physically check a box to agree with those main points that allegedly they "didn't know about".”

BBB requested a response from the business regarding the second pattern of complaints about Consumer’s allegations. However, as of June 13, 2022, the company has not responded to BBB's request to address the pattern.

Additional Complaint Information

Customer Complaint:

On April 12, 2022, BBB recognized multiple patterns of complaints regarding billing and customer service issues. They were grouped into 2 categories:

Business Owners/Contractors allege signing up with HomeAdvisor and setting a monthly expense budget; at the end of the month business owners find out that HomeAdvisor's charges are exceeding the agreed upon expense budget. Contractors/Business Owners also allege signing up with HomeAdvisor under the impression that they will only be charged for leads or “Opportunities” if their business actually gets the job. Business owners further claim they are being charged each time they press “Interested” in the opportunity, even if it includes incorrect information on which they can’t follow up with. Additionally, business owners assert these issues are leading to high unpaid invoices that eventually get sent to collections and/or are settled with a discount.

Consumers allege being charged for more than the agreed-upon rate or being up-charged from their pre-paid rate. Consumers also contend having issues with contractors not showing up to the appointments, changing appointments last minute, and/or receiving minimal or no assistance from the business when incidents occur.

On May 25, 2022, HomeAdvisor provided the following response to the Business Owners/Contractor’s allegations:

“HomeAdvisor’s enrollment process requires pros, before joining the network, to review and affirmatively agree to an “Agreement to Key Terms,” which instructs the pro to review, and provides direct links to, the Terms and Conditions and Key Provisions page on the website. It also clearly and conspicuously explains that, among other things: (1) Project leads are not guaranteed jobs; (2) Standard leads will automatically be deemed accepted by pros and carry automatic charges going towards a monthly spend target set by the pro; (3) Once a pro is approved to join the network, the pro will be billed a membership fee; and (4) Opt-in leads are available and will incur additional charges. By checking the box to confirm the Agreement to Key Terms, the pro indicates that it agrees to these provisions, as well as to the other terms and conditions. The Key Provisions page describes how leads work, including costs; how to receive credits; what a spend target is; that pros are charged for leads regardless of whether the lead is converted to a job; and that there are no guarantees about how many leads a pro can convert to jobs. The Terms and Conditions (which have always been publicly available on HomeAdvisor’s website) provide even more detailed information about how HomeAdvisor works and how various homeowners may submit service requests that are then provided to one or more pros as leads.

To increase opportunities for jobs for pros and to improve the prospects that homeowners will find a pro to complete their projects, HomeAdvisor provides “Opportunity Leads,” which either are slightly outside the pros coverage area or involve tasks pros aren't currently buying leads for but are likely within its area of expertise. Pros are provided with a “free look” at these Opportunity Leads, and the pro is not charged unless it affirmatively accepts the lead. When Opportunity Leads are presented to a pro for consideration, HomeAdvisor conspicuously identifies them as Opportunity Leads that may fall slightly outside the pro profiled tasks and/or location.”

Since the business disagreed with the Business Owners/Contractor’s allegations; on May 25, 2022, BBB requested information/documentation to validate the business’ perspective.

On May 26,2022, the business declined to provide the requested information and provided the following response:

“We are very confident in the process of pros accepting terms and conditions, especially when it comes to pricing and material terms. They must physically check a box to agree with those main points that allegedly they "didn't know about".”

BBB requested a response from the business regarding the second pattern of complaints about Consumer’s allegations. However, as of June 13, 2022, the company has not responded to BBB's request to address the pattern.

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Initial Complaint
04/17/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Im a contractor, I used their lead services 4 years ago and wasnt happy with their service, but the real problem is that they keep calling me to sign up for more leads and I have told them to please stop calling I dont need the service and please remove me from any calling list you may have of me, they said the remove me from the list but I still get phone calls Constantly, im not kidding I get 1-2 call per day each day of the week, when i answer and tell them to please stop calling they just hang up, I blocked the number and the next day there they are calling again with a different number. Have spoken to HomeAdvisor in many occasions but nothing gets resolved. FYI the reason I stopped using their service is because they sell the same leads to multiple contractors and thats totally wrong, I recommend anyone starting a business or in need of leads, not to use this company.
Business response
04/18/2024
We're so sorry to hear that **** has continued to receive any calls after requesting to be placed on our Do Not Call list. This is not typical, and not the experience we would expect. Upon review of the account, we can confirm that ****'s account is now set to Do Not Call, and will not receive any further contact by phone. We do apologize again, and if there's anything further we can assist with we do ask that **** call our *************** directly.
Initial Complaint
04/04/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
I keep receiving texts from ************** stating i have an upcoming service, i have contacted **** and they have confirmed i have nothing. I have repeated replied that i dont have nor will i ever have an upcoming service with HomeAdvisor but the texts still continue. This company by continually sending texts after i have said to stop gives fraudulent vibes and is unsolicited harassment.
Business response
04/11/2024
We thank ******* for bringing this to our attention and sincerely apologize for any inconveniences this has caused. ******* was set to receive a recurring service. We have cancelled the service to resolve this concern. Should ******* have any other questions, she is welcome to contact us again.
Customer response
04/11/2024

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me as long as it terminates any further contact.

Sincerely,

*************************
Initial Complaint
04/02/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Home Advisor has charged my account for services that I didn't receive and they continue to attempt payment. I would like to be refunded $110.90,because I didn't receive any services from them.
Business response
04/10/2024
We apologize for any frustration or confusion with the billing of ********'s account. Upon review of her account, we did not bill her for service in March due to her canceling the service before services were rendered. The last charge was in February for her cleaning. Her next scheduled service is on April 13, 2024. We have followed up directly for documentation showing any charges to her credit card in March. We ask that ******** contact our ************* team at ********************* or give us a call at ************** with the documentation we are requesting.
Initial Complaint
03/30/2024
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Homeadvisor cheated on the lead price and tricked me to pay $575 for annual membership. They initially claimed leads will be between $20-$50. After I went through all the trouble setting up my account and paid the $575 membership fee, the leads came at over $100 each. Most of the leads are from non-serious customers. They refused to refund half of them even the ones from competitors asking if I want to join them. This is a fraud business. Need membership fee refunded and all bad lead fee refunded.
Business response
04/08/2024
We thank ******* for bringing these concerns to our attention and regret to hear that her advertising experience was anything but positive. Throughout the course of the advertising campaign, ******* was awarded multiple lead credits to her account. In addition, the credit guidelines have been outlined to her via phone and in writing through the advertising agreement, which she has accepted. In an effort to come to a resolution, we have issued a refund of $287.99. We ask that she allow 5-7 business days to see the funds reflect on her bank statements. The account will be fully closed and we wish ******* the best in her future business endeavors.
Initial Complaint
03/25/2024
Complaint Type:
Order Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Home Advisor a company that claims to get you in touch with potential homeowners for home improvement projects charged me a membership fee of $288 dollars which I agreed too. After getting my card information they started charging my debit card $42 a call for a projects that the customer claimed to be an hour and a half and I had no interest in doing. After calling Home advisor they told me they were charging my debit card simply for calling me and charging me. After telling them I wanted out of their so called service I received a debit loss of $197 dollars and then after 2 weeks of being done with the service and having cancel my debit card I received an email from Home Advisor that I owed them $307.99 and to pay up before they send me to a debt collector.
Business response
04/03/2024
We thank ******** for bringing his concerns to our attention and apologize for any experience that has been less than favorable. ******** was provided with a written agreement which outlined all terms of the service, including the pay per lead billing process. He has accepted and agreed to these terms. We have made attempts to resolve ********'s concerns and have offered credits to his account, however he has opted to initiate multiple disputes through is financial institution resulting in an outstanding balance. In an effort to come to a resolution, we have waived the outstanding balance and his account is fully closed. We wish ******** the best in his future business endeavors.
Customer response
04/03/2024

Complaint: 21484773

I am rejecting this response because:
My experience with your so-called service was a cold call from one of your agents who baited me into your scheme of flat out stealing from me. After taking my Debit card information I started seeing cash withdrawals from **** leads. After calling your phone representative and asking what was going on they told me they were charging me for calling me with leads even before setting up their website. After checking the website, I found these calls were sometimes 42 dollars a call and stated the job would take an hour and half and had nothing to do with my trade. After wasting my time and money with them and having to call my bank multiple times, I called up to cancel this robbery only to be told by the customer service representative I owe an additional $204 dollars. After wisely canceling my debit card so they could no longer continue stealing from me I received an email from home advisor that I owed them an additional 304 dollars and threatened to take me to a debt collection agency. I want a letter stating I longer owe 304 dollars.
Business response
04/15/2024
We thank ******** for reaching back out to further discuss this matter. ********'s account is fully closed and we have resolved this matter. An email confirmation has been sent to him as of 04/15/24. Should ******** have any other questions, he is welcome to contact us again.
Initial Complaint
03/19/2024
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
I signed up to home advisor in the hopes of paying for leads to help start my new small business. After paying the 750 dollar fee to open the account to start getting leads i received over a dozen "leads" that were in fact fraudulent and i believe were created by the company to charge me for no services provided. I reached out to each lead and not a single one answered at the number provided. I would follow up with these numbers by leaving voicemails and text messages and calling back an hour later to attempt to contact them again. On several of the texts i received replies stating that they never created any job requests and to leave them alone. After not a single answered call on over 20 "leads" and several text messages stating that they never put in for any job services i reached out to **** to request a refund as they had not provided a single "lead" for the funds i had paid them. They informed me that was impossible because its against company "policy". I did some research to learn that they have done this in the past and are currently facing FTC charges for misleading and falsification of "leads" generated. I would like a refund and to be a part of this class action should it continue and have the messages and proof as needed. Please let me know if you need anything else. Thank you.***************************
Business response
03/28/2024
We are sorry to hear that ***** did not have a more positive experience with his advertising leads and apologize for any frustrations this experience might have caused. After reviewing his account and leads, and in a good faith effort to resolve his complaint, we have submitted his refund request to our accounting team. We are awaiting confirmation and will follow back up with ***** once we hear back.
Initial Complaint
03/14/2024
Complaint Type:
Sales and Advertising Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
This is in regards to the **** leads portion of homeadvisor. The rep that signed me up missed both phone appointments that were scheduled. I am a small business owner, and I took time out of my day to take the phone calls that were scheduled. This resulted in me wasting my time and losing wages. I was also assured by the same rep that the paid leads that they send to you would be paused until we had the phone appointment to finalize my account. This was not true. When I called the company to get it resolved they were very short and borderline rude. This was followed by an email from the rep that stated that I was the one responsible for missing appointments and not her. The email was sarcastic and intended to somehow deflect the blame for her missing our appointments onto me. I then called to cancel my subscription that I had for 1 week and had not even been fully set up due to the reps *********** I was denied a refund even though they had provided me with none of the service that was promised. I then Emailed the rep to let her know I had canceled the service and would no longer need to have any phone appointment,and that I was going to file a complaint with the BBB. Her response to this was again sarcastic. I then sent another email requesting to no longer be contacted by her. She then emailed me 2 more times, both of which I requested that she stop contacting me. She was very nice and polite when she was signing me up and taking my money, but when it came time to provide me with service she was very unhelpful.
Business response
03/22/2024
We apologize that ****** had anything but a positive experience with us and appreciate him bringing this matter to our attention. Upon checking his account records, we do see that his onboarding specialist attempted to connect with him on several occasions to complete his welcome call, but she and ****** kept missing each other. The only lead ****** received was credited so he was not charged, and we have issued a refund for his membership fee. His advertising has been cancelled and he should expect his refund within 2-3 business days. He is welcome to reach back out if he is interested in advertising again anytime in the future, and we wish his business all the best.
Initial Complaint
03/13/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
I am a pro that has used there services for leads. I was being charged per week for leads for forward 6-7 months. Apparently there was a glitch in there system and I wasnt charged for leads and it racked up a $3,500 bill which I dont have because it was coming out automatically. That should not be on the customer to pay that money out they should give them ample time to pay it back they are only offering 12 weeks. Which is nothing. Not to mention a lot of the leads are bogus anyway.
Business response
03/14/2024
We are so sorry to hear that ******'s recent experience has not been more positive. We do strive ensure that we are providing quality customer experience, and we apologize that has not been his experience. Upon review of his account, we do see that ****** was not being automatically billed from June of 2023 through January of 2024. This ultimately led to a larger balance on his account, leading to the complaint he filed.
After further research, we do see that ****** did apply for credit for a number of leads, receiving during that time, as being invalid. We did approve a large number of those credits, and those do not go towards his balance owed. As such, any outstanding balance only reflects the leads in which he should have been billed for. During this time, we can also confirm that ****** was calling on, and working through, the leads he was receiving. He was aware that he would be charged for these leads, and standard accounting practices would state that it is highly likely he was unaware that he was not being billed for any of the leads.
We do understand that the remaining balance is higher that ****** has available, and we have attempted to work with him to ensure that the balance can be paid. This included lowering his balance total and allowing him to make payments overtime to ensure that there is not a large financial burden all at once. As we have provided these options, continued to apply credits to his account, and ****** did continue to use the service without making payments, we do feel that we are working in good faith to ensure that this is resolved amicably. We do ask that ****** contact our accounting team directly to assist in setting up his payment plan, or to go over any other available options to him.
Initial Complaint
03/11/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Home advisor took my credit card information and tricked me into a position where i had to file a complaint with my credit card company to stop home advisor from billing me. My credit card company agreed it was fraudulent and reversed the charges. Now Home advisor hired a credit service to start threatening me to collect a debt. Please make them stop. They have been sued and shut down before because of this . They are affiliated with Angies list and told me that was who they were.
Business response
03/20/2024
We appreciate ***** reaching out to us and we sincerely apologize if he did not have a more positive experience advertising with us. To clarify, the lead credit and billing process was explained to him via phone before he signed, in the agreement that was sent to him before signing, and on the welcome call with him that took place the first week of advertising. During his welcome call, his representative helped extensively with app navigation and how to pause his leads and adjust his hours to match the times he wants to receive leads, how to adjust his tasks to make sure he receives leads for the jobs he wants to do, and how to send review requests to previous and current clients. She also went over his membership fee amount and his monthly budget for leads and how that works, as well as details about the pay-per-lead system. She explained what type of leads we will credit back and provided ***** with an ample amount of advice and information on how to make the most out of his leads. At this time, we have sent a request to our accounting team regarding the past due balance that is owed for his membership fee and leads, and we will follow back up with ***** directly with more information.

Customer response
03/20/2024

Complaint: 21414323

I am rejecting this response because: I was getting charged for ***** that were not in my area. System would not allow me to change radius. I was not able to block them or change in settings. Every time i would call I couldn't get anyone. The only time I got a call or several were to give a credit card number. It never stored my business name correctly either.

Sincerely,

*********************
Customer response
03/22/2024
Please ask home advisor to stop harassing and contacting me.
Business response
04/05/2024
We appreciate ******* reply and apologize again for the difficulties he experienced while trying to make adjustments to his account. These issues could have been handled by any of our customer service specialists by calling ************, or by clicking the "Live Help" option through his account and connecting with us via chat. At this time, the disputed balance has been pulled from 3rd party collections and waived in full, as he requested. If ***** has any additional questions or concerns, we're happy to assist.

Customer response
04/05/2024

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

*********************
Initial Complaint
03/08/2024
Complaint Type:
Customer Service Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Hello I am a business owner we recently opened the plumbing business and signed up with homeadvisor do get leads. Initially for 2 months everything was perfect. But last couple of weeks a customer complained and they suspended my account without even discussing with me. I emailed her with all details and proofs she is very slow with emails takes two to three days for reply and came up with very generic message that she is still waiting for customer reply. Phone calls she never answer. I am losing my business tried to talk to supervisor ?? ?? he said he cannot do anything as only She knows. Talk to another customer representative same reply. How can they ruin a business with single person complained without even verifying that it's correct or not? I am so stressed ?? I am running in loss due to homeadvisor policies.
Business response
03/13/2024
We appreciate *******'s concerns, and we are sorry that the account has been on hold for an extended time. If a formal complaint is filed, the professional account is placed on hold while an investigation is completed. We do attempt to make this process as timely as possible, but it can be extended while we wait for responses from both homeowners and service professionals. At this time we have not had contact from the homeowner for a few days, and the complaint was closed. We have spoken with ******* today regarding this, and the account can be placed back to active upon the completion of the agreed upon terms. If ******* as any additional questions we do ask that our *************** be contacted directly.

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