Business Profile

Contractor Referral

HomeAdvisor

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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This business has 4 alerts

Pattern of Complaints

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Important 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.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for HomeAdvisor's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

315 total complaints in the last 3 years.
45 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

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The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

Initial Complaint
Date:10/26/2022
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
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.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I received a phone call from an **** Leads/HomeAdvisor representative and was signed up for their service. I was told that I would receive leads and if I accept the lead, I would be charged for it. I set my total lead charges for $500 a month. On 10/14/22 I saw a charge for $1,700 from **** Leads, so I called to dispute the charge. I was told I would get a call back and never did. I disputed the charge with my bank on 10/18/22. On 10/21/22, I was charged another $1,600 by **** Leads and called again. I spoke with a supervisor named **** and he put in a request for a stop payment on the second charge and a refund request on the first charge (which should've been done when I called on on 10/14/22). The charge was never stopped, so I called on Monday 10/24/22 and was told to call back on Wednesday 10/26/22, which I did and they are supposed to call me back. It was never explained how **** charges for all leads and was only told once I called to dispute the charges that I would be charged for every lead sent, regardless if I accepted the job or not. I was sent a huge amount of leads that had nothing to do with my contractor's license and for work I don't do. I was also then told that those extra leads aren't included in the $500 limit I set. The whole experience has been stressful and now I'm behind on all my bills because **** took over $3,000 from my account in a 2 week time frame when I only authorized $500 for a whole month. They were not upfront with their charging practices and have not been very responsive to my inquiries. When I cancelled my account, they said they wouldn't be able to issue a refund if I didn't have an active account, so I feel like I'm being forced to continue with them against my will.
Business Response
Date: 11/10/2022
We appreciate ***** bringing his concerns to our attention and we apologize for any frustrations he's experienced. When he signed on to advertise with us, the advertising agreement was sent to him, in writing, before signing. This agreement included the advertising terms, services we provide, and the lead billing process. We have reached out to ***** directly with an offer for resolution, and we look forward to hearing back from him to resolve this matter.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/10/2022

Complaint: 18316254

I am rejecting this response because: **** Lead's resolution is unacceptable. When a limit of $500 a month is set and a contractor is charge over $3,000 within a weeks time, there's an issue with ****'s business practices. We've spent countless hours trying to resolve this with **** and whenever you call in, you have to explain the entire situation over each time with multiple people. When we are promised a call back, we don't get a call. The representatives and supervisor tell you different and sometimes conflicting information and it's an exercise in frustration. The tone of their "resolution" offer is condescending, like they're doing us a favor by accepting only $637 as a payoff on charges that should've never been accrued to begin with. They have $437.00 that was paid to them and they can keep that - we will not be paying another dollar to **** Leads. They're also threatening to send us to collections, which is another slap in the face. They've caused us harm financially and emotionally by taking money meant to pay bills and now we're almost 2 months behind on everything. The only acceptable resolution is acknowledgment of no additional money due so we can get on with our lives without fear of fighting collections for unauthorized charges.

Sincerely,

*************************
Business Response
Date: 11/23/2022
We appreciate *****'s response. The charges outside of his $500 limit were for Opportunity Leads he accepted, and they were billed in accordance with the advertising agreement. This agreement was sent to him before he signed on to advertise with us, and we've attached it to this complaint for reference. Ultimately, we made what we believe is a more than fair offer, as we did waive a very large portion of the lead fees that were owed. Unfortunately, ***** did not accept our offer, but we are still willing to honor the offer if he reaches out to us.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/24/2022
Type:Product Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
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.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
So I am paying **** ads $4,000 a month. With that I am getting leads but not closing jobs. Ive closed jobs before so I know its nothing from my end. I believe that for the amount of money Im paying them I should have a much higher ROI.I would like to end my contract. I can never get in touch with my client success manager its like they dont want to help.Anytime I call I get nothing back.
Business Response
Date: 11/02/2022
We will contact ******* and review his account to make adjustments that work for his business needs. His Clients Success manager will contact him shortly.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/02/2022

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
Date:10/17/2022
Type:Customer Service Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
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.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Home Advisor aka ****'s List, continues to charge $9.99, seems like every few months. Most recently October 3rd. I tried to cancel service.I've wasted 45 minutes with two different customer service reps today. Called two different numbers today, 877# and local number. I just want to cancel the service. Company refuses to cancel service.Customer service reps argue with me and get on and off the line but won't cancel.
Business Response
Date: 10/25/2022
We apologize for the trouble ***** encountered while attempting to cancel his membership. The membership was cancelled and refunded in full on 10/17/2022. Refunds usually take 2-3 business days from the refund date to post to the card or bank statement.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/16/2022
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
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.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I was charged by this company, Home Advisor, for services that were not provided. I contacted the company and lodged a complaint. The company responded that they would refund the charges. They did not. Not only that, but they are now charging my credit card for recurring payments. I expressly told this company, Home Advisor that I never wanted ANYTHING to do with their questionable practices again. Services were supposed to be provided in my home. NO SERVICE was provided.
Business Response
Date: 10/18/2022
We do apologize for any frustration or inconvenience this situation has caused *******. We were able to locate her account, issue a refund for the $29.99 and remove her information from our database. We appreciate ******* patience and allowing us to resolve her concerns.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/14/2022
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
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.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Home Advisor/*****'s List charged me a $29.95 fee without my permission. I requested that the account be deleted within the first 14 days, but it was not and I was subsequently charged. They make it nearly impossible to speak with customer service about refunds. I never used the service to hire a pro. No pros were ever referred.
Business Response
Date: 10/24/2022
We do apologize for any frustration or inconvenience this situation has caused *********. We were able to locate her account, issue a refund for the $29.99 and remove her information from our database. We appreciate ******************** patience and allowing us to resolve her concerns.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/13/2022
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
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.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
2 transactions - the first involved simply billing my credit card a second time for work already paid for in the *** of $185.40. The second on occurred in September 2022 involving work on our deck that was not competed resulting in damage. The amount is $211.56.
Business Response
Date: 10/17/2022
We apologize for any inconvenience *** experienced and appreciated him bringing this matter to our attention. Our ************* team has since followed up with *** to start the claims process to review the damages to his deck. We ask that he follows up with the claims team directly at **************** with his documentation. We hope to have his concerns resolved promptly.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/19/2022
I have attempted to communicate these issues with the business with no success. They either don't understand (or pretend they don't) or place additional charges against my credit card! To resolve the issue they simply need to credit me the two amounts: $211.55 and ******. In addition they must remove their marketing which claims they won't charge the customers credit card until the work is completed since that is a lie!
Business Response
Date: 10/28/2022
We apologize for any frustration *** is experiencing in resolving his concerns. We have a claims process; we have sent *** the form to send in his documentation and are waiting for him to send in his documents. We ask that he follows up on our email with his photos, contract and third-party contract. Once we receive his documents, we will move forward with our claims process.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/04/2022

Complaint: 18189764

I am rejecting this response because:

Sincerely,

***********************
Business Response
Date: 11/29/2022
*** has yet to fill out the claims form; he was an email requesting his documentation of the damages and a quote to address the issue. Once he has completed that form, we can move forward. If he has any further questions, he needs to follow up with our Claims team at ****************.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/12/2022
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
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.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I sign up for **** leads home advisor to get side work I explained to them I have a full time job but it was slow and I was looking side work until my job picks up. So they explained to me that they would charge me for a big house for the total of 172 or small for 52. At the time they send me 3 big house and they attempted to draw ***************************************************************************************************** it was to soon and they will not charge me anything and they will give me 3 free house which out of the three free house I only did one cause most of the leads they send is customers hanging up on me or not answering the phone. Anyway they kept sending me houses and I couldn't get intouch with no customers out of 15 house I only get in touch with 3 and they want me to pay they ***** for all those houses they told me that even though I didn't do the houses I still have to pay and that they are going to send me to collections if I don't pay it. I don't think it's fair for me to pay for it if I didn't actually do the houses. They did explained to me that I can go in the app and ask for a reimbursement if I didn't do the job now they are telling me to pay **** or they sending me to collections
Business Response
Date: 10/21/2022
We appreciate **** reaching out about his advertising concerns and apologize that his experience was anything but positive. We have reached out to him directly via email with a resolution offer and look forward to hearing back from him.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/24/2022

Complaint: 18205416

I am rejecting this response this company is still offering me to pay the full amount this is no offer why should I pay for something I didn't do

Sincerely,

*************************
Business Response
Date: 11/01/2022
We sent the attached email to **** on 10/21/22 with an offer to pay a portion of the balance on his account to resolve the matter. If he does not pay the balance or the reduced amount we offered via email by 11/10/22, the balance will be sent to a 3rd party for collection. We hope to hear from him soon to resolve the balance at the reduced amount offered as an amicable resolution to his complaint. We have also re-sent the offer email to him again today.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/11/2022
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
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.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
HomeAdvisor charges $ 200 to each of 3 businesses that it sends a "lead" to when someone unknowingly accesses site. They get charged whether they get the job or not. They do not tell the consumer who goes to the site to look for businesses, so unknowingly a consumer causes other businesses to get charges. This is a high fee that causes small business cost without benefit, since the internet is easy to get into a situation that you are not sure of. My 90 year old mother did not even know she was using a fee based business and did not know how she got into the system. I called on behalf of the business, as we got multiple quotes from people in and out of HomeAdvisor. I think the company needs to be more obviously transparent upfront so small businesses are not hurt in the process.
Business Response
Date: 10/13/2022
We're so sorry to hear that ********'s experience has been anything but positive. We have attempted to locate her account, however, we have no records of her in our system with the contact information provided. We did reach out to her directly days ago with no response. At this time we are unable to ascertain if she is lodging a complaint on behalf of her mother or if she is a business owner placing a complaint. As she has refused to respond to us we do consider this matter closed.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/10/2022
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
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.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I engaged HomeAdvisor to help me schedule a cleaning of an apartment I was vacating. I understood that I was using this service to hire an independent contractor to do the work and I was willing to pay a little more than the actual cost because this company did the work of finding and vetting a cleaner for me. I paid $141 for a 2-hour cleaning of a bedroom, bathroom, and vanity area in between. At that rate, I had expectations that this would be a thorough cleaning. When the cleaner called me about possibly coming earlier than scheduled, she mentioned that she was being paid $30 by HomeAdvisor for a "basic cleaning," and anything extra (such as stain remover on the carpet) would cost extra. I understand the need of a service like that costing extra. What I do not understand is how only 21% of the fee I paid went to the cleaner. The significance of this discrepancy is that when HomeAdvisor asked me to rate the cleaning, I would have rated this woman rather poorly because I assessed the quality of cleaning service based on the amount I paid. For even a fee of $100, I would say she did a rather poor job. For a fee of $30, I would say she did fine - what more could I really ask for at a rate like that? This practice of HomeAdvisor is not only deceitful to the consumer, but it jeopardizes the very livelihood of an independent contractor who likely relies heavily upon customer reviews and reputation. This experience was a grave disservice to both me and the cleaner. I believe this violates CA Civ Code 1770 (a) (7). I can accept the excessive amount I paid for the level of service provided, as I should have done more due diligence on this company (HomeAdvisor) before scheduling through them. What I can't accept is the thought of HomeAdvisor exploiting independent contractors and jeopardizing their businesses and reputations, solely for their (HomeAdvisor's) own financial gain.
Business Response
Date: 10/11/2022
We appreciate ***** bringing this to our attention, and we're so sorry to hear that her recent experience was anything but positive. This is not typical, and not the kind of service we would expect for her to have when coming to us for help around her home. After reviewing her account we can state that the pro that provided her service has grossly misrepresented the information regarding her pay for ******* booking and the amount she received was considerably greater than she explained. In addition, all pros that utilize our services do agree to our terms and conditions and understand the pay for a project before accepting it and should not be discussing their individual pay for bookings. We did speak with ***** yesterday and we have also processed a full refund for her service as it did not meet her expectations. If she has any additional questions or concerns we ask that she reach back out to our ************* team directly.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/11/2022

Complaint: 18195587

I am rejecting this response because: the conversation I had and refund I received were because I was charged for a service and rescheduling fee for a service that never occurred and was never rescheduled. That service was canceled due to an error when booking that, for some reason, was scheduled for the very next morning.
I am not looking for recompense for my experience. I am looking for future contracted professionals and HomeAdvisor consumers to be clearly informed of expectations on both sides. Consumers should know what the professional is actually being paid so that they have a clear idea of what they are paying for. Again, I have very different expectations when I pay $100+ for a cleaning versus less than $100. This level of transparency is not unreasonable nor unheard of. Consumers deserve to know what they are paying for. I knew I was paying more for the convenience of not having to find and vet a professional cleaner myself. If I knew just how much more I was paying, I would have had very different expectations.
I implore you to not retaliate against the professional contracted to clean my former home. Even if she misstated her actual compensation, I'm glad she brought it to my attention. If nothing else, this is even more reason to be transparent with your consumers. People have a right to know where their money is going.

Sincerely,

***************************
Customer Answer
Date: 10/14/2022
If we can't ask a business to change their practices to be compliant with CA Civ Code ****, then I don't think there is a possible satisfactory resolution. I can only hope that this brings awareness to the company.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/09/2022
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
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.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I made an appointment in August which was canceled by Home Advisor 15 minutes before appointment. They then rescheduled me for a future date without me confirming. I canceled services.The following month, the service tried to take money out of my account without my permission. I spoke to an agent about it and was told that he would canceled my subscription and i was all cleR. I keep getting emails asking for my account to be updated so they can deduct for services. I received 2 so far today.
Business Response
Date: 10/12/2022
We apologize for any inconvenience ******** experienced and appreciate her bringing this matter to our attention. Our ************* team has followed up with ******** and confirmed her scheduled project has been canceled.

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This business has 4 alerts

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Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

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HomeAdvisor is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.