ComplaintsforZillow Group, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  04/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On April 18, 2024 my wife and I posted a rental listing using the Zillow.com Property Manager tool. This is our first time posting on Zillow and renting the property on our own.Within a couple of hours we received several messages of interest and also several applications. Then, without any warning, the listing was removed and there was a message that said the listing was under review. Some of the people who had expressed interest noticed that the listing had been removed and emailed asking if the property was still available. I had started sending emails to let the potential tenants know that the listing had removed by Zillow, that it was under review, and that I was waiting to hear back when my account was blocked.I have no idea what caused this to happen.I emailed Zillow when the listing was removed and then again after my account was blocked and did not receive a response.This is very unfortunate and will likely cause us to lose rental income. It is a nice property and we were glad to see that applicants felt the same way. And now, without a word or explanation, it has all vanished.I really wish Zillow could let us know what happened and, if we did anything wrong, let us know what it is so that we can hopefully have an opportunity to correct it. We were so glad to have found out that Zillow offered this service and the last thing we ever wanted or expected was for things to go so badly.Thank you

  Customer response

  04/19/2024

  Hello,

  I would like to inform you that the issue has been resolved.

  Zillow reinstated our account and re-posted our listing.

  Thank you very much!

  Business response

  04/19/2024

  Upon further review, we were able to identify that this individual's listing was temporarily removed in order to allow for further verification. 
  
  Assessing the validity of a listing is a part of our Listing Quality Policy and is done so to ensure the safety and security of the platform. 
  
  We strive to address concerns in a timely matter and we reply to inquiries in the order in which we receive them. After reviewing our records, this individual contacted our Account Verification team yesterday and received a response from our team today with the issue resolved within 24 hours of their initial outreach. 
  
  

  Customer response

  04/19/2024

   
  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

  04/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I've been using Zillow's site to advertise rental properties for several years, and always have prospective applicants apply through Zillow, as Zillow claims to offer a legitimate credit and background check service for people who apply through their site. Two separate times now, I've had applicants apply through Zillow, and Zillow sent me their completed applications (with assurance that their identities were "verified") with credit and background checks showing no past bankruptcies and no past evictions. I had to go through formal/legal eviction processes with both of these now-former tenants, and came to find out after-the-fact from my attorney's diligence that they did in fact both have multiple recent bankruptcies and/or evictions on their records. Zillow's negligence in this manner has ended up costing me a total of $32,600 which I've had to go into debt to cover (apparently evictions aren't cheap, folks)... My attorney advised me to file a formal BBB complaint to give Zillow a chance to make things right before taking legal action, so here we are; and I also want to publicly warn other innocent, unsuspecting, small-time landlords of Zillow's complete and utter negligence in their ID verification, credit check, and background check processes to prevent more dubious rental applicants from slipping through Zillow's cracks.

  Business response

  04/11/2024

  While Zillow is a platform for hosting listings, Zillow is not responsible for transactions that occur between renters and landlords. Please see our Terms of Use: ******************************************************;
  
  Our background checks are provided by a third-party vendor, CIC, which is a leader in providing accurate and compliant background checks for global enterprises and startups. Unfortunately, not all jurisdictions permit commercial access to criminal records with personally identifying information (PII) to ensure legal compliance, which is likely why this record did not appear in the report. In some cases, background checks are modified to reflect state and local legal requirements. See more information here:******************************************************.
  
  Please view this FAQ for a detailed list of what will appear in a background report conducted by CIC: ************************************************************************************************************************** If the individual has any additional questions about the background check wed recommend they submit a request to CIC through the link below:
  
  ***********************************************"
  
  We consider this matter resolved. If this individual needs additional assistance, we encourage them to reply to the initial email correspondence with our Zillow Rental Support team.

• Initial Complaint

  04/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 4/1/24 I created a listing for one of my rental properties. On 4/2/2024, I noticed my rental listing was removed with no explanationand and I am unable to repost the lisitng. I have been attempting to contact Zillow.com to restore my listing, but there has been no response and no way to directly communicate with someone about this issue. I am a small landlord and days that my available rental is not listed is financially damaging. I would like to understand why my listing was removed, why I cannot repost it, and to get my listing posted.

  Business response

  04/05/2024

  Upon review, the individuals listing was taken down due to a violation of Zillow's Respectful Renting Pledge. 
  
  Our support team responded to the individual's support case (#********) and notified them of the violation as well as providing educational materials to prevent repeat instances. The individual was asked to agree to abide by the terms set out in the Respectful Renting Pledge and upon receiving this agreement we were able to restore access to the individuals listing. 
  
  We consider this matter resolved. If this individual needs additional assistance, we encourage them to reply to the initial email correspondence with our Customer Support team.

• Initial Complaint

  03/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Zillow.com has false info about my address online. I would like info taken offline off zillow website. Zillow says I sold property for $65000 in 2020 and I have never sold any property. This info is false and I would like taken off zillow website

  Business response

  04/05/2024

  ********* is a non-disclosure state, which means sale transaction prices for properties located within the ****************** are not displayed on Zillow. After review, we have confirmed that there is no sale transaction price currently displayed on the property page for this individual's home at ****************************************
  
  The $65,000 price indicated by this customer is not a sale transaction price, it is a listing price that is displayed in the Price History section of the property page. Zillow strives to provide open and transparent information about real estate. As a result, we make past listing events available on our site, as these events reflect when a property was actively listed as For Sale on our site. For this reason, we do not remove listing price history entries from property pages.
  
  We consider this matter resolved. If this individual needs additional assistance, we encourage them to reach out to us directly at *******************************.

  Customer response

  04/05/2024

   
  Complaint: 21493932
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  It clearly says sold for ***** on website.  I would like my info taken down off their site.  Thanks
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************

  Business response

  04/12/2024

  The screenshot this individual provided shows ****** search results, which do not reflect the information that is currently available on the Zillow property page for this address, which can be confirmed here: *********************************************************************************************
  
  Per the screenshot that I have attached, the Price History section of the Zillow property page for ************************************* does not display a Sold transaction price; as stated in our previous reply, the $65,000 price indicated by this customer is not a sale transaction price, it is a listing price removal event, and does not represent an actual sale price for this property.
  
  If ****** is displaying incorrect search results, it means they haven't updated their search results with the most recent data from our site. Zillow is not affiliated with ******, and as a result, we cannot edit or remove the information shown in ****** search results. We recommend this individual contact ****** directly for assistance with this matter.
  
  We consider this matter resolved. there is no additional information or alternative action we can provide regarding this request.

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I clicked on their page to schedule a showing. I immediately started getting random spam texts trying to get me to click links, like getting them about one an hour or so during daylight hours. I want them to take me off all contact lists.. and made public that they sell your contact info to anyone who will buy.

• Initial Complaint

  03/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I've been using Zillow rental manager to list and manage my properties during the last 2 years, but when I did the same for a new listing recently, Zillow suddenly and quietly blocked my account without any notice or reason after I paid the premium fee for the listing. I submitted an inquiry but they did not respond in time, and there is no way to call them to contact to a live representative about the issue.

  Business response

  03/22/2024

  We have reviewed our records, and we could not find any record of phone calls received from the phone number provided, nor could we locate any requests made from the provided email address. Additionally, we were unable to locate any rental listings, current or past, attached to the email address provided by this individual. The Account Verification team has reached out to this individual for more information: (ticket# 13862641).

  If this individual needs additional assistance, we encourage them to reply back to the initial email correspondence with our support team.
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our home was listed under MLS ******** through our agent on Feb. 28. On March 14 Zillow and their other companies show it as off market. Our property is not off the market and is still listed on MLS. Both my husband and I and our agent and local board of realtors sent emails through their website and I called and left a message and received no response, nor has the error been corrected on their site. While I understand now that many realtors advise their clients not to rely on Zillow for information, there are many people that use this site. This error could potentially cost us a sale as our home would not show up on a search on Zillow, Trulia, HAR and not sure what other sites are connected. After some research, issues with Zillow are quite numerous and personally dont understand why they can continue or why advertisers would pay to be on their site.

  Business response

  03/20/2024

  After reviewing our records, it appears that our Customer Support team has already spoken with this individual regarding the status for their home (Case# 02625122 ). To recap, Zillow has an obligation to remain completely compliant with the information listed in the **** and any changes to your listing, such as the removal of a listing would have to come directly from the feed source. As each *** is different in the way that they report their data, and use different data providers to report their data, it is difficult to pinpoint any specific root cause for this issue. It could have been anything from an error with the *** feed from the listing being removed at the source, or even the listing being updated to stop syndicating data to Zillow specifically.
  
  I can confirm that your listing is currently active on Zillow and I encourage you to respond directly to this email if you encounter any further issues in the future, as it should be routed to me directly so that I can assist you as quickly as possible.
  
  

  Customer response

  03/20/2024

   
  Complaint: 21445412
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it took our realtor removing our listing on Sunday evening for 14 hours from MLS and reentering as a new listing. I did receive a response from Zillow on Monday, saying the listing was now for sale, that was only because it was new. They stated that the original issue had to have come from the source, MLS, this is definitely not the case as our home was still showing for sale on all sites except for Zillow and Trulia. 
  

  No further action from Zillow is required, just wanted to clarify the issue of no response for 4 days and trying to place blame other than with their system.  
  
  ***********************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  On numerous occasions (approximately 1 per day since this home has been listed on 3/4/2024), I have reported a problem with the listing as both a consumer and a *********** Professional. The listing on your website is showing my home pending on 5/08/2023 with a price drop on 3/4/2024. Neither of these are correct. The home was purchased by me on 3/7/2023 and was listed this past week by **************** on 3/4/2024. None of your other information is correct. Both ******* (Listing Realtor) and I have tried to contact you with no avail.YOU ARE NEGACTIVELY IMPACTING THE **** OF THIS HOME WITH YOUR FALSE INFORMATION!!!!

• Initial Complaint

  03/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was interested in a property that was advertised on Zillow. I called the agent to get a viewing and was connected with what appeared to be a call center. I stayed on hold for one hour and eight minutes before I finally hung up. Tried to call back several times to speak with the agent directly so that I can actually see this property and each time Im forwarded to their voicemail. Its extremely frustrating to be in a position where you really need access to *********** and Zillow has agents who could care less. This would be a different situation if I were buying a lawnmower or something much cheaper but when youre talking about a $200,000 house things become a little more serious. It seems the listing agents and Zillow cant manage to appreciate that need or much less accommodate that need. Its bad enough that the housing market is listing homes for double what theyre actually worth but its even worse when you try to engage with the company like Zillow and their agents and are treated like absolute garbage. Im attaching a screenshot of the telephone call in which I was on hold for one hour and eight minutes. After speaking with a call-center no one ever came back to the call to let me know that they were working on it. They just let me wait for over an hour. I work a full-time job and have kids and really dont have this kind of time to waste especially while researching something so important.

  Business response

  03/22/2024

  When home shoppers inquire about a property through a For Sale listing on Zillow, they are contacted by our Zillow Connections team, who will then connect them with a Zillow Premier Agent. Zillow Premier Agents are local buyer's agents who can help home shoppers with their inquiries on specific properties and the overall home shopping process. These agents do not work directly for Zillow. As a result, once our Connections team transfers a home shopper to a local buyer's agent, Zillow is no longer involved in the communication process between the shopper and the agent.
  
  After review, we have confirmed that our Connections team successfully connected this individual with a local buyer's agent on Wednesday, March 13th, 2024, in response to their inquiry for a property in **********, **.
  
  We consider this matter resolved. There is no additional information or alternative action we can take regarding this issue.

• Initial Complaint

  03/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The lease listing was 10-13-2019, We have never listed our property for lease.*****************************************************************************************

  Business response

  03/11/2024

  After reviewing our records, it appears that the Zillow Group Customer Support team has already supported this individual regarding the price history displayed for their home (Ticket #********). To recap, I can confirm that the requested price history transactions have been removed from the property page representing ************************************ on Zillow. This can be confirmed by reviewing the attached screenshot, or visiting the property page on Zillow linked here: *****************************************************************************************************
  
  We consider this matter resolved. If this individual requires additional assistance, we encourage them to reply to the initial email correspondence with our Customer Support team.

*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. ↩