HomeAdvisor Reviews
After a comprehensive screening process, HomeAdvisor connects you with professional contractors in your area for almost any type of home improvement project.
About HomeAdvisor
Used by 30+ million homeowners, HomeAdvisor can help you find and connect with home improvement professionals across dozens of categories; everything from appliances and siding, to carpentry and lawncare.
But HomeAdvisor understands that choosing a contractor is never an easy task, so they’ve implemented one of the industry's most comprehensive screening processes in order to help give you peace of mind. And when combined with more than 5 million submitted reviews on HomeAdvisor.com, they can help you find a professional you can trust.
On top of this, HomeAdvisor’s Resource Center features articles and advice, project guides, design and video galleries, and more, and their iDevice and Android apps make finding the right professional in the go a breeze.
Remember the old days of searching through the Yellow Pages, blindly calling around to find your next contractor? Modern technology sure has changed the process for the better, but does this mean that HomeAdvisor is your best choice? We’ll explore several different angles in this review, starting with HomeAdvisor’s features.
How Can HomeAdvisor Help You?
Overall, HomeAdvisor provides those looking for professional contractors with three core services.
HomeAdvisor’s ProFinder
This is the name for HomeAdvisor’s search engine, which “makes it easy to find local pros who specialize in exactly the type of work you need done.”
To do this, just type or select the service your need from the category list on HomeAdvisor.com’s home page (such as carpentry), choose the project type (e.g. cabinets and countertops), and indicate what you need done (installation, refacing, refinishing, etc.).
Next, you’ll enter your zip code and based on your choices, you may be asked for additional information (e.g. cabinet material, any problems you’re having, etc.).
Then, you’ll need to indicate if you’re actively hiring or just looking for quotes, approximately when you need the work completed, as well as a short description of the project. Finally, to see HomeAdvisor’s list of professionals, you’ll need to enter your name, address, and contact information.
After doing all of this, you’ll “receive information for up to four pre-screened, local home improvement pros” who are available right now and who will contact you to discuss your project.
HomeAdvisor.com’s LiveDirectory
Not quite ready to use ProFinder and hand over your information? If so, you can manually search HomeAdvisor’s database; just enter the type of service you’re interested in and your zip code.
From there, you’ll receive a list of professionals that match your criteria, which can be sorted by best match, ratings, those offering a deal, and more. On the list, you’ll see each business’s name, their rating and number of verified reviews, contact information, and brief details. If you click on the name, you’ll be able to view the business’s achievement, services, service areas, credentials, website, photos, customer ratings, and more.
HomeAdvisor True Cost Guides
By taking information from over 1 million home projects across the country (members shared who they hired, how long it took, and exactly how much it cost) and compiling it into one database, HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guides can provide local and national cost data for 500+ types of jobs—from routine maintenance to major remodels. In fact, the company calls it the nation’s largest database of real project cost information.
What for? This way, you’ll be able to find out what other people in your area paid for their projects, which can help give you an idea what you should pay for yours.
Given all these features, how much will you pay to use HomeAdvisor?
Is HomeAdvisor’s Guidance Expensive?
As a homeowner, HomeAdvisor’s basic services are completely free to use. The company also offers HomeAdvisor Premium, which assigns you a dedicated home expert who will manage all the details of your project. This includes finding a professional, fielding bids, negotiating price, scheduling appointments, and more. Unfortunately, no costs were listed at the time of our research.
On the other hand, if you’re a contractor, each lead you receive from HomeAdvisor can vary in cost, based on the type and the location of the request. However, we did find one Google Play review that mentioned each lead costs $30, although we weren’t able to verify the accuracy of this statement.
Considering the fact that it’s free (for the most part), what’s everyone saying about HomeAdvisor?
HomeAdvisor’s Client Feedback
Overall, it seems that HomeAdvisor comes with mostly positive online customer feedback.
Based on nearly 3,000 individual reviews, HomeAdvisor had an average rating of 4.7 stars on Consumer Affairs. Most seemed to appreciate the fact that it’s free (unlike some of the competition—more in a second), easy to use, and puts you in contact with quality professionals.
Although HomeAdvisor’s reviews weren’t nearly as positive on ComplaintsList.com (by its very nature), the company did try to reach out to some of those who complained in order to find a resolution. It’s also important to note that many of the complaints there referenced contractors hired through HomeAdvisor, and not the company itself.
HomeAdvisor’s mobile apps seem to fare equally well with customers. iTunes users gave it 4 stars based on 443 reviews, and nearly 900 Google Play reviewers gave it a similar 4.1-star rating. Most claimed it’s simple to use and that it gives you access to quality contractors (many claimed they found one within minutes).
From a company perspective, HomeAdvisor is based out of Lakewood, CO and has been in business since 1999. They had an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, based on nearly 800 closed complaints (as of 3/15/16). These appeared to reference a wide range of concerns, from billing problems and poor quality work performed by professionals listed on the site.
Speaking of the company, exactly how does HomeAdvisor screen their contractors, and how much protection will they provide if something goes wrong?
How HomeAdvisor Protects Customers
What exactly does HomeAdvisor mean when claiming to utilize “one of the industry's most comprehensive screening processes”? According to their Terms & Conditions, their professional screening process involves verifying licensing and checking state business filings, criminal records, sex offender registrations, searching for civil judgments, and verifying their identity (social security number).
There’s are two important caveats, though:
First, after their original application, these professionals aren’t screened again, regardless of how long they’re listed on HomeAdvisor.com. What’s this mean? Outside of the negative feedback poor business practices like these would generate, if something occurs after the professional is accepted as a member (such as a civil judgment), it won’t be reflected on their profile.
Second, although the company seems to have a mostly positive online reputation, after HomeAdvisor connects you with a contractor, they basically wash their hands of the transaction. In other words, if something goes wrong in your project, it’s between you and the contractor. Should this situation occur, HomeAdvisor claims that they might offer dispute resolution services, although there’s zero obligation on their part.
Taking both of these into consideration, there’s been some criticism of HomeAdvisor in the past, based on loopholes that could allow unscrupulous contractors to sneak through the screening process:
“For example, one case in Austin involved a HomeAdvisor trusted contractor that left unfinished home improvement work after taking a deposit in 2014. It was later found the contractor had been sued 17 times since 2002. A company spokesperson said the website only screens for lawsuits from the day contractors sign up for its service. The screening only goes back one year for civil judgments and it never re-screens contractors again.”
So, should you use HomeAdvisor?
What’s the Advice for HomeAdvisor?
While there’s a ton of great information out there that can help you learn how to choose a contractor, the pickings are slim if you’re looking to locate one in the first place. In fact, the big (or only) three in this space are HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List, and Houzz.
Like any other business, each of these comes with their own unique specializations, as well as their own pros and cons. For example, Angie’s List seems to focus more on protecting clients with their Complaint Resolution Team, although you’ll have to pay a membership fee. Like HomeAdvisor, Houzz is completely free (and you can gather design ideas and purchase items, too), but they don’t seem to place a lot of emphasis (at least on their website) about the vetting process.
Which of these is right for you? Ultimately, that’s a decision only you can make. But when it comes to HomeAdvisor, it’s hard to beat free, so you might as well try signing up for an account, browsing contractors in your area, and using their ProFinder when you’re ready. Then, after you’re finished, be sure to come back here and tell us about your HomeAdvisor experience!
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More fees than actual useful leads!
We signed our company up and started getting leads. The leads almost all of the time were not accurate and we ended up asking for our fees credited back almost 100% of the time. I think in one year the actual leads provided us one client, not even covering the annual fee. As a business owner, this was more of an inconvenience than a business opportunity. I am still currently fighting with them to get credited for fees and to have fees removed after asking them to cancel our account numerous times and them not doing so.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
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Frustrating experience
My message would be for contractors who are planning to do business with HomeAdvisor.com. Think twice before you sign a contract with these guys. They will cheat on you and rob your banking account the way they treated me. After three weeks of being with them, I checked my account and was in complete shock to see that I was charged $500. During this period of time, I didn't receive a single call from the customer, which means I never performed a single job. Still, they charged me for every lead they sent to my account, and those were not cheap, several of them were $85.
After two days of fighting with their so-called customer service, when they kept on either hanging up on me or transferring to different representatives, I canceled the membership with $900 taken from my account (including $347 fee for membership). Now, it's up to you to decide if you want to deal with these thieves or not. I am very disappointed with their customer service and professional attitude.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
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HomeAdvisor is the worst
You know what? They are the absolute worst. I do not exaggerate this one bit.
The guy who opened my account (for $250 or whatever) was just released from prison for “Bilking elderly couples out of retirement funds”! Link available!
You're charged for a customer if they're serious or clueless
You're charged a very random amount per lead. I understand how advertising works, but they are really all over the map.
We are a small foundation contractor. I was billed $95 for a customer that wants some kind of window work in her attic. OK, no big deal I thought. They should refund $95 because well, we never intended to do any work in attics or above ground windows.
I spent more time disputing the charge than any reasonable person would over the course of a couple weeks. Anyway, they wouldn't budge and so I asked my credit card company to dispute a transaction.
These fools have so many disputes they clearly are taking advantage of people. Fast forward a run-on-paragraph and 6 months, I've got a collections agency harassing me and treating me like I'm criminal scum.
I had a total of 60-200 leads and of those, I was able to convert about half of what I normally can, even with cheaper ad generations like Craigslist. It cost me around $1400
Overall it's a system that CAN work, and honestly, I don't even dislike Steve (the bilker). He was very personable and funny, a great salesman. The situation was a pretty well published event and it shows a lot about the management to target someone like him for employment.
Management is the problem here. It's a boys-club with lead generation algorithms that cherry pick the best customers for the contractors that have been with them the longest. In my opinion, that is fine, both morally and business wise; but it is what you are up against.
I wouldn't recommend Home Adviser to a contractor unless it's a unique situation with favorable results.
I wouldn't recommend HomeAdviser to a homeowner because the fees the company has to pay to meet you are too high. This has to translate to more expensive work. Ask friends, use Google, maybe even YellowPages.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
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HomeAdvisor is a scam for contractors
HomeAdvisor bought Angie's List and is a scam for honest contractors. They use to be called ServiceMagic but there were so many complaints and lawsuits they changed to HomeAdvisor. This company could put contractors out of business. Let me repeat: This company could put contractors out of business. This company could put contractors out of business.
HomeAdvisor works on a SECRET CREDIT RATING! They keep this to themselves and don't tell you. They over billed my company - continuously. They do not give credit for unreachable potential clients and give sales tax service charges not disclosed during sign up. They charged our company for 95% for wrong information or wrong phone numbers. Stay away from HomeAdvisor. 55 calls in 3 months and only 13 were real people who needed service, and only 3 books. Meaning, I paid an average of $30 for 55 leads, $1650, with only 3 jobs that we grossed $420. They charge every single contractor who lists with HomeAdvisor more than the job and regardless of contact or getting the work.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
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Unbelievable harassment. Unethical company.
Well I'm pissed. I've used HomeAdvisor in the past and have had the consistent experience that they just crap out results that almost never match the project you are using. I've never been able to use any of their recommendations, so I've gladly stopped using their service.
Today I was looking for sprinkler blowouts and clicked on one of my Google results. It happened to be HomeAdvisor. And they were recommending plumbers. I instantly hit the back button, after about 4 seconds on their site. I instantly get several emails from them, thanking me for using them in my plumbing search. I unsubscribe AGAIN, hoping it will finally be the end of my contact with this horrible company. INSTANTLY I get an email from homeyou saying,
"Hi (removed), Thank you for your request for Plumbing Work in (removed). Our trusted partner HomeAdvisor will match you with top local pros for your project. By using this service, you are bound to HomeAdvisor T&C's and Privacy Policy. Thank you for using our service,
The homeyou team."
How does unsubscribing from a company give them permission to start harassing you from their "trusted partner" site? Then I start getting phone calls and messages from HomeAdvisor. I call them back and tell them if they contact me again, I'm going to report them for fraud. I block the number. Then I start receiving all these calls and emails from local plumbers that I DID NOT give permission to have my contact information and NEVER REQUESTED requested! What on Earth happened to privacy of information and ethical conduct?
Someone, please get this company, and all of its subsidiaries, to stop harassing me!
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
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0 out 1 people found this review helpful
Flooring installation
Lexi Flooring LLC installed flooring throughout our entire house and it is beautiful. Our home is a ranch (3 bedrooms/2 baths). We explained our needs (pet issues) and they addressed each and everyone and answered all our questions, but took care to fix them. They are efficient, professional, knowledgeable and very nice. We absolutely love our new floors! Highly recommended!
Each and every time I called, the phone was answered right away or I got a callback within a few minutes.
It took less than a day to complete.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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1 out 1 people found this review helpful
Scam
This is a scam, a company who promises big revenue and deliveries very little. Charges high rate for leads not on profile and refuse to give credit for leads, stating they cannot reach the person. I give a zero out of five, do not waste your time.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
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2 out 3 people found this review helpful
Legal ripoff
HomeAdvisor is a paid service for lousy contractors used to get new victims.
Don’t be fooled by there massive advertising blitz. It’s just to get exposure! A good contractor does not need an ad agency to solicit jobs for them!
It’s virtually impossible to leave a bad review on a HomeAdvisor contractor!
This company helps promote lousy contractors and is a way for terrible contractors to get jobs and good recommendations when they actually stink and can’t find new customers to rip off!
BUYER BEWARE!
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
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3 out 3 people found this review helpful
Homeowner is NOT HomeAdvisor's customer
HomeAdvisor will not publish reviews of the contractors that stood you up because you do not hire them. They will make recommendations, and even if you don't request a quote, they will sell your request/contact information to the contractor as a lead. Then the contractor will solicit and contact you anyway. If they stand you up, they won't publish your review of them because you didn't hire the contractor. HomeAdvisor could care less that other homeowners know about missed appointments in the reviews or homeowners taking off of work and waiting because none of these other homeowners are customers of HomeAdvisor either - the CONTRACTOR is their customer!This feels like a scam. Yelp is better.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
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5 out 6 people found this review helpful
Do NOT join HomeAdvisor as an advertiser!
I joined only two weeks ago. They took my $348 for membership, and after another week, they started sending me "leads." In five days time, I received six leads at an average of $80 per lead. Only one of those leads was I actually able to contact and estimate a job. Of the remaining five, three of them I could not make any contact at all (did not answer phones or emails and did not return calls). One of them was given to me completely outside the scope of work I do, and one could not do the job at all due to an electrical junction box location. I used their request credit link and was given a credit for two of them. Great! Right? I gave it a few days to see if any of the other three would call back, they never did. One of these "customers" had an address less than 2 miles from me, so I drove over there to find it was a dilapidated trailer park and the lot number the "customer" listed was a vacant lot!
I called my rep at HomeAdivsor to be told that the gist of it is if the phone number for the "customer" is real then they charge for the lead. That is NOT a lead! It is not a lead if you NEVER EVER get to communicate with the customer at all. Further, I looked at my directory listing, the only thing you get for your $348 per year, and they had a phone number listed, which isn't even my number! I called the number to see that the call goes to HomeAdvisor (in care of my company). They do this so that when I am lucky enough to get someone to look me up and find me directly, they still get ran through the HomeAdvisor system so that I can be charged for a lead fee! You got that? You get to pay twice for those customers! Of course, as soon as I sent my HomeAdvisor "rep" an email about this, they immediately put my real phone number there.
When you call them and complain they let you know that it clearly states in their umpteen pages of terms and conditions that I agreed to pay for any garbage they throw at me. Here's the real question though - how many other contractors received those same garbage leads that I did? Just exactly how much did HomeAdvisor make from these jobs that were never going to materialize for anyone? Their business model is awful and predatory, and they don't care one bit. On to the next poor contractor to pilfer his advertising budget. Shame on these chiselers!
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
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4 out 4 people found this review helpful
HomeAdvisor is a huge scam!
HomeAdvisor takes advantage of their contractors with BS fabricated leads and charging their credit card even if all the lead information is bogus. When I requested to quit they told me that there were no refunds even though they sold this service to me under the pretenses that they would supply me with leads for the business model that I service and once you are signed up they send you leads for services that I never requested. They told me that they would terminate the service but continued to keep it running and charging my card.
I resolved that issue by disputing the charges with my credit card company that after several weeks of investigating without cooperation from HomeAdvisor found in my favor and refunded me the money. I am now finding that HomeAdvisor thinks that they are putting me in collections and sending me threatening emails and phone calls. I would love for them to serve me just so I can stand in front of a judge and show them the credit card dispute and the emails that told me that the service was canceled and later emails showing that they kept it open.
A word of warning to people who rely on they web presents. If you take action against them, they will destroy your search engine rankings. Lucky for me that most of my business it from word of mouth. I wish I could give them NO STARS!
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
