TONIGHT---NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES HOW THE COLORADO-BASED COMPANY "HOME ADVISOR" MANAGES TO MAINTAIN AN "A" RATING WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU DEPSITE
HUNDREDS OF NEGATIVE REVIEWS AND MORE THAN 14 HUNDRED COMPLAINTS...
THE COMPANY IS NO STRANGER TO CONTROVERSY...
EARLIER THIS YEAR--- THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN SAN FRANCISCO SUED HOME ADVISOR OVER DECEPTIVE TELEVISION ADS.
IN A STORY YOU'LL SEE ONLY ON NEWS FIVE-- CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER ERIC ROSS IS ASKING THE B-B-B ABOUT ITS GRADING SYSTEM AND WHY DOZENS OF COMPLAINTS FILED AGAINST THE
COMPANY ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC...
THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU IS SUPPOSED TO HELP PEOPLE FIND REPUTABLE BUSINESSES BY PUBLISHING COMPLAINTS AND
CUSTOMER REVIEWS.
BUT OUR INVESTIGATION FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS AGAINST HOMEADVISOR ARE HIDDEN.
AGAINST HOMEADVISOR ARE HIDDEN.
BUT THAT'S NOT TRUE ACCORDING TO THE SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY...WHO EARLIER THIS YEAR...FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST HOMEADVISOR FOR FALSE AND MISLEADING TELEVISION
ADVERTISEMENTS.
THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS THE ADS ARE "LIKELY TO DECEIVE CONSUMERS" AND SAYS "HOMEADVISOR PERFORMS NO BACKGROUND CHECKS AT ALL ON THE EMPLOYEES WHO WILL BE COMING
INTO A CONSUMER'S HOME.
THE ONLY PERSON WHO UNDERGOES A BACKGROUND CHECK IS THE BUSINESS OWNER." THE COMPANY---ALSO UNDER FIRE FOR SENDING UNLICENSED CONTRACTORS TO HOMEOWNERS
DOORSTEPS.
"THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE ROOF, WINDOWS, FENCE, THE GARAGE DOOR.
EVERYTHING WAS DAMAGED." FOLLOWING A HAIL STORM---SHERRY
MURRAY FOUND DEAN MARTIN---WITH WESTWINDS CONTRACTING.
HOMEADVISOR LISTED HIS BUSINESS AS SCREENED AND APPROVED..
BUT NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES
CHECKED WITH PIKES PEAK REGIONAL BUILDING AND FOUND NO LICENSE FOR DEAN MARTIN.
THERE ARE COUNTLESS PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT HAPPY WITH HOMEADVISOR....
IN THE LAST THREE YEARS...THE
COMPANY HAS RACKED UP MORE THAN 14 HUNDRED COMPLAINTS IN THREE YEARS.
IT HAS A 1-STAR RATING BASED ON 766 REVIEWS....YET MAINTAINS AN A- RATING AND IS A B-B-B ACCREDITED BUSINESS. ONE ROOFER--UPSET WITH GETTING DEAD END LEADS
THROUGH HOME ADVISOR-- MADE THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO....QUESTIONING THE B-B-B RATING.
DMITRY LIPINKSI COMPARED HOME
ADVISOR TO MY PILLOW----A NON- ACCREDITED B-B-B BUSINESS THAT ALSO CAME UNDER FIRE FOR ALLEGED DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING.
DESPITE HAVING LESS COMPLAINTS
AND LESS NEGATIVE REVIEWS....MY PILLOW HAS EARNED ITSELF AN "F" RATING.
NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES NOTICED
MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS AGAINST MY PILLOW ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE....
WHILE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS AGAINST HOMEADVISOR ARE HIDDEN.
WHEN WE ASKED THE B-B-B- ABOUT THIS...THEY SENT US A STATEMENT THAT READS "THE COMPLAINTS IN QUESTION ARE IN BETWEEN PHASES OF OUR COMPLAINT PROCESS; TO PUBLISH
THE CONTENT OF THOSE, WE FIRST HAVE TO READ THROUGH AND REDACT ALL PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.
WE AIM TO HAVE ALL COMPLAINTS PUBLISHED WITHIN 2 WEEKS AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN CLOSED OUT IN OUR PROCESS." AND WHEN I WENT BACK AND CHECK A WEEK AFTER CONTACTING THE B- B-B ABOUT
HIDDEN COMPLAINTS....TO THEIR CREDIT...SOME COMPLAINTS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY NOT DISCLOSED....ARE NOW VISIBLE.
WE STILL FOUND A HANDFUL OF COMPLAINTS THAT ARE STILL NOT PUBLISHED FOR HOMEADVISOR AND WE'LL CONTINUE TRACKING THOSE CASES AND LET YOU KNOW WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO READ.
NOW IF YOU'RE WONDERING HOW DOES A BUSINESS WITH LESS COMPLAINTS AND FEWER NEGATIVE REVIEWS GET A LOWER SCORE THAN HOME ADVISOR?
ONE FACTOR THAT COULD IMPACT A SCORE IS WHETHER THE BUSINESS OWNER PROMPTLY RESPONDS TO A COMPLAINT.
WE HAVE MORE ON THE B-B-B BUSINESS MODEL ON OUR WEB SITE, KOAA DOT COM.
WATCHING OUT FOR YOU, ERIC ROSS, NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES.
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IN A STATEMENT RECEIVED FROM HOME ADVISOR THIS EVENING...
THE COMPANY DISPUTES THE
DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING CLAIMS MADE IN THE LAWSUIT FILED BY THE SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE...
A SPOKESPERSON SAYS HOME-ADVISOR HAS APPEALED THE ORDER AND BELIEVES THE COMPANY'S ADVERTIS