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Spokeo Reviews Summary
The company's reputation is marked by a significant divide in customer experiences. On the positive side, some users appreciate the platform's ease of use and the depth of information provided, finding it helpful for various searches. However, a substantial number of reviews highlight serious concerns regarding billing practices, lack of refunds, and the accuracy of the information. Customers frequently report unexpected charges, poor customer service, and technical issues with the site. Overall, while there are users who find value in the service, many express frustration over perceived scams and inadequate support, indicating a need for improved transparency and reliability.
This summary is generated by AI, based on text from customer reviews
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This site is a complete ripoff! I was trying to confirm a call came from the Veterans Administration and paid my fee. It came back with ABSOLUTELY nothing except that the call came from Orlando, Fl.
I just tried this service, at great expense for nothing. They returned no search results. I hired another service, got results, this is a scam. You get nothing for your hard earned cash. They are thieves and liars.
Dear Turd,
I'm sorry to hear that our service did not meet your expectations. Spokeo showcases the power of information aggregation, as the data is gathered from a multitude of different sources, such as social networks, public records, phone listings, marketing surveys and more. We also organize the information so that it makes sense for you, as a user. However, machine aggregation has its limits. Since there is no human involved, the data is not verified and might not be accurate. Moreover, many sources do not refresh their data often. Our Terms of Use states clearly that we are a Search Engine, and do not create, maintain or modify any of the information you see. For this reason, we cannot guarantee full or accurate information for every name, phone number, email address or username you search for, as the results vary so much from person to person. We are only as good as our sources, and our engineers are working hard on new algorithms to improve our data accuracy. I do apologize again for the inconvenience.
Please contact our support team at [email protected] with mention of this complaint, and our representatives will be happy to resolve any issues you may have.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
Basically a scam. They take your money they show that they have no information on the number you are interested. I should start the same kind of site, get paid and not deliver. Free money without the work or having a product. BIG SCAM
Dear Brad,
I'm sorry to hear that our service did not meet your expectations. Spokeo showcases the power of information aggregation, as the data is gathered from a multitude of different sources, such as social networks, public records, phone listings, marketing surveys and more. We also organize the information so that it makes sense for you, as a user. However, machine aggregation has its limits. Since there is no human involved, the data is not verified and might not be accurate. Moreover, many sources do not refresh their data often. Our Terms of Use states clearly that we are a Search Engine, and do not create, maintain or modify any of the information you see. For this reason, we cannot guarantee full or accurate information for every name, phone number, email address or username you search for, as the results vary so much from person to person. We are only as good as our sources, and our engineers are working hard on new algorithms to improve our data accuracy. I do apologize again for the inconvenience.
Please contact our support team at [email protected] with mention of this complaint, and our representatives will be happy to resolve any issues you may have.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
Thieves. I gave cc information for their advertised intro rate of $3.95. After signing up, another page appeared with confusing offer of free trial and a mention of a monthly fee of $20+. I called cc company and sure enough, they had charged $24 to my account. Hey Spokeo, I'm going to make trashing you my new hobby
Dear Sheila,
I'm sorry if you were under the wrong impression and hope to assist you in whatever way possible. Because you had selected our 6-month plan, a total of $23.70 has been deducted. Because this provides you access for the full term, the average cost is $3.95 per month, which is the amount you may have been confused with. To make this even more prominent for our payers, we include this information as part of the disclaimer which has to be agreed to before the purchase is processed. I do apologize again if this was unclear in any way.
Please contact our support team at [email protected] with mention of this complaint, and our representatives will be happy to resolve any issues you may have.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
Hi I'm extremely annoyed as I bought a three month subscription and understood that provided I cancelled it before the 3 month subscription period had expired the subscription would cease. This was due to occur in March 2013. I note however that Spokeo has continued to deduct money from my credit card after this date? I'm at a loss as to understand why I've continued to be charged and having done a little more research on the web it seems like I have to cancel my credit card in order to avoid paying fees that I shouldn't be anyway... surely this is something that Spokeo monitors and ensures they don't overcharge their customers! One wonders how much money Spokeo rakes in as a result of this gross ineptitude! Come clean and fix this error for me and others who have experienced this issue - don't let it drag on unnecessarily! We trust you with our credit card details - don't abuse it!
Dear Shayla,
I'm sorry to hear that you were not aware of our subscription terms and certainly wish to help you resolve the issue. The additional charge is a renewal for your subscription. Spokeo is a People Search Engine, providing premium access to members who wish to perform name, phone, email or username look-ups. Since our Premium services are only available through subscription-based plans, accounts will automatically renew if left active. This is to prevent any service interruption. We do try to make this very clear on our payment page by including it in the disclaimer which has to be agreed to before the purchase is processed. In addition, the information is included in the confirmation receipt sent immediately after payment, as well as in our Terms of Use. I do apologize again if this was unclear in any way.
Please contact our support team at [email protected] with mention of this complaint, and our representatives will be happy to resolve any issues you may have.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
Rip off company... not one search was correct. Ask for money back... no go... Thinking about filing a fraud complaint with SC attorney general for fraud did not preform as stated on line... might not get my money back but their lawyers will be busy...
Dear Jon,
I'm sorry to hear that our service did not meet your expectations. Spokeo showcases the power of information aggregation, as the data is gathered from a multitude of different sources, such as social networks, public records, phone listings, marketing surveys and more. We also organize the information so that it makes sense for you, as a user. However, machine aggregation has its limits. Since there is no human involved, the data is not verified and might not be accurate. Moreover, many sources do not refresh their data often. Our Terms of Use states clearly that we are a Search Engine, and do not create, maintain or modify any of the information you see. For this reason, we cannot guarantee full or accurate information for every name, phone number, email address or username you search for, as the results vary so much from person to person. We are only as good as our sources, and our engineers are working hard on new algorithms to improve our data accuracy. I do apologize again for the inconvenience.
If you would kindly contact us at [email protected] with mention of this complaint, our representatives will be happy to resolve the issue.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
I was reading some of these reviews. I am younger than most of you and I know better.to read the fine print. And read the writing next to the check box that says that you agree. You don't have to read the whole thing just scan through it. If people actually gave it a quick scan to the fine print they would of caught the total price. You can't blame the site just yourselves. 1) sites like spokeo are allowed to display public information only if you are looking for a full well detailed report then you should be realistic before purchasing a membership with them.
This site is kinda scary! I tried to remove myself, but it didn't work. I don't like the idea that people can find info about me. Another good reason to never share your full name with a stranger!
Dear Shannon,
At Spokeo, we take your privacy concerns seriously. While our search results show only publicly-accessible information gathered from hundreds of public sources, such as phone books, marketing surveys, business sites and more, we understand that you are concerned about the information shown in our search results, and allow all users to opt out. This can be done by clicking on the Privacy link located in the bottom of our home page. Once on this page, please click on our "Opt-Out Form" located at the bottom of the page which will take you here: http://www.spokeo.com/optout
To Remove Phone/Name/Email/Username Listings:
1. Locate the listing you want removed by clicking on the exact profile based on the physical address
2. Copy the URL (please see under Troubleshooting, Incorrect URL for more on obtaining the correct URL)
3. Click on the Privacy link located in the bottom of our home page and click on the "Opt-Out Form" which will direct you here: http://www.spokeo.com/optout
4. Paste the URL
5. Provide your email address (this acts as a verification process for the confirmation to be sent to your Inbox)
6. Type in the Captcha Code (type the code exactly as you see it)
7. Check your Inbox for the confirmation email, and click on the link at the bottom to complete the removal process.
If you encounter any difficulties, we can also help you remove the listing(s) here via email at [email protected] if you provide the details of the listing(s). To ensure that we do so accurately, please kindly provide the URL of the listing(s) you wish to remove.
How To Obtain The URL:
The URL can be found in the address bar located at the top of your browser. For Name Listings, make sure you locate the profile by narrowing the city and state and clicking on the exact profile. The URL should look like one of these examples:
Name Listing: http://www.spokeo.com/search?q=John+Doe#California:1234567890
Phone Listing: http://www.spokeo.com/reverse-phone-lookup/search?p=2345678901
Email Listing: http://www.spokeo.com/email-search/[email protected]
Username Listing: http://www.spokeo.com/username-search/search?u=johndoeIf you are encountering difficulties, feel free to email the URL(s) of the listing(s) that you'd like removed, and we'll be happy to assist.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
SPOKEO is BIG SCAM
I thought I was signing up for a one month $3.95 service only to find they charged me a Premium 6-Months Date of Purchase: April 27,2013 Amount: $23.70. On top of that the searches I have made have returned wrong information. I emailed them asking to have 5 months refunded but I have heard nothing back. I called their telephone number but was kept on hold with shocking music. I most likely will never be refunded my money, SPOKEO is BIG SCAM
Dear Don,
I'm sorry if you were under the wrong impression and hope to assist you in whatever way possible. Because you had selected our 6-month plan, a total of $23.70 has been deducted. Because this provides you access for the full term, the average cost is $3.95 per month, which is the amount you may have been confused with. To make this even more prominent for our payers, we include this information as part of the disclaimer which has to be agreed to before the purchase is processed. I do apologize again if this was unclear in any way.
Spokeo showcases the power of information aggregation, as the data is gathered from a multitude of different sources, such as social networks, public records, phone listings, marketing surveys and more. We also organize the information so that it makes sense for you, as a user. However, machine aggregation has its limits. Since there is no human involved, the data is not verified and might not be accurate. Moreover, many sources do not refresh their data often. Our Terms of Use states clearly that we are a Search Engine, and do not create, maintain or modify any of the information you see. For this reason, we cannot guarantee full or accurate information for every name, phone number, email address or username you search for, as the results vary so much from person to person. We are only as good as our sources, and our engineers are working hard on new algorithms to improve our data accuracy. I do apologize again for the inconvenience.
If you have still yet to hear from a Spokeo representative regarding your account, please email our support team directly at [email protected] with mention of this complaint, and our representatives will be happy to assist you in resolving the issue as soon as possible. I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
I bought the 3 month membership, because when I typed in the name of my husband, it showed his profile pic, and next to was a green checkmark for dating sites -- naturally I freaked out and bought the 3 months to do some more searching. And all that came up were the sites he visits that I already know about. He has a common name, is that the reason for freaking me out with the check mark? After I bought it, it said one identical match (his Facebook) and other possibles with addresses below, none of which were him -- so my question, spokeo, is why the green checkmark with dating sites next to it (his facebook profile pic)? When I paid, they didn't show up. Are you just using that as bait for possibilities? Or because it's a common name?
Dear Tania,
I apologize for the confusion. Our service does demonstrate potential matches on an email search by displaying a number of potential sites which we support on our searches. Normally once a subscription is purchased, the information will reflect a number of actual matches as well. In some cases, common names and emails may be confused within our data aggregation system, which may cause mix-ups like the one you seem to have encountered. Spokeo cannot guarantee any accurate or full profile information. In addition, Spokeo preserves and protects the privacy terms of all third-party content and does not grant access to private profiles or blogs. Our information depends entirely on the amount of digital footprints left by email users as well as the privacy settings maintained by the user.
Our Terms of Use states clearly that we are a People Search Engine, and do not create, maintain or modify any of the information you see. Instead, this information is gathered from a multitude of sources, such as social networks, public records, phone listings, marketing surveys and more. For this reason, we cannot guarantee full or accurate information for every name, phone number, email address or username you search for, as the results vary so much from person to person. We are only as good as our sources, and our engineers are working hard on new algorithms to improve our data accuracy. I do apologize again for the inconvenience.
I apologize for the inconvenience, and if you would kindly email our support team with mention of this complaint, they would be more than happy to help you resolve the issue.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
To me, this site is a scam. I joined, (before looking at the many negative reviews posted all over the internet), and requested the 30-day free trial membership. The terms of the offer specified that I needed to cancel before 30 days, otherwise, the $19.95 per monthl membership fee will apply. I used the system just one time for a email search, and next thing I know, there is a $1.95 charge on my credit card for this inquiry. The results did not produce any information, even though they made be believe there was several pieces of information available on the email if I joined them. I was so dissatisfied with their unethical practices that called their customer service number right away. Dont expect 24/7 support from them either. Their office was closed, so I shoot them a email and requested a full refund and cancellation of my account. They responded the next day, explaining my requests were granted. Their reply included the usual statement that I "misunderstood" how the program works, but I know better. My best advice: STAY AWAY, DONT WASTE YOUR $$$. (Did I mention SCAM?).
Dear Andy,
I am sorry to hear that you were unable to reach our support staff. As listed on our site, we can be reached Monday through Sunday, 6am - 5pm (PST). Furthermore, our email team strives to answer all requests within 24 hours of being sent.
Unfortunately Spokeo does not offer any 30-day free trials at this time. While we do offer a number of 30-day trial promotions following purchase, those are separate services, which is why they are presented following the purchase of our service.
Regarding the lack of information, I believe this may be a misunderstanding and would be more than happy to clarify. When you perform a free basic search, we provide details about the networks that we support but do not state that we have found any matches unless we really did. You may be referring to links like "click here to search all 70+ networks" but that does not guarantee that you will be provided further information as Spokeo does not guarantee full results for every search you perform. I apologize for any confusion caused. Please note that we do offer a 100% guarantee on all single search purchases. Please contact our support team at [email protected] with mention of this complaint and we will be happy to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
Tried with 10 known numbers and all were incorrectly reported. Neighbor tried local police number and was also incorrectly reported. Don't waste your time with this one.
Dear Huitziton,
I'm sorry to hear that our service did not meet your expectations. Our phone listings typically can provide more information. However, certain numbers are simply not found in our phone directory and may not yield full or accurate results.
Our Terms of Use states clearly that we are a People Search Engine, and do not create, maintain or modify any of the information you see. Instead, this information is gathered from a multitude of sources, such as social networks, public records, phone listings, marketing surveys and more. For this reason, we cannot guarantee full or accurate information for every name, phone number or email address you search for, as the results vary so much from person to person. We are only as good as our sources, and our engineers are working hard on new algorithms to improve our data accuracy. I do apologize again for the inconvenience.
Please contact customer support at [email protected] with mention of this complaint, and our representatives will be happy to resolve the issues at hand.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
DO NOT sign up for Spokeo. Like many here, I wish I had checked the reviews before I impulsively signed up. The web page clearly showed $3.99 for 6 months. However, when I signed up, they charged my account $23.70 and are now trying to tell me that I misunderstood the stated price. If I did misunderstand it, it was because Spokeo deliberately mislead me.
This site is dishonest and engages in fraudulent business practices.
Dear Renae,
I'm sorry if you were under the wrong impression and hope to assist you in whatever way possible. Because you had selected our 6-month plan, a total of $23.70 has been deducted. Because this provides you access for the full term, the average cost is $3.95 per month, which is the amount you may have been confused with. To make this even more prominent for our payers, we include this information as part of the disclaimer which has to be agreed to before the purchase is processed. I do apologize again if this was unclear in any way.
Please contact customer support at [email protected] with mention of this complaint, and our staff will be happy to assist you with a full refund.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
Additionally, they skirt their charges on their website, advertising 3 months for "$4.95" in bold black, with "/mo" (they won't even spell out "month" because you might catch it) in much smaller, light font. Then the real charge, "$14.85", appears at the very bottom, in small print, at the end of a standard checkbox that few people will read.
Reminds me of the auto salesman in Fargo trying to pressure sell a customer on an expensive anti-rust package. What Spokeo is doing is legal... it's just not moral or ethical. Don't buy anything from these people... they go home and smirk at themselves in the bathroom mirror.
Dear Alan,
I am sorry that you feel this way about our terms. The standard check box at issue does require the check-mark to be manually clicked, and does link directly to our terms of service, for which more detail is included on our entire service. This ensures that there is more than one place on the payment page at which the full price is mentioned. Furthermore, the payment is a one-time payment for the entire subscription term. The listed rate of $4.95/mo for three months is accurate, as our customers are charged up front a total of $14.85 for the entire period. I apologize again for any confusion, and our contact information is available on our payment page should any customers have questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
Did not pay but entered data to an old friend, and BINGO! Data that was over a decade ago when death in the family and a move to another state and prefixes to there phone number was so old and not used anymore with there number. FCC should look into this site...
Dear MG P.,
I'm sorry to hear that our service did not meet your expectations. Our phone listings typically can provide more information. However, certain numbers are simply not found in our phone directory and may not yield full or accurate results.
Our Terms of Use states clearly that we are a People Search Engine, and do not create, maintain or modify any of the information you see. Instead, this information is gathered from a multitude of sources, such as social networks, public records, phone listings, marketing surveys and more. For this reason, we cannot guarantee full or accurate information for every name, phone number or email address you search for, as the results vary so much from person to person. We are only as good as our sources, and our engineers are working hard on new algorithms to improve our data accuracy. I do apologize again for the inconvenience.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
Spokeo can't keep track of bums people... that's why alot of the stuff you may have searched for appears bogus. /sigh... I mean put it this way, lets say you were married 5 years ago, and you had EVERYTHING "technology" (internet/computers/phones/online-accounts/etc). And NOW, lets pretend you are divorced... and you do not have any of those things... so your social media/online status is at a standstill, until you appear again to change that... Spokeo.com does not stalk you and 100million other people down personally to update your information... Spokeo.com is like a google.com (Data-Inter-web-Collection) but ment for people searches only, so anything it collects is based off what YOU do over the INTERWEBS HELLOOOOOO. -_- I REST MY CASE. But as far as my view of spokeo.com, it stays very consistent, my locations have not yet been in-accurate. Everyone and everything i have searched for without even PAYING for spokeo has been true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I even used spokeo so I could catch my spouse cheating and to confront his infidelity and it worked just fine, i got the truth. It's really just all about how much the person your searching for is really 'out there' socially.
I did 5 searches on Spokeo -- all inaccurate! The cell phone I've had for 8 years is listed under another person in another city. My former land line is listed under my ex husband and we've been divorced for 16 years, and HIS phone number that he has had for 16 years is also listed as belonging to someone else. Don't do it! SO wish I'd read the reviews first.
Dear Heather,
I am sorry to hear that our services did not meet your expectations. While we do offer a 100% guarantee on the first search performed, once more than one searches is performed the guarantee no longer applies. This is not a trick, but merely to prevent abuse of the policy. We like to think of it like eating at a restaurant; if you are unhappy with a meal after one bite, you will most likely get a refund, but the more you eat decreases your potential return. I do apologize again for the misunderstanding, and would be happy to attempt to resolve it. I have sent you private message regarding your account.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
Terrible! I was thinking of joining this site and decided not to. It is bogus! They even had the wrong religion posted for me. They listed me as Protestant. I called to explain that I am a practicing Jew and have never been a Christian. They refused to change it. They even listed my rabbi as a Protestant. Go figure! Stay away!
Dear Louis,
I understand some of the information that comes up during a search is not accurate. Unfortunately, there is no way to edit the search results currently. Spokeo is a search engine specialized in aggregating people-related information from phone books, social networks, marketing lists, business sites, and other public sources. We are working hard to make search results that are updated and accurate. This can be difficult as we do not create or maintain any of the data, and do not act as a social network where people create their own profiles and later edit them. That said, some of these sources do take the time to update the information over time in accordance to their own policies so do check back over time. We apologize for any inconvenience.
If you do not feel comfortable publishing your listing, you can opt yourself out of Spokeo. This can be done by clicking on the Privacy link located in the bottom of our home page. Once on this page, please click on our "Opt-Out Form" located at the bottom of the page which will take you here: http://www.spokeo.com/optout
To Remove Phone/Name/Email/Username Listings:
1. Locate the listing you want removed by clicking on the exact profile based on the physical address
2. Copy the URL (please see under Troubleshooting, Incorrect URL for more on obtaining the correct URL)
3. Click on the Privacy link located in the bottom of our home page and click on the "Opt-Out Form" which will direct you here: http://www.spokeo.com/optout
4. Paste the URL
5. Provide your email address (this acts as a verification process for the confirmation to be sent to your Inbox)
6. Type in the Captcha Code (type the code exactly as you see it)
7. Check your Inbox for the confirmation email, and click on the link at the bottom to complete the removal process.
If you encounter any difficulties, we can also help you remove the listing(s) here via email if you provide the details of the listing(s). To ensure that we do so accurately, please kindly provide the URL of the listing(s) you wish to remove.
How To Obtain The URL:
The URL can be found in the address bar located at the top of your browser. For Name Listings, make sure you locate the profile by narrowing the city and state and clicking on the exact profile. The URL should look like one of these examples:
Name Listing: http://www.spokeo.com/search?q=John+Doe#California:1234567890
Phone Listing: http://www.spokeo.com/reverse-phone-lookup/search?p=2345678901
Email Listing: http://www.spokeo.com/email-search/[email protected]
Username Listing: http://www.spokeo.com/username-search/search?u=johndoe
Sincerely,
Spokeo
A Friend has this service, and we logged in so he could show me how it works. CRAP I think. We did a search on me, everything they had was over 5 years old, and the email address they listed was an OLD AOL... AOL I havent had AOL in over 10 yrs... Really Spokeo. I'm a retired police officer, and now working as an Investigator and was looking for a GOOD tool for my job. Guess it won't be you. Thanks anyway... Feel bad for my friend that paid for this service.
Dear Dean,
I'm sorry to hear that our service did not meet your expectations. Spokeo showcases the power of information aggregation, as the data is gathered from a multitude of different sources, such as social networks, public records, phone listings, marketing surveys and more. We also organize the information so that it makes sense for you, as a user. However, machine aggregation has its limits. Since there is no human involved, the data is not verified and might not be accurate. Moreover, many sources do not refresh their data often. Our Terms of Use states clearly that we are a Search Engine, and do not create, maintain or modify any of the information you see. For this reason, we cannot guarantee full or accurate information for every name, phone number, email address or username you search for, as the results vary so much from person to person. We are only as good as our sources, and our engineers are working hard on new algorithms to improve our data accuracy. I do apologize again for the inconvenience.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
I wish I had read the reviews on Spokeo before I signed up with them. A lot of people had terrible experiences which are similar to mind. I only used the service for 9 min but did not find any useful information on someone. They have"100% Guarantee. If we don't have results for this search we will gladly issue a refund." posted on the payment page to make you feel safe. When I called to cancel and request the refund, the customer service told me that it is guarantee only for the first attempt. Please do not use their service. It is not worthy. Your review will help others learn about this website.
Please do not review if you are affiliated or have a conflict of interest with this website.
Dear Soph,
I am sorry to hear that our services did not meet your expectations. While we do offer a 100% guarantee on the first search performed, once more than one searches is performed the guarantee no longer applies. This is not a trick, but merely to prevent abuse of the policy. We like to think of it like eating at a restaurant; if you are unhappy with a meal after one bite, you will most likely get a refund, but the more you eat decreases your potential return. I do apologize again for the misunderstanding, and would be happy to attempt to resolve it. I have sent you private message regarding your account.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
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- SmartCustomer’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- SmartCustomer has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
Dear John D.,
I'm sorry to hear that our service did not meet your expectations. Our phone listings typically can provide more information. However, certain numbers are simply not found in our phone directory and may not yield full or accurate results.
Our Terms of Use states clearly that we are a People Search Engine, and do not create, maintain or modify any of the information you see. Instead, this information is gathered from a multitude of sources, such as social networks, public records, phone listings, marketing surveys and more. For this reason, we cannot guarantee full or accurate information for every name, phone number or email address you search for, as the results vary so much from person to person. We are only as good as our sources, and our engineers are working hard on new algorithms to improve our data accuracy. I do apologize again for the inconvenience.
Please contact our support team at [email protected] with mention of this complaint, and our representatives will be happy to resolve any issues you may have.
Sincerely,
Spokeo