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Intelius Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.4 / 5 (Excellent)
14 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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Founded in 2003 by former InfoSpace executives, Washington-based Intelius provides information services like background checks, reverse phone lookup, and criminal records searches. The company holds an A grade with the BBB and has fulfilled orders for over 50 million background reports over its history. Intelius provides services online and via apps for Android and IOS.
 
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How is Intelius rated?

Breakdown

5.0/5
Types of Background Checks
5.0/5
Report Quality
5.0/5
Reputation
4.0/5
Pricing
2.5/5
Customer Support

Overall Rating: 4.4 / 5 (Excellent)

Intelius scores highly with us mainly because of the contents of their background checks themselves. The company provides unparalleled detail and accuracy. In the online background check marketplace, there is no shortage of consumer complaints about information being out of date or inaccurate. Intelius, who has been in the game longer than most of its competitors, has a strong reputation for reliability and exactness. To date, the company has fulfilled orders for over 50 million background checks. Most customer complaints center around not understanding the billing process. Know that Intelius will likely migrate you to a monthly subscription after your trial period. So make sure to cancel with the company in the correct timeframe if you do not wish to continue service.

Intelius Screening Details

Report Quality - 5 / 5

Intelius' screening services are second to none. The company is able to search literally billions of public records and provide some of the most comprehensive and accurate background checks out there. The company's database is routinely updated to ensure information is up to date. What's more, Intelius' reports have an extremely intuitive layout and are easy to read and reference. They can include a person's detailed criminal history, tax liens, bankruptcies, court rulings, education and employment history, marriage and divorce records, aliases, relatives, and associated phone numbers and emails if the information is available. Intelius provided the most detailed background reports of all the companies we evaluated.
Legal Records
Civil Actions
Bankruptcy
Sex Offender Registry
Marriage and Divorce
Federal/Nationwide/State Criminal
Other Records
Social Media
Credit Check
Past Addresses
Education & Employment

Intelius Company Reputation

Reputation - 5 / 5

Intelius customers are presented with a two-tier pricing structure when purchasing reports on the Intelius website. Each offer includes the standard one-time purchase price and a second discounted report price plus a one-week trial of the Intelius Premier Plus membership. If the user elects to continue with their selected report type but does not wish to continue the Premier Plus membership they are instructed to cancel the Premier Plus membership within the first 7 days and they will be charged $7.95 for the Premier Plus trial membership. However, if the user does not cancel, the member is enrolled in the Premier Plus membership and their credit card will be charged a monthly fee of $29.95 (plus applicable taxes) going forward.

Intelius provides one state criminal check in the background report, and federal and nationwide criminal search as an add-on at $19.95. A one-time standalone Background check can be purchased for $49.95. This plan is offered at $10 off with a 7-day trial of the Premier Plus membership, which includes a monthly background report voucher.

Key Reputational Facts

Year Founded
2003
BBB Rating
A
Number of BBB Positive Reviews
1
Number of BBB Negative Reviews
84
Trust Pilot Rating
1.1 out of 10
Verified Contact Info
Yes
Date Collected
2018-02-02

Certifications & Actions

Classified by FCRA as Consumer Reporting Agency
No
NAPBS Accredited
No

Intelius Pricing

Pricing - 4 / 5

The majority of customer complaints about Intelius seem to revolve around billing problems. Although the company clearly states on its billing page that customers will be charged on a monthly basis if they do not cancel after the trial, many report not being aware of this before purchase. Intelius has a detailed and searchable help section on its website where customers can get answers to questions about their reports, accounts, website features and billing. The company's customer service phone number is listed in the checkout process. It is also on the receipt email and in the "how do I cancel my membership" Help section.
Free Report
No
One Time Report Charge
$49.95
Monthly Subscription
Yes
Plan 1 Name
Premier Plus
Plan 1 Monthly Price
$29.95

Company Profile

Full Name
Intelius
Company Website
https://www.intelius.com
Headquarters
1501 4th Ave Ste 400, Seattle, WA, 98101

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14 Customer Comments & Reviews

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B
Bob t
7/9/2023
Scammers. Rip off artist. scumbags need to be put out of business. There was a time you could look up anything in the white pages. Now some jerkoffs calling themselves Intellius want to rip everyone off for information that ligit was free. Don't use them. Ever. Give them a reason for no longer existing.

ldorday
4/4/2022
Use it for the first time today. Very little information was useful most of the information was wrong. Will never use it again out almost $30.00.

M
Mike N
3/16/2022
Used it "ONCE" never again why doesn't someone shut down these crooks. They have someone in the company give one good review while everyone is getting ripped off. All the search engines allow this because they are paying them huge dollars to advertise, it should be listed as entertainment only, This site is a joke and prays on everybody who uses it, Shame on you SOB.

M
mel
1/25/2021
I believe INTELIUS is a SCAM company . They tell you it will only cost a couple of dollars and you end up with 3 or 4 charges on your account with outrageous demands. Then, I read their reviews and they have a 2.8 out of 5 stars. A lot of complaints. The BBB should put a stop the them. The most incompetent company ever. I don't wont to even give them 1 star but how else can you send a review.

flatbrain1
6/22/2020
By the time they are done with my report they will have to send me a copy of my background check under some bridge. The most incompetent companie ever. In top of that you try to get some answers and all the questions are answered with the same dumb excuse. When you ask for a human being to read tour questions they send a number, which says they will not answer questions about your own report. In other words we don't care. I hope someone from this company reads this. Is the most idiotic, retarded, and dumbest background check company ever. Get someone answering the phone for god sake. Retarded things pisses me off so much.

J
Jacy
10/11/2019
I canceled on the 7th day & their policy says if cancel within 7 days, they charge $7.95. I feel strongly that I don't owe them $7.95. I did not use their service as I felt they were using extortion to force me into a membership. It is a form of price gauging. They should not be allowed to continue abhorrent practices. My. Rating is No Stars! But forced to give a rating.

m.a.walker7
7/25/2019
I *used* to use Intelius for our BGC needs, but ever since they updated their website everything is broken. Searches don't work properly, you can only purchase one report at a time (previously you could batch reports for a single person) and now they FORCE you into a subscription to their premium service not matter what if you purchase a report. The last straw was that the most recent reports I ran were simply entirely incorrect. Currently looking at alternatives.

Brittany P
3/20/2019
I regularly use the Intelius search site and I love it! Its super user friendly and easy to navigate and identify patterns in information. I have found out all kinds of great information about people . One of my favorite features is the property check. It allows you to look at your neighborhood and investigate neighbors to ensure there are no sexual predators or convicted felons. LOVE Intelius and highly recommend.

Chuck P
3/17/2019
Total scam. They offer a one-time search for a great price and then charge you $29.95 per month for premier service. The information was marginal but the price wasn't. Total ripoff.

richard m
2/20/2019
missed things that other background sites caught. marriages and divorces, criminal records probably the biggest misses. paid for a one time report and received something that was less accurate than a google search i did. i should have just lit a $50 bill on fire. very very disappointed.

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