HomeStars

This site forces "valid" reviews to reveal your real name and use a real invoice. This is their way of promoting legitimacy, but because this information is revealed to the companies that you are reviewing, you are subject to legal and punitive action for negative reviews! I was personally threatened by both a company owner AND their lawyer that I would be brought to court if I didn't remove my review (which was very fair and did not name anyone personally).

Homestars response: NOTHING.

Useless site, take your reviews to Google or here.

Sergey was referred by friends of ours and how he looked after his parents.
Sergey fixed our dishwasher in January and then recently our stove.
On both occasions very professional, knowledgeable and efficient.
He had the parts with him and fixed both appliances.
I found him to be trustworthy, pleasant and certainly an excellent appliance technician.
He was referred to help my son in law's mother and again a great result.
I would refer him without hesitation.

They are real freaks! They are scammers! They tell you to pay everything once, it's a rosy world. And then, when you tell them to cancel the agreement after a month, they send you a bill for $1,500 after 2 months. And that you are obliged to pay it!

This "star is the minimum i could give"; it should be blank but hey, don't take my word for it ask Google. One piece of advice, Google this company: it actually gets funny once you see that lots of others have the same complaint, and postulated-attributes. The first "red-flag" is their "one sided contract". It's sad because dealing with this company will end in conflict. We are taking them to court as well.

HomeStars can't, and will not match up to their promises nor can do what they say, but they still move forward to collect from you. This is a company that smiles but does not have any interests in you but your money. Once you have observed all notes including external reviews you will see that HomeStars is not skillful enough in resolving any issues but that the similarities in complaints are cultured most identically.

Note: this is when being treated equally is a bad thing.
Feel free to reach out to me regarding your issues with Homestars.

If you need to contact Homestars once you have fallen into their trap, unresolved, and are ignored which is a guarantee; you must call from a different phone number press 3 to reach them as a new company seeking to join them then you will get someone; other then that you will be disregarded.

Just to let you know some specific info of construction business. Most of the 2023 my company was on sub-contracts. That means my company is not getting any reviews. And HS does not have any service for subcontractors, so you have no right to sign us up for your services. As an owner of the new business in Ottawa I am extremely disappointed and my disappointment costs me almost 500$ a month. I am wondering how many hard working people in Canada can't reach you out to cancel your services which really do not exist for subcontractors?

I used to work at HomeStars. Set up over 400 businesses. I'd say it works for about 50% of contractors. My guys that got reviews, were professionals, and did good work, made a killing, 10x more than what they were paying us. The guys that got 1, 2, 3 reviews, expected to gifted a 100k basement reno the day they signed up, those guys, just don't get how business works. Same guys, were late to quotes, responded to leads days later, those guys sucked. You're seeing a lot of those people in these comments. Running here leaving a bad review because, really, they're not good contractors. Biggest mistake a contractor can make is also getting started on the cheapest price - it would be like if a homeowner said "do this basement renovation for 25k" - but you knew it was a 75k job - if you want leads, you have to pay. All these comments saying " Oh I paid $250, $400, got nothing, it's a scam" what do you expect? My guys who paid $800-$1000+ a month, got tons of leads, closed a ton of work, never cancelled.

I'm a homeowner now, use HomeStars often to find a reputable contractor. My advise from someone who actually knows how this works, don't listen to the people below: Cheap, and bad at what they do.

Don't walk away from the idea of signing up, run.

Before someone convinces you otherwise, I got enough 10/10 reviews, even got offered best of the year award for the reviews, and updated my sector to the most in demand every season. I did everything they suggested by the book and still failed.
For the 425 CAD monthly fee I was paying I got barely any leads.

They send the lead to a dozen contractors while the sales guy convinces you it's only 3 contractors max.

For the money you pay, they do zero work to provide value. 425 a month spent on a marketing agency will get you far more leads and they will actually help you with advertising and not leave the whole process on you.

You pay a high price tag to list on their pages while they have less traffic than kijiji, ripoff.

Run away and save your money.

Don't sign up with these guys. This is the worst company to deal with. Up to the point of the sign up, they were super friendly and responsive. After I signed up, they stopped responding and changed personality overnight. The leads aren't coming in like they said they would.

I paid1350$ for 7 leads in 3 months and now they want 1120$ to cancel! Stay away! This is a scam. Absolutely useless!

I wish you could put a negative beside the star! This company does not even deserve a one star. They put the payment through literally 30 seconds after hanging up the phone - before "onboarding" or being "verified". Onboarding was scheduled and the rep didn't show up TWICE on the arranged virtual meeting - no apology. Two weeks into the first month - still no onboarding or verification. During our initial call with the account manager he explained if you aren't "verified" they will refund our money because that is a big selling feature to potential clients. Our verification was denied due to past DUI back in the 90s. They wanted a police check - we explained it would still show up - why incur the extra expense!? We did it anyways just to confirm and get our money back. We sent emails to them that didn't get answered until WE followed up a week later (but again they sure put the payment through fast). Now they are claiming the police check via a 3rd party is not sufficient! Every turn with these people is another excuse as to why they wont refund our money. We are a small business who thought this company was reputable - WRONG! Extremely poor customer service - didn't follow through on their committee to onboard, didn't verify, didn't respond in a timely professional manner - took our money and ran! Which is what we are advising you to do RUN! Read the other reviews. Save your money and frustration dealing with such a scam of a company! I will do whatever it takes to save another person from falling victim to this scam of a company!

Plumbing contractor here and I'm stuck on a 1 year contract. I pay 360/month and get maximum 1 lead a week (maybe 2 if I'm really lucky).

Most leads are tiny, repair leaking sink, plugged toilet, etc and even with that, most home owners are "accepting quotes" from multiple contractors. I have some of the cheapest rates in the City and still only land probably 15% of these jobs.

Our company is lucky if we break even on Homestars work after paying this company their monthly fees.

Worst advertising funds I've spent in over 10 years!

If you have an issue, you can't call anyone. When you call, it says to email. Then no one answers your email. System works fine if you never have to make changes or cancel.

If I could give a business -10 stars I would, HomeStars don't even deserve 1! I am reviewing here HomeStars as business owner who regrettably signed up with them! My worst business investment ever! Scammers all the way! I was with them for 9 months and did not even have one single job! They have send me leads from Ottawa even thought I signed up for Newmarket and area! Stay away! DO NOT SIGN UP or you'll regret tossing $10k down the drain! These people should be in court!

I'm with them for four months now $214 a monthly payment when the beginning they promised me at least seven business in one week.
I am more than a four month with them didn't get a single call from Customer I wasted $850.
Trying to get off from the stupid company but nobody picking the call nobody replay my email no one to play my voicemail nothing.
I'm thinking to take them to a small claim court.
Who will it get cheated by this company please report them.
Then only this company will stop doing this nonsense to other people.

Joe V and Jacob S performed well in the removal of the old and installation of a new furnace in my home. After installation clean up was good. However, I was totally displeased, and grossly displeased with them for neglecting to restore the gas supply to both my water heater and fireplace. The hot water issue was resolved with the assistance of an independent technician as Reliance seemed, through their customer service area, not to to give a damn about us being without hot water. The fireplace was not much of an issue as it is not yet that time of year when it becomes a priority.

The one good thing in this whole mess is that when Joe V realized that they had left my home without having restored hot water and the fireplace, he called on Saturday last and advised that he would would return to my home early in the week to re-light the fireplace. He did keep his word and turned up at my home today.

I have had my water heater and furnace replaced by Reliance within a month of each other, and had issues with problems created by their technicians on both occasions.

My air conditioning unit which was purchased from Reliance less than a year ago is now showing signs of loosing its coolant. It is scheduled to be repaired Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 30.

While the technicians who work for Reliance appear to be well versed in their respective trades, it appears that they need further training to ensure that their work areas are left in such a state that would negate the need for complaints.

Complained to this company several times about DCD Landscaping. They couldn't care less about the dismal performance of the contractors they list on their website. They do not appear to do full due diligence checks and balances on the contractors they recommend. Reaching out to Homestars to adjudicate disputes with contractors, is hopeless. Homestars only interest seems to be to collect monthly fees from their contractor base.

They stole more than $1,000 from my card

Don't contact this company, they won't give you any leads!

My company is Elite Exteriors and Eavestrough I work in 10 regions in and around the GTA and Niagara fort Erie region!

The harassed me to sign up for months because they got my add of Kijiji

I do
Eavestrough
Soffit/ Facia
Sidding
Capping windows and doors

For 3 months I received only two leads one of witch was from Edmonton. I live in Ontario
The other for a serivice we don't do!

The promised me at least 70 leads in three months

I received basically zero!

Now they're demanding my buissness continues to pay them another $4000 even thought I told them I wouldn't give them another dime! For another 10 months!

Also had 6 of my customers I got of Kijiji to complete a review I had 6 10/10 ratings I was also the only contractor doing my trade in their region I was put in! I still never got a single 1 customer for 3 months that wanted eavestrough soffit or facia capping to be completed on their home!

They lied to me mr Davis Hoang and Janet and another women kept giving me different people to deal with.

They never answer the phone and they only contact you if you miss a payment!

This company is a scam and they are LiARs and the try to steal from small businesses and take advantage of family's and mom and pop buissness

I got 10 leads of Kijiji in a week that I ever got from HOMESTARS!

I recently signed up for homestars with high hopes of finding consistent job opportunities for my startup business. Unfortunately, my experience has been far from satisfactory. I am disappointed with the expensive monthly rates they charge without delivering on their promises.
During the initial discussions, i was assured that Homestars was a busy platform, offering a steady flow of leads with the potential for five jobs per week. However, in over two months of being a member, i have received a meager five jobs in total. To make matters worse, most of these jobs have been small-scale projects or client planning and researching that hardly justify the high subscription fees i am paying.
The lack of job opportunities has severely impacted my business, causing frustration and financial strain. I expected Homestars to provide a platform where i could connect with potential clients and secure meaningful projects. Regrettably, this has not been the case.
Moreover, the customer support has been unsatisfactory. When i reached out to express my concerns and disappointment. I received vague and unhelpful responses such as "we cannot cancel your contract without paying penalty" "your area was a busy area but now it is going slow" "you need reviews to get jobs", etc. The lack of transparency and effective communication from Homestars has only added to my frustration.
Considering the exorbitant monthly rates and the lack of promised job opportunities, I cannot recommend Homestars as a worthwhile investment for fellow contractors or service providers. The return on investment simply does not justify the cost, and their claims of providing a steady stream of jobs are far from accurate.

So, I paid 260$ to advertise for me. After about 5min, I changed my mind. I told them to refund me but they refused until now. They say that I signed a contract. So, 260$ gone with absolutely no service.They did not want to give me half of this at least. My business has never been on their website even. Please people think twice before You hire this company. They are bad and wicked. No human conscience at all.How can you take free money with no service? I hope they pay for all this-one day.
Date of experience: December 08,2022.If you need proof, let me know.

I started to paint my bedroom and realized it was a much bigger job than I thought. Bares came to the rescue! His price was fair, he was quick to respond and to get the job done! Very nice guy and they did a wonderful job! I love the newly painted walls! FRESH!

Contractors are forced to get reviews and respond quickly or we are penalized, and now due to a $210 late payment my reputation has been cut by 25% and I have been branded a cheat regardless that the funds are on the credit card and they just haven't processed the payment.

I understand restricting an account that's past due, but resorting to libel to force a payment is not good business. I won't be requesting any further reviews and will be ending my contract.

150+ reviews, 9/10 rating. Winner of Best of HomeStars 5 times and now branded a cheat for a $210 payment.

I am on the board of a common elements of a condo corporation. Mika Interlocking carried out concrete repairs on stairs and sidewalk in the common area. For individual owners, there was also four interlocking driveways and three backyards where interlocking was installed. Two owners had landscaping done. Everyone was completely satisfied with the work. We would definitely use Mika Interlocking for any work need in the future.