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
I suggest anyone who has had problems with Spokeo should report their credit card as being lost or stolen, and get a new card issued. The recurring charge will cease.
I cancelled my account on Spokeo after 1 month.
And they still charge me 2 times per month.
I lives in sweden and dont know what too do
Best regards
Mikael Marnerg
Dear Mikael,
We're sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you. Please contact us at your earliest convenience so we can further assist you with this issue by calling 1-888-906-0850 or via email at CustomerCare@spokeo.com. We are available from 3:00 AM to 9:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Thank you
They cheat you off the 7 day free trial. Does not return search information and charge you without any communication.
Dear PJ,
I'm sorry for any misunderstanding and certainly wish to help resolve the issue. You selected our Single Search with Premium Trial plan, which provided you with an initial $0.95 Single Record as well as additional free Premium access for 7 days. As long as the trial is cancelled within 7 days, the account does not continue. Because your trial was not disabled within 7 days, a recurring subscription fee began to charge. Accounts of this type automatically renew if left active to prevent any service interruption. We make this very clear by detailing this on our payment page, including it in the disclaimer which must 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.
Spokeo
This company will rip you off all they want is your information so they can take money out of your account and when u ask for a refund they try to give u half the amount!
Dear Erica,
We're sorry you feel this way and wish to clarify. In order for a Spokeo subscription to be created, a user must navigate to our website at www.spokeo.com and either click on the "Sign Up" button or perform a search and click on the "Get Full Results" button. The user would then be required to enter in a full 16 digit credit or debit card number along with the card's matching security code, cardholder name, card expiration date, card billing zip code, and enter a valid email address that becomes the username associated with the account. Once this information has been entered, the Terms of Use agreement must be checked and agreed to and then the "Purchase" button must be hit. Once these actions are completed and the information is verified as valid and matching, the user must then fill out a brief survey and set an account password to begin using the subscription. A purchase confirmation receipt is also sent to the account's email address. Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you
They charge me over $70 in monthly fees when I was only aware of a $. 95 trial. Its ridiculous. When I asked to be refunded I was only given $30. Terrible. If you don't cancel the trial within one week they charge you monthly, as well as some friends fee, that was not mentioned in the beginning. It's so obvious that they just want to scam money out of you. If I could give this 0 stars I would.
We're sorry you feel this way and wish to explain; It appears you selected our Single Search with Premium Trial plan, which provided you with an initial $0.95 Single Record as well as additional free Premium access for 7 days. As long as the trial is cancelled within 7 days, the account does not continue. Because your trial was not disabled within 7 days, a $19.95 1-month recurring subscription fee began to charge. Accounts of this type automatically renew if left active to prevent any service interruption. We try to avoid situations such as this by making our terms and conditions 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. We do apologize again if this was unclear in any way.
Sincerely,
The Spokeo Team
Not only do they charge when I have clearly stated on the same day that I "tried out" their People Search for $0.95 and then cancelled any additional service, when I call the company speaking calmly and expressing my non use of service and previous cancellation, therefor requesting my $19.95 be refunded, these THIEVES are willing to refund ONLY 9.95 of the $19.95 charged to my credit card WITHOUT ANY AUTHORIZATION! WATCH OUT! These guys ARE THIEVES! (As the "star" ratings above give only a positive response of minimum one star, so I chose none. If possible I'd give them a NEGATIVE five stars.
Hello David,
We're sorry you feel this way and wish to explain; It appears you selected our Single Search with Premium Trial plan, which provided you with an initial $0.95 Single Record as well as additional free Premium access for 7 days. As long as the trial is cancelled within 7 days, the account does not continue. Because your trial was not disabled within 7 days, a $19.95 1-month recurring subscription fee began to charge. Accounts of this type automatically renew if left active to prevent any service interruption. We try to make this very clear by detailing this on our payment page, 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. We do apologize again if this was unclear in any way.
We had a death in the family and needed a number for a $1.95 I have it. I would give a review score of a five and am not because the delivery of my information required logging on which didn't work therefore I had to call. I got a very helpful spokeo rep. On the phone who delivered my info she was so nice. I will use spokeo again it is worth a buck ninety five for sure. Make sure if you only want one search you don't click on the free monthly trial and then you won't be dealing with credit card issues.
We've just tried to place an internet order and had our card refunded because the seller used Spokeo to check out the email address and Spokeo came up with someone who isn't me! So much for accurate checking - don't trust them peeps.
Spokeo organizes publicly available information from phone books, social networks, marketing surveys, real estate listings, and other public sources. This third-party data is then indexed through methods similar to those used by Google or Bing to create a listing. For additional information please read our full privacy policy: http://www.spokeo.com/privacy/terms. Pokeo does not originate or create data, so our data reflects that of the original sources. Spokeo does not guarantee data accuracy, and the data should only be used as a reference. We are, however, constantly working to expand and improve the data available on on our site. You can contact customer care at CustomerCare@spokeo.com and provide your listing so they can opt it out for you. Thank you
False advertising, Spokeo doesn't have the records they claim to have.
Dear Michael,
We're sorry you feel this way and would like to explain a little more about our services. Spokeo People Search allows you to search for anyone by Name, Reverse Email, Reverse Phone or Username. Our database covers a multitude of social networks, public records, marketing lists and more to reveal demographic details, public profiles, etc. 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.
Thank you
I just used Spokeo and thought I was spending $3.95 for six months of use. Wrong. It's $3.95 PER MONTH for six months use, $23.70 total. I imagine that how they lay out the charge is not illegal; just easy to misread: It says "6 Month Membership $3.95/mo. Yeah, it's all there, but I can't imagine I'm the only person to read it as $3.95 for the entire six months.
I canceled my membership as soon as I got their email telling me what they charged me. I asked for a refund based on my misunderstanding of their charges and the fact that they do not post the full amount for six month. My expectations are low... At least I will read until my eyeballs fall out the next thing I consider buying online.
Update May 31,2015: They refunded me $19.75, the difference, I suppose, between what I thought I was going to pay and what I actually paid. Did not expect that. They defended their wording but gave me the refund anyway. I'll take it.
I wanted to add this information since many other review spoke of problems getting refunds, or being charged even after cancelling. I still have to see that they go through with this, and also don't charge me again, but they have sent me an email saying they are giving me a refund.
Dear Emmanola,
We are happy to hear that you were able to get this issue resolved and apologize for any misunderstanding. We try to make our pricing very clear by detailing this on our payment page 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. Again, we do apologize if this was unclear in any way.
Sincerely,
The Spokeo team
Call *******264 to get this service cancelled. Looked up 1 number paid 95 cents did not get the information promised. Then I got billed $19.95 on my credit card statement, called and they said I signed up for a free 7 day trial and did not cancel it. I did not sign up for a free trial, what you don't know is if you pay to look up a number, you get signed up for a 7 day free trial that turns into a 19.95 charge on the 8th day on your credit card bill. When you get your credit card bill that is a month later. I called as soon as I saw it on my bill and Taylor said she couldn't refund my $19.95 but she could cancel the subscription to prevent further billing. Well I didn't argue because I didn't read the fine print. Well then I got my next months credit card statement and another $19.95 was billed, I called and was told that had already gone thur the day before I talked with Taylor, I told Dillon if it did Taylor did not see it because we only talked about the 1 $19.95 charge and I told her I did not want another charge to show up on my next months bill and she said it wouldn't and she gave me a confirmation number that my subscription had been cancelled. Easy, right... wrong he couldn't give me back my $19.95 charge due to the fact it had already went thru the day before I talked with Taylor. I told him they would refund the $19.95 and he said he could only do $14.and change and I told him I would have American Express fight the charge and I would put a negative review about the company, he then still tried to get me to agree on $14. I said no and then after putting me on hold for a second he came back and said he would give me the $19.95 back on my next months bill. We will see if that happens! I will not use this service again. TO FOLLOW UP... I did receive my refund on the next credit card bill for $19.95, the number I called was 1-800-699--4264 to get this resolved.
Dear Cynthia,
We are happy to hear you were able to get this situation resolved. Please feel free to contact us at CustomerCare@spokeo.com, or via phone at 1-888-906-0850 should you have any further questions or concerns regarding this matter.
Sincerely,
Spokeo Customer Care
This site advertises a 6month trial for $3.95. They don't tell you you pay $3.95 for 6months upfront. When you cancel or check your charges you are charges $23.70. I would recommend upon cancellation notify your bank so they can't take additional charges from your account.
Dear Teresa,
We're sorry you feel this way. We try to make our pricing very clear by detailing it on our payment page in the disclaimer which must 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. Again, we do apologize if this was unclear in any way.
Sincerely,
The Spokeo team
Subscribed and cancelled Spokeo after 1 day. Received a confirmation E-mail the same day. Saw a charge this month on my credit card for $14.95 reference Spokeo/Biz Shark. Called my credit card and they said the charge appeared for the past 13 months. Called Spokeo and they agreed that I had cancelled the service, however I did not cancel the Biz Shark add on service. I have never heard of this nor did I subscribe to this service. They agreed to refund 3 months so I am out $149.50. As a result I have filed fraud charges with my credit card company.
This is their business model so please be aware of their practices and understand what you are agreeing to. Most of all verify your monthly credit card charges. Not taking the time to verify cost me $150.
Dear Jim,
We're sorry you feel this way and wish to explain. During the sign up process an offer for Bizshark was presented. We have a 2-step process in place to prevent any accidental sign-ups. On our promotion page, you would have been required to click on the check box, consenting to our Terms and Conditions. In that disclaimer, we state very clearly that you will be enrolled in a 30-day free trial and will be billed unless canceled before 30 days. Should you wish to decline this offer, we provide a chance to opt out of the offer very easily.
If you have any further questions or concerns regarding this matter please feel free to contact us at 1-888-906-0850. We're happy to help.
Sincerely,
Spokeo
I can even get on to get the info. And I already payed
Hello Nicole,
We’re so sorry to hear that you weren't able to find what you were looking for. Spokeo does not originate or create data, so our data reflects that of the original sources. Spokeo does not guarantee data accuracy, and the data should only be used as a reference. We are, however, constantly working to expand and improve the data available on on our site. We want to make sure that you are helped, so please contact our Customer Care team at CustomerCare@spokeo.com.
Thank you,
The Spokeo Team
Note that Spokeo, unlike most reputable sites doesn't show a pricing list. Try to find out the pricing before signing up -- its nearly impossible, unless you start using the service. And then as you go along the hidden upgrades pop up and each one adds to your overall monthly bill. There is something dark and scam-ish about Spokeo. I used it for two years, but as they kept limiting features (and then charging for features that used to be part of the premium package), I decided it was not worth it. I'm glad I left Spokeo, I don't want to be associated with a site that seems to be operated by grifters.
Dear James,
We're sorry you feel that way. When a person chooses to sign up for Spokeo's services, they are presented with the exact price of the given product on our payment page. It also clearly states in our Terms of Use statement, which must be agreed to before the purchase is finalized, exactly how much you will be charged, and how often you will be charged. This is also shown in the confirmation message which is sent to the email address used to sign up immediately after the purchase is finalized. We sincerely apologize if this was unclear in any way. Please feel free to contact us at 1-888-906-0850 should you have any further questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Spokeo
I was thinking about using Spokeo, decided not to when I found they no longer accept Paypal so I would have to give them my credit card number, & when I saw the term below. However, I tried the number at the bottom of the page to see if I could reach them if I wanted to cancel, & promptly reached a human being when I selected the "do not have my credit card #" option. The number is *******850. She said she could cancel subscriptions, or they can be cancelled online.
Potential users should take note of this term that is in the terms you agree to if you sign up with them (which means Spokeo can actually put a virus on your computer & you agree you can't do anything about it)-
YOU USE SPOKEO.COM AT YOUR SOLE RISK (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM, LOSS OF DATA, DAMAGE RESULTING FROM RELIANCE ON INFORMATION FROM SPOKEO.COM, OR OTHER DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM OBTAINING ANY CONTENT FROM THE WEBSITE INCLUDING COMPUTER VIRUSES) EVEN IF SPOKEO HAS BEEN ADVISED OF OR IS AWARE OF THE RISK OF SUCH DAMAGE.
We understand your concern. Spokeo would not ever intentionally attempt to inflict harm to anyone's computer by installing malicious software, viruses, or anything of that sort. The statement mentioned in your complaint releases Spokeo from any liability should a 3rd party cause damage to, or alter the way in which our website functions that could in turn damage your system. We have some of the industry's best programers and developers at work ensuring the safety of our system. Should you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at 1-888-906-0850, or email CustomerCare@spokeo.com.
I used spokeo about 6 months ago and cancelled everything it told me to so I wouldn't get an extra charge! I checked my statements and go figure because they had my card info even though I clicked don't store they charged me anyways for a subscription I didn't even have. When calling tech support they "claim" they can't issue a refund because the billing cycle is over. I call BS on that I work in retail and have billing cycles but even after that date I can still issue a refund. Then he tells me I'm trying to override my computer and can only issue you back 7$... really that's not what they withdrew from my account! Even if you cancel you membership and subscription be wary they may charge you anyways!
Dear Kelsey,
We're understand your concern. It is possible you selected our Single Search with Premium Trial plan, which provided you with an initial $0.95 Single Record as well as additional free Premium access for 7 days. As long as the trial is cancelled within 7 days, the account does not continue. Because your trial was not disabled within 7 days, a recurring subscription fee began to charge. Accounts of this type automatically renew if left active to prevent any service interruption. We try to make this very clear by detailing this on our payment page, 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.
Spokeo was given an $800,000 fine in 2012 for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Why are they in business?
Spokeo Complies with all FTC Regulations, as well as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S. C. § 1681b) You may use Spokeo.com and information acquired from Spokeo.com for either personal or commercial purposes, provided that such commercial use is not to determine consumer eligibility for any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (as further described herein) and at all times personal or commercial usage must be for lawful purposes. You may not use Spokeo.com in a manner that exceeds the rights granted for Your use. Certain content provided on Spokeo.com may be sourced from other third party sites and if noted, is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareALike License. Your use of any such content must also comply with those license terms. To evaluate a consumer’s eligibility for credit or insurance to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, to evaluate a person’s eligibility for employment or volunteering purposes, to evaluate a person’s eligibility for a government license or benefit, to evaluate a person for renting a dwelling property, or for any other purpose specified in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S. C. § 1681b) For More information, please see our Terms of Use:
http://www.spokeo.com/terms-of-use-consumer
Signed up and paid. Then started using it. You only get 20 searches a month, AND, when your search comes up, everything you click on is considered a search and counts against the 20 allowed! You could literally, easily, use up 10 searches or more on one person. Spokeo is a Jokeo! I canceled my subscription but there is no refund. They just do not auto renew you, so I am out $23.70.
Dear Jo,
I'm sorry to hear that you were not aware of our search quota limit and hope to assist you in whatever way possible. All of our Premium Content is under a search quota limit. This implementation will not only ensure that your email searches continue to remain smooth and quick, but also will allow us to add more supported networks into our database in the future. This term is made very clear on our payment page, as it is included in the disclaimer which has to be agreed to before the purchase is processed. To ensure that our payers are aware of this, we even provide the link for the Plan Specification as part of the disclaimer.
Signed up for trial offer w/spokeo
Tried a search with a known person
Service did NOT return relevant info
I then went intot he web page and discontinued service
Got credit card bill-
BILLED FOR 6 MONTHS
Called them, oh, sorry, there was NO trial offer and we biled for 6 months
They knocked it down to 3 months
RIP OFF
Bad service
Bad company
DID search on know person
SPOKEO found NO info --- again - RIP OFF
Dear Riik
We're sorry you feel this way and would like to explain. We do have trial offers, but the specific package you selected is a six-month subscription. We try to make this clear by stating the exact amount you will be charged 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. Also, 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. I do apologize again if this was unclear in any way.
Spokeo
Answer: Watch for the $20 charge at the end of the month. They say a person is out, then the charge comes a month later. Had to cancel my card and get new # to keep them out of my wallet.
Answer: Three alternatives: 1) Logon with you old Spokeo account and contact customer support. 2) If you can't remember your old logon, 2.1) try a google search to find Spokeo customer service link or telephone number. 2.2) Spokeo has notes on some reviews. Maybe they have included their support number or link? 3) Call Visa and ask them to kill the Spokeo charges to your Visa account.
Answer: Not that I know of but they're slick the moment you put your card info in it saves and if you use something that takes payment they'll charge the card without asking.
Answer: Dear Aldric, I'm sorry to hear this. To better assist you, please contact our Customer Care team through our contact page, http://www.spokeo.com/contact where we are available by phone, email, and chat 7 days a week from 5AM to 8PM PST. Please feel free to contact us directly should you have any future questions or concerns regarding this matter. Thanks -Spokeo Customer Care
Answer: Yes, but BEWARE OF REOCCURRING CHARGES OF $24.95 if you do not cancel immediately! I did NOT get a full refund. Such a scam!
Answer: Hello Darlene, I understand your concern and wish to assist in resolving this matter. Please allow me to explain about Spokeo. We are a search engine that specializes in finding people. Many of our customers have had the opportunity to reunite with lost family, friends, and loved ones, and that is something we are proud to be a part of. Our information comes from various sources located within the Public Domain such as public record data, surveys, and social data (that has not been deemed private). Spokeo makes this information more easily accessible for people to research themselves or others, and sometimes that information is not always up to date. I sincerely apologize for any misunderstanding, and any inconvenience this experience has caused. Please feel free to contact me by phone at 888-906-0850, or via email at CustomerCare@spokeo.com should you have any further questions or concerns regarding this issue. All the best, Spokeo Customer Care
Answer: I cancelled Spokeo service due to selling me misinformation or inaccurate information. I got this in writing from David at Spokeo. They are good about sending a letter about we are sorry about not meeting your expectations. Our terms of use states we can do this blah blah blah. After I cancelled this subscription and got this in writing from David, I got a new debit card from my bank. Spokeo found the NEW CARD and charged it. I took the problem to my bank and got a credit. Be very careful of these people, watch your bank statements.
Answer: Elias, query "spokeo lawsuits" on google. There have been numerous cases on this group. Spokeo... if you are reading these complaints, I am wondering how you manage to get around the charge backs and still have a credit card company that works with you.
Answer: Watch for the $20 charge at the end of the month. They say a person is out, then the charge comes a month later. Had to cancel my card and get new # to keep them out of my wallet.
Answer: Hello There: I received your question to the Site Jabber page for Spokeo, on October 24,2024 regarding our service, and I am happy to assist in resolving this matter. Spokeo has access to over 1.2 billion records, collected and organized from many different open and publicly accesible sources. New information is added to our system every day. Spokeo does not originate or create data, so our data reflects that of the original sources. Spokeo does not guarantee data accuracy, and the data should only be used as a reference. We are, however, constantly working to expand and improve the data available on our site. New information is added to our system every day and I suggest you check back for new updates. Please note, Spokeo currently does not offer demo access to full results. I'd recommend exploring our basic search functions, which provides a preview of the kind of information that we offer and the social media networks we support at no cost. I apologize for any inconvenience, or hardship this matter may have caused. You are more than welcome to contact our Customer Care team through our contact page, http://www.spokeo.com/contact where we are available by phone, email, and chat 7 days a week from 5AM to 6PM PST. Please feel free to contact us directly should you have any future questions or concerns regarding this matter. Thanks -Spokeo Customer Care
People search engine and free white pages finds phone, address, email, and photos. Find people by name, email, address, and phone for free.
Dear John,
We're sorry you feel this way and would like to assist in explaining. Spokeo offers a variety of low cost payment plans which suit most users. Memberships can range from a one-time purchase of a single report, to multiple month long recurring subscriptions. In order to initiate a subscription with Spokeo, a customer must navigate to our website and click on the "Sign Up" button or click on the "Get Full Results" button. The user is then required to enter in a full 16 digit credit or debit card number along with the card's matching security code, cardholder name, card expiration date, card billing zip code, and enter a valid email address that becomes the username associated with the account. Once this information has been entered, the Terms of Use agreement (which clearly state exactly how much a person will be charged on a monthly basis if that is the subscription you have selected) must be checked and agreed to and then the "Purchase" button must be hit. Once these actions are completed and the information is verified as valid and matching, the user must then fill out a brief survey and set an account password to begin using the subscription. A purchase confirmation receipt is also sent to the account's email address.
Should you wish to cancel, Spokeo allows you to disable subscription auto-renewal at any point during the subscription term. If you do so, this will ensure that you are only billed for the term initially purchased. You will continue to have full access to the Premium service until your payment expires. You can disable subscription auto-renewal through the Usage and Subscriptions page (under the "Account" button located on the upper-right corner of any Spokeo page), or via email or phone with a Spokeo Customer Care representative at 1-888-906-0850.
Please feel free to contact us should you have any further questions or concerns regarding this matter.
Thank you,
The Spokeo Team