Matthias T.

We are a reputable architectural office and thought we try out HA, but we should have googled them before we did. A simple web search reveals that they don't work ethically. Our mistake, won't happen again.
HA charges contractors and service businesses for useless, non-compliant or old leads but does not compensate for their mistakes. Example: A project we were charged for $94.25 was supposedly a "Complete remodel (with or without addition)" and turned out to be a single room drawing the client needed. The client was not fluent in English and my email to him after the call went unanswered. My request for credit from HA based on wrong information was turned down by HA.
Multiple and different independent sources online report similar issues.
And then I found this. A Class Action Suit against HA: https://chimicles.com/in-re-homeadvisor-inc-litig-case-no-116-cv-*******-pab-klm-d-colo/

The suit alleges the following:
Maintaining and employing systemically flawed and deficient processes to generate leads;
Charging Home Service Professionals for leads that were not from project-ready homeowners, were not verified and were bogus;
Using heavy-handed and coercive means to solicit new Home Service Professionals for Membership Programs;
Concealing and omitting material information about substantial monthly fees for mHelpDesk;
Blatantly disregarding Home Service Professionals' lead parameters and budgets;
Distributing the same lead to more than four Home Service Professionals;
Adopting uniform internal procedures intended to deny and discourage refunds and/or lead credits; and,
Exploiting terminated Home Service Professionals by maintaining their online profiles in order to shamelessly generate and pilfer Leads for its current network of HSPs.

Do your own web search and also look into the HA staff reviews on review places like Glassdoor, com.
It sounds like a call center business with high sales pressure. Don't sign up until you have done this research!
If you still want to try HA, be ready to cancel your credit card after you did because you might get charged even after trying to cancel your account with HA!
Good luck!