Beenverified.com Ruined client base due to Beenverified.com Internet

This rebuttal is in response to: #1 General Comment - Go Out of Business, OK?

Hi there, 

It sounds like we have communicated before.  If you have additional concerns regarding the removal of your personal information, please feel free to contact us directly at support@beenverified.com, so I can look into your opt-out request and answer any specific questions you have regarding your information. 

BeenVerified provides a searchable database of information that is already public record or publicly available.  We do not create the information, we do not provide private investigator services, and you are correct that we do not manually sort through the information.  Many companies and government agencies have been collecting and using this public data for years.  We provide a service to offer individuals affordable, easy-to-use access to this same public information. 

We do not, and cannot, guarantee that the information you find is 100% accurate.  We wish we could.  We are dependent upon the accuracy of public records. Many individuals use our service to view their own reports for this very reason.  If BeenVerified has this information, then the information is publicly available and it can be helpful to be aware of the information that is out there about yourself in public record.  Potential daters, job seekers, and more, can use the service to get an idea of what is available on themselves through public data. Please understand that we are not the source of the information; you would likely need to go to the source of the public records error (a county courthouse, etc) to investigate the next steps in correcting any error you located.

We state clearly on the site that per our Terms of Service we may not be used for any FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) related purpose.  BeenVerified is not a consumer reporting agency and we may not be used for employment background checks, tenant screening, credit checks or any FCRA related purpose.  

We respect any concerns you have regarding your information.  If you have questions or concerns regarding your information, you can contact customer service at 888-579-5910 Monday through Friday 8am - 9pm, or weekends from 12 - 8pm.  You can also always email support@beenverified.com.

If you are requesting that your information be opted out of our people search results, we provide an easy, absolutely free, opt-out process online, at: www.beenverified.com/optout.  You never need to pay, or provide a credit card, to complete our opt-out process.  You do not need to pay or provide a credit card to come back to the site in the future, to confirm your information is no longer in our search results.  If you have any personal concerns regarding your information, I am more than happy to provide further assistance.  

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at support@beenverified.com or at 888-579-5910.

Kind regards,

Carla

BeenVerified Customer Care

I paid $1.95 for a 7-day trial and 100% of the reports on me and my friends were unacceptably filled with erroneous information.  Here's an edited part of my email exchange with the company (the same "Carla" as above):

RE: "Accordingly, if you have previously opted out and see a new record about you appear in our people search results, please repeat the opt-out process and we will remove that record as well."

Unbelievable. You create harmful trash ("public information" that's just plain wrong, if not harmful to others).

Victims must then affirmatively check back (even pay you $1.95 if they don't realize the free option)  to determine that fact.

But hey, you'll "remove" that harmful result -- IF asked.

Yet, you'll be free to reconstitute it, and MAYBE get it right.

But, I'll have to monitor you (and, if uninformed, pay you another $1.95 to find out).

And then start the process all over again. Plus, given your technique (and uncaring attitude), the next "profile" on me is likely to also be unacceptably erroneous.

Greedy and evil. You COULD staff up to sort the errant info and prevent such harm, but you won't (profits). So, you literally create harm and make the harmed TRY and prevent it. Repeatedly, too.

And btw, I ran a search on all my friends. 100% of the reports are laden with stupidly erroneous information.

Do the world a favor and either fix this or go out of business. Otherwise, you're just a rip-off AND a public menace.

AFTERTHOUGHTS:  Beenverified.com now knows that its computers scarf up public records data and do NOT sift and sort data belonging to me versus similarly named individuals.  So, my stuff gets lumped together with others, but those who run a report on me aren't told that.  A date.com guidebook advises women to "check" on potential suitors by using Beenverified.com, and tutor and nanny-hiring folks no doubt do it all the time. ALL are presented with ERRONEOUS info, and the info-victim may not even know that this is happening. Evidently the cost of getting it right is not something the company wants to bear, so it'll keep pumping out trash and too bad for you.  Hence, it should just go out of business, or be sued to death.  Class action attorneys -- feel free to contact me.

Carla- Thanks for your response and I wanted to make sure you read what I said when I told the "world" that you had handled this! This does not, however, negate the fact that your company needs to take responsibility for what they put out for the world to see. (that is...the world who pays your fee and gets the reports.)

Your "disclaimer" that you put it in clear print that this is not "to be used for employment purposes" is absurd. You have no control, absolutely none, of what a potential employer chooses to do with the information that YOU PROVIDE. If they want to use it to deny employment etc. that is going to be up to them. I am reminded of the judge who tells the jury, "Ignore what you just heard. It is inadmissable." Big deal! They already heard it.

People who are willing to pay for your services expect a legitimate and ACCURATE report of the person for whom they are requiring a background check. To aprogate this and blame it on "unnamed data partners" is reprehensible. If these "data partners" are that negligent in collecting their information (as they were in my case) then you need different data partners.

After exchanging several emails with your company...beenverified.com...I realize that the problem is you don't seem to get the problem. Publishing on a national site erroneous and inaccurate information is slanderous, libelous, and illegal. I chose not to pursue legal action because you deleted the "erroneous" information from my profile. But what about the MILLIONS of other people who don't know you are giving this information out??? They could be losing jobs, and God knows what else because you people are not reporting the truth!

I told your manager that you are very lucky you are not being sued in a class action law suit for the defamation of character and libelous actions of your company. I cut you a break because a) my client got copies of all of the emails and b) you removed the information. HOWEVER, I was told to "check back frequently" to make sure the erroneous information didn't show up again!!! I certainly don't have the time for that kind of nonsense. 

I know we live in a "dog eat dog" world and you people have to pay your bills just like I do. My advice is "run, do not walk, to the nearest exit to your company door" and find a job with a reputable company that guarantees ACCURACY in their reports. Have a good life.

Kelly Heflin

After an exchange of emails with beenverified.com they "opted me out" of their database. I still have some concerns about their policy that you need to "check back frequently" to make sure no other erroneous information about me is added! Like I have time for that. You can "opt out" without having to join the site, though this was not explained to me initially on the phone and I told them under no circumstances would I join their site.

For those people having credit card difficulties, I don't know what to tell you. I was supplied with my "report" by a potential client fortunately. I checked back today to make sure I was removed but how long with that last?

The customer service agent M. Powers did respond to me in a timely manner and with correct instructions even though I was threatening legal action. At least he sounds like an honest person but I think everyone needs to be very cautious about what you read on the internet and who you give your credit card information to also.