ServiceMagic Signing up as a contractor is complicated and costs money that will not be refunded ripoff Golden Colorado

Seems the complicated approval process has been fixed and SM are now striving to provide good customer service.
That was then, this is now.
Bob

Bob:

Good day to you, I do wish you well. I have worked at SM for 2 years now and everything you outline is not even close to being true except for one item. Yes, you must have General Liability to receive any live targeted leads to call home owners from their initial request. However, to join SM there is no lic check as you state and there are no documents that you need to send in, unless you might be an illegal and someone is double checking on your status. Also, there is no initial $100 ($99) fee if you do not qualify. There would be no charges if you applied and did not get approved for some background issue...........Period. If you wish to call Customer Service to address anything, their # is 877.947.3639 Good Luck, Dave

I am lost once again. Your blog says that ServiceMagic takes drivers licenses and charge fees to do that. I am not certain how we exactly handle Canadian citizens, but I am sure it is different due to that fact that it is much more difficult to get a background check done on a Canadian. There is a $99 charge to do the background check on anyone, however it is not charged unless the company is approved. Canadian companies are the only non American citizens we allow into the network and it is a difficult process. I assure you, there is a felony check, business check including background and taxes as well as a check for liability insurance for most tasks as required by state laws. Why would anyone do business with companies that cannot pass this filter process? I wont.

The lead fees are not a flat $30. They range anywhere from $7-$50 depending on the nature of the project. We do not request your drivers license information in fact we run a criminal background check using your social security number and your date of birth. The only reason we would need scans of anything else is if you have an invalid SSN or you are a foreign national and we require proof that you can work here legally. The $100 is pre-authorized after payment information is put in, but if your account is not approved that $100 will be released back onto your card. Sometimes that can take 3-4 business days.