I did not know how to go about building our custom home. BuildZoom offered assistance and I had the worst imaginable experience that cost me a lot of time and money. If you are reading this please beware: BuildZoom is a total scam. They promised a lot delivered worse than nothing. I wasted tons of time and money and ended up where I started. They connected me with an architect that designed a very expensive house, twice over the budget that I planned for and almost twice the size I asked for.
It took over a year to get this design from him which required tons of adjustments and the final one provided did not have all the necessary components, such as plumbing for example. Everything he designed was overly expensive and a lot of stuff was unnecessary and uncalled for. I got no help with selection of a contractor, and all contractors offered by BuildZoom were poorly qualified to build a custom home (specializing instead in solar panels, windows, improvements, etc.). Total nightmare, so I had to find my own contractor.
When I complained, I was told that they will take care of it but never received a call back. Their employees come and go and the ones I dealt with were not paying attention to my project.
I had gone online, per Norton Security and found my personal information being used by Buildzoom to phish for customers. I had contacted the company and requested my information be removed and this was there response:
Samantha replied Sep 7, 4:35pm
Thank you for reaching out. I understand that you'd like to remove your profile.
Before we delete your profile, I'd like you to know that we created this page for consumers to learn more about your business. We're one of the few websites that show a history of building permits and license information, both of which are valuable to consumers when making a hiring decision. You'll notice that some contractor's profiles (like this one), are beautiful pages with photos, commentary, and plentiful information. They receive 2-3 new leads a day.
We built our company to educate consumers about good contractors (and warn them of bad ones). If you feel like there's incorrect information on your profile, we'd be happy to correct it for you.
Based on this information, do you see value in keeping this profile, or would you like me to continue with your request?
Best,
Samantha
When I told her I wasn't a contractor, she still solicited business from me in the next email. I reminded her again, I was not a contractor.
Hired a contractor that in my personal experience ripped me off and did not complete the job. I posted a negative review on Buildzoom. To my knowldege there are several complaints with the California state board site to include fraud. My own complaint resulted in numerous citations and a fine. The contractor disputed my review and they tookit down with notice. Beware this site does not protect consumers even when i notified of them of legal issues the contractor had with the State contractors board and even though i sent support of my issues. Just know they will leave in my opinion paid reviews and advertising from the contractor and not protect the consumer from questionable contractors.
As a contractor I felt great when I filled out my company information for Build Zoom and received a very high score, putting me in the top 4% of the contractors in my state. Having been in the building industry for 30 years and having built everything from soccer and hockey arenas to single family homes I felt the score was well earned on my part. I have alot to offer a client having done every facet of construction and having been in major magazines for my high end interiors. My affiliations are also top notch and took many years to cultivate like so many other good contractors.
So as the bids started to roll in I answered almost each one within minutes. I received many emails acknowleding that fact from build zoom. You would think on response time alone my score would not only stay the same but get even higher since people just dont call people back these days. Never-the-less it did not, as a matter of fact it did not go up it started to fall.
Here is Why.......
When they send you a project if you dont give a bid or close a contract in two days they cant get their percentage of the over-all contract. Thats right! They not only charge you for bids they send, which is a monthly fee not a per lead fee. If that weren't enough, on top of the monthly fee they get a chunk out of each project you close. Now here is the main flaw in their alogorithm...Most of the projects dont even answer your calls. That counts against you because they see that as a failure that you did not close the deal while at ther same time 10 other guys are bidding the same project most likely watching their score go down as well.
As I received actual leads on projects, that actually answered, I was at their home for a first time meeting ASAP. Thats how you do it.. But here is another of their flaws.. Because they are so hunger to field a lead and catch your percentage you start getting emails immediately because their watching every move through their system. What they seem not to realize is I have to have an architect or an engineer set up a meeting, sometimes it takes two weeks to clear their calander, then go see them and measure the project properly. Nothing can be bid from a homeowner just waving their finger around and saying I need this and that done. It takes a real set of drawings gone over multiple times and polished up so everyone is one the same page and continuity is established.
Because of this duediligence on "your" part your score will "drop" taking you out of the rotation of bidding due to the assumption that you just dont care or lack the common sense to close a deal.. When all along your just trying to secure the project for the right number so everyone can win.. They do not allow that to happen due to who knows... All I know is that you drop in your score because you dont do it their way...If they only realized how it was in North Carolina.
Buildzoom has found a way to take customers from small business'. If I google our companyand click on it, it takes me to buildzoom. I then found it wants information on work I want done. When I put in something it then wants to send me 4 contractors to call me. This is disturbing. Someone is googling us to be takien to their site.
Promises to connect you with legitimate contractors, help you thru the process, and review your bid/contract. They were great in the beginning, sent several contractors my way. But when I needed them most, to review my contract proposal from the contractor, they zoomed away breaking of contact. After contract was signed, they billed the contractor in full, threatening him. Who do you think really pays that 2.5%? It's past on to us. Arrogant to think otherwise. Now if they would have done the contract review, I'd at least say they fulfilled/rendered services in full. But they didn't and refuse to refund a "portion" of the bill. That's all I asked, a partial refund. My attorney has looked at them and pointed out that they ate a Delaware LLC, HQ'd in CA, and have a long list of legal indemnifcation on their Web site. He says this is common with companies who have integrity issues to shady companies. I have a case, but will invest a lot of time and effort. So, instead, I'm putting that time and effort into spreading the word about their less than honest business practices.
Found a contractor through Build Zoom for an expansion project on my home. Had hired through their recomendations before with good results and left a positive review. This time, the hire was a nightmare and is costing me a lot of lost money to the contractor and money to fix all the issues he breated. When I tried to post a review on this experience to Build Zoom, it was disputed by the contractor. I sent more information including that we had multiple inspections done of the work that mostly failed. They have still denied my review. I feel this totally compromises the basic premise of the site when they will only allow a positive review. It makes the site a lot less than honest in it's own advertising.
BuildZoom, Inc. Reviews
I did not know how to go about building our custom home. BuildZoom offered assistance and I had the worst imaginable experience that cost me a lot of time and money. If you are reading this please beware: BuildZoom is a total scam. They promised a lot delivered worse than nothing. I wasted tons of time and money and ended up where I started. They connected me with an architect that designed a very expensive house, twice over the budget that I planned for and almost twice the size I asked for.
It took over a year to get this design from him which required tons of adjustments and the final one provided did not have all the necessary components, such as plumbing for example. Everything he designed was overly expensive and a lot of stuff was unnecessary and uncalled for. I got no help with selection of a contractor, and all contractors offered by BuildZoom were poorly qualified to build a custom home (specializing instead in solar panels, windows, improvements, etc.). Total nightmare, so I had to find my own contractor.
When I complained, I was told that they will take care of it but never received a call back. Their employees come and go and the ones I dealt with were not paying attention to my project.
I had gone online, per Norton Security and found my personal information being used by Buildzoom to phish for customers. I had contacted the company and requested my information be removed and this was there response:
Samantha replied Sep 7, 4:35pm
Thank you for reaching out. I understand that you'd like to remove your profile.
Before we delete your profile, I'd like you to know that we created this page for consumers to learn more about your business. We're one of the few websites that show a history of building permits and license information, both of which are valuable to consumers when making a hiring decision. You'll notice that some contractor's profiles (like this one), are beautiful pages with photos, commentary, and plentiful information. They receive 2-3 new leads a day.
We built our company to educate consumers about good contractors (and warn them of bad ones). If you feel like there's incorrect information on your profile, we'd be happy to correct it for you.
Based on this information, do you see value in keeping this profile, or would you like me to continue with your request?
Best,
Samantha
When I told her I wasn't a contractor, she still solicited business from me in the next email. I reminded her again, I was not a contractor.
Hired a contractor that in my personal experience ripped me off and did not complete the job. I posted a negative review on Buildzoom. To my knowldege there are several complaints with the California state board site to include fraud. My own complaint resulted in numerous citations and a fine. The contractor disputed my review and they tookit down with notice. Beware this site does not protect consumers even when i notified of them of legal issues the contractor had with the State contractors board and even though i sent support of my issues. Just know they will leave in my opinion paid reviews and advertising from the contractor and not protect the consumer from questionable contractors.
As a contractor I felt great when I filled out my company information for Build Zoom and received a very high score, putting me in the top 4% of the contractors in my state. Having been in the building industry for 30 years and having built everything from soccer and hockey arenas to single family homes I felt the score was well earned on my part. I have alot to offer a client having done every facet of construction and having been in major magazines for my high end interiors. My affiliations are also top notch and took many years to cultivate like so many other good contractors.
So as the bids started to roll in I answered almost each one within minutes. I received many emails acknowleding that fact from build zoom. You would think on response time alone my score would not only stay the same but get even higher since people just dont call people back these days. Never-the-less it did not, as a matter of fact it did not go up it started to fall.
Here is Why.......
When they send you a project if you dont give a bid or close a contract in two days they cant get their percentage of the over-all contract. Thats right! They not only charge you for bids they send, which is a monthly fee not a per lead fee. If that weren't enough, on top of the monthly fee they get a chunk out of each project you close. Now here is the main flaw in their alogorithm...Most of the projects dont even answer your calls. That counts against you because they see that as a failure that you did not close the deal while at ther same time 10 other guys are bidding the same project most likely watching their score go down as well.
As I received actual leads on projects, that actually answered, I was at their home for a first time meeting ASAP. Thats how you do it.. But here is another of their flaws.. Because they are so hunger to field a lead and catch your percentage you start getting emails immediately because their watching every move through their system. What they seem not to realize is I have to have an architect or an engineer set up a meeting, sometimes it takes two weeks to clear their calander, then go see them and measure the project properly. Nothing can be bid from a homeowner just waving their finger around and saying I need this and that done. It takes a real set of drawings gone over multiple times and polished up so everyone is one the same page and continuity is established.
Because of this duediligence on "your" part your score will "drop" taking you out of the rotation of bidding due to the assumption that you just dont care or lack the common sense to close a deal.. When all along your just trying to secure the project for the right number so everyone can win.. They do not allow that to happen due to who knows... All I know is that you drop in your score because you dont do it their way...If they only realized how it was in North Carolina.
Buildzoom has found a way to take customers from small business'. If I google our companyand click on it, it takes me to buildzoom. I then found it wants information on work I want done. When I put in something it then wants to send me 4 contractors to call me. This is disturbing. Someone is googling us to be takien to their site.
Promises to connect you with legitimate contractors, help you thru the process, and review your bid/contract. They were great in the beginning, sent several contractors my way. But when I needed them most, to review my contract proposal from the contractor, they zoomed away breaking of contact. After contract was signed, they billed the contractor in full, threatening him. Who do you think really pays that 2.5%? It's past on to us. Arrogant to think otherwise. Now if they would have done the contract review, I'd at least say they fulfilled/rendered services in full. But they didn't and refuse to refund a "portion" of the bill. That's all I asked, a partial refund. My attorney has looked at them and pointed out that they ate a Delaware LLC, HQ'd in CA, and have a long list of legal indemnifcation on their Web site. He says this is common with companies who have integrity issues to shady companies. I have a case, but will invest a lot of time and effort. So, instead, I'm putting that time and effort into spreading the word about their less than honest business practices.
Found a contractor through Build Zoom for an expansion project on my home. Had hired through their recomendations before with good results and left a positive review. This time, the hire was a nightmare and is costing me a lot of lost money to the contractor and money to fix all the issues he breated. When I tried to post a review on this experience to Build Zoom, it was disputed by the contractor. I sent more information including that we had multiple inspections done of the work that mostly failed. They have still denied my review. I feel this totally compromises the basic premise of the site when they will only allow a positive review. It makes the site a lot less than honest in it's own advertising.