Backgroundchecks.com Reviews, Pros, & Cons

BackgroundChecks.com is a background screening company that has helped more than 17,000 small and mid-sized businesses screen job candidates. BackgroundChecks.com’s services include access to driving records, identification verification, criminal history, and financial history, among other things. All checks are compliant with the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act).

The company is a founding member of the PBSA (Professional Background Screening Association) and co-founder of the Expungement Clearinghouse. But do its credentials make it one of the highest rated background check sites in the industry?

Most BackgroundChecks.com reviews online cover the basics, but we’d like to dive in a bit deeper. We’ll go through the following:

• Types of checks available
• Plans and pricing
• Pros and cons
• Alternatives
• Testimonials and reviews of BackgroundChecks.com
• Ease of use
• FAQ

Company Overview

BackgroundChecks.com offers a balance between convenience, economy, and confidence. Founded in 1999, the company’s headquarters is in Dallas, TX. BackgroundChecks.com promises “better data, performed with better checks.”

The platform offers various solutions, such as instant access to a criminal database and a full set of automated tools. Clients can use it to run a check on job candidates or existing employees.

The service’s database has over 650 million criminal records, thousands of public record sources, and 22 million photos, making it a leader in the background screening industry. BackgroundChecks.com’s verification background checks can be used by businesses and individuals alike.

Who Is the Service Best For?

BackgroundChecks.com background check services are perfect for the following customers:

• Large businesses that need to fill many vacancies
• Staffing companies that need to employ candidates on behalf of their clients
• Manufacturing and construction companies that need to hire many temporary employees
• Volunteer organizations that need to protect the safety of the vulnerable when accepting volunteers
• Retail companies that hire seasonal or hourly staff

At this point, you may wonder what the difference is between people search and background check sites. The former is used to search for long-lost family members or other people, while the latter serves as a background check for individuals, businesses, landlords, etc.

Types of Background Checks Offered

For businesses to make an informed decision when hiring a new employee, they need to confirm the candidate’s information. BackgroundChecks.com offers credit and criminal check services to verify potential employees’ credentials and other relevant information.

Here are BackgroundChecks.com’s specific services:

Instant Database Criminal Searches

The state you want to perform the search in determines your access to different databases, such as federal, state, and county courthouse records. Offender registries that you can access depend on the state’s regulations and include the Sex Offender Registry, Drug Offender Registry, and Animal Abuse Registry.

The following criminal databases are available instantly:

• US AliasSEARCH
• US OneSEARCH
• US OneTRACE
• US AliasVERIFY
• US OneVERIFY
• Country Level Criminal Search
• State Level Criminal Search
• Federal Criminal Search
• Ongoing Criminal Monitoring

The BackgroundChecks.com criminal background checks policy complies with the rules and regulations set by the FCRA. Reports will include case numbers, jurisdiction, charges, public arrest records, filing dates, and degree of offense. The large number of databases the company offers access to makes it one of the best background checks sites for employers.

Financial and Credit Records

To help an employer evaluate a candidate’s sense of financial responsibility, BackgroundChecks.com gives access to a thorough credit report. It orders reports from a major national credit bureau to provide accurate results.

To use the BackgroundChecks.com financial background checks product, companies have to fill an application and register as an End User of Consumer Credit Reports for Employment Purposes. Approval might take up to two weeks and costs $85.

Drug Screening

Drug screening is suitable for employers who want to monitor current workers and check whether prospective employees have recently used illegal substances. This service offers businesses the opportunity to order a set of screening tests from the company’s reliable drug-testing partner.

Driving Records

Employees required to operate company vehicles at work should undergo a BackgroundChecks.com instant motor vehicle report. This service is a form of safety screening to ensure the candidate has no traffic violations.

Verification of Credentials 

To confirm the information provided by job applicants, employers can use the verification of credentials service. This is definitely an important factor to consider when doing an employee background check. It verifies dates of employment, educational history, and references.

Packages and Pricing

BackgroundChecks.com offers three standard packages:

• Instant Criminal+
• Instant Criminal+ One County
• Instant Criminal+ All Counties

Individual Reports 

You can add the following individual reports to any of the standard packages.

In addition to the above prices, businesses can order 1–50+ instant database criminal searches at the following prices:

1 search—$29.95

5 searches—$27.95 each

10 searches—$23.95 each

25 searches—$21.95 each

50 searches—$18.95 each

Large companies can negotiate even better discounts for orders of more than 50 searches.

Before purchasing any of these products, businesses need to fill in a BackgroundChecks.com authorization form that proves the company’s existence, address, and credibility. Registration involves four easy steps and costs $19.95.

Additional Services

In addition to all the different background screening products, BackgroundChecks.com offers the following:

Industry-Specific Search Packages

• • For Staffing: Ideal for temp agencies and recruiters (includes drug testing, Instant Criminal+, employment and education verification)
  • For Construction and Manufacturing: Ideal for subcontractors and vendors (includes drug testing, Instant Criminal+, license and certification verification, and optional federal search)
  • For Retail: Ideal for store employees and managers (includes drug testing, Instant Criminal+ local county, employment and education verification)

• For Volunteer Organizations: Ideal for NGOs and community centers (includes drug testing, Instant Criminal+ local county, employment and education verification)

Custom Search Packages

As noted by other BackgroundChecks.com reviews, this top-notch screening company has an option of a custom search package. When standard packages don’t fit your needs, you can utilize any of the following three plans:

• Custom Bundle of Products: Build your own tailored package of verifications, monitoring, searches, and checks
• Volume Pricing for Standard Products: Negotiate a fixed discounted fee for high volume checks
• Drop Off Searches: Assign a list of checks that candidates should pass before continuing with the employee evaluation process

Ease of Use

The website offers effortless access to an extensive criminal record database. To further assist clients, the company has a learning center that answers questions about FCRA-compliance, county laws, regulation updates, and how to use the background check service.

After providing SSN, names, aliases, and other known information of a candidate, the company gives a thorough BackgroundChecks.com report and backs it up with sources. Using the site’s client portal is easy and efficient.

Sales Pitch 

BackgroundChecks.com’s biggest benefit is that it offers automated solutions through self-service portals. This allows clients to manage risks, administrative costs, hiring speed, and adhere to relevant laws and regulations. Knowing that your company complies with industry standards and the FCRA will give you peace of mind when hiring new employees.

Customer Service

BackgroundChecks.com customer service is available Monday to Friday, 7:30 am–5:30 pm CT, through live chat or a phone call at 866-300-8524. Additionally, you can reach the support team via email at service@BackgroundChecks.com or by filling in a form on the company’s website.

Pros and Cons

To be completely thorough, we should look at where BackgroundChecks.com excels and where it falls short. Here’s a list of pros and cons:

Pros

• Fully automated client portal
• Bundle discount prices
• Customizable plans
• Strict privacy policy

Cons

• No refunds on empty reports (if a candidate has no criminal record, you’ll still be charged)
• Third-party fees may apply

Alternatives

If you are looking for an affordable BackgroundChecks.com alternative, then there are a few competitors to consider. GoodHire and HireRight are two background screening companies with products tailored to businesses that are hiring. Let’s see how they compare to BackgroundChecks.com.

BackgroundChecks.com vs GoodHire

Both companies have packages that check candidate’s employment, educational, criminal, and motor vehicle records. GoodHire offers international checks and healthcare sanctions, but BackgroundCheck.com has a larger criminal database.

BackgroundChecks.com vs HireRight

HireRight is specifically designed to help companies screen potential employees. HireRight Express, the service for small businesses, has combined forces with BackgroundChecks.com and is now part of it. When you order a screening from HireRight, you’ll have the option between its three packages: Basic, Better, and Premium. The two companies have very similar pricing and services.

BackgroundChecks.com Reviews and Ratings

Looking at online reviews of BackgroundChecks.com, it’s clear that the service caters mainly to business and HR personnel who take candidates through a hiring process. It doesn’t work as a tenant screening service or a people search site.

Despite the company being well established with 22 years of experience, there aren’t many online reviews from clients. BackgroundChecks.com is BBB (Better Business Bureau) accredited and has an A+ rating. Negative reviews of the service are mainly focused on hidden costs and some incorrect information in reports. Positive reviews praise the company’s wide range of services for job hunters.

Conclusion

BackgroundChecks.com is the perfect solution for companies that want to verify job candidates’ credibility. The platform offers great value for businesses looking for customizable packages and bulk-buy options. With the self-service website interface and millions of database records, it’s definitely a screening service to consider.