Zillow Group, Inc.

In reviewing our records, we have reached out to the homeowner yesterday for further clarification in regards to their concerns, and are currently awaiting a response from them.

The phone number provided in this complaint has been blocked on our site. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Unfortunately, there is no new information to provide or action we can take at this time. As mentioned previously, Zillow receives sales and property information automatically from a third-party data collector from each county and from agent-provided submissions. We do not manually research each individual property on our site - rather we display data provided to us by other sources (county public records and homeowner provided facts). We have already removed the erroneous sales transaction as requested. With regards to additional home facts, we provide tools on our site to edit home facts in the event that the information we received from our sources are incorrect.  With regards to the Zestimate, again this is only an estimate -- not an appraisal. We make this clear to all users on our website. Again, we would like to stress that the Zestimate is only meant to be used as a starting point in determining the true value of a home. We encourage buyers, sellers, and homeowners to supplement Zillow's information by doing other research such as:* Getting a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent* Getting an appraisal from a professional appraiser* Visiting the house (whenever possible) Again, because the Zestimate is automatically calculated for a home by an algorithm, we cannot manually change an individual Zestimates. At this point if the homeowner wishes to provide more information on the home's estimated value, we would encourage them to include an Owner’s Estimate in the Zestimate Details section of the property page. Beyond this, there is no further action we can take at this time.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because it misses the point: Zillow did not provide any utility to my business.  Every single "lead" was a time waster, and most of the leads were not valid.  I should not have to pay for a service that eats up my marketing budget and provides ZERO ROI, nor a "service" that hurts my business, and I should not have to pay for a service that I no longer want because it doesn't work.  Joey did not go against any "policy" to accommodate me with a zip code change - he told me that Zillow was able to do that for anyone one time, so they need to get their story straight.  The company is dishonest in general, and that's a great example of their dishonesty.  They are developing a horrible reputation with real estate agents in general.  I will take legal action against this company if they continue to harass me with messages about "past due" balances or take any action that further harms my business.  This company engages in dishonest business practices, namely, cajoling new agents to request reviews from people.  "As long as you discuss real estate," said Joey, "Someone can write a review."  Well, I could only get 11 reviews from people who I actually did provide real estate advice or services to.  I am not going to ask people to lie.  I don't agree with these business practices, and I will not participate.
Sincerely,[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

The Zestimate is an estimate calculated using a computer-­generated algorithm using the data available for each home. The algorithm uses public and user­-submitted data, taking into account items such as home facts (beds, baths, sq ft), sale history, and tax history.
 
Most upgrade...

information is not in the public records and is not easily quantifiable. We do not know about home updates and remodels unless they have been reported to the local tax assessor, so these items are not used in Zestimate calculations. While we do utilize user-submitted data that is measurable (e.g. additional bedroom count, bath count, and square footage), there is no way for us to systematically gather and verify the type of remodel or upgrade information where the value is based upon how the final product appeals to the buyer. Because of this, the algorithm can't use that information.
 
Although Zillow strives to provide accurate home valuations, the Zestimate value is meant only to serve as a starting point in determining a home's value. The Zestimate is not intended to replace a comparative market analysis or an appraisal, as they can take into account market intricacies that the Zestimate cannot. Zillow makes this clear on each property page (screenshot attached) and our website ([redacted]).
 
We do not manually edit or remove individual Zestimates.  Zillow encourages buyers, sellers, and homeowners to supplement Zillow's information by doing other research such as getting a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent; getting an appraisal from a professional appraiser; visiting the house (when possible).
 
We understand that some homes may be unique in ways that are not well captured by existing data and our current Zestimate model. To provide more information on a home, we encourage homeowners to include their estimated value by providing an owner's estimate in the Zestimate Details section of the property page. This provides the opportunity to explain what they feel the home is worth given its unique features.
 
While we monitor customer feedback for system wide issues with the algorithm, we cannot change or remove individual Zestimates in response to customer feedback. Reports of possible issues with Zestimates are recorded to help with efforts to improve the Zestimate algorithm as a whole in the future.
 
For more information on the Zestimate, we encourage all of our users to visit this link: [redacted].
 
We can not manually change or remove individual Zestimates.
We can not manually change or remove individual Zestimates.
We can not manually change or remove individual Zestimates.
We can not manually change or remove individual Zestimates.

In reviewing our records, we have already previously communicated with this individual regarding this request. There is no further action we can take at this time. To recap, the Zestimate is an estimate produced by a computer-generated algorithm using public and user-submitted data available...

for each individual home. Please keep in mind that the Zestimate is not a fixed value and is not an appraisal. It is both common and anticipated that the Zestimate for a home will fluctuate which is why we also provide a Zestimate Range on each property page. The Zestimate Range is the high and low estimate calculated by the Zestimate algorithm. The more information, the smaller the range, and the more accurate the Zestimate tends to be. It may also fluctuate when any new information is made available or if there are updates to the Zestimate algorithm model.Recently, we launched an update to the Zestimate algorithm. As a result, some Zestimates increased immediately, while some decreased. The change you are describing is due to the Zestimate algorithm being updated. When major improvements to the algorithm are made, it does re-compute the historical Zestimates for affected homes. Our purpose in doing so is to provide consumers with the best estimate of historical property valuations. In this case, the previous Zestimate for this home was calculated by the previous model. When the model was updated, the Zestimate was recalculated along with all previous historical Zestimates for the home by the newly applied model.A historical Zestimate (shown in the graph) is not like a historical stock price, which doesn't change after being recorded. A stock price is a record of an actual empirical event and doesn't change. A Zestimate, on the other hand, is an estimate based off the data available and can change when we have a better algorithm to estimate that value. People ultimately have more fundamental reasons that drive what they choose to buy or not buy. Our data shows that half of all sales are generally above the Zestimate.  Zillow encourages buyers, sellers, and homeowners to supplement Zillow's information by doing other research such as getting a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent; getting an appraisal from a professional appraiser; visiting the house (when possible). While we monitor customer feedback for system-wide issues with the algorithm, we cannot change or remove individual Zestimates in response to customer feedback. This feedback has already been recorded and it will be used to help improve the Zestimate algorithm as a whole in the future. To learn more about the Zestimate, please visit this link: http://www.zillow.com/zestimate/.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
the "supervisor" has not called me back yet.Sincerely,[redacted]

We will send the purchase order confirmation to the client, that was sent the day of the purchase made for the Trulia Pro subscription back in June.
Attached, are the terms that are reiterated from the sign up prompt, that are also in the purchase order confirmation.
We make the active product readily available for our clients 24/7, within the account settings page of their Trulia Account.
Due to the agreement of these terms prior to submitting the credit card information to complete the purchase, no refunds will be issued at this time.

Business Response to Complaint ID [redacted]:In searching the address [redacted] IN 46135 on Zillow, we were unable to locate an active listing for this home. If this individual is seeing an active listing for this home on our site, we ask that they please provide the link...

so we can investigate further.Attachment: Revdex.com Complaint [redacted] – Attachment – No Results Found (below)
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE INFORMATION Customer Information: [redacted], IN 46135 Daytime Phone: [redacted] Email: [redacted]
The details of this matter are as follows: Complaint Involves: Advertising Issues
Customer's Statement of the Problem: Zillow has listed our house for sale on their website without our authorization. When we contacted them to have them remove it they said they could do it because it's part of public records. Our house isn't for sale. Complaint Background: Product/Service: Realtors Purchase Date: 5/3/2016 Problem Occurred: 5/3/2016 Model: Account Number: Order Number: Talked to Company: 5/3/2016Name of Salesperson: Purchase Price: $0.00 Dispute Amount: $0.00 Desired Settlement: Modification/discontinuance of an advertising claim Would like our home removed from all their websites.

To Whom It May Concern:
[redacted] will not be receiving a refund from Zillow Group, as he owes a past due amount of $2,647.00 and was given a two week extension on the amount due. We have record that [redacted] discussed this with Michael G[redacted] in July and agreed to these terms, and then two weeks later...

changed his mind and refused to pay the amount that he agreed to. If [redacted] has questions or would like to pay his bill, he can contact [email protected]. I have also included a link to our terms and conditions below.
http://www.zillow.com/corp/SATerms.htm

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
The business did not directly respond to my exact issue but rather gave a canned response. The agreement was for them to provide me with good credible verifiable leads not arbitrary contacts whom I cannot communicate with. If I can't have either a verbal or non-verbal conversation with the contacts they provide, I cannot establish the validity of whether these "leads" are legitimate.
My hope is that the Revdex.com will investigate this claim more diligently to assure that consumers are not being taken advantage of and not simply going thru the motions. Some research on the Revdex.com is warranted to protect the buying public.
 
Thank you in advance for your help and dedication to the American public.
Regards, [redacted]
 
 
 
Sincerely,[redacted]

In checking our database, we have previously corresponded with this individual regarding this request. To recap, Zillow is not affiliated with Craigslist. We cannot prevent someone from copying publicly available information and posting it on another website. However, we can block individuals who...

post fraudulent listings on our site. I have searched the listings on Zillow and was unable to find any active listings for the property in question.  The home is not actively listed for sale or for rent on Zillow or Trulia at this time. Since there is no active listing associated with this property, there is no listing to be removed at this time. The status on the property shows as "sold.” This means the home has recently been sold within the last 3 years but is not listed for sale or for rent and does not appear in any For Sale/For Rent searches.Zillow displays property information to provide consumers with transparent real estate information. We receive this information from public records gathered by a third-party data collector from each county. Property data appears on Zillow regardless of if a home is actively listed for sale or for rent. Our mission is to empower consumers with information and tools to make smart decisions about homes, real estate, and mortgages. For these reasons, we do not remove public record property information from Zillow.We provide homeowners with the opportunity to edit a number of facts that appear on their property page. By editing the home facts directly, a homeowner can ensure the home information is as up-to-date and accurate as possible but we do not remove entire pages or remove public record information from our database. The property page and any public record information will remain on our site.For more information, please review our Terms of Use (http://www.zillow.com/corp/Terms.htm) and Privacy Policy (http://www.zillow.com/corp/Privacy.htm).

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
 
Your "Zestimate" is consistently a problem. Simply stating that and then publicly devaluing my property with avenue of fixing it does not remove you of responsibility.My case is by no means the only one listed and many websites estimate that your accuracy is often off by more than 8% not withstanding the times that it is off by thousands. 
 
Again, I would like my property removed from your website if you are unwilling (or unable) to fix it. You are currently offering damaging information to millions of people that is inaccurate and will cost me thousands of dollars. At no point in time did I ever ask you to advertise anything for me. This property belongs to me, you have no right to claim a value for it that is inaccurate and slanderous. 
 
 
Sincerely,[redacted]

To Whom It May Concern,
[redacted] has spoken with Morten of our cancellations team and [redacted] has agreed to a one month refund and waiving of a past due balance. He will be refunded $552.48.

To Whom It May Concern:
Zillow has several technical checks in place to authenticate each and every review posted on our site. Additionally, we give all agents a chance to respond to each review that is posted to explain their side of the review. If [redacted] would like to further dispute this...

review he is welcome to have his lawyer contact our legal department.

To Whom It May Concern:If [redacted] would like to discuss this further, he can contact [redacted]@zillow.com.

Hello,
We have tried to communicate with you to discuss options and your concerns. One of our General Managers have been trying to contact you to better assist you in this matter and have left voicemails. Please contact us at the contact information that was provided for you through your voicemail for further assistance.

To Whom It May Concern:
The email [redacted] sent on Sept 23, 2016 at 3;01 PM was a request to cancel. Our general manager of sales contacted [redacted] to walk him through the process, however he refused to speak to them and used profanity. If [redacted] wishes to proceed with this request, he must submit a buyout...

per his contract. To discuss this further he can contact Jami T[redacted]. Her contact information is below.
 
O206.757.5059 F949.398.1701
Email: [redacted]@zillowgroup.com

To Whom It May Concern:
[redacted] has a pending cancellation that is currently being processed. It appears that Andrew P[redacted] left her a message this morning at 7:06am. For any further questions, [redacted] can contact Andrew at ap[redacted]@zillow.com or[redacted]