US Search Review

US Search offers reports with the following titles:  People Search, Reverse Phone Lookup, Email Search, Social Network Search, Property Records, Criminal Records, and Background Check. They can all be found and accessed through the company homepage in the top menu bar. Clicking on any one of these menus will bring you to a separate page where you can enter in the relevant information for that specific search.

US Search arguably has one of the most comprehensive collections of records of any background check service to draw upon, giving it a huge amount of data to include in the various reports it can create. This means that their reports can provide this information:

• Full name
• Age
• Recent address
• Address history
• Phone numbers
• Aliases
• Maiden name
• Relatives
• Associates
• Properties
• Home value
• Email address
• Social network search
• Criminal records
• Lawsuits
• Misdemeanors
• Felonies

US Search runs more specific reports however to cater to a client’s needs. The company’s main search, the OmniSearch report will draw upon all this information but will narrow it down for its client into these smaller sections:

• Name & aliases
• Address & phone number
• Address history
• Social network

US Search has a very robust approach to searching a person’s social media presence and will compile a Social Media report with all the information that is available from the following sources:

• LinkedIn
• Friendster
• Facebook
• IMDB
• Wikipedia
• MySpace
• Yahoo
• YouTube
• Flickr

This report has often been used to provide color surrounding a person’s true personality and identity.

The in depth Nationwide Criminal Search that US Search runs and compiles in a report for its customers will find out the following information:

• Case number and charge
• Offense details
• Arrest details
• Filing date
• Deposition
• Sentence & date

If a potential customer needs to conduct research on a property, US Search is a great place to start as it can provide the following information:

• Current market valuation
• Comparable property sales values
• County record information
• Ownership history and details

Probably the feature of its reports that makes US Search stand out against the wider market place is its capability to run an instant nationwide criminal search. Criminal searches with other background check companies are possible but very rarely are they instant. A quick criminal search can be helpful in an abundance of situations, so US Search is answering a key need with this feature.

While the initial homepage for US Search looks a little dated, the company offers a variety of ways for clients to run searches with a range of different information the client may have to hand. Plus, while the look of the homepage is not particularly modern, it is still easy to use which is arguably far more important.

All customers need is a handful of pieces of information like first name, last name and the state of their subject. Customers can also run a simple reverse phone number search from the website homepage simply by using a single phone number. The same is true of a reverse address search. For searches on criminal records a last name is needed as well as a city or state for the best results. Property records need a street address, city or state as well as a zip code.

Obviously, the more information you have on an individual or property the better. However, the initial simple search will return a number of a persons that fit the information that was first provided. From there, customers can whittle down the results with the larger data that was found. It is at this point that customers can run a more in depth people search if needed.

It’s good to know where the information compiled in a report comes from before signing up to a company or asking a background check company to run a search for you. US Search compiles its reports from a number of different sources to produce a report that is robust and comprehensive. The company also cleverly adapts and chooses different data sources depending on the report they are running so that it can return results as quickly as possible to its customers.

However, across all their searches, they have the ability to look and investigate government records, court documentation, professional licensing organizations, phone listings and any publicly held marketing information.

The main frustration with US Search is that the company is not forthcoming about how much its services cost. The prices are not to be found on the homepage nor are they easy to find on the broader website. For customers to find out how much the various products and subscriptions cost, customers have to delve through a number of pages first and in some cases the easiest way to do this is to run a search process first. The company then gives you a range of pricing options to then purchase the report they have run. When a company is not upfront with their charges it often starts to raise eyebrows and make customers feel a little uneasy about the legitimacy of the company in the first place.

Additionally, the customer support service is not readily available either, though it does exist. Again, this makes a customer question the legitimacy of a company and its ability to run a background check for an individual.

US Search is flexible in its approach to pricing as it allows customers to choose whether to purchase single, one off reports as and when they need or sign up for a subscription plan that suits them.

In terms of those subscription plans it offers, potential customers can choose to sign up to a monthly rolling structure at $19.95. The company calls this their OmniSearch plan. Users can also choose to sign up for three months at a time at a slight discount for a total of $49.95. This works out at $16.65 a month. With either of these subscription plans, customers will be able to access names, addresses and social history information.

For individual reports, customers can buy a thorough background check report which is $39.95. Other specialized reports are also available for purchase. Customers can therefore choose to buy a 1 state criminal search at $14.95 or even an Instant Criminal Search for $24.95. If needed before a house purchase, US Search also offers a Property Record report for $11.95. There is also the option to buy a Social Media report upon an individual to see what their online presence is like, and that will cost a customer $19.95.

US Search’s main form of customer support is its extensive FAQ page on its website. It is a good way of answering common questions but it is not always the easiest to navigate. This is because the page holds such a vast amount of information so it can be difficult to find the answer that solves a query the best. The search function within it does not always return the most pertinent results either.

There is a form to submit a request with a query which the company tries to make as apparent as possible. If that does not solve your problem in any way, there is also telephone assistance though this does not run 24 hours a day. This can be frustrating as sometimes as with background checks in particular, customers will want or need answers almost immediately. Plus, the phone number is hard to find which is even more frustrating.

Bottom Line

US Search offers a number of search reports, including background checks on individuals that can be useful for a different array of reasons. Given the in depth nature of all these reports – from the property checks to the social media profile surveys – customers will certainly have a number of questions answered by the reports that US Search generates.

Plus many customers like the simple to use interface and the company’s no frills approach to conducting searches on individuals, properties, addresses and phone numbers. Ultimately, this no frills approach is not reflective of the information the company returns which is accurate. The results are returned quickly too making this firm a good one to be aware of, particularly in light of its prices and pricing structure. This is because the company employs a flexible approach to its fees so that potential clients can choose whether a subscription based plan works for them or whether buying an individual report as and when they need suits their priorities and budgets better. This means that unlike some background check companies, customers only pay for the information they need.

In short, US Search is a good background search that provides customers with the results they need when they need. And at a competitive price too.