Is InfoUSA a scam?

I am a recruiter that researches just about everything. I try to get a good value for what I am paying for. Recently, I researched several companies that sell contact information. The company that seemed to have the best deal was InfoUSA. They seemed amazing. They have a very user friendly website that helps you pinpoint the exact companies and information for your target market. I was thrilled with the list that I had compiled since nearly EVERY company had somehow escaped my "prospect radar".

After I invested several days in calling these companies, I discovered why they were not on my "prospect radar"...and why the price was so low. Much of the information on the list was grossly wrong.

Some examples are,

* A company that InfoUSA stated doing revenues over $79MM were doing under $10MM.
* Another company I spoke with, proudly bragged that they had revenues of $25MM InfoUSA stated they were doing more than $113MM.
* Etc, etc.

The revenue size is critical. When I called my friendly rep, Mark, to find out if I had received a "bad" list...was this an exception...he became very defiant, defensive and had nearly called me a liar. I was taken a back. I had NEVER asked for my money back nor did it dawn on me that he would not want to make it good.

Has anybody else had similar problems with InfoUSA?

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on May 20, 2009 at 10:43am

Try Hoovers. I have used them for years and find their info mostly reliable.

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Permalink Reply by Bryan D Jennewein on May 21, 2009 at 11:40am

Hi Bob,

First, I'm sorry to hear your experience with infoUSA (infoGROUP) and our data hasn't been what you expected. We pride ourselves in being the best data provider in the industry, and we want the opportunity to make this right.

I've reviewed the list Mark pulled for you and am having our research staff look into any inaccuracies. If you are willing to send any inaccuracies you've uncovered, that would be very helpful. We have a full-time staff of approximately 600 researchers that improve our data every day, all year long. Please know that we'll get these items corrected quickly, to help prevent your experience from being shared.

Now to make this right by you, I'd like to help get you a new list with better prospects. There are several ways to go about this; let's chat about some options.

If you prefer to keep working with Mark, I'd be happy to have him contact you. Or, I'm happy to speak with you anytime and introduce you to a different member of our team. We have hundreds of experts who are eager to help you get what you need.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Bryan D Jennewein
Director, Social Media
infoGROUP Marketing and Communications
5711 S 86th Circle
Omaha, Nebraska 68127
Office - (402) 537 7743
Email - Bryan.Jennewein@infousa.com

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on May 21, 2009 at 12:15pm

Nice!

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Permalink Reply by Bryan D Jennewein on May 21, 2009 at 3:09pm

Thanks :)

I'd love for you to sample our data. I'm certain you'll be both pleased and successful with it.

Best,

Bryan D Jennewein
Director, Social Media
infoGROUP Marketing and Communications
5711 S 86th Circle
Omaha, Nebraska 68127
Office - (402) 537 7743
Email - Bryan.Jennewein@infousa.com
Website - www.infogroup.com

Maureen Sharib said: