Cheap Online Background Checks are NEVER a substitute for REAL, PROFESSIONAL GRADE Background Checks done by licensed professionals.
We have probably hammered this scenario to death when we talk about the differences between real background checks and the kind you can get online instantly for a few bucks.
This question was posed by a potential client earlier this week, and it is one we get often. Below is that question and our response.
Employer Shopping for Employee Background Checks:
We are really trying to watch our budget on these background checks and have found a number of places online that we can screen our applicants for under $30.00 each. Can you match those kinds of prices?
Our Response:
Thank you for reaching back out to us regarding the comparison rates you have found, we encourage anyone looking for background checks to shop around and we hope you can appreciate what we have to offer and look forward to the opportunity to work with you. This is a concern we get from time to time given the unregulated landscape of the background check industry, which makes it hard to make an “apples to apples” comparison between companies with different offerings.
By contrast, the companies you are seeing advertise those types of low rates online are most frequently internet based software companies who have created background check platforms, which primarily utilize third-party data brokers and repositories of free public information, which often produce incomplete results and may include “possible hits” when an applicant has a common name. Something we have always ensured is our compliance with the best practices in applicant screening, which includes obtaining our records directly from the state, local and federal agencies which maintain them. The data costs we pay to operate in this fashion are often in themselves higher than what some of the online brokers charge. These are the same data costs that would apply to any company working directly with the data at its source. We also ensure compliance with all applicable HR and employee screening laws to help mitigate issues that can arise throughout the process. Best of all, if you have questions or need something done differently or more quickly, we are real people you can call or email anytime!
What we can do to help you keep costs down, is come up with some additional customized packages that may still fit what you find important know about your applicants. We will likely be able to find a good middle ground on packages that both ensure the best coverage and rate level for you.