Here's how a background check should work in 2026: you submit your name, & ssn & any competent background investigator could find all pertinent information like work history, residential history, criminal history, et cetera. How it works for First Advantage: you must spend hours sharing all this information with them because they're too incompetent to track it all down otherwise. Good luck sparring with their automated system when it says "I don't understand, can you explain again." First Advantage is total garbage. read more

Customer Service is all overseas ...hard to understand and very poor quality if you actually reach a person.

Have sent updated current D.O.T. physical information 4 times and they still don't have it correct. They have people in the Philippines trying to resolve issues they have no understanding of. All they is to follow a "script" based on on a set of useless information. They have totally jeopardized my opportunity to work for FedEX. They are basically morons and would probably find your Grandmother guilt of some infraction. To me they are the worst. read more

Lackluster company that provides false info in people's background checks As my review and others online have conveyed, incompetent staff with this company jeopardize people's livelihood read more

Thee abosolute worst Background check service to choose. This company should really just close. I placed all my imformation correctly and they send me back my background check with SSN section part with all typos and i told them to fix it and that it wasnt the way i sent it. 15 days later after "fixing" it they say they STILL cant verify it and that i need a manuel background check now. What the heck is this company good for? Dont answer that. They're good for nothing. I had to start this job 15 days ago, i have bills to pay. I have given them the same information ive given my previous jobs ive applied to, gotten hired and have passed my background checks right away. This is ridiculous. A joke. read more

I've used the service. Information is done hastily and is inaccurate. I've spent up to 42 minutes on hold. When you reach an agent, they do not know what to do. They promise someone will get back to you in 24 to 48 hours. never happens. Very unprofessional. read more

I initiated my background check on 12/02/2021 and was told it would take 3-10 business days to complete ok cool. 12/14/2021 comes around and what do you know the process gets pushed back again this time ETA is 12/21/2021 SMH!!!! I have blown off other job opportunities because the co I want is using FADV for their background check purposes. The sad part is the only thing left for them to complete is a national criminal database search and a georgia criminal database search. I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN ANY LEGAL TROUBLE OUTSIDE OF SOME TRAFFIC TICKETS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN TRACKED THROUGH MY MVR RECORDS WITH FADV. Very terrible company. Every other background check I have done even this year alone come back within two days good to go wtf is up here IDK. WOULD BOT RECOMMEND THOUGH. read more

I did my background check with First Advantage as well as a drug test and it was all complete in just a few days. Portal was easy to use and my application was done in less than 15 minutes. Very easy! read more

Same as all the other reviews! Tried to get on with a well known CO driving doubles (my dream job) and this company screwed me to no end. I have a perfect driving record and I can't get hired on for a background check? UNBELIEVEABLE!! Total waste of three weeks of my life! read more

Worst company I have been working for a company as a temp for the last 10 months. I was asked if I wanted to become a regular employee I agreed. Its the simple completing the job application drug test and background check. The first two fine no problem (I have been working for 30 years) the background check is a joke. They had address that I never lived at, which is even worse the times I was suppose to live there I was in the hospital. They had a mailing address UPS as my residence. One address I was under a totally different name (my name is not difficult,) Then comes my education. I graduated 30 years ago. They could not find a record of me going there. I also took course at another university - no record. The report was sent to human resources and this is not a joke. They rescind their job offer. I tried to dispute the back ground check. I sent a transcript,my diploma and yearbook. They did nothing and sent the finding back without the changes. i lost the job. There were at least 5 errors in this back ground check read more

This company did a background check for a potential employer. The background check was inaccurate, I notified the company to do a dispute and sent in paperwork from the court stating the case was discharged from my record. Needless to say, I didn't get the job because they provided incorrect information to the potential employer. I don't know why companies use these incompetent companies for background checks when they could run a background from a police department. I wouldn't recommend this company to anyone. I've had several background checks done before this one without any problems. I honestly think they search the internet instead of doing it the right way. read more

Background check was done with no issue. However an email was sent to me with a Q passport barcode number for the drug test. I went to all four locations that provided the test in my area to be turned down. I needed something with a physical barcode for scanning in their system. Reached out to the employer requiring the drug test and was advised to contact First Advantage. Contacted them today FIVE TIMES, waited on hold at least 30 minutes each time. Third call I spoke with someone named Elsa, explained my issue and was told I was being transferred to their Scheduling department. Waited another 45 minutes to be hung up on. Called again the 4th time, no one got on the phone but after about 25 minutes on hold, the call hung up. Same thing with the 5th call, stayed on hold for at least another 30 minutes and was hung up on. I was only given 48 hours to do the drug test and keep getting the runaround from First Advantage. I may have to back down on the position and find someone else who doesn't use this disgrace of a company. read more

Because of an agreement with a mutual partner, we are forced to purchase background checks through First Advantage. Their standard practice is to not provide you with a receipt for your purchase. They have no structure in place to issue you a receipt and they say that the best advice they can give you is to take a screen shot of the purchase screen to serve as a the receipt. I can't belive a company this big doesn't give you a proof of purchase. In addition, when you call for updates, all they do is either parrot what the website already shows you or they try to speak in some rudimentary legal jargon that might work if you never worked in the legal field, but it does nothing but beg questions if you have. They can't answer those questions that just got begged either. Not satisfied in the slightest, but again forced to work with them...... read more

Worst Service. Delay the starting of my new job for no obvious reason. Customer Service feel they have absolute power.

Update: I have completed 3 authorizations for a background check with this company. I'm on my 4th today. This process started about mid March. As of today, the company I've applied with told me I must create a new e-mail address, reapply and then they would request a new background check. I did what was suggested, (not without a good degree of frustration to put it mildly) because there was some question that I could have possibly entered the last four digits of my SSN incorrectly. In other words, the co. I applied with really didn't know what the problem stemmed from. Logging in my last four re-populated, and guess what? It was the CORRECT last four. So, I know for certain that it was not a typo from me. It is FIRST ADVANTAGES's MISTAKE!!! AND, they won't correct it!!! I like the company I've applied for. I wonder why they put up with a company like this as I read similar reviews where there is great frustration over the language barrier with First Advantage, and you may as well talk to a brick wall since they refuse to correct mistakes even though you validate your identity. What's even more scary is First Advantage is "Insurance, Home Health Care" AND they are doing background checks...what's up with that? read more

The only reason I'm giving them any stars at all is because there is no option to give fewer. I manage the office of a global nonprofit with colleagues all over the globe, so as you can imagine we frequently receive employment verifications for colleagues and interns who used to work here. FIRST ADVANTAGE IS THE WORST. Even after receiving a verification from our HR manager, they still continue to call us saying "We have not received the verification, please send it." Our poor HR manager needs to call them multiple times just to complete a single employment verification, and I worry that good candidates will be overlooked for a position just because of this stupid company's delays and terrible internal communications. If you are a hiring manager, don't use this company or your process will be delayed and you will end up overlooking quality candidates. read more

Screw these people almost cost me an extremely important job to me because they gave my employer the incorrect information .

To bad a star has to be chosen because I would certainly pick nothing if I could. This company is awful to work for. They are unorganized, they have poor management and they have chosen to get rid of people with the knowledge leaving people who are clueless. They micromanage their employees and give them a ding if they are two minutes late for work no matter what the circumstances are. Really do you not care for your employees well being. They are losing customers right and left due to poor management and they don't get it. I would not recommend working for this company. read more