Intro: Review of Kiwi Searches | Overview of the Company, Founding, Service, Pricing & More
In the last ten years, there has been a tremendous increase in the demand for background checks. Before then, background checks were generally conducted by government agencies, institutions, corporations, and other organizations looking to hire and onboard a new staff member or conduct business with others.
But in the last decade, there has been a tremendous growth in individuals conducting background checks on others. Today, armed with just a name and your credit card, you can check on people you know or are interested in knowing, like neighbors, colleagues, potential dating partners, and prospective business partners.
The growth in demand for background checks has resulted in a subsequent growth in sites claiming to offer the best web-based background checks, but some of these have come with their own unique issues. Some of the issues with people search services have been the expensive subscriptions, lack of transparency on where the data comes from, and unreliable information being returned. But Kiwi Searches, a modern people search tool, is working with a goal of changing all that.
Launched in October of 2017 by a dedicated team that enjoys helping people and their loved ones, Kiwi Searches offers an easy and affordable way to find lost relatives, reconnect with friends, or make sure that blind date is who they say they are.
The site offers the ability to do a public record search from information aggregated from multiple directories and databases. This website utilizes a wide variety of sources to help ensure the data returned on a search is as accurate, reliable, and as up to date as possible.
Some of the information that you can find using a Kiwi Searches background search includes:
- Phone Numbers
- Email Address
- Social Media Profiles
- Current & Previous Addresses
- Job & Education History
- And more
What makes this public records search company different than its competitors? Its transparency, payment flexibility, and simple-to-use site are just a few items we noticed right away.
Though the firm may only be a couple of years old, it’s already garnering some recognitions. Kiwi Searches earned a Gold Award from Top Five Power Guide, ranking #1 in the People Search Services review category and scoring 9.57 out of 10 overall.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons this people search site is one to watch.
Flexible Search Pricing
One of the top complaints when it comes to background search websites is that most of them only offer a subscription model. This means that to do just one search, you need to subscribe to a monthly plan, then remember to cancel it and hope it doesn’t keep charging your card.
A big advantage that Kiwi Searches added to the site is the ability to pay for just a single search, rather than having to subscribe. It offers monthly subscriptions as well, but with multiple options to choose from, which is unique in this market.
One-Time Search Pricing
Kiwi Searches offers two main categories of search reports for a one-time fee.
Category #1 includes three different searches, a person search, a phone search, or an address search. It’s important to note that each of these is considered a separate search type.
Category #2 is for those wanting to dig a bit further. You can do a single criminal search, sex offender search, bankruptcy search, or liens and judgments search. Again, each is considered a separate search.
Pricing:
- $0.95 3-Day Trial – Includes full access to person and phone search for 3 days.
- $19.95 for a one-time advanced search (Bankruptcy, Criminal Records, Sex Offender Report etc.)
Subscription Pricing
If you are going to be doing people searches regularly, you can sign up for a monthly subscription to one of the search types in Category #1, people, phone, or address. Your subscription allows 10 searches per month of the type of search you signed up for.
Subscriptions cost $28.86 per month.
Kiwi Searches’ Mission and Values
When you’re looking at online search sites, many are rather dry and don’t share much about corporate values or missions.
A refreshing aspect of Kiwi Searches is that it adds some personalization to the site, letting you know that there are real people behind the search database that truly care about connecting people.
This company’s mission is to make public record searches affordable to everyday people and to give them fast and reliable information that is otherwise difficult to find.
When it comes to the values at Kiwi Searches, this customer-centric company is designed to align with the needs of those using its services. Kiwi Searches’ values include:
- Safety
- Security
- Transparency
- Teamwork
- Awareness
- Intelligence
- Technology that’s easy to use
Simple User Interface
The designers at Kiwi Searches have focused on creating a simple user interface that can easily be used by anyone (you don’t have to be tech-savvy!). Doing a search takes just two clicks and the menu makes it easy to choose between a person or phone number search.
In a Kiwi Searches press release from 2018 on Markets Insider, the attention to the user experience was highlighted. The Kiwi Searches design team focused on creating a clean, modern appearance and giving users both an easy and affordable experience.
Image Courtesy of: Kiwi Searches
The search screen is completely uncluttered, making it quick and simple to initiate a search for either a person or phone number. Searches take only a few minutes and can be done for people located in the United States.
For our Kiwi Searches review, we tried a person search and found the interface effortless to use, and in just a few minutes it turned up 100 results for the name we searched.
The results were separated by state, and even before you’re asked to pay for a report with more details, you can see a brief summary that includes:
- Age
- City/state where the person lives
- City/state where the person formerly lived
- The name of a person they’re related to
Upon clicking to the next screen, you’ll see a summary that lists things like how many addresses or email addresses are found for them, number of found relatives and any other found background information, such as criminal records.
This summary screen is also in a very clean and straightforward format. There is plenty of white space on the screen, making the summary details comprehensive and easily understood.
From this screen, you can click to purchase a full report related to the person you searched or get the report and sign up for a monthly subscription.
People are looking for “easy” access these days so cluttered or difficult to use interfaces could be a potential turn-off and cause potential users to go elsewhere for the services they’re looking for.
Kiwi Searches has done an excellent job of getting to know its market and understanding the user experience, creating one of the most uncomplicated and fluid interfaces we’ve seen on a public records background search website.
Excellent Customer Service
Many consumers put good customer service at the top of their list of requirements to do business with a company. This is another area where Kiwi Searches stands out.
We researched the contact pages of four competitors, two of them only offered contact forms, no email or phone number to reach customer support. Another did not even have a locatable contact page.
Only one had an actual email, and phone number displayed, and they had only daytime business hours.
Kiwi Searches is the only people search site we’ve found that has customer care representatives available 24/7, which says a lot for the efforts they put into providing exceptional customer support.
Kiwi Searches’ phone number and support email address are prominently displayed on its website along with its other social media pages.
In Top Five Power Guide’s Kiwi Searches review they noted that the company had “excellent customer service” as well as accurate results and affordable pricing.
Reviews of Kiwi Searches from happy customers that the company displays on its website include success stories describing why people like this service. Here are a few examples:
- “Kiwi Searches helped me reconnect with friends.”
- “Kiwi Searches is my go-to site whenever I match someone on a dating app and plan to meet them in person.”
- “I’ve looked up my kids’ coaches, babysitters, friends’ parents, and more.”
We had difficulty finding negative reviews for the firm. We found only two issues with recurring charges mentioned at the Better Business Bureau over the last 12 months, with both of them being closed.
With immediate assistance by phone seven days a week, 24-hours per day, the Kiwi Searches team is definitely going the extra mile to ensure customers receive assistance when they need it. They also get high marks for offering multiple ways to contact them, not just a contact form.
Detailed Information
This public records search site excels at providing detailed information on just about everything you would ever need to know about a public records search.
Kiwi Searches website site is quite detailed and includes separate pages on topics of interest to those doing people searches. An example of some of the questions they answer on their site are:
- What is a background check & what does it show?
- What can a reverse phone number lookup be used for?
- How can you get information about a mysterious caller?
- What are the most common crimes?
- What’s included in “public records?”
- What are the most common types of court records?
- Why should you run a background check?
Image Courtesy of: Kiwi Searches
If you’ve ever wondered where the details are coming from when you do a public records search, you can read Kiwi Searches’ Introduction to Public Records page. It goes into detail about where public records are created, where Kiwi Searches gets the data, and how the reports are aggregated.
Some of the things that Kiwi Searches’ reports can include are:
- Contact information (name, birthday, addresses, phone, email, etc.)
- Public records (census info, arrests, traffic violations, etc.)
- Mobile numbers (current owner, previous owner, estimated location, etc.)
- Properties and licenses (property ownership, concealed weapons permit, etc.)
Kiwi Searches’ Transparency
In an effort to ensure that those searching Kiwi Searches’ website understand how these background search reports should be used, this company is completely transparent about what you should and should not use its public records search to do.
They note that regulations are in place to make sure the service is being used safely and not being used irresponsibly.
An example of the types of searches that Kiwi Searches was designed to facilitate:
- Reconnecting with loved ones that you lost contact with
- Researching a date before meeting them
- Searching for old friends
- Learning more about your neighbors
- Finding out who has been calling or texting you
- Searching babysitters, coaches, etc. to ensure your child is safe
Kiwi Searches states that you should NOT use this site for these reasons:
- Employee screenings
- Evaluating potential tenants
- Verifying educational background
- Credit or insurance eligibility check
- Stalking or harassing a person
- Committing identity theft
The company also includes honest answers in Kiwi Searches FAQ to common questions that people might wonder about these people search reports. Rather than avoiding sticky questions or glossing over the facts, the company is very straightforward with answers.
For example, they include questions about whether you still need to pay for your report if any data received is inaccurate or if there isn’t much information returned on a person. In both cases, the answer is yes, you would still pay for the report.
They don’t have control over what’s contained in the public records databases they aggregate, so although they ensure the information is as current and accurate as possible, you’re still charged for doing the search, whatever the results are.
Likewise, if you’re searching to see if someone has a criminal record or arrest, and they have none, you still pay for the search.
After reviewing the information on Kiwi Searches’ website, we found that Kiwi Searches goes out of its way to inform any potential customers of the full scope of its background reports. The information is also laid out in an easy to read, uncomplicated format.
This kind of transparency ensures an understanding of what one can expect before they purchase a background check report, another example of its customer-centered philosophy.
Industry Health
The background check services industry is one that’s been growing steadily, so the future outlook for Kiwi Searches and its people search is a positive one.
Between 2014 and 2019, the industry has seen an annual growth rate of 4.8%, and the industry’s total revenue in 2019 was $3 billion.
While person and phone number searches make up a portion of this market, which also includes things like credit checks, the continued and sustained growth over the past five years for the entire sector, points to a healthy future forecast for Kiwi Searches and the industry.
Conclusion: Future Outlook for Kiwi Searches
With a business model built around the customer experience, Kiwi Searches has positioned itself by offering something above and beyond its competitors.
Its 24/7 phone support and focus on providing exceptional customer service will help with gaining a competitive edge and continuing increase of their market share in the people and background search sector.
By offering a simple design that’s uncluttered and effortless to use, Kiwi Searches has ensured that the site is inviting to any type of client that’s looking to find out more information about a person or phone number.
With a talent for knowing what’s most important to those performing background searches plus the growth of the industry as a whole, there is no doubt that Kiwi Searches will continue to thrive and be a dominant background search site for years to come.
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