In this article
A lead replacement policy is part definition, part evidence rule and part remedy. “Bad leads replaced” is incomplete unless the buyer knows what bad means, when to report it, what proof is required and what arrives if the claim is accepted.
Get those rules in the order before the first lead. A sales-call explanation is difficult to enforce after the buyer and provider disagree about an unreachable number, repeat homeowner or out-of-scope request.
Disclosure: theBuildd replaces bad leads rather than issuing refunds under its stated offer. Its complete eligibility list and reporting deadline are not public, so this guide does not invent them.
A complete policy answers six questions
| Policy field | Question to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Which exact failures qualify? | “Bad” can mean different things to each party |
| Exclusions | Which disappointing outcomes do not qualify? | No sale and invalid data are different events |
| Evidence | What record must the buyer submit? | The remedy may depend on call logs or CRM notes |
| Reporting window | When does the claim close? | Late discovery may be treated differently |
| Review process | Who decides and how is status shown? | A policy needs an operating path |
| Remedy | Replacement, credit or refund? | Each changes the economics differently |
Copy the answers into a source scorecard. Do not summarize a replacement as “money back” unless the terms actually return money.
Separate invalid delivery from an unsold lead
A lead can meet the delivery standard and never become a job. The homeowner may decline an estimate, delay the project, choose another contractor independently or stop responding after a real conversation. Those are sales outcomes, not automatically provider failures.
Potential delivery failures must be tied to the written order. Examples worth asking about include:
- unusable phone or email information;
- duplicate records and the lookback period used;
- a service address outside the agreed territory;
- a request outside the accepted trade or project scope;
- a renter when homeowner status is required;
- a commercial request in a residential order; and
- a record that did not contain required consent or intake fields.
This list is a buyer checklist, not a statement that any provider covers every item. Mark each one accepted, excluded or unavailable.
The guide to what counts as a qualified lead helps define the delivery standard without turning a lead into a promised appointment or job.
Define duplicates before they arrive
“Duplicate” needs a scope. Ask whether it means the same phone number, email, address, person or household. Then ask how far back the provider checks and whether duplicates are measured inside one campaign, across the provider’s system or only inside the buyer’s account.
A provider duplicate is also different from independent homeowner shopping. One-buyer distribution means the provider sends the record to one buyer under that product. It cannot prevent the homeowner from contacting another company or submitting a separate request elsewhere. The duplicate contractor lead guide provides the classification and evidence log.
Match evidence to the claimed failure
Build a simple claim record for every disputed lead:
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Lead ID and delivery time | Provider record |
| Accepted trade and ZIP | Order terms |
| Claimed failure | One written category |
| Contact attempts | Timestamps and channel |
| Supporting evidence | Call result, message or CRM note |
| Submitted time | Audit trail |
| Provider decision | Accepted, declined or pending |
| Remedy and delivery | Replacement ID or monetary credit |
Avoid adding sensitive homeowner details that the process does not require. Follow the provider’s approved dispute channel rather than sending personal data to an informal inbox.
Measure the remedy correctly
A replacement lead changes the delivered count. A credit changes net spend. A refund returns money. Treating them as interchangeable distorts source reporting.
If one record is replaced, retain both lead IDs and mark the original as ineligible under the agreed reason. Do not delete it. Your report should show delivered records, approved replacements, two-way contacts, held appointments, sold jobs and net spend as separate fields.
Replacement rate can reveal a targeting or data problem, but it is not a complete quality score. A low replacement rate can coexist with weak contact or sales performance. A high claim rate can also reflect a buyer applying rules the contract never promised.
Use the policy in a paid test
Before launch, choose who reviews new records, who submits claims and how often pending decisions are reconciled. Run the same process for the full test. Changing the definition after seeing results makes providers impossible to compare.
At the end, calculate:
- delivery-failure rate under the written standard;
- approved replacement rate;
- time from claim to decision;
- contact, held-appointment and sold-job results for accepted records; and
- cost per accepted record and accepted job.
The provider selection guide covers recipient count, billing event and cancellation terms that belong beside the replacement policy.
Apply the checklist to theBuildd
theBuildd’s current public offer says bad leads are replaced rather than refunded. Each accepted lead is distributed to one theBuildd buyer under an agreed trade and ZIP territory. The public material does not provide a complete replacement-eligibility table, reporting deadline or evidence procedure.
That missing detail belongs in the buying conversation and accepted order. Ask theBuildd to record accepted job types, ZIPs, duplicate treatment, invalid-contact handling, reporting window, required evidence and replacement delivery process.
Current pricing, checked 23 September 2026, lists a $300 trial for 4-7 opt-ins, an $800 weekly plan and monthly tiers from $3,000. Trial and weekly plans leave qualification with the contractor and exclude dispatching. Optional dispatching is available only on monthly tiers.
Request the replacement terms for your order before paying. Save the accepted version with the same source scorecard used for every provider.
The step between the opt-in and the sale
Opt-ins are the raw material for qualified leads, not a substitute for them. A delivered opt-in gives your office a reason and a right to call. What happens on that call decides whether you have a qualified lead or a polite no.
For this work, a reached homeowner has to confirm:
- a working contact number belonging to someone who opted in
- a property inside your agreed territory
- a requested service inside your trade
- that the record is not a duplicate of a recent delivery
On theBuildd trial, weekly and base monthly plans, your office makes that call and owns the outcome. Optional monthly dispatching adds our callers: they contact the opt-in, qualify the reached homeowner against the criteria on your order, and then work toward a live transfer or a booked appointment. Either way the opt-in is exclusive to you, and no plan promises that a given opt-in will be reached, will qualify or will buy. The qualified-lead definition guide sets out the stages in full.