Ethan Brooks leads Sales and Partnerships at PeakIntent, where he helps high-ticket service businesses, from personal injury and tax resolution firms to cosmetic surgery, dental, restoration, and roofing companies, buy exclusive leads that actually convert. He writes about lead economics, why cost per signed case beats cost per lead, and how to scale acquisition without wasting budget.
Every business that buys leads eventually gets one that goes nowhere: a number that rings to a fax machine, a name that turns out to be a cartoon character, or a homeowner who swears they never filled out a form. The question is which of those you should pay for. Most disagreements between lead buyers and lead sellers come down to one thing: the two sides never agreed on what "bad lead" means.
This post draws that line clearly. It explains what lead sellers generally treat as a bad lead, what they don't, and how a dispute works from start to finish. It uses PeakIntent's own policy as the worked example, because that is the one we can quote exactly, but the questions apply to any vendor. If you are still deciding between buying models, our shared vs exclusive leads comparison covers how disputes differ between them.
A bad lead is not a lead that did not buy
This is the distinction that settles most arguments. A lead is information about a real person who asked about a service. Whether that person ends up hiring you depends on a lot of things the lead seller does not control: how fast you called, what you quoted, how your competitor's reviews look, and whether the timing was right for them.
So a sound dispute policy judges a lead on objective facts as of the moment it was delivered, not on what happened afterward. Think of it like a delivery: you can return a package that arrived broken, but not one you decided you did not want after opening it.
What you can usually dispute
Under PeakIntent's lead delivery and dispute policy, a lead is billable only if all four of these are true when it is delivered. If any one fails, you can dispute it.
| Requirement | What fails it |
|---|---|
| Matches what you ordered | Outside your geography, the wrong service or case type, or missing a field your order required |
| Working phone number | Disconnected, not in service, or reaching someone other than the person who inquired. A number that rings or reaches a working voicemail counts as working. |
| Genuine inquiry | A test, a prank, or a fraudulent submission |
| Not a duplicate | Same person, same phone or email, already delivered to you in the past 30 days |
For leads sold as exclusive there is one more: if a lead you bought as exclusive was also sold to another buyer in the same order period, you can dispute it.
What you usually cannot dispute
These are the cases that frustrate buyers most, and most lead sellers exclude them, not just us:
- You called and could not reach them.
- They did not answer, call back or reply.
- They lost interest, changed their mind or hired someone else.
- They could not afford the service or did not qualify, unless your order specifically required that qualification.
- You did not contact them promptly after delivery.
- For shared leads, other buyers also contacted them.
- General unhappiness with conversion rates or return on spend.
The last one matters. "These leads are bad" is not a dispute; it is a conversation about fit. If your close rate is low across the board, the fix is usually in targeting, speed or pricing, which is worth raising with your vendor directly. Our post on lead quality vs volume margin math shows how to tell which one is the problem.
How a dispute works, step by step
- Review leads as they arrive. The clock starts at delivery: when the lead hits your email, your portal or your CRM, or when a live call connects to your line.
- Dispute within the window. At PeakIntent that is 48 hours from delivery. After that, the lead is final.
- One lead per line. Name the lead (name, phone, email or lead ID) and say which requirement it fails. You can send several in one submission, but each needs its own reason.
- Attach evidence. A screenshot or recording of the disconnected-number message, a call log, a written note from the person saying they never inquired, or the earlier lead it duplicates.
- Get a decision. The dispute is reviewed against your evidence and the seller's own delivery and consent records, and you are told the outcome.
- Credit or replacement. If approved, you get a credit for that lead's price or a replacement lead that meets the same specifications.
Disputes go through the dispute form in the buyer portal or to [email protected].
Credits, replacements and refunds
An approved dispute is made good with a credit or a replacement, not cash. The reason is practical: the lead was delivered and the cost of producing it was spent. Credits can only be used toward future leads.
Money you prepaid but have not spent is different. You can ask for the unused part of a prepaid balance back at any time, and it goes to your original payment method. That is the part buyers often miss when comparing vendors: what happens to your balance if you stop.
One more practical note. If something looks wrong with a charge, contact the seller before your bank. A chargeback filed first tends to freeze the account and any pending disputes, and it is slower for everyone than a direct conversation.
How to judge a vendor's dispute policy before you buy
A dispute policy tells you a lot about how a lead seller operates. Before signing up anywhere, ask:
- Is the policy written down and public? If you can only get it on a sales call, assume it is flexible in the seller's favor.
- Are the criteria objective? "Working number" and "not a duplicate" can be checked. "Quality" cannot.
- How long is the window? Too short and you cannot realistically check. Too long usually means the price is padded for returns.
- What is the remedy? Credit, replacement, cash, or nothing.
- What happens to prepaid money if you leave?
- Are shared leads disputable for being shared? Usually not, which is part of why exclusive leads cost more.
Marketplaces handle this very differently from pay-per-lead sellers. Our Angi alternatives comparison covers how the major platforms approach credits, and the 7-point vendor evaluation checklist puts the dispute policy in context with the other six things worth checking. If you buy in home services, the roofing leads guide shows how these terms play out in a high-ticket trade.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a bad lead?
A lead that fails an objective test at the moment it was delivered: the phone number does not work, the inquiry was fake or a test, it duplicates a lead you already received, or it falls outside what you ordered (wrong area, wrong service). A lead that simply did not buy is not a bad lead.
How long do I have to dispute a lead?
At PeakIntent, 48 hours from delivery. Windows vary a lot between vendors, so check the terms before you buy.
Can I dispute a lead because they did not answer?
No. Not answering, not calling back, choosing another provider or not being able to afford the service are not grounds for a dispute when the lead was real, reachable and within your order.
Do I get a refund for a bad lead?
At PeakIntent an approved dispute gets either a credit for the lead's price or a replacement lead that meets the same specifications. Cash refunds are not issued for delivered leads, but unused prepaid balance can be refunded on request.
What evidence should I include with a lead dispute?
Identify the lead, say which requirement it fails, and attach proof: a screenshot or recording of a disconnected number, a call log, a written statement from the person that they never inquired, or the earlier lead it duplicates.
PeakIntent sells exclusive and shared leads under a written, public dispute policy. Check lead pricing in your market, or read the full lead policy.