What Happens to a Bad Lead? UK Lead Replacement Policies Compared

Most UK lead suppliers we checked replace or credit a bad lead, but they define "bad" differently and give you anywhere from 48 hours to no time limit to report one. We read the published policies of 14 lead sellers on 2 November 2026. A wrong or dead number is the failure most often covered, several also cover leads outside your agreed criteria, and none promises cash back for a lead that has been delivered.

That makes the returns policy the term to read most carefully before you buy. A generous-sounding promise with a short window and a long list of exclusions can be hard to use.

What happens to a bad lead?

One of three things, depending on the supplier. It's replaced with another lead, credited to your account to spend on future leads, or rejected under the supplier's rules, which should mean you don't pay for it. A cash refund on a lead that was delivered is rare. Where suppliers mention refunds, it's usually for leads you paid for and never received.

Which one you get, and whether you get anything, turns on four terms: what counts as bad, how long you have, what you get back and how you claim. The tables below set those out for each supplier.

How do UK lead suppliers' replacement policies compare?

Lead marketplaces work differently: you buy a contact for a job someone posted, often alongside other trades. Two publish their return rules in their terms.

Two details from the marketplaces' terms are worth knowing. Bark says credits bought from 1 November 2025 last three months and aren't refunded or extended when they expire. MyJobQuote says it decides a claim within five working days, that its decision is final, and that leads sold at a reduced price aren't refunded.

What usually counts as a bad lead?

Across the policies above, these come up most often:

• A wrong, dead or disconnected number. The most common item, named by Digital Roo, MCB Digital Solutions, PoweredLeads, Sales Fuel, Bark, MyJobQuote and POCKLA.
• A hoax, spam or fake enquiry. Named by Digital Roo and Sales Fuel; Bark covers enquiries that were spam or fraudulent.
• A duplicate. Usually one you've already been sold. Leads 2 Trade also accepts a duplicate of a lead you got from another source, if you can prove it.
• Outside your agreed criteria. Sales Fuel, MCB Digital Solutions, Synergi Marketing and AceLeads replace leads that miss the criteria you agreed, and Lead Pronto replaces appointments that do.
• The wrong area, or not the homeowner. PoweredLeads names both in its accepted-lead standard.
• Details that aren't the person's. Bark covers contact details it can verify don't belong to whoever made the request.

The more of these your agreed criteria spell out, the more you can return. If your agreement never says "homeowner", a tenant is hard to send back.

What usually doesn't count as a bad lead?

• A homeowner who hasn't answered yet. PoweredLeads puts it plainly: "A homeowner who hasn't picked up yet isn't a bad lead."
• A homeowner who isn't interested, or chose someone else. Bark's terms say credits aren't returned where a correct contact doesn't respond or you don't win the job.
• A lead sold at a discount. MyJobQuote excludes leads labelled as reduced in price.
• A lead reported late. MyJobQuote, for example, investigates only claims made within its 48 hours.

There are exceptions. Leads 2 Trade lets you reject a lead within 72 hours if the customer has changed their mind or you can't reach them in that time. Watts Marketing, which sells booked appointments, takes back any that don't go ahead.

How long do you get to report a bad lead?

From the policies above, as published on 2 November 2026:

A short window is fine for a dead number, which you'll find on the first dial. It's tight for anything you only find out later. A homeowner who turns out to be a tenant may not say so until the surveyor arrives a week after the call.

The decision rule: the window should be longer than the time it takes your team to find out. If you call within the hour and survey within a fortnight, a 48-hour window covers dead numbers and little else.

Replacement, credit or refund: what's the difference?

• A replacement is another lead, in place of the bad one. It's worth as much as the next lead, so ask whether it meets the same criteria, comes from the same area, and counts towards any minimum order.
• A credit is money on your account with the supplier. It's only worth something if you keep buying. Ask whether it expires: at Bark, credits bought from 1 November 2025 last three months.
• A rejection means you're not charged, or your charge is reversed. Ask which, and when.
• A refund is cash back. For delivered leads it's rare: PoweredLeads says it doesn't refund delivered leads that met the standard, and MyJobQuote says it never refunds your card. Both Digital Roo and PoweredLeads say they refund leads you've paid for and not received.

If you might stop buying, a credit or a replacement is worth less than a refund. Ask what happens to unused credit when you leave.

How do you claim a bad lead?

1. Mark it the day you find it. Use the same status name every time ("invalid number", not "NA" one day and "dead" the next), so you can count them.
2. Keep the evidence. The time you rang, how many times, and what you heard: a carrier message that the number isn't recognised is evidence; "no answer" usually isn't. Leads 2 Trade asks for proof on duplicates.
3. Claim inside the window, in the way the policy says. A dashboard, a portal, a reply to the delivery email. A claim made the wrong way may not count; MyJobQuote's terms say it investigates only claims made through its complaint button.
4. Keep a copy of the policy you signed up to. Web pages change. The version on the day you bought is the one to argue from.
5. Use recordings for disputes about qualification. A recorded call settles what the homeowner said better than memory does. Our guide to call analytics covers how to raise it fairly.

What should you agree before you buy?

Put these ten questions to any supplier, including us, and get the answers in writing:

1. What exactly counts as a bad lead? Ask for the list.
2. What doesn't count?
3. How long do I have to report one, and from when: delivery, purchase or first contact?
4. What evidence do you need?
5. Do I get a replacement, a credit or a refund?
6. Does credit expire, and what happens to it if I stop buying?
7. Am I charged for a bad lead and then credited, or never charged?
8. Who decides a disputed claim, how quickly, and can I appeal?
9. Is there a cap on how many leads I can return?
10. Is the policy in the agreement I sign, or only on a web page?

Our 10 questions to ask a lead generation company cover the rest of the deal, and our comparison of UK lead generation companies sets out prices, exclusivity and contracts at several of the suppliers above.

What can't a replacement guarantee fix?

Some suppliers call their policy a guarantee: Synergi Marketing, for one, says its leads are guaranteed to meet the qualifying criteria or it will replace them. Any such promise covers leads that are plainly broken. Most of what a poor supplier costs you sits in leads that aren't.

• Shared leads. A replacement for a lead sold to four firms is another lead sold to four firms. See exclusive vs shared leads.
• Stale leads. A real number on an enquiry from last week passes every check, and the homeowner has still cooled.
• Poor consent. A lead whose consent doesn't name you can't be fixed by replacing it with another just like it.
• Leads that are valid but don't convert. No policy returns those. The measure that catches them is cost per job, which our guide to cost per lead vs cost per job explains.

And a returns policy only matters where you pay per lead or per appointment. Leads Everyday, for example, charges a flat monthly fee with ad spend paid separately to Google, and its terms (updated October 2026) don't deal with bad leads at all. On a retainer, a bad lead is simply part of the month.

Where POCKLA fits

Our returns term is short: invalid numbers are returned, with no time limit. It applies to solar, windows and doors, conservatories, air source heat pumps, flooring, insulation and home extensions.

It covers less than some policies in the table. We don't publish a wider list of what counts, or how a return is made. Ask us on the call, and get the answer in writing as you would from anyone else.

Every lead is exclusive to one buyer, sold once, with no setup fee, monthly fee or minimum term. Calls made from POCKLA Desk get free call analytics, which helps when a lead's quality is in question. Our indicative prices per qualified web lead are on our pricing page; they're ranges, not quotes.

How we checked

We read each company's own website on 2 November 2026: terms pages where they publish them, otherwise their FAQ, pricing or product pages, all linked above. We didn't ask for quotes or contact any supplier. Rated People and Checkatrade were left out because we couldn't read their policy pages that day. Policies change, so check the current version with the supplier before you buy.

If you run one of these companies and something here is wrong or out of date, email team@pockla.com and we'll correct it.