Care.com Reviews
Care.com Customer Reviews
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Beware - "1 month" supscriptions renew...without any email notification!
site is hit or miss...may find some good folks, but lots of scary looking people that i wouldn't even let babysit for my goldfish!
i was so annoyed to find out i have been billed for the last couple months....it renews. they don't mention that, and they don't communicate via email.
site is probably no better/useful than just finding a neighborhood kid or someone from church to help out.
I had the same issue as you ... only found out when I checked my cc statement. Found a great babysitter no fault there, but the auto renew is pure evil, (probably salesforce.com is more to blame for enabling that behavior) I emailed them they refunded my last charge ($35), but I am pretty sure that there was no opt in for auto renewal subscriptions and I definitely never received a notification. This is especially frustrating when you have a newborn and can barely see... (because you are so tired)
Oh and btw, report them to your bank - if they get enough disputes raised Visa / MC etc will stop working with them.
I registered with the Premium site for a month NO JOBS? I am a professional and have much to offer. This is incredible. I get emails telling me jobs are posted every minute? I don't think so. What a scam.
If you are contemplating joining and read this.. don't do it.
I didn't know the site auto renew my subscription. I was charged for several months and didn't even know about it. I asked the representative if others have the same complaint/problem or if I was an idiot for missing that part...she said she does have a lot of people call in with the same problem. OBVIOUSLY this is a scam because they KNOW that their small prints about the auto renew is not obvious to their users. Also they have a no refund policy so I was unable to get my money back...even though there has been no activity on my profile for MONTHS. Don't use this website. I went through a bunch of applicants and couldn't find a reliable one. You are better off asking your friends/family/neighbors for references!!! IF you decide to use this site, please make sure you talk to all the references and have nanny cam in placed!!!
Garbage
If your a professional then when do you have time to commit to babysitting?
Laura, What exactly do you think it means to be a professional? Do you think the people that we pay to provide care for our children, our elderly loved ones, and our beloved pets should NOT behave in a professional and reliable manner? There is a wide range of caregivers. Some are occasional sitters working for extra pocket change, while others are trying to earn a living and are trained in various disciplines such as CPR, child development and healthcare.
Not only do you show YOUR ignorance with YOUR grammar (your sentence should have said "If YOU'RE a professional...), but your comment shows a serious lack of respect for those we trust to care for our family members.
Renewed for another full 3 months without me expecting it
Automatic renewal of 1 month subscription
I signed up for a 1 month subscription, and although in the fine print it says it will be automatically renewed unless you cancel, I feel it goes against common sense when it comes to a one month subscription. The definition of subscription is agreeing to specified period of time, why would I agree to more than 1 month if I signed up for 1 month? It makes no sense.
Also there was no reminder email sent when the charges were made each month. The website clearly has emailing capabilities as I receive spam from them more than once a week as a member. They could have at least notified me they were charging me.
I ended up being charged for 2 additional months past the one I agreed to before I realized it, and I never even found a single care provider through this website. This website charged me over $100 and I got absolutely nothing out of it. I will never use this site again and I do not recommend it to others look for a provider.
I appreciate your comment. I am hearing a lot of this. I truly don't know why people can't just do good business without trying to "scam" everyone in sight.
Scams busy moms
Care.com Bogus site
Same thing here!! Lot a of scamming email, most of which are ridiculously stupid with no relevance to care positions
20 jobs in 2 months in not enough at all...apply to every job in your zipcode..if your available to work when they need you or not..Leave your # for varibale care...most peolpe will say thanks I will keep it for when I might need it..Its like handing out fliers for pizza..some peolpe might say "application denied" but others will call when thier needs change..If you have proper references and you are avialble..if your only availbale on weekends then you can expect to work about 6 times a year..unless you find a family that will use you every weekend.
started my Nanny career here
I have had a good experience with care.com. with any method of finding a Nanny it will be difficult sometimes. It works both ways, some of the families are looking for someone perfect for their kids but want to turn you into there housekeeper. some want to hire you part time and then be available whenever they need you extra. The truth is that a lot of younger care givers are not responsible. It is also true that you get what you pay for. If you want someone to work 40 hours a week for $250 , what do you think will happen. I worked for a family who let me go for getting sick. They were all sick and home from work for days but when I came down sick a week later they acted understanding and told me to take the next day as well. When I showed up the third day it was "why are you here" said they sent me a text which I never got. Really? how would you like your Nanny to quit by text? So what I am saying is you have to learn how to interview. Meet many candidates, bring them over to evaluate their work , call their references. do not discriminate over age. A lot of older care givers are experienced even if they are not yet professional nanny's . I got started at 49. I was a stay at home mom and I love kids and I cook well and I keep the home clean. I do not want to be treated like I should do what ever you ask. The important thing is your child(ren) look for someone good with children first. Do not expect perfection, and do not think that your nanny will never be sick. If you can afford a high end nanny and your able to pay them very well you get more. for those of us who work for under $15 per hour , we can not fill every position your home needs. Not every nanny wants to be like part of your family either. Some of us want to work with children and we can be very good at it even though we may not want to be like family. If that happens it is a huge stroke of luck. But employers and employees usually need to stay somewhat professional.
I personally do not like the family around. It is usually much more difficult to find someone who wants to have you around all day and telling them what to do . Most good child care providers will do better making a schedule and knowing what they are going to be doing on their own.
I have had to browse through tons of jobs and apply to tons to find work , but I find it. I also get turned down a lot. People really can be difficult. I feel that unless you are paying me over $40,000 a year, I am pretty much your baby sitter. I see people looking to pay $5 per hour. Really? for your child? I pay more than that for someone to care for my dog when I go out of town. Don't think you are going to find servants easily in America that are going to like you treating them like a servant and then happily go about caring for your child. Keep the nanny satisfied with her job , pay a good wage and don't expect them to cook , clean , do childcare, run all your errands, that is called a servant . Now if you can afford a servant then let it be know what you expect.
I have had success finding work, I ask for the wage I want and honestly , I am working but would love to find a full time , good paying position with realistic expectations of me. so far I take serval part time and bartend on the side, which is better money to tell the truth. I am great with kids and that should be your number one priority when looking for a care giver. And realize that finding the right fit takes time.
I am looking for a babysitting job and I message or apply for jobs in my area every day. I know my profile is amazing, and yet no one ever responds.
It might be because in order for people to respond they have to sgin up for a prem membership.
I am in a similar situation; I posted a job for a dog walked a week ago and have received 12+ responses. I am just checking around to make sure the site is legit before I pay the money for a membership. I’m hoping all the responses I have received are legitimate.
I think something must be done about advertising for under the states min wage....why is this acceptable? imagine leavoing with baby or child with someone 40-60 hours aweek for under $300..you get what you pay for . I do agree with teens being able to watch school aged children for an allowance or weekend extra cash..it teaches responsibilty..Pay then $5 an hour for short term care 4 hours or less...(common sense). .Peolple put their babies in danger by leaving them with cut rate care every day on Care.com That should not be allowed....Min wage laws should be enforced. $10 is the suggested rate for proper care by Care.com yet they let peolpe advertise for whatever they want. This attracts peolpe with mental health issues..illegal aliens and all sorts of people wanting to milk the system.
Totally agree with both comments above. I am not a servant. I am a Private Home Health Aide. I don,t work for less than 16.00 a hour. I am there to follow doctors care plan and to make sure that the client is cared for. My job only provides very light house keeping eg; trash, bed change, soiled linens, clean dishes after meals. Where does vacuuming, dusting and cleaning after everyone come into play and then they want to pay less than 10.00 an hour, are they kidding? If they want all that then they can pay me 40.00 a hour. I am not in the business to do cheap labor. I put on my website with care.com a break down of what my job details are and even tell them there are government agency for low income individuals who can't afford care. Ugh, just can't wait to graduate nursing to go have a normal job without dealing with cheap skates.
I hate to break this to you but as a nurse in some states you will be starting out at 30K a year and sometimes less. There are teachers who have a classroom of 30 or more students who average 35K a year and this can be with ten years of experience and a Master's degree. As a home health aide you are going to mainly be paid by agencies who receive medicaid funding. The reality is that you are most likely not going to be paid $16 an hour unless you have a very specialized skill set. If you are in any type of caregiving role you do serve. You are not a servant but you do serve your client. Unrealistic expectations and a false sense of entitlement will not get you employment. It is sad that people in the helping professions are not paid more but this is the reality. These "cheap skates" you label are usually the disabled who rely upon the system to find help just to survive their day.
Im laughing so hard at this a barely made it to the powder room. The average caregiver on care.com gets $10 that is final..caregivers are not certified at all period. if a family is willing to pay more than that which most are not it is because the child has special needs , they have 4 or more kids or its a holiday..."Cheap skates"...If you had a proper education you would not babysitting to begin with. Nanny's in Beverly hills might get 18-25 after years of loyal service...and believe me they are cleaning toilets as well when the maid is not there.
No one replies
meee too!
Same here
me three!
Do you have a current background check on file? Do you have all 5 references cuurent and up to date posted? Do you have a professional looking pic posted? Are you available most of the time and just when you feel like working? Are you in college..or have another job? People advertise Im a full time nurse or Im a part time teacher..then when do you have time to babysit? or I have 5 kids and a special needs child so that means Im qulaified LOL
Deceptive Billing Practices
Not happy with Care.com
It may work for some families...but not for this one.
I am very unhappy with care.com and I am not happy with how it turned out. They would not allow me to cancel my account. I paid $80.00 now towards services I would never use.
I started my account in March. By May I emailed and called requesting to cancel. I sent 6 emails with no returned email. I had to change my profile to read "CANCEL MY ACCOUNT". I also had to call my bank to cancel my checking card to avoid payments going forward.
I hired three people, one was a no show, one let my kid play in the street (18 month old) and third wanted to be my new best friend and added me on facebook before we even had her over to watch our child.
I have found a friend through church that has helped me find a nanny. If you need a nanny, ask friends. Do not pay a site like this!
I am wondering how much you were paying thease co called caregivers?? I herar your story in blogs and different reviews the exact same complaint...But why would someone hire a caregiver when they cant afford it or dont wont to pay the going rate for Maryland?...I will let people know the TRUTH about babysitting...if a babysitter doesnt have at least 10 reputible references then dont hire her..not 3 references..anyone can pull 3 out of thier backpocket...and never pay a caregiver under $10 an hour..never hire anyone under 21 years of age..avoid college students...thease not so secret secrets will put parents on the path to finding great childcare.
laura-who are you? please take spelling lessons : )
The truth of babysitting by Laura the illiterate...
I just found this review. It is true what Laura said. Looking for a cheap cut rate babysitter under $10 an hour is very dangerous..unless your family of friends will do it for less. Desperate sitters that need cash or a reg paycheck will sit for almost any rate. Most of them are illegals from another country with no SS# or work permit. Many are also right out of the detention center and fake a background check. easily done since anyone can use anyones DL# and punch it in. Nothing on care.com is verified. Not even CPR. The references are sometimes verified by Care.com but almost always by email. The emails are provided by the caregiver and can easily be made up then the caregiver emails back as the parent. I have emailed back as a parent and verified my own references when parents wont hand out the email..That is the only way to get it verified sometimes. College student will sit for 2-3 months at a time maximum most often. Their schedule changes and off they go.
What a Waste of Money
DON't Waste your money
No one returns your emails and providers info are outdated. Called to get a refund and was told I could not get a refund. What a waste of time and money. I hope this deters someone else from getting involved with this site.
outdated profiles would be my biggest complaint as well
Pompous website and visibility for a null service and null customer service
We had a very negative experience with the service while looking for a nanny able to commit for at least a year under contract. We just cancelled a premium profile, which we kept for several months and realized that we wasted $35 a month for at least 6 months getting absolutely nothing out of the service.
Pretty much most of the nanny profiles are not up to date in terms of availability and they use the nanny job as a way to round their income rather than making one with enthusiasm. It also looks like many of the nannies listed are pretentious amateurs that expect a family to comply with their availability rather than being flexible and comply with the availability of who is providing the job, the employer, the family.
Besides a very poor pool of nannies, also the service and membership have nothing to offer, no special hints, no other types of connection between family and candidate (we contacted each candidate by looking at their profile - only three candidates responded to our add). In summary, we lost completely our hope on this service despite the initial hype about having found a potentially great one.
I then posted a review to the BBB, which correctly black-lists care.com with a 82% negative experience rate!!! I received a useless answer from care.com through the BBB, which sounded very much prepackaged (same answer template for all the negative review they receive - I assume they receive many..)
After the bleak answer I tried to contact care.com customer service and discovered that the number is just a very long maze of automated messages with no real operator behind the phone. Can it be any worse?
I work this site and actually do very well with it as a nanny/babysitter..However I do agree with everything that you have said..I would never hire anyone from this service nor would I ever leave my own child with anyone from this service. Care.com doesnt care!
Wow. I am so thankful for all these reviews! I am a "top of the crop" teaching nanny and I was just about to join the site to look for my next sweet family. How disappointing! Thank you everyone for the heads up!!
Not worth the money or time
Wonderful experience, highly recommend
DON'T BELIEVE IT... THIS SITE IS OUT TO SCAM PEOPLE OF THEIR MONEY FOR NOTHING.
I AGREE!!!
* * * * * As a nurse who is experienced in forensic nursing, I totally disagree that Care.Com's website is a "wonderful" experience. I have done research on Care.Com after Jon Locke's death at the hands of a Care.Com provided caregiver. To date I have contacted over 300 Care.Com caregivers/nanny's and they all state that they have had none or few responses to their ad. Many never got a response. BEWARE OF CARE.COM'S SCAM. ! ! ! ! !
Care.com
Care.com offers the free basic membership to allow families to evaluate our site as a whole. We give the option to post a job ad and get applicant'ts for that job, and to search for providers that are listed in your area. This basic membership allows you to test out the site, and decide whether or not it is something you and your family would want to utilize. Job seekers on the site can sign up for free. They have the ability to view the entire list of job postings in their area, and apply to all the job positions on the site with a free membership.
The premium membership for job seekers offers the ability to message families who have not posted a job ad on the site, but have indicated what type of care they are looking for. When job posters upgrade to a premium membership and start actively hiring, we notify them that the subscriptions on the site are auto-renewing, and that it is a service that needs to be canceled when they are no longer looking to hire. We offer the automatic renewal of the account so that the members search for care is not interrupted. The membership can be canceled at any time, and this can be taken care of right through the members account.
When background checks are run by our security company, social security numbers are required to make sure that all of the information provided belongs to same person. We also offer an enhanced check that families can run for extra security if they wish to do so. We also provide a Safety Center page on the site for families or individuals that have extra questions or concerns about their security, and the process of hiring a caregiver through the site.
Why can't you talk to a human.....ever????
YES... return phone calls.. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Thank you all for the comments!!! I was about to pay for the service!
Did you just give 5 stars to your own company????
Did you just give 5 stars to your own company????
lol
When I noticed the same ad in multiple markets, I sent notice to Care.com, saying it seems there is a phishing or spamming scheme. My concerns were dismissed. It is horrible to see the same ad over and over. Takes credibility away from service. I then googled reviews of service and they are really negative. They won't last long with no trust from consumers.
You have thousands of complaints of people continually being charged when they do not want to be. CHANGE IT!!! When people sign up for a month, bill them for a month ONLY. If they want to continue to use your service after that, then they will pay again before they can use your service. It is NOT rocket science. Stop being so greedy and disgusting. You could have had such better reviews! BAD BUSINESS.
Change your name to "wedontreallycare.com"
or...We Care about Ripping You Off
***CARE.COM have you ever done research to see how many of your applicants get jobs or get referrals? YOUR PROGRAM IS FRADULENT AND SOONER OR LATER YOU WILL BE SHUT DOWN.
Overall care.com is a productive tool to connect parents and caregivers..howerver I have been working from Care.com for sometime now and read most of the customer complaints and have a few of my own..
10 ten reasons you should not use Care.com as sitter or a parent.
1-The site has no real credibility..background checks are few and far between..and the sitters that do have one most havnt logged on in over 3 monthes..many like myself get on when they just need the extra cash. They dont screen out illegal immigrants or crimminals..anyone can have a premium account with a credit card. The background checks that are offered (if you read the fine print you will see)..it checks the sex offenders lists and major felonies, everything is not looked into for a basic background check...you must pay for the most expensive check and even then..petty crimes most likely dont show up..SO evn though I work the site I would never ever leave my child with anyone from a sitter service. Its the fast food of childcare..many parents are desperate single moms that must go to work.
2-They can cancel your membership at anytime for any reason or no reason..This is becuase they dont know who is working for them as I said 95% of sitters arnt screened..So if anyone says anything about a sitter or a parent in a negative fashion BANG case closed..BUT the kicker is the persons closed account can be reopened that same very hour with a differernt email address.. same credit card and background check..same everything. Makes no sense. Because nothing is cross referenced.
3-Anyone can write a review about anyone at anytime for any reason or no reason. So a sitter can open up a 2nd account as a parent, upgrade then write as many reviews as she like about herself..as long as she pays..nothing is cross referenced..same credit card doesnt matter. Also a parent can write a review about a sitter they have never hired or even spoke to..again nothing is cross referenced. The reviews have no credibilty.
3-They dont have any standards for min wage..Which I kind of understand babysitting/waitressing kind of the exceptions to the rule..HOWEVER Why do they let parents advertise for free room and board in exchange for childcare..or $200 a week nanny need for 60 hour work week..They are screaming "ALL ILLEGALS ALIANS COME TO THE USA HIDE OUT AND GET CASH AND A ROOM" NO NEED FOR A GREENCARD OR BACKGROUND CHECK" RIDICULOUS!!
4-They reccomend that sitters pay to be a featured sitter and auto renew on thier credit card every month..But this doesnt apply if your young and pretty and log in every day..no need to pay you will be on the front page..there is no ryme or reason to it..I see featured sitters on page 50 of 100 and non featured on the front page..I uploaded a pretty pic of my sister on my page to test this theory and BANG front page..if it had been my brother wouldnt have happened.
5-I wanted to make some restrictions on my page to keep my self safe as a caregiver. Not allowed..I recieved a message saying I broke the guidelines and it wasnt relevant..I wanted to ask parents not to text me or call while I am driving to the house its hard enogh trying to find an address at night with your phone blowing up every min. I wanted to ask for cash only untill I know you..and verified your ID not allowed, Im subjected to bouncy checks..I wanted to run a background check on a parent wasnt allowed either. No protection for sitters on this site whatsoever.
6-This site is really bad for phishing scams, Nanny scams, and college kids escorting..People hit my site with an ad wanting my email address every day..Im from out of town and will be in town with 6 delegates..same ad every time with a differnt twist..an hout later thier account is terminated. And im notified..why was this ad approved in the first place? Nanny scam..popular as well..Im sending you a check in the mail and I need you to buy suplies for when I get to town..and mail them to this address..are you kdding me? Why is this on care.com? And then there is the college student wanting to take care of the elderly for $25 an hour in a bikini--- tooo much.
7-Parents can post whatever ad they want in whatever zipcode doenst matter where they live nothing is monitored..they can job to job wizard and post the same crazy ad 10 times in a row before someone catches it..as well as sitter..Sitters will post ads as a parent for needing childcare all the time when they dont..this clogs up the system..they want to write a review on themself or take a shot at another sitter..nothing is cross referenced..makes the site look busy when its not..thats why Care.com really doesnt CARE..sitters think they have plenty of ads to apply to when they sign up but over 50% of them are fake.
8-They do no accept credit cards for payment for service..Please get with the times..its not rocket science..I have had my share of have to ask to get paid at the door..some people are drunk from the bar and forget or just assume I have a credit card machine on me..because I came from a service..and then there is well I bought the pizza so is $20 ok for the night..after I babysat for 7 hours.".no its no allright".
9-They dont have a proper customer service help desk..most everything submitted from customer service is an auto generated response..they dont provide any information on how to keep your self safe other than interview in a public place..lack of commuincation all around.
10-Care.com is a corporate run business with no regard for its parents or caregivers.
I think you have really valid points, I haven't really dealt with customer service yet. I have been using them as a marketing tool. I have noticed that many people looking for care do offer ridiculous wages for their loved ones. I personally am in school full time and work odd hours to pay for nursing school. I thought about taking care of babies but so many jobs want you to do 3 jobs for the price of one. People just aren't going to get quality care providers. I also think that we should as care providers be able to do background checks on clients it can be scary going to some of these homes. People also don't realize how uncomfortable it is to come to their homes and be sized up when you get there. I can't wait to graduate and have a normal job.
BBB rating is currently an A but there have many complaints listed, both open and closed.