Care.com Reviews

Care.com
( 197 reviews )
Website: www.Care.com

Care.com Customer Reviews

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Policy to auto renew, but no emails to let you know your account is still active
June 18, 2013
It isn't the service, it is the billing policy that is a racket. I don't trust this company.

Care.com M November 01, 2013

Hi Emily,

We're sorry you misunderstood our billing policy. As clearly stated on the upgrade page and in our terms of use, all of our subscriptions automatically renew until you set them to cancel. Many of our members like this feature because it gives them constant access to a database full of caregivers. Additionally, we would not want to interrupt the hiring process or communications with caregivers when a billing cycle ends.

We again apologize for the experience, and hope you were able to find the care you were looking for!

Regards,

Care.com Member Care Representative

Removed from care.com with no reason
June 16, 2013
I was a care.com member for about five months and every thing was going fine. I received many offers for a nanny postion. When people we’re interested in my profile Care.com did a background three times, ordered by other members and came out perfect. I am well educated from Poland and have a college degree in three different majors. I am an Excellent Nanny and house house managing references with long term work friendships with my bosses. My job ended because a handful of my employers moved to different states. Basically I am the perfect candidate for any nanny or house job. After, I took the job from care.com and then I quit after three months, not because I don’t like the girls (four) that I took care of or my responsibilities, I just never liked the mother and I decided to quit. She was so upset, and gave me a terrible review; even though she told me that I was the best and finally she was able to leave the girls and do another duties A Couple days after care.com closed my account with no exponation and reason. They mention something about complaint but they told me that they could do what ever they want. After that, I got email that I can reopen my account again, but I tried and I cannot. I’ve sent them an email to find out why this has happened, and they wrote back, that they made the decision and I cant't ever open an account on care.com.I was surprised that every email or phone call was a different story about my account and this makes me very frustrated. I did some research about people who were removed from care.com, and I find out that most of them were foreign. Why is it that this should happen in U.S, where people from around the word and discrimination are prohibited? I would understand if they removed members, but they should have a reason, not like in countries where in communism the owners can do anything without explanation. I lived in U.S. for twenty four years, and I never had that bad of a experience here, and I hope that care.com will finally get the point that every person should be allowed to know why he or she is removed from the site

Care.com M November 01, 2013

Hi Dorota,

We're very sorry to hear about your experience with Care.com.

The decision to close an account on Care.com is not taking lightly. Care.com takes the safety and security of our site and our member community very seriously and, based on the Terms of Use that each member agrees to, reserves the right to remove access to the site for any reason or no reason, with or without notice. You are welcome to contact our Member Care team at any time to discuss your removal from the site.

Regards,

Care.com Member Care Representative

USeless website
June 5, 2013

Both my Husband and I have tried to register with this site. My Husband actually managed eventually to be "Approved" by them. But not because he did anything wrong. He was advertising as a dog walker, so he put pics of himself on his profile walking his dogs. Those pics were " inappropriate" What? just regular pics of a dog walker walking his dogs. for a advert seeking a dog walker. Hmm, imagine that? what a shocking thing to post photo's of.

Today I decided to set up my own profile to advertise as a baby sitter and I was "disapproved" too. Apparently my REAL name and my REAL address were not real after all, or incorrect. I guess they know me better than I know myself!

I find this website very suspicious and I would say they are only interested in applicant'ts who are willing to pay, because they seem to make it totally impossible for people to register and use the site for free. even though they advertise free access. You want to try before you buy right? especially on a site like that.

I have never been disapproved of anything in my life before and this totally dumbfounded me to be denied for what seems like nothing at all wrong.

I would not recommend care.com to anyone and I would say to anyone thinking about trying it. Do not bother, it is not worth the hassle and constant frustration. My husband has been using it for over a year and got nothing out of it at all.

BEWARE! and do something more productive, try old fashion newspaper advertisments instead !!

Gullible M June 07, 2013

Care.com is nothing short of a scam site. They are well aware of the hundreds of complaints filed against them and their billing practice and yet they have made no change. Sheila Marcelo is the Imelda Marcos of childcare. A typical greedy, heartless third world gold digger, who will stop at nothing to get other peoples money. She lives to fill her pockets with the money of hardworking people by understanding exactly how to set up a website to enlist people in billing that is only to benefit her. SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM

Really? June 25, 2013

"A typical greedy, heartless third world gold digger"... really?

Dee August 28, 2013

I think the most important word in the first comment is SCAM.

Ursula September 29, 2013

I like to thank all of you wonderful people having posted. - You made up my mind for me. - There is one more thing gnawing on me. Has anybody wondered why they do these extensive back ground checks etc.? Since they are not an employer, why are they asking for SS #s, credit checks, bank statements, you name it? This is very scary when you consider that care seekers information (for individuals with special needs) usually ties in directly with Medicare and Insurance information. I believe that this scam is way more involved than meets the eye.

Care.com M November 01, 2013

Hi Samantha,

We're sorry you were having trouble creating a profile through Care.com. All members of the site do have to go through an approval process for safety and verification purposes.

In regards to the photos, we ask that your main profile picture be just of yourself, and that it be a clear picture of your face. Your husband can also include the pictures of himself walking dogs, but would first need to have a picture of just him. You can also look through our FAQ page for our photo guidelines to see more reasons why we might reject a photo.

We again apologize that you were running in to problems when trying to create an account, and hope you were able to find a job!

Regards,

Care.com Member Care Representative

NO CUSTOMER SERVICE
June 5, 2013

Worked for a customer for three days withing a two week time frame. Cust called on Monday to resched to Tues. No problem agreed to do.

After agreeing to this cust went on line and reposted job I was currently doing with and excessive amount of added duties. Politely responded could not handle what was wanted. Cust then proceeds to go on this hell bent revenge mode with email and text threats. Then six days since I was at the place of work client accused me of stealing from them. Called care.com to warn them of a brewing problem and was told if a cust posts a bad review you will have a chance to rebut any and all accusations. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE FALSEHOOD. Care.com closed my account without ever hearing my side. DO NOT DEAL WITH THESE PEOPLE... THERE ARE MUCH BETTER OPTIONS OUT THERE, PERIOD!!

Care.com M November 05, 2013

Hi,

We're sorry to hear about your experience with a member of Care.com. If a bad review is posted on your profile, you are able to rebut that review by responding to it on your profile.

Per our terms of us, Care.com does reserve the right to close an account for any reason or no reason, with or without notice. The decision to close an account is a final decision, and the decision to close an account is non reversible.

We hope you reported the situation and can guarantee that we take all reports very seriously, and they are all passed on to our safety team.

Regards,

Care.com Member Care Representative

Auto Renew
May 31, 2013

I bought what I thought was a 3 month trial of this website. It worked great. Then they kept billing my credit card. Evidently, in section 11 of the terms and conditions they say they will continue to bill you. I only used the website two or three times during the "trial offer." They charged me four times $35. I just called my credit card company to dispute the charges. They sounded like the care.com representative. They would not let me dispute the charges. I would recomend not doing business with this company.

Care.com M November 05, 2013

Hi Jimmy,

We're sorry if you misunderstood our billing and subscription policies. All of our subscriptions are set to automatically renew until you set them to cancel. This is clearly stated on the upgrade page, and is also in our terms of use which you agree to upon enrollment. It is ultimately the member's responsibility to cancel or downgrade the account when they are done using the subscription service. Many members appreciate the auto renewing feature because it gives them full access to a database of caregivers in their area, and further we would not want to interrupt the search process or communications between members. You can change the auto renewing setting at any point after upgrading the account in your Account & Settings page, or by calling or emailing our Member Care team.

I hope this helps clarify our subscription services!

Regards,

Care.com Member Care Representative

Totally a Scam Site
May 29, 2013
All this site is about is getting people to sign up for a paid membership. They will badger the hell out of you to do so and when you don't, they remove you. Instead of providing a safe way for sitters and potential clients to interact, as is their supposed purpose, they harass people to provide way too much personal information, harass people to pay them for their "service," harass people to pay them for background checks, etc. Stay away from these scum and by all means, do not provide them with personal info.

Mandy J June 03, 2013

This site is a total scam. You think you are buying a trial month and then tthey charge your card until you notice charges on your account that you weren't expecting. They do not even have a billing questions option when you try to call. It is virtually impossible to get through and when you do, they tell you to go jump. They take your money through clever marketing and have no intention of ever returning it. SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM BEWARE

Jennifer M July 19, 2013

I found a couple of babysitters through care.com, so I downgraded to the free membership. Almost immediately, I get an email telling me that my membership has been terminated with no reason, and that they are contacting the sitters I've used to notify them of this action. So if you don't pay, not only do they kick you off the site, but they try to make sure the providers you did find would be scared to work with you again. SCAM.

Care.com M November 05, 2013

Hi Anne,

We're sorry to hear about your experience with Care.com. We would not remove a member strictly because they were not paying members, and we're sorry about any misunderstanding regarding our Removal policies. We take safety and security very seriously on Care.com, and have a number of policies in place in order to provide a safe way for sitters and potential clients to interact.

You do not have to pay for a membership or a background check on any of our accounts, but it does give you additional access and features. If a member doesn't feel comfortable with paying or including any information for a background check, they do not have to include this information.

I hope this helps to clarify the use of the site!

Regards,

Care.com Member Care Representative

Misleading
May 24, 2013
Beware the scam offer of 20% off for a 1-Month Subscription! Unless you cancel a few days before their automatic billing cycle is triggered, your credit card will be charged a monthly fee without your authorization. This will continue each month unless you go online to "downgrade" your subscription. They don't give you the option to cancel your membership outright. The Better Business Bureau has recorded 92 complaints about billing and 42 complaints about advertising against Care.com.

Terrible Customer Service
May 21, 2013
I'd been using Care.com for several months & found several good jobs from the site. I paid for a background check on myself, had several good reviews, etc. I was contacted by a woman wanting me to work for her for $5 a day. When I declined, she got incredibly upset, began sending lewd photos to my phone, leaving me rude messages, etc. I blocked her phone number at that point. She then went onto Care.com to continue berating me. After I blocked her from contacting me on the site, she had ME reported for harassment & without asking my side of the story, my account was cancelled. I could not get anyone on the phone the 8 times I tried calling. I had to send 2 emails before getting a response. After explaining a second time via email to Care.com the abuse I was subjected to by this woman, they told me that I was not eligible to have an account with them any longer. No action was taken against the other woman who was the ONLY one in the wrong, both by verbally abusing me & by offering FAR less than minimum wage. Should it even be legal to offer someone $5 a day?! I was incredibly disappointed in the lack of understanding or CARE that Care.com provided to me in my situation. STEER CLEAR, they allow any & everyone to post jobs on the site.

Pacita T June 05, 2013

I have the same story, care.com cancelled my account after somebody accusing me of stealing money harassing me.

Great experience with this site
May 21, 2013
I have had a lot of success with this site. I have been able to find a long term pet sitter and last minute individual to care for my dad when he needed help after a surgery. I've read a lot of the reviews about how people are unhappy with the subscription model the site has set up, but if you actually read what it says when you sign up for a Premium membership it says how you'll be billed on going, which is exactly how a subscription works. Also the site asks if you would like to set a reminder so just before my one month was up I received an email reminding me to downgrade my account. I know people are busy, but if you just take a minute to read what the site says before just clicking through to the end, it was easy to understand how it works and not be billed for extra months.

Cris a May 22, 2013

Sounds like you're affiliated with Care.com. Your story sounds like one of the postings and even your name Jill M is synonymous with the way the suspicious job listings are posted on the site. Our complaint isn't the monthly charges, it's the suspicious and redundant job postings on the site.

Anne O May 29, 2013

This review is totally a plant. What does that tell you about the site?

Mariah June 26, 2013

Obviously posted by a care.com employee.

Sturmisch July 04, 2013

Definitely. Poster did not make reference to any of the negative posting. They are just giving information,

Dee August 28, 2013

Obviously it is not easy to understand as so many people have been duped by care.com.

Auto Renewal charge
May 20, 2013
Be aware of the AUTOMATIC RENEWAL!!! Make sure to cancel ASAP when you don't need the service anymore.

horrid
May 19, 2013
twice i paid twice they removed me for no explanation. i had to call up to resolve it. they have horrid people overscreening ads and no explanation. its just nuts.

i hate it
May 16, 2013
I had a very bad experience with care.com.After I paid the membership they closed my account with no warning and without explanation.

Lena May 24, 2013

The same happend to me!

Very suspicious job postings
May 16, 2013

My wife and I have been paying members with Care.com and Sittercity for about a year. We check the job postings daily and have applied to 60 or so positions. Our growing suspicion is that the vast majority of the job postings are fake, composed by Care.com employees and orchestrated in a way to keep their members interest in paying the monthly subscription fees. The amount of jobs offered on Care.com and Sittercity are vastly different. Whereas Sittercity will have 6 job postings per month in our area, Care.com will have over 30. Ironically, we get a 50% response to our applications on Sittercity, in comparison to a weak 2% response from our Care.com applications. So, my wife and I are of the opinion that only about 20% of the job postings on Care.com are legit. I did actually catch a person posting the same job in 3 different cities. I spoke with Care.com about the issue and suddenly that person disappeared. Then, a couple of weeks later, the EXACT job showed up in my area under a different members name. Of course, we applied but no response. Coincidence of fraud...........

Anyway, just our opinion. Hope it's useful.

Emj3 May 22, 2013

I offer pet sitting and most other non-medical services. I have found the exact same situation as the people above. I also suspected fraud. I see ads posted "by different care seekers" that are word for word the same. I am glad I came to this site. Yesterday I answered an email for a petsitting job that would be perfect for me. When I sent a reply email, it bounced. When I called the telephone number supplied, there was an answering maching. I'm disappointed, but glad you have confirmed my suspicions.thank's for confirming my suspecions.

Never get responses
May 6, 2013

I joined this because I was looking to take up some temporary jobs in pet sitting and elderly care. I applied to several positions and then never hear anything back. Once I got a computer written response about the family opting to go with someone else. I'm assuming from reading the previous reviews that people don't get back to you because they have to pay an additional fee. Done with this site.

David July 22, 2013

Never got a job through Care.com. Just countless offers to "upgrade" for $$$ so I'd get more work. These crooks just want to pick your pocket. Avoid!

Horrible
May 4, 2013
I agree with the above post stating that care.com will suspend accounts, remove a job seekers profile..with NO explanation. They have also done this to me over and over..no explanation at all!!

DON'T EVER EVER USE THIS SERVICE!!
May 4, 2013
This service is an absolute scam!! I was seeking a caregiver and after realizing I was unable to contact any of the profiles until I paid for a subscription (subscription... yea right!). They intentionally word the "Premium" subscription categories in a way to make you think you are only paying for a limited term, ie. 1 month, 3 months, 12 months. Absolutely not the case, it doesn't matter what category you choose, you will be charged monthly for life, without any notification prior to each monthly billing, or until you cancel your subscription. The only difference is the time with which you are required to pay until your account can be canceled (or in the terms of CARE.COM "downgraded"). This service is all about collecting their service fees and has no real interest in providing secure, comprehensive and reliable services. In my case, I contacted (after being required to pay) 12 people, of which not one of them returned my call! So what exactly am I paying for... Mind you I started my subscription in August 2012, didn't do much with it after the first month, and here it is May 2013 and they have been "auto" charging my credit card for the past 10 months without any notification. I happen to realize after looking at my credit card statement closely that these charges have been reoccurring every month without my knowledge. I had selected the 3 months for $75 category, thinking like most people would based on the way it was presented, that I would be done with the subscription after the 3 month period... definitely not the case, I was actually paying $300 per year for life for that "3 month" subscription. Their hope is that I like a lot of people don't pay close attention to minimal credit card charges on their statements. I accept responsibility for not catching it sooner, but that does not give them the right to take advantage of consumers! Besides that well hidden indiscretion, I can understand charging a fee to those advertising their services but why should a seeker also pay to contact a caregiver? Makes no sense at all, it's like charging people to click on a link after searching for something on Google!! I digress...

Andy May 07, 2013

you need to learn how the internet works before signing up for stuff. Also you probably make too much money since you didnt realize they were charging you until almost 1 year later!

Alyssa June 10, 2013

They have to pay their employees somehow. You should have read the Terms of Agreement before signing up. Not everything in life is "free".

Dee August 28, 2013

So you think charging $300 a year is fair for their "service" or lack thereof? I suspect that Alyssa works for care.com.

Great for Child Care Providers
April 23, 2013
I have been with care.com for over a year now and have had good experiences with it. As a nanny I can easily see what jobs are available near me and message the families looking for help. I have a college degree and a lot of experience so I am always getting messages for work. I do respond to my messages even if to say no in a polite way. I have applied for a couple jobs and never heard anything back but I don't usually give out my personal contact information for privacy reasons.

Ursula September 29, 2013

Please explain your GOOD experiences with care.com other than you being able to see the local postings. You indicated that you responded to two but never heard anything back. How do you qualify this as an positive experience and if you are unwilling to release your personal info why did CareCom not assist in facilitating communications? (Strange)

suspicious
April 20, 2013
Amazingly there was a caregiver job near me that posted very good pay. i signed up, however, I did not pay for the service. i received a lot of spam mail immediately. As for the specific job I applied for--which I am more than qualified for --care.com responded back that the person who posted the job read my response but decided to "seek for another applicant't" not that they hired anyone else--just that they apparently didn't care for my application--however, they reminded me I could upgrade and pay for the service. First of all-having never paid for the service or given my ssn for that matter, how could they even consider me seeing as they are supposed to do these intense background checks. A scam--don't waste your time or money--just another on-line scammer taking advantage of the job market.

Andy May 07, 2013

People want legit people to watch their kids or take care of their parents period. You are in the wrong business if you arent willing to subject your history to some level of scrutiny.

Emj3 May 22, 2013

Who is Andy? Why are his comments so black and white, so negative. I am a person on the site oggering servies. Rates can be negotiable. I would not trust Andy either.

Dee August 28, 2013

Andy why would anyone trust care.com with their personal information especially after reading all these negative reviews?

Ursula September 29, 2013

Hi Dee.

I'm on your wave length. Why indeed would anybody disclose their SS#, Bank Account, you name it. This company could easily be performing identity theft with the applicants permission.

Charging you without notice! stealing your credit card money. dishonest
April 18, 2013
I registered to this website just for one month. But they started to charge my credit card for other months without notifying me. This is stealing people's money. Unreliable website. Do not trust them. They did not even return my money.

You have to pay to communicate
April 1, 2013
My family and I recently moved to Texas and after being a stay at home mom for 6 years I have decided I'm ready to do something or myself. However, my youngest is still at home until this Aug. so I set up a listing on Care.com to find an occasional sitter. So, in response to the caretakers saying the profiles are fake, they are not. I got several responses really quickly after posting my listing. Upon reading my responses I realized that I have to pay to communicate with the people applying! Even the ones that put contact information in the message I couldn't see it because the info gets exed out. $40 to send a few messages. So, caregivers, THAT is most likely why you are not getting responses! The people that are looking for care, upon realizing that you have to have monthly subscriptions to find a caregiver, figure it's not worth what you have to pay for something not guaranteed.

Ursula September 29, 2013

Hi Rachel.

Unfortunately Carecom is milking the cow from both ends. Unless the care giver pays (upgrades to a paid subscription) they will never be put in contact with you either. The name Care is very deceptive. The website is very deceptive leading people to believe they will receive a valuable service or at a minimum access to so desperately needed care givers. No it is a scam. They are exploding the people in need and the people able to provide the service simultaneously.