Bark has a rating of 2.6 stars from 1,643 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Bark most frequently mention customer service, phone number and potential clients. Bark ranks 1st among Service Marketplace sites.
If you are considering to spend money to get leads through BARK I would advise you to go as far as possible from this app! After purchasing about 20 leads I didn't get any work through this app, many of the leads that I tried to contact via phone call email or text didn't respond or phone number was not in use anymore. After being present constantly on the app for 3months got 5 responses with NO WORK and notice that it is a big SCAM!
I used Bark to find someone who would cleaning the windows on my 2nd floor flat. It's easy to use and has trusted tradesmen who are reliable and reasonable. Will definitely be using BARK again.
Hi there Jacqueline,
Thanks for your review,
We're glad to hear that we could connect you with this great window cleaner.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I wanted to trust this site, but it proves me wrong everytime i get a lead. Leads don't call or email back, i loose the credit. They need to change the way the charge vendors, this is aweful!
Hi Mark,
Sorry to hear about your experience with Bark thus far.
It is certainly frustrating when customers don't engage with you and there are a few reasons as to why this happens but mainly lead generation is competitive. Unforneutnely this is out of our control, as it's the buyers who decide who they engage with or hire.
However, the team here do have some great tips and advice to share, which might help so certainly worth a conversation with them.
Additionally, we have also recently updated our site and we actively and clearly encourage customers to respond to professionals.
If you would like to learn more and see if we can help you turn things around, give our team a call or email: team@bark.com
Kind regards
The Bark Team
I called customer support and the man on the other end was disgusting, so i called again and he was worse. I never raised my voice or talked abusive, they real a holes at the office. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.!
Hi Lenny,
We tried to reach out to you directly regarding your review, however we received no response.
If you would like to understand more about our platform and receive support, please email us directly at team@bark.com.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
Two alternative companies were both in touch with us at very short notice and clearly had picked up immediately upon our enquiry. Both were very polite and helpful. A good experience.
Hi there Alex,
Thanks for your review,
It's great to hear that we could help connect you with these companies.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
So easy to do, even for me! I do not normally just the internet but on this occasion it proved very useful and speedy.
I would certainly recommend it to anyone.
Hi there Jerry,
Thanks for your review,
It's great to hear that we could help you with your search.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I used Bark to find someone for some landscaping Kyle Bond Landscaping responded to my request promptly and came out to give me a quote He had a fair price and I hired him to do some stonework flagstone and small wall around my garden He was meticulous in his work I was very satisfied and would highly recommend him
Hi Sandra,
Thank you for your review.
We’re very glad to hear that we could help connect you with a professional through the platform.
If you would also like to leave this company a review, just login to your Bark.com account and click on their profile page.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
Asked bark for a quote to cut conifer trees they rang within 10 mins came same day to give quote and did the work the following day fantastic job excellent service
Hi there Tina,
Thanks for your review,
It's great to hear that we could help connect you with this professional so quickly.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
Had answers from builders in minutes, so you have a list of options to choose from, I'm not sure if the quality of them but the options are there. Great website.
Hi there Yemi,
Thanks for your review,
We're so glad to hear that we could connect you with builders who could help.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I had to make contact as I just received an email with telephone number. However, the process after that was very smooth and the job was done well with a smile
Hi there Atul,
Thanks for your review,
We're glad to hear that we could help connect you with a professional who could help.
We do encourage professionals to reach out directly to their prospective customers, but unfortunately they aren't always available to do so straight away.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
T j Welsh attended and expertly cleaned our gutters on a 3 bed detached. Very punctual and tidy workers. Highly recommended. I put the job on Bark and was very satisfied.
Hi there Steven,
Thanks for your review,
It's great to hear that we could help connect you with a great professional.
If you would also like to leave T J Welsh a review, just login to Bark.com and click on their profile page.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
Super easy and willing to understand. They help navigate you to the right person and also have great customer relations. I found it to be very helpful when they reached out.
Hi there Matt,
Thanks for your review,
It's great to hear that we could help you find the right DJ for you.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
Highly recommended bark. Great company and do not let you down found people very quickly and extremely professional. Suggest you go on there site. Find on Google you won't be disappointed
Hi there Val,
Thank you for your review,
We're very glad to hear that we could help.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
Much to my surprise a solicitor called me soon after I filled out the online form, he spent a good 30 minutes on the phone and gave me very good advice.
Hi there Paul,
Thanks for your review,
It's great to hear that we could help connect you with this solicitor.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
These guys spam my business email on a daily basis, what a bunch of douches. I wrote a review on trustpilot and they're trying to get it removed lol, pathetic
Hi there Dan,
We're sorry to hear that you feel this way, but we strongly refute the claims that you have made against our business.
We email those who have accounts with us, or reach out to new businesses via their published details. You can unsubscribe your self fro the latter, or contact us if you wish to be deleted.
We tried to reach out to you directly via Sitejabber, however we received no response.
If you would like to understand more about our platform and receive support, please email us directly at team@bark.com.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
A very prompt response received with follow up query on my own experience in using BARK. Received responses from Builders within 24 hours of posting reqest.
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for your review!
We're so glad to hear that you received quick responses to your request.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I purchased credits in an effort to gain new business as a freelance graphic designer. Even with the 50% discount on the credits, I have spent $220 that I didn't have to try and get work. After using all the credits and not getting a single project, I got the credits refunded.
I have caught them twice now posting duplicate tasks that I have paid for. There is no accountability on the 'requester' to follow up or respond. I've had people 'request I contact them' or 'request a quote' and each time it costs credits to respond. Only, you never hear from these people.
I would love to see actual work completed through this site.
I bought a lead for a logo. Talked with the man, he said my prices were too high for his budget. I said ok, what is your budget? $250. Ok, I can help you with this for the $250 (my normal price for a logo is $2500) Guy sends me a text the next day saying some guy he know will do it for less. Really? Really? These are vetted leads?
This site is horrible and I feel terrible for people who have lost even more money then I have.
Hi Teressa,
We tried to reach out to you directly regarding your review, however we received no response.
If you would like to understand more about our platform and receive support, please email us directly at team@bark.com.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I cannot believe that this place. They screw you on your initial sign up to get a taste of their "Service" and then decide to screw you over again when you don't want them anymore but want to use up your credits.
DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT use this place its a legal scamming company for any seller. And to any buyer using the site you will get good rates on services but beware shady people undermine each other and undercut servicing just to make a deal with you. YOU ARE NOT GETTING GENUINE SERVICE.
I wish I could find a way to get this place to go into the ground because it is the only place it truly belongs. Pathetic and robbing small business startups for the sake of their pockets.
Hi Dustin,
We're sorry to hear of this negative experience, however we strongly refute the claims you have made against our business. We did reach out to you but you did not respond to our resolution.
We screen all leads and have a 24/7 Customer Success Team available to help professionals manage their account. We also have a Credit Return Policy for any leads that have incorrect details.
To discuss anything further, please email us at team@bark.com.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I am a License-Insured NJ HIC Contractor with 35+ years of experience and local to Morristown, NJ... I had paid $160+ for the basic referral service. Bark.com is definitely a scam! The referrals I had received were without full names, without full addresses, with 90% of the referrals never responding to a phone message-text or an email... I had a friend use Bark.com for a bathroom remodel post within my area code, and my company did not come up as a choice for him, nor did I see his posting, which I should have for the money I had spent... I was able to speak to #2- out of the #10- referrals, who supposedly were committed to a garage conversion (which we have experience), and neither of these referrals were vetted by bark.com, which means that Bark.com does not even speak with anyone calling in for referral work... Unfortunately, neither referral was in a position to afford to do the project, and they called only to inquire information, which I advised free of charage! I would warn Handyman and Home Improvement Contractors not to waste any of their time or money with Bark.com!
Hi Loren,
We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you sharing your concerns with us. We attempted to address your issues through the Sitejabber Resolution Center but did not receive a response from you.
We understand your frustration and can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Returns Policy which covers any contact details which are not working, or any requests with incorrect information. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us.
Bark does not manufacture illegitimate leads as this would completely defeat our business objective, which is to provide quality opportunities for our professionals to get hired.
We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us like many others! If you're open to it, please contact us today! - team@bark.com.
The Bark Team
I burned through the $211 of "credits", and contacted a total of 8 "clients" that were "interested" in my photography services and not one contacted me. I txted AND called... No responses. That is NOT possible... I've been in this business for years and it does NOT happen.
DO NOT SPEND MONEY AT BARK... COMPLETE SCAM.
You've been warned.
Hi Johnny,
We're sorry to hear that you did not have success using our platform, however we refute the claims that you have made against our company.
All of our leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us.
We appreciate that it is frustrating when customers don't respond. We generally find that responding to the most detailed leads quickly is the key to success on out platform. Please email us at team@bark.com and we'd be happy to help you make the most of our platform.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I was initially VERY reluctant about having to buy $211 of credits to communicate with potential "clients." I contacted Bark, explained that and they provided me 25 free credits to try, which I did with no business being generated. After those were gone I continued to get "client x" wants you to contact them... I spent the $211, responded to 5 "interested clients" so far and have received no responses... Not one. Not even a "thanks, however, we decided to go with someone else..." message.
What threw me was the Google ads Bark is running... When I search photographers in my area (I am a photographer), a Bark ad is displayed which I know from experience is not cheap to run... Soooo... I figured that Bark MUST be legit if they are paying for ads... They cant be... I've NEVER had so many potential clients not contact me back. The clients I deal with in photography are typically professional and polite. Non responses, particularly AFTER they express interest is VERY unusual.
I use Thumbtack as well and when I get a lead from them, it usually generates a job. I hate the fact that I fell for the Bark scam, however. I am always looking for new business and thought they would help. Unfortunately they are preying on small business owners.
Next stop for me is BBB to file a complaint, this is obviously a scam.
Answer: Bark may or may not be legit, but their barks are very often bogus tire kickers or scammers. They've got a lot of work to do to clean up their act. They need to go straight membership and those needing the work done need to PAY to speak to a professional instead of the professional paying to speak to the bogus tire kicker.
Answer: Your reviews are high on Trustpilot because they remove all the negative reviews from their profile. Bark.com removed my review twice. Trustpilot is the only review website that allows businesses to remove reviews for a price. Trustpilot got criticized in several news articles for being easily manipulated of their 'Reviews' for $600 any business profile can push up or down review they want. Look up 'Trustpilot news articles'; they say 'Trustpilot reviews are just paid advertising'
Answer: I don't think so. They signed me up and sent me a free "lead" I never got a reply to. And then I paid for one credits lead and that didn't get a reply. I then noticed both emails where from the UK. I am a plumber in Canada, but the lead specifically said it was for work in my hometown. Refund policy in place but didn't refund the credits. Not even credited to my account. They also automatically have all my reviews from Yelp, HomeStars etc. that they scraped and posted on their website.
Answer: Agree with above, In my experience, this has been a COMPLETE SCAM. Spend all that money to place an ad, or renew your website, DO NOT INVEST IN BARK
Answer: Bark don't verify whether any of the customer tel numbers actually work and most of the leads are poor quality so they won't answer anyway. Save your money, honestly.
Answer: Very true. Misleading leads. No lead vetting. Just Bark saying leads have been verified. But how do we know when no lead responds. They seem fake to me. Bad experience and worst leading platform.
Answer: Bad lead quality, stay away. Zero customer service. On the phone they will tell you that you are wasting their time.
Answer: The 1 star reviews are real. All the other 5 stars are not. This website preys on desperate businesses that require work and signs them up with a cost. First, they searched deep on the internet as my business has NEVER heard of them before their Spam-my email. They send an email stating that I have a lead on their website that I NEVER signed up on. Then ask for money to see who this lead is. To keep their site running, they say to people who are looking for particular businesses that they have them when they don't.
Answer: £1.20 per credit for a starter pack, then £1.50 after that and unqualified leads with next to no information cost between 10 and 18 credits. 10 leads will cost over £200 and doubtful will generate any work
Answer: It's because the positive customer reviews are almost certainly fake. Look at the dates. Look at the volume of reviews. Approximately 100 positive customer reviews of Bark have appeared on Sitejabber between early December 2019 and today (late January 2020). Compared to the number of reviews they received prior to December 2019, that is just an astounding number of reviews. This is not normal.
Hi there Luka,
We tried to reach out to you directly regarding your review, however we received no response.
If you would like to understand more about our platform and receive support, please email us directly at team@bark.com.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team