Care.comReviews 12,031

I used care.com When you sign up you have the choice between 1 month, monthly, and 1 year. I chose 1 month. I found 0 qualified nannies. Most were 18 year old neighborhood babysitters and the others were flaky. I also purchased the 1 month background check.

When I decided I wasn't using them anymore I just stopped going on. A month later I noticed I had been billed for two months I didn't use care.com I called and asked for a refund as I hadn't even been on the site and I purchased 1 month ONLY. They told me all account are automatically signed up for auto renew and they will only refund on purchase! I am beyond upset that this is their policy. I would have used them again if we had moved as they are easy to use. But after this never again

Within the first 24 HOURS of being on care.com, someone contacted me regarding a job. The job was 100% fraud- already starting off on a bad foot. The person contacted me saying that they had a son in a wheelchair and needed me to babysit for her because her husband had passed away. They were willing to pay me $18/hour and I should have known that was too good to be true from the beginning. After everything I went through with this person, I considered staying with care.com contingent on how their customer service worked with me on this situation. I e-mailed their customer service right away and have yet to be contacted back with any useful information (it's been over a week). Stay away from care.com!

I've been using this site for years. I sent out ENDLESS applications only to never receive a response or be turned downed! I have 2 children ( that need to come to work with me) but let me tell you... I get the job done and better than most nannies/sitters without kids would! I have tons of experience (12 yrs) and great references plus I'm extremely reliable, responsible, clean... must I go on. What the hell do these folks want?! All I want is a chance to prove myself but can't get that. I'd like to really blast them when they respond that "they'd like to find a "better fit" for their family!" This all goes for: senior, sitter and pet care... All suck! I've wasted countless hours typing up applications with the aching fingers to prove it! And one last thing, good luck trying to change your availability, it's impossible! The old site was easier and should be changed back.

Thank you!

I've used Care.com to get hired and also to hire other people many times over the past five years. I've never had a problem with either end of the process. I had a premium membership at one point, and when I canceled it they never changed me again, so I'm also not sure why people are having problems with that unless they're doing it wrong.

Some people who apply to jobs on this website are not the best, but if you hire somebody without doing an interview, background check, or asking for references, it's your fault. It's a public website. Anybody can make an account. You wouldn't just chose a roommate off Craigslist without meeting and getting to know them first, so I'm not sure why you would do the same with somebody who is going to be looking after your family and helping out around your house. If you're going to be letting somebody into your home from a public website, it's your job to be thorough and approve them, nobody else's.

As a care provider, you can sometimes get random text messages from numbers claiming to be associated with the website, saying they want your resume. They simply data mine your phone number from your account and are not actually a member associated with Care.com. Your phone number isn't viewable by anyone and is only used by the website to text you when you have a new message on the site, if you choose to enable that feature. As with every other website out there, if you get an unofficial message, ignore it. I just delete them without a second thought. They come once every few months or so, sometimes a bit more often. They're always ridiculous and I'm not sure why people even give them a second thought.

Anyway, a lot of these reviews are saying things that I've never experienced in the five years I've been using the website. Most of the negative comments seem to be due to user error.

I closed my account last fall after SOMEONE left me a "review" ( it should have NEVER been allowed on here) so I closed my account. I took my "profile" off here & yet it's now June 2015 & I am STILL getting message's for "babysitting" I am getting ready to move to California next week & don't know how these people are getting my email address let alone a number that I NO longer have. I haven't had that number in over a year. I would suggest anyone looking for a sitter of ANY kind ask friend's, family or simply do it the old fashioned way. Put something up at the store or gas station. I mean when it come's down to it you gonna want to do a "back ground" check anyway cuz if ya don't ya don't love your kids or family member anyway. If this site can't "deactivate" a simply "profile" when asked to do so then why would you go with them anyway? Think of what else they can't do?

1. WATCH OUT for the small print that says membership auto-renews. VERY SHADY and LACKS INTEGRITY. OBVIOUSLY, most of us, don't see that. Try adding a pop-up window with the information before we agree to terms.
2. NO CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER IN SITE. THANK YOU GOOGLE FOR FINDING IT. TOOK THEM 40mins TO GET BACK TO ME.
3. VERY UPSET OVER CHARGES TO MY CARD... STOP CALLING IT 'Terms of agreement'. YOU ARE STEALING PEOPLE'S HARD EARNED MONEY.
4. WILL NEVER RECOMMEND YOUR SITE AGAIN.

I used care.com for staffing 24 hour care, a joke. The worst of the worst were sent to us we had better providers obtained through Craigslist, for free. I actually had to contact a sheriff because after 12 hours at our home we decided we did not want her help, she harassed myself and the family members. Then when I tried to set up my account to provide care to the public my profile had 4 hits and they did a background check stating they only went back 7 years and suspended my account over a non violent communication misdemeanor 14 years old with extenuating circumstances. Then without the 90 days passing that I have to clear this issue up, that has never interrupted any employment opportunities I have had, they called my prospective clients to verbally trash me. Do not use care.com their privacy policy cannot be trusted, their providers are mediocre at best, and they don't follow the fair reporting act, though they state they do.

So I signed up fro 1 month membership in Feb 2014 and gave my credit card. In April I get an email from care.com saying that if I would like to extend my memebrship, they have a great offer which will save me money. Since I did not want to continue, I did not take up on the offer also that email made me think that since I have not opted for that offer my membership is ended. Big mistake.
Come June 2015, and these guys are still charging my credit card every month. When I tried contacting them, there is no human being to call, the only way to communicate is through emails., the response I got is 'Sorry we can not do anything, you should have read teh super fine print." Such a scam...
I have auto renewal for many of the services I use, and all those merchants send an email every month to tell me that my credit card is charged, I don't get any such emails from these guys to tell me that my credit card is getting charged..

They have continued to charge my card for months without my knowingly singing up -
They are impossible to reach and although i have tried to stop the charges they continue. And they give me the run around in emails - i would find an alternative its a horrible way to treat people here is a sample of a recent email exchange

From me to care:
I contacted you 5/27 ( and that was the second time for the same issue) and asked to cancel the service. I paid the $78 then for the "auto renewal that i was not aware of but my new credit card statement shows another $39 being billed
I just tried the instructions again ( as i did in May) and it states that it will not downgrade to free until 8/2 because i auto renewed? Please at least refund me the $39 you are charging for the june statement and cancel my service so i do not get billed for July
I could be wrong but it feels like you are making money from people not realizing that they signed up for a service that they don't need/want and are not using.
One can not get through on the phone to resolve the issue and the online process is confusing
I thought care was about providing a real service
Pls refund me asap
Thank you
I reviewed your account history and see that you contacted us on 5/27/2015 and inquired what the charge for $78 was for. My colleague Sandy replied with the following email:

Thanks for contacting us and for your membership with Care.com. You are currently enrolled in our Premium Membership plan. You signed up for the 3 month plan at a cost of $78. Your account auto-renewed on 5/2/15. If you would like to downgrade and stop your credit card from being billed, you can downgrade your account to a Free Basic account. Please follow these easy steps:

- Log in to your Care.com account.

- Click Account & Settings on the left side of your home page.

- Visit the Membership Information section

- Select the option to downgrade your account.

Once you’ve made your choice, make sure you click the Continue button to
Ensure your changes are saved. Remember that your account will remain
Active until your next scheduled billing date, which is when your
Changes will take effect.

Unfortunately, this is not a feature offered on our Mobile App at this time. To close your account, you will need to log into your Care.com account using a computer.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to let me know or you can visit our Help page.

Best Wishes,
Sandy
Care. Com Member Care
*******@care.com"

I do not have a phone and I live with my parents so I used my moms cell phone number.
2 different numbers texted my mom. WITH THE SAME EXACT MESSAGE WORD FOR WORD. They both said they couldn't talk on the phone, one said they were "always busy" the other one said they were "hard of hearing" and they asked for my resume (which would include all of my information and my home address)
Please, please, please don't ever use this website. It scared me so much. I wouldn't recommend this website to anyone.

Several months ago I ok o a one month membship I try to find care for my brother who has Down's and s living itch me at the time. The pool of employees looked good at first but when ou attempted to contact them none turned the email. Ignore to have outs any of them actually existed! For. Couple of weeks with Care I forgot about them and went to Social Services and had my brother placed within a week. Months later I received an email from Care. They couldn't bill me because of incomplete credit card information. When I tried to contact them to tell them I no longer needed their services I discovered that you CANNOT contact them with anything but credit card information! If you follow their instructions to cancel you are sent to a canned response email list. When you click "email to opt out" (the closest thing to telling them they are fired) the email pops up and before anyone but The Flash has time to go to it the damned thing closes and throws you back to the pay your bill page. If this sucker isn't operated by organized crime then organized has missed a wonderful opportunity to fleece folks. Dealing with Care.com isn't as bad as dying and going to Hell but it's the next best/worse thing to it! Hit your state Attorney General's office - they might be able to stop them if they can find a way to contact them with anything but a payment. You might as well laugh!

My sister-in-law came across Care.com when seeking out someone to help with another sister-in-law, who's blind. At first it seemed pretty good, but then the fees started. Care.com seems to make its money selling memberships that supposedly allow access to background checks... which cost an additional fee. It then advertises that it can take care of payroll for you... for yet another fee. As for jobseekers, we were contacted by three people, all of whom ignored specific instructions on the ad such as not bringing small children to the interview. One demanded $20 because "I had to drive fifty miles." Um, you said you lived in our city. Just shady all the way around. You're better off going through Angie's List.

I had to go on google to find the phone number for customer service. I was then put on hold for 20 minutes before someone deemed to answer the phone. Her name was "Amy". I had to keep asking her to repeat things because she was talking so softy which really irritates me. If I have to keep telling you I can't hear you then speak up! After each question she would say "can I put you on hold?" She didn't know the answer to anything and seemed hesitant when I probed further. In the end I asked for her last name or her ID number because I wanted to talk to her manager and she would give me either. She said she would take my information and someone would get back to me. I said that since I have an acct. She should have that information and that I would be complaining about her company to which she could of cared less. This experience decided for me whether to upgrade my account or not, NOT! My experience, not worth it.