Review of ElderHelpers
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157 Reviews From Our Community
All Reviews
1 review
6 helpful votes
1 review
5 helpful votes
9/15/15
Everything went very smoothly and I am looking forward to giving back to the community.
- Helpful? Yes 5
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1 review
34 helpful votes
9/14/15
Sorry, Elder Helpers all sounded great and the reviews sounded good so I thought I'de try and find assistance for my 86 year old father and signed up with their minimum recurring monthly donation. I spent good 2 weeks leaving messages for volunteers. I never received any call backs and then the volunteers I did reach were no longer active or had moved and there was even misleading information listed on some of the volunteers. One profile listed the volunteer was with Elder Helpers for years and when I actually spoke to them to confirm her experience and time with Elder Helpers, she had no experience and hadn't ever done this before. So I gave up after that and cancelled my monthly donation and emailed Elder Helpers to inform them of my findings and felt that their database seemed to be outdated. I was really shocked by the response I received from Mary R./Customer Care Agent which was telling me that I was not a team player because she did not receive any email from me telling her which numbers were disconnected or changed... I told her I'm sorry, that was not the case. The case was I did not receive any return phone calls, there was misleading information, and volunteers were no longer active yet still listed and I don't think it's my responsibility and would not feel comfortable to speak for a volunteer to have their profile updated or changed. It also states those volunteers are not team players as well. I was seeking help, but I felt after making a donation to Elder Helpers and putting in two weeks of my time only to be insulted was really disturbing. It made me wonder how legit this organization really is and I was not going to ask for my donation back, but in this case, I did not want to support this type of organization when there are many others that are deserving unlike this one. I had no luck in recovering my donation from them so I contacted my credit card to file a dispute and they brought to my attention that Elder Helpers had already put in process the following month donation when I had only been on board two weeks. My credit card is currently in the process of disputing these charges but I don't know if I will be reimbursed because anything labelled as a donation is nearly impossible to recover according to my bank card even if it were a scam. I just want to say if it sounds too good to be true, most likely it is. My advice is to stay clear of this organization.
-Just an added update - When I put through 3-4 cancellation requests, initially their system wasn't responding so I continued to try until I finally gave up and emailed their customer care agent, Mary, which she confirmed they received my cancellations all 3-4 times! But even after she clearly confirmed my cancellation of any further donations, I was so disturbed when emails continued to pop up stating the scheduled date of my next donation!!! I ended up having to cancel my bank card to avoid them from taking any further money from me. Even still (after I cancelled my bank card) I continued to receive emails from them stating they encountered a problem while attempting to process my donation!!! even without authorization. --STRONG ADVICE - STAY CLEAR OF THIS ORGANIZATION and if you are trying to cancel, make sure to CANCEL YOUR BANK OR CREDIT CARD IMMEDIATELY. It was the only way I could put an end to this.
-Just an added update - When I put through 3-4 cancellation requests, initially their system wasn't responding so I continued to try until I finally gave up and emailed their customer care agent, Mary, which she confirmed they received my cancellations all 3-4 times! But even after she clearly confirmed my cancellation of any further donations, I was so disturbed when emails continued to pop up stating the scheduled date of my next donation!!! I ended up having to cancel my bank card to avoid them from taking any further money from me. Even still (after I cancelled my bank card) I continued to receive emails from them stating they encountered a problem while attempting to process my donation!!! even without authorization. --STRONG ADVICE - STAY CLEAR OF THIS ORGANIZATION and if you are trying to cancel, make sure to CANCEL YOUR BANK OR CREDIT CARD IMMEDIATELY. It was the only way I could put an end to this.
- Helpful? Yes 34
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- Send thank you
Response from Mary R., ElderHelpers Representative
ElderHelpers.org customer care did everything in their power to resolve this complaint. All attempts to contact the complaint author have failed. Therefore, this complaint has been annulled and must not be considered where company image and its services are concerned. Customer care can be reached at help@elderhelpers.org and SiteJabber offers a useful Q&A section.
1 review
4 helpful votes
9/9/15
Everyone is going to grow old, let's not forget we will to.
- Helpful? Yes 4
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- Send thank you
1 review
0 helpful votes
8/13/15
I usually go over to their homes and help them out to whatever I can. My father has a law mowing service and most of them are elders.. So I use my elderly skills and help them out.
- Helpful? Yes
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1 review
7 helpful votes
8/11/15
I had the best time of my life been a volunteer for Elderhelpers. If you have free time I suggest you volunteer for the Elderhelpers. You can register on their website at Elderhelpers.org. You get to spend time with the elders, and get to know them personally one on one.
- Helpful? Yes 7
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- Send thank you
1 review
6 helpful votes
8/11/15
Great organization! , lots of volunteers willing to help elders and relatives in need.
- Helpful? Yes 6
- Comment
- Send thank you
1 review
23 helpful votes
8/10/15
Did the background check and filled out all of the info and sent money requested. Don't understand. Melody
- Helpful? Yes 23
- Comment
- Send thank you
Because we have a huge pool of volunteers nationwide for elders and their families to choose from, we recommend you making your profile as appealing as possible and getting on board with our VIP volunteer program. With elderhelpers.org volunteers are never required to donate money. A simple registration is enough to have the opportunity to give back to the community, gain knowledge and wisdom from seniors. Customer care can be reached at help@elderhelpers.org and SiteJabber offers a useful Q&A section.
1 review
26 helpful votes
8/9/15
I went online to find an organization to volunteer my time and experience. However after applying this organization stated I much pay 50.00 dollars to volunteer my time. There is no way I am paying for my time. I rate your organization a zero
- Helpful? Yes 26
- Comment
- Send thank you
Because we have a huge pool of volunteers nationwide for elders and their families to choose from, we recommend you making your profile as appealing as possible and getting on board with our VIP volunteer program. With elderhelpers.org volunteers are never required to donate money. A simple registration is enough to have the opportunity to give back to the community, gain knowledge and wisdom from seniors. Customer care can be reached at help@elderhelpers.org and SiteJabber offers a useful Q&A section.
2 reviews
35 helpful votes
8/5/15
I did not do my research and really regret it. I was so blinded by my excitement about having the opportunity to assist elders, that I ignored the red flags all over the place. :(
First off, they tell you that you need to like their facebook page before filling out the form "We let our volunteers know about opportunities through our facebook page so you need to like the facebook page to volunteer!"This would be no problem if they actually contacted you through their facebook. I honestly feel like this statement may be a flat-out lie, since they tell you that you need to print out their flyers and post them everywhere in order to get someone to contact you (if no one has).
After giving them your personal information and creating a volunteer account, they tell you that you need to donate $50 (minimum) in order to get a free volunteer handbook (this is also in their tips on how to be the best volunteer), you have to contribute! This felt totally sketchy. Any good organization would give their volunteers a handbook and/or training for free, especially with knowing and respecting the value of their time and that not every volunteer has extra money to throw around. I was naive enough to do it (thinking I was also helping support a good organization). When you go to donate it says that your donating is going to the "Campaign for Aging Research." Sounds like a great cause, right? It certainly made me feel better after I made the donation. After doing a tiny bit of digging, the Campaign for Aging Research is just a glorified name for Elderhelpers.org (also under the domain name HealthyYears.org)...Is there an actual campaign for research going on here? After making my donation I did not receive my volunteer training e-book as promised, so I contacted elderhelpers via e-mail to let them know. I was promptly contacted by Mary (apparently the only person who works for them?), who told me I needed to contact Crowdrise (the site they use to create their fundraiser--which is actually a good website with my experience), to get my handbook. Weird?
One thing I did appreciate was that they promote getting a background check, but it's not required, which sounds potentially dangerous. There didn't seem to be any other screening done through the site, so how can elders ensured that they are going to be safe?
To make this long story a tad bit shorter--after going back and actually doing my research (and reading other volunteer/users reviews and feedback), I decided that I just wanted to delete my account. Of course it turns out that you can't even delete your volunteer account either. All they allow you to do is make yourself unavailable so that people won't contact you. Awesome. I've never come across so many weird and sketchy issues from a supposedly reputable organization. Even if they are real and do want to help others, I suggest they change the way they run things.
First off, they tell you that you need to like their facebook page before filling out the form "We let our volunteers know about opportunities through our facebook page so you need to like the facebook page to volunteer!"This would be no problem if they actually contacted you through their facebook. I honestly feel like this statement may be a flat-out lie, since they tell you that you need to print out their flyers and post them everywhere in order to get someone to contact you (if no one has).
After giving them your personal information and creating a volunteer account, they tell you that you need to donate $50 (minimum) in order to get a free volunteer handbook (this is also in their tips on how to be the best volunteer), you have to contribute! This felt totally sketchy. Any good organization would give their volunteers a handbook and/or training for free, especially with knowing and respecting the value of their time and that not every volunteer has extra money to throw around. I was naive enough to do it (thinking I was also helping support a good organization). When you go to donate it says that your donating is going to the "Campaign for Aging Research." Sounds like a great cause, right? It certainly made me feel better after I made the donation. After doing a tiny bit of digging, the Campaign for Aging Research is just a glorified name for Elderhelpers.org (also under the domain name HealthyYears.org)...Is there an actual campaign for research going on here? After making my donation I did not receive my volunteer training e-book as promised, so I contacted elderhelpers via e-mail to let them know. I was promptly contacted by Mary (apparently the only person who works for them?), who told me I needed to contact Crowdrise (the site they use to create their fundraiser--which is actually a good website with my experience), to get my handbook. Weird?
One thing I did appreciate was that they promote getting a background check, but it's not required, which sounds potentially dangerous. There didn't seem to be any other screening done through the site, so how can elders ensured that they are going to be safe?
To make this long story a tad bit shorter--after going back and actually doing my research (and reading other volunteer/users reviews and feedback), I decided that I just wanted to delete my account. Of course it turns out that you can't even delete your volunteer account either. All they allow you to do is make yourself unavailable so that people won't contact you. Awesome. I've never come across so many weird and sketchy issues from a supposedly reputable organization. Even if they are real and do want to help others, I suggest they change the way they run things.
- Helpful? Yes 33
- Comment
- Send thank you
Because we have a huge pool of volunteers nationwide for elders and their families to choose from, we recommend you making your profile as appealing as possible and getting on board with our VIP volunteer program. With elderhelpers.org volunteers are never required to donate money. A simple registration is enough to have the opportunity to give back to the community, gain knowledge and wisdom from seniors. Customer care can be reached at help@elderhelpers.org and SiteJabber offers a useful Q&A section.
1 review
23 helpful votes
6/9/15
My experience with elders help.com has not been what I expected. I want to become an volunteer, but no one has contacted me about volunteering.
- Helpful? Yes 23
- Comment
- Send thank you
Because we have a huge pool of volunteers nationwide for elders and their families to choose from, we recommend you making your profile as appealing as possible and getting on board with our VIP volunteer program. With elderhelpers.org volunteers are never required to donate money. A simple registration is enough to have the opportunity to give back to the community, gain knowledge and wisdom from seniors. Customer care can be reached at help@elderhelpers.org and SiteJabber offers a useful Q&A section.
1 review
7 helpful votes
1 review
31 helpful votes
4/26/15
First - I signed up as a volunteer. There was no phone call or anything - I just showed up as a volunteer. I could be a mass murderer!!
Second - We tried getting a ride for my 90 year old mom. Contacted at least 5 people on the list - most had signed up years ago and had heard nothing from company - didn't even know they were on site. Needless to say - no help at all was available.
Third - We cancelled the service after first month, but were still charged. Still waiting on a refund for the second month - and think we should get one for first month too.
I have NEVER spoken to anyone at Elderhelpers. Only ever got email from one person - Mary. Is this a one woman show? I'm wondering if this is a scam.
Second - We tried getting a ride for my 90 year old mom. Contacted at least 5 people on the list - most had signed up years ago and had heard nothing from company - didn't even know they were on site. Needless to say - no help at all was available.
Third - We cancelled the service after first month, but were still charged. Still waiting on a refund for the second month - and think we should get one for first month too.
I have NEVER spoken to anyone at Elderhelpers. Only ever got email from one person - Mary. Is this a one woman show? I'm wondering if this is a scam.
- Helpful? Yes 31
- Comment
- Send thank you
ElderHelpers.org customer care did everything in their power to resolve this complaint. All attempts to contact the complaint author have failed. Therefore, this complaint has been annulled and must not be considered where company image and its services are concerned. Customer care can be reached at help@elderhelpers.org and SiteJabber offers a useful Q&A section.
1 review
6 helpful votes
4/17/15
I contacted this organization for help regarding my Mom and truly was guided every step of the way with patience, compassion and understanding. I was offered another agency as my parents weren't able to handle the cost. Thanks again for the many emails and time spent to answer my detailed questions. I thank you for the teachable moments and as I continue being the caregiver and learning. Resources are wonderful when coming from people who care and know your journey.
- Helpful? Yes 6
- Comment
- Send thank you
1 review
7 helpful votes
4/14/15
I am very much interested with Elderhelpers organisation.Tell me where to come in as I shall travel as soon as you need my support.
- Helpful? Yes 7
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1 review
7 helpful votes
1 review
6 helpful votes
4/14/15
i have been working with elder people for 3 years and i love working with me because i find out how to work with my clients and get to know them.
- Helpful? Yes 6
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- Send thank you
1 review
6 helpful votes
4/14/15
I am happy to be with Elders I was looking after my grand papa and I could give him bath and there after he gives me lea-gen stories inform of parables which some times I could not understand
Shortly he tells me the actual meaning, however to compare this days in society no such stories
He died at the age of 120 years
Shortly he tells me the actual meaning, however to compare this days in society no such stories
He died at the age of 120 years
- Helpful? Yes 6
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- Send thank you
1 review
19 helpful votes
4/14/15
didnt find this site easy to use or the customer service at all helpful - i therefore cancelled my DD after 1 payment and never got anywhere with this Co
- Helpful? Yes 19
- Comment
- Send thank you
ElderHelpers.org customer care did everything in their power to resolve this complaint. All attempts to contact the complaint author have failed. Therefore, this complaint has been annulled and must not be considered where company image and its services are concerned. Customer care can be reached at help@elderhelpers.org and SiteJabber offers a useful Q&A section.
2 reviews
18 helpful votes
4/13/15
I've been a 'member' or volunteer with Elder Helpers for I think the past 2+ years, and only once has a man, a senior (who along with his wife was looking for a person to help with doing their housecleaning) but while he was rather kindly sounding on the phone and everything, he lived just too far south from me here in Edmonton, so I politely declined when I discovered that it would take me 3 buses and a good hour just to get to their house.
That was over a year ago, and since then nobody in Edmonton has contacted me about being a volunteer. I'm probably going to take my name off of Elder Helpers because it's just not used in my city.
That was over a year ago, and since then nobody in Edmonton has contacted me about being a volunteer. I'm probably going to take my name off of Elder Helpers because it's just not used in my city.
- Helpful? Yes 16
- Comment
- Send thank you
Because we have a huge pool of volunteers nationwide for elders and their families to choose from, we recommend you making your profile as appealing as possible and getting on board with our VIP volunteer program. With elderhelpers.org volunteers are never required to donate money. A simple registration is enough to have the opportunity to give back to the community, gain knowledge and wisdom from seniors. Customer care can be reached at help@elderhelpers.org and SiteJabber offers a useful Q&A section.
1 review
6 helpful votes
1 review
6 helpful votes
4/13/15
Great Experience, am working on saving some money to make the deposit, but I will shortly.
Looking forward to giving back :)
Looking forward to giving back :)
- Helpful? Yes 6
- Comment
- Send thank you
1 review
6 helpful votes
1 review
7 helpful votes
1 review
6 helpful votes
Customer Questions & Answers
0
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Question:
Answer:
We do background checks via IntelliCorp which is a Verisk company. They are extremely serious, thorough and reputable. We also encourage you to spend time with the volunteers on the phone so that you can get to know each other and also to meet for the first time in a public place like a coffee shop. Because of this precautions, we have not one incident reported in years of service to the elderly community.
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Question:
Answer:
Hello Joy, Our volunteers are true volunteers and do not ask for money. Yes, they do help elders for free. Hello Ryan, we ask for a $50 monthly commitment on a tax deductible donations to support our service. Volunteers help for free. They are true volunteers. Our job is to provide convenience and security in connecting them with elders. Our staff is not volunteer since any business requires daily operations management. Because we are not recipients of any private or public grants, everyone chip in a small amount, that is tax-deductible. Would you prefer to find an organization receiving government assistance, there are a lot of them out there. We do not force anyone to join our community. Our volunteers are true volunteers and do not ask for money. Elder help is free.
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Question:
Answer:
Our volunteers are true volunteers and do not ask for money. Yes, they do help elders for free. We ask for a $50 monthly commitment on a tax deductible donations to support our service. Volunteers help for free. They are true volunteers. Our job is to provide convenience and security in connecting them with elders. Our staff is not volunteer since any business requires daily operations management. Because we are not recipients of any private or public grants, everyone chip in a small amount, that is tax-deductible. Would you prefer to find an organization receiving government assistance, there are a lot of them out there. We do not force anyone to join our community. Our volunteers are true volunteers and do not ask for money. Elder help is free.
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Answer:
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Question:
Answer:
Hello Lisa, great example of why it is better to work with a volunteer rather than a taxi or ride sharing service! This would be something you would need to work out with the helper and can certainly be arranged because the idea is to really care for seniors not just dropping them off. We strongly recommend testing the reliability of the elder helper ahead of time because doctor appointments are important.
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0
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Question:
Answer:
Hello Leelee S. Our service is designed for individuals only. This is the only way that we can offer SAFETY and CONVENIENCE. You can simply print a few flyers that you can download on our website and hand it to them. You can also watch our presentation video and explain if you want. Just make sure to not sign up for somebody else and even less for a group of people. That could get you in troubles and the users also. Thank you for your interest.
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Question:
Answer:
Hi Jan, We are a legitimate organization, we sent you information to your account to complete the intake process, In case you're not able to find an available volunteers in your area we can issue a full refund of your last payment, you can also cancel the monthly contribution at any time by sending us an email at help@elderhelpers.org Let me know if you need further information.
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Question:
Answer:
Hi Lia, No, It's not mandatory to donate to be a volunteer in our organization. You can send us an email at help@elderhelpers.org for further information.
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Question:
Answer:
Hello Fatima, Thank you for reaching out, could please provide us the email address that was used to register?
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Question:
Answer:
Hi, At the moment it's our only payment method, we're working on better ways to improve this. You can try contacting 211 United Way for a referral to a local program in case ours doesn't work for you.
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About ElderHelpers (from the business)
Description
Elder Helpers is a user-friendly, web-based service. We believe that compassion at its finest is free. Volunteers register to offer their services based on their true desire to help elders. Elder Helpers strives to safely and conveniently connect these dedicated, passionate volunteers with elders in their local communities. We are a tax exempt organization and the contributions cover our operating costs. Our volunteers are true volunteers. For a tax deductible monthly donation of $50, you can contact as many volunteers as you would like, to ask them for as much help as you would like. We do screening and background checks and our website makes it convenient for you to locate volunteers where you need them and get to know them and the help they are willing to offer. Enjoy the safety and convenience of elderhelpers.org!
We are not supported by any government money. Solely volunteers, elders and their relatives help us pay for the technology and people making this service possible. Contributions from volunteers, training packets delivery, contributions from elders and relatives are handled by a third party meeting the best industry standards and is subject to change. Background checks are handled by www.IntelliCorp.net, a Verisk Company. We recruit our volunteers in reputable places and carefully screen all users. This service is new and innovative, we strongly encourage any visitor of this page to educate themselves by reading our FAQs at www.elderhelpers.org/faq and contact us via email for more information. Thank you.
We are not supported by any government money. Solely volunteers, elders and their relatives help us pay for the technology and people making this service possible. Contributions from volunteers, training packets delivery, contributions from elders and relatives are handled by a third party meeting the best industry standards and is subject to change. Background checks are handled by www.IntelliCorp.net, a Verisk Company. We recruit our volunteers in reputable places and carefully screen all users. This service is new and innovative, we strongly encourage any visitor of this page to educate themselves by reading our FAQs at www.elderhelpers.org/faq and contact us via email for more information. Thank you.
History
Elderhelpers.org started in May 2010 to match volunteers with elders in need of help within their own community.
In the middle of June 2015, we have decided to stop offering a refund policy since it was rarely respected by our users. We switched to a third party meeting the best industry standards to offer tax deductible donation receipts, easy cancellation, and increased security.
We now only let informed people about our service (having read our FAQs carefully, and checked our listings of volunteers themselves) join our community. Each user gets access to our safe and convenient service for a small monthly contribution. We do not offer refunds anymore. There is no more subscription, monetary contribution is now considered a donation.. and it is tax deductible!
People joining our community are asked to be patient, nice to our volunteers, and to report wrong and disconnected phone numbers to us, which is the only way that we can keep a database clean and up-to-date. This website is user supported: volunteers give their time and when they can donate money, elders and their relatives participate fifty dollars a month, and report their results to benefit the entire community of users.
In the middle of June 2015, we have decided to stop offering a refund policy since it was rarely respected by our users. We switched to a third party meeting the best industry standards to offer tax deductible donation receipts, easy cancellation, and increased security.
We now only let informed people about our service (having read our FAQs carefully, and checked our listings of volunteers themselves) join our community. Each user gets access to our safe and convenient service for a small monthly contribution. We do not offer refunds anymore. There is no more subscription, monetary contribution is now considered a donation.. and it is tax deductible!
People joining our community are asked to be patient, nice to our volunteers, and to report wrong and disconnected phone numbers to us, which is the only way that we can keep a database clean and up-to-date. This website is user supported: volunteers give their time and when they can donate money, elders and their relatives participate fifty dollars a month, and report their results to benefit the entire community of users.
Social Media
Company Representative
Mary R.
Title: Senior Customer Care Specialist
Mary has been serving elders for years and through her experience in the industry she has brought great expertise to the very innovative elderhelpers.org. You can reach her at help@elderhelpers.org with your questions, concerns, comments and kuddos.
Also Known As:
Campaign for Aging Research
Elder Helpers
Elders Helpers
Elders Helper
Elders Helper
Elder Care
Caregiver
Caregivers
Caregiving
Care
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