Thank you for checking out my review of care.com. My daughter recently completed her childcare certification so we thought we’d check them out. However, from the moment I started reading the care.com reviews, it seemed like everyone was calling it a scam.
in this review I’ll dig into what’s really going on and find out if what people are saying is true.
Reading: Care.com how to review for free
Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a member or affiliate of care.com. This review has been researched using information and/or testimonials that are available online and in the public domain. any recommendations and/or conclusions are strictly opinions and may not apply to or agree with all people or situations. see full disclaimer for more information
what is care.com?
Before I get into the reviews and complaints, I’ll quickly go over who they are and how they work.
care.com is an online marketplace where families and caregivers can meet and interact with each other. started in 2006 and is based in north waltham massachusetts where another care type platform connectrn is located…they claim to be the largest online resource of its kind…currently with 22 million members in 19 countries
it’s easy to see why…
while similar sites generally focus on one area (child care, for example)…care.com connects families with babysitters, guardians, homemakers, baby sitters, as well as trained caregivers seniors and people with special needs.
You can also find sitters to take care of your furry friends… pet sitters, dog walkers, trainers, and even boarding.
how does it work?
As with other job boards and marketplaces like indeed and craigslist, employers looking for caregivers post their jobs on care.com and search a list of local care providers.
if you’re a caregiver, you can post your public profile and browse through a job listing.
If this isn’t exactly what you’re looking for and you’re a care provider just looking for a little more to get you through the month, you can also make money by taking surveys on sites like surveyjunkie .com, plus watch videos, play games, and visit websites with inboxdollars.com.
This won’t make you rich, of course, but if you’re looking for a more substantial income, you could also start an online business.
There are so many tools, resources, and opportunities out there today that it’s crazy… even overwhelming. If you need to earn money from home because you have health problems, children at home, or a lack of good jobs, there are many things you can do.
knowing how to use the web to earn income is what you want and a real strategy is what you need to get what you want.
Now, I am going to give you a free beginner’s guide step by step to make money online and you can get it by clicking here. strong
educational requirements for caregivers
There are no specific requirements to join, but you must be qualified for the position you are applying for.
When setting up your profile, you’ll want to list your qualifications, experience, and provide images of certifications, background checks, and any other related documents. some of your documents will need to be approved by the care.com customer service team.
It’s also important to include a recent photograph, as well as references and reviews from previous employers.
How much can care providers earn?
as a care provider, you set your own hourly rates that are based on market rates for your particular skill and location.
care.com pricing
families and individuals posting jobs
one month membership – $39.00
three month membership – $78.00 ($26.00/month)
twelve month membership – $156.00 ($13/month)
care providers
It’s free to join and set up your profile. You can even search for jobs and have employers notify you that they are interested.
however… to respond directly to those employers, you must upgrade to a premium account which costs $20/mo.
and since finding a job can be competitive, care.com has set up a credit system where you can shop your way to the front of the line.
10 credits – $9.00
25 credits – $25.00
50 credits – $29.00
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Just like buying ride tickets at a carnival, you should plan ahead and figure out how many you think you’ll need, because they expire in 90 days.
I understand care.com needs to make a profit…but when it comes to job boards (which is care.com), revenue is usually generated when employers post job openings and advertise.
It doesn’t come from people who need a job.
In my opinion, creating an elaborate credit system with arbitrary expiration dates, not to mention charging job seekers for premium accounts to communicate with potential employers, speaks to the type of company care.com could be. .
for a company called care.com, it seems to me (although I could be wrong) that what they “care about” the most is money.
looking from the outside, this assumption gains a little more strength when you discover that there are more than 600 complaints filed with the better business bureau and more than 300 of them are related to questionable billing and refund practices.
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Of course, I can’t speak for hundreds of people with legitimate complaints, but it’s very hard to ignore them. For care providers looking for some extra cash, they can also try online surveys with sites like surveyjunkie.com. You can also earn money by searching the web, visiting websites and watching videos with inboxdollars.com .
These, of course, are not people who earn a lot of money, but there are many who are just looking for a way to earn a few extra bucks in their spare time.
Another option if you want more income, potentially a full-time income from home, you can also start an online business.
It’s hard to put the opportunities we have into perspective. there are thousands of ways to make money today that didn’t exist just a few years ago. if you were stuck at home with kids or health issues, your options were limited…
… but not today.
If what you really want is an income at home, there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t have one. I know it’s a bold statement, but when you’re part of the community of home earners and workers in the informal economy, it’s hard to imagine living any other way…
… and a strategy that suits your current situation is what you need to get what you want.
Now, I am going to give you a free beginner’s guide step by step to make money online and you can get it by clicking here. strong
care.com feedback and complaints
As I mentioned earlier, my daughter recently completed her child care certification and although I was somewhat familiar with care.com, I began to do more research thinking they might be an option for her to find work.
I was hoping to find some positive reviews, but unfortunately, after reading hundreds of them… not many people have good things to say.
There are over 1,200 reviews on sitejabber alone… and over 1,000 have given them the lowest rating of one star.
there are over 600 complaints on the better business bureau and another 220 negative reviews with only one being positive (at the time of writing).
I’m very skeptical of scam allegations and negative reviews, so I generally give the company the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure there are many great people who work for care.com and quite often these problems persist simply because of poor communication.
so let’s take a look at the common problems people are talking about.
recurring payment complaints
just to be clear… this is not my personal experience with care.com, these are complaints made by members of the better business bureau and other review sites.
The problem here is that when you buy a membership from care.com, you are buying a “subscription” and your credit card will be automatically charged each billing period.
There’s nothing unusual about subscriptions and people generally understand how they work… but care.com has some unique policies that have led to all sorts of complaints…
here’s an example of someone who bought a one-month membership and even after canceling their subscription, was charged for two more years.
This didn’t make any sense to me… but when I dug a little deeper, I found this in the care.com terms of use.
“If you subscribe to a paid plan that allows you to be billed monthly during the subscription period and you decide to cancel your subscription during the subscription period, you acknowledge and agree that you will continue to be billed for the subscription on a monthly basis until the originally scheduled expiration date.”
in its defense, care.com states on its plans and pricing page that subscriptions will automatically renew, with a second reminder on the checkout page.
but to find this fun fact… you’ll have to search through over 13,000 words of hard-to-read legal text.
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the other complaint about recurring payments is that it’s not clear if you’re signing up for a “subscription”.
As I mentioned earlier, it says on the plans and pricing page that subscriptions renew automatically, as well as on the next page when you enter payment details.
what’s not so clear, however, is that the single month option isn’t just a single month…it’s a “subscription”.
and you can see why clients might make that mistake. It says $39 for 1 month. It doesn’t say per month, or every month.
When I first saw this page, I assumed that the subscription information shown in the image above only applies to the 3-month and 12-month options. maybe it’s just me, but when I read “1 month”, I assume I’m only paying for “1 month”… not a “subscription”.
and, I’m not sure why anyone would buy a one month “subscription” for $39?
In some circumstances, someone’s “intent” might be to use the service for only 2 months, because if more time passes, they would choose the 3-month option. but that doesn’t really make sense because 2 months at $39 ($78) is exactly the same price as 3 months at $26 ($78).
so, in my opinion, I think it’s reasonable to assume that the “intent” of someone buying a 1-month membership is not to buy a recurring subscription, but to buy just one month.
This probably wouldn’t be a problem if you could contact care.com and explain the misunderstanding, but according to their policy (shown below), they don’t offer refunds beyond the most recent charge.
so, it’s easy to see why there are hundreds of complaints about recurring payments…
is care.com a scam?
if you have read any of the reviews and comments on various blogs, social media and forums… chances are you have seen people calling care.com a scam.
I cannot validate those complaints, but it should be noted that care.com is a public company with over 500 employees and revenue in the hundreds of millions. therefore, they are definitely not an outright scam (the kind of bogus website that empties your bank account and disappears overnight).
however…care.com is an unregulated marketplace and, like most job boards, you may come across people posting fraudulent ads to trick people into things like exchanging bank account information or getting paid stolen checks.
on the other hand, some employers have said they hired caretakers who turned out to be thieves.
There are pages and pages on the web of people discussing care.com scams… but that does not indicate that care.com itself is a scam.
care.com is a legitimate company.
background checks
On the subject of thieves, one thing you’ll need when setting up your profile (as a care provider) is a criminal background check.
getting one was a service sold by care.com.
However, in early 2018, care.com agreed to pay $480,000 in restitution for misrepresenting the background check product they were selling. in this case… customer complaints turned into a lawsuit.
I personally wouldn’t call care.com a scam and being a public company that has been in business for over 10 years…it would be an unfair representation.
However, with all the complaints, recent lawsuit, and recurring payment issues, it could be argued that some deceptive tactics are being used. I’ll let you decide if that’s true or not.
what I like
- I like the “concept” of providing a forum where families and carers can come together… but clearly, it’s more difficult in practice than in theory.
- the care.com website is clean and easy to navigate.
- I can’t get over the amount of negative reviews and complaints.
- Charge job seekers.
- Would-be scammers and thieves within the marketplace… care.com clearly states that they do not employ, endorse or recommend any caregiver or care seeker.
what I don’t like
final thoughts
In my opinion, charging job seekers to find work suggests that there might be a company culture that is not entirely customer friendly.
It’s an assumption that’s bolstered by the numerous complaints and lawsuits for misrepresenting the background checks they were selling.
I’m interested in making money, but I think the way a company treats people… staff and customers should also be a priority.
As a care provider looking for ways to generate additional income, online surveys with sites like surveyjunkie.com are an option. You can also earn money by searching the web, visiting websites and watching videos with inboxdollars.com .
for a more meaningful income, an online business may be what you’re looking for.
There are so many options and while everyone’s situation is different, people who need an income at home due to health issues, children at home, or maybe just fed up with working for someone else, a strategy adjusting to your current situation is what you need to get what you want.
Now, I am going to give you a free beginner’s guide step by step to make money online and you can get it by clicking here. strong
I hope this review has been helpful, and if you have any comments, questions, or would like to leave a review of your own… please share it in the comments section below.
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