• Care.com

Care.com

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Overview

Care.com has a rating of 3.2 stars from 11,884 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Reviewers satisfied with Care.com most frequently mention background checks, good experience, and great service. Care.com ranks 1st among Caregiving sites.

  • Service
    356
  • Value
    358
  • Shipping
    121
  • Returns
    175
  • Quality
    527

Proactively asks for customer feedback

This company responds to reviews on average within 23 hours

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 56.1%
Positive
137
Neutral
16
Negative
91
126
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How would you rate Care.com?
Top Positive Review

“Finding a care giver”

Patty S.
10/4/24

I did find a caregiver. But, I thought the site was difficult to navigate. Using the site for the first time was very challenging. I also think it is quite expensive although I didn't know how to find a caregiver any other way besides going through a company and that way you don't always get quality people. So maybe paying a bit more will be worth it in the end. I am hopeful.

Top Critical Review

“Charged for Service that did not occur”

Kristina S.
10/14/24

I sent a request for pet sitting, however the provider could not accommodate the request, care.com still charged me. There is no phone number and they make it difficult to connect to discuss issues, you email and wait for a response. Horrible customer care

Reviews (11,884)

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Timeframe

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

background check (459) credit card (368) customer service (336) phone number (220) premium membership (146) background checks (459) right person (20) web site (44) time user (22)
Thumbnail of user walterb517
Florida
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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March 1st, 2023
Verified purchase

Not a single house cleaner fit the suggested criteria (in terms of average wage) and unless I crafted the search carefully, no results would pop up (for reasonable terms like kitchen cleaning, bathroom cleaning, etc.). Very, very disappointing!

Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

Hi Walter, I'm sorry to hear you have not had luck with the service. I'd be happy to review your account and offer some tips. Please send me a PM on FB or DM on Twitter with your full name, city/state and email address.

Thumbnail of user chipa16
Minnesota
1 review
0 helpful votes
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March 17th, 2023
Verified purchase

Bait and switch set up, it is not clear that it cost money to seek care until after going through the set up process. Be up font with costs if you want happy customers. The add on options after payment are obnoxious, really makes me wonder what Im paying for in the first place. The website is outdated, uploading a a photo is difficult. All in all it has not been a premium experience so far.

Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

Hi Chip, We are a paid subscription service and not a free service. I'm sorry if you thought otherwise and therefore felt mislead. That was never our intention. Many sites like ours charge a fee in order to be able to offer you the features our site offers. Otherwise we'd just be like any other free classified site with very little to offer.

Thumbnail of user marye399
Illinois
1 review
1 helpful vote
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April 12th, 2019

They have different rates for how long you want to be a member so I chose one month for $40; 3 months would have been $60 so I was taking the risk that I'd be done after 1 month. What I didn't know is that they continue to charge your card monthly as if you wanted a subscription one of those fine print situations. They are also strict about refunds so I feel royally ripped off.

Thumbnail of user dominicc140
Canada
1 review
5 helpful votes
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March 11th, 2021

They do not vet out who they are sending to your home to abuse your children, parents or grandparents. If you hire thru them, you're ignorantly careless. I will NEVER employ another person via this irresponsible, careless app.

Tip for consumers:
It would have been helpful to know how lax they are about leading criminals to care for my family. I made a HUGE and IGNORANT mistake by asking for their help. They could not care less about your safety.

Products used:
Referrals from friends.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user elenab233
Massachusetts
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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May 1st, 2022
Verified purchase

Easy to use so far, and I am really pleased with the amount of caregivers available in or around my area. I also appreciate the information provided on each person and how simple it was to find applicants.

Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

Hi Elena!
Thanks so much for the great review! I’m happy to hear you are enjoying your experience with the site!

Thumbnail of user ashleyh75
New York
1 review
13 helpful votes
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February 2nd, 2016

Awful website. Leads to harassment from numerous fake people trying to scam you, the website itself continuously asks for you to buy this ridiculous package that is unneeded, they are just money hungry. It's a waste of time

Thumbnail of user nellya5
New York
1 review
9 helpful votes
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July 18th, 2017

I used to use sittercity.com and care.com back in 2011 to get jobs. Wow, how things have changed. The site charged my card despite me not signing up for a premium account, there are never well-paying jobs posted, and I just got a scam email from them. I tried to find contact information to notify them of this, and there is NO email, and the phone number I found on a random website hung up on me -- never spoke to ONE person. The only thing they are good for is taking your money. Stay far, far away.

Tip for consumers:
Greedy scammers taking your money. Stay away!

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user keilad7
Maryland
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 6th, 2022
Verified purchase

The subscription and add on features seem pricey for a site that's supposed to help parents find affordable help/childcare. I think it would be worth it to have a free trial and see what all the features are. Going through all the work of searching, posting a job, etc. before becoming a member seems asinine as all of that is pointless if you can't respond to or reach out to anyone.

Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

We appreciate your review. We'll be sure to share your feedback with our management team.

Thumbnail of user susans176
Pennsylvania
1 review
11 helpful votes
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December 23rd, 2015

Beware... Care.com uses deceptive business practices. They have a automatic subscription process which automatically charges your credit card every period (3 months, in my case). Care.com does not provide any notification that your subscription is about to be renewed or that they have renewed it and have charged your credit card. I had not used the service for a year -- out of site, out of mind -- and racked up over $300 in charges. They would not refund my money, citing their terms of use and apologizing if I did not understand their automatic renewal policy. Not very caring, IMO. Stay away!

Thumbnail of user michaelh4830
Kentucky
1 review
0 helpful votes
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January 16th, 2022
Verified purchase

Not very good. Quite confusing frankly. I'm trying to reset a password (if I had one in the first place) and you're not sending me the link. I have given you the $ for the three month upgrade but we haven't sent me any sort of email acknowledgment of that.

Thumbnail of user johnh7986
Arizona
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
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January 22nd, 2023

I have had issues logging in to the Care.com website for the past 18 months. Most recently their website does not recognize my log in. I have asked for a password reset repeatedly and get no response. I have tried emailing them and keep getting those messages bounced back, apparently, they no longer monitor those email addresses. Based upon my experiences with Care I am looking for a new payroll provider. Their attention to customer needs is abysmal.

Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

Hi John, I’m sorry you are having trouble reaching us. If you are a Premium member or have a current booking, you can always live chat with us through the Contact Us button found at help.care.com as well as reach out to us via our phone number listed on your credit card statement. Please include Reference Number REV-010467 in your response

Thumbnail of user kathyv75
Hawaii
1 review
1 helpful vote
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April 5th, 2019

I think Care.com is a rip off to people looking for someone to help. I signed up for a 3 month membership only to discover their resources in my area are very limited AND they DO NOTHING for the monthly membership other than give you a few names. They have not background checked the people who are listed and if you want to do that through them they want more money. They nickel and dime "members."

I believe I would've found as many resources on my own just by getting the word out in my community.

Don't waste your money!

Thumbnail of user annh81
Utah
1 review
14 helpful votes
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December 1st, 2016

I joined Care.com almost a month ago, but have had absolutely zero response from any jobs I've applied for. I feel as if I've simply thrown my money down a black hole - that Care.com is apparently just a money pit rather than a service to help people find employment. When I first joined, it was not made clear that you have to upgrade in order to see responses to your applications, which to me is underhanded. It feels like Care.com is preying on anyone using the site to find employment or to find employees. In other words, it's a scam.

UPDATE: I have filed complaints with the FTC (FTC.gov), the Massachusetts Attorney General, several other online complaint sites like SiteJabber, and I have disputed the charges with my credit card company. I will be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and anyone else I can think of in order to get the word out that Care.com is nothing but a scam/fraud and to help prevent others from getting ripped off like I did.

Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

It is ultimately the family' decision to reply to the applications they receive although we advise everyone to reply promptly to their messages, we're so sorry if this has not been your experience. I suggest applying to all jobs that interest you and send a follow up message if you dont hear anything back. I thought this article on the site might be helpful as well; http://tinyurl.com/zum4fvj. Hope this information helps and please let us know if you have other questions or concern. Best of luck to you!

Thumbnail of user marca14
Oregon
1 review
26 helpful votes
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March 11th, 2015

We have used Care.com on several occasions and have hired several people from the site. This last time we used it we signed up for a one month membership. Not a three months or year membership, but one month. Because I only wanted a single month of service. I ended up paying for much much more. Why even offer differing terms of service if you are going to continue to bill until customers explicitly cancel? I am surprised a class action has not been filed for this. I like the service, but that auto renewal is fraudulent. Other online services have much more ethical and user friendly renewal policies.

Tip for consumers:
DOWNGRADE your membership as soon as you find your person!!!

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

Hi Marc, Many of our members find the auto renewal feature helpful in their continuing search for care, I'm sorry if you missed it. We are so glad to hear that you liked the service, if you ever need help canceling your subscription in the future please feel free to reach out to Member Care!

Thumbnail of user cynthiac2524
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 30th, 2023

Their policy is no refunds. So if you request a last minute sitter and you are not compatible, you are out of luck. I posted at 7:30, it was accepted hours later, I chatted with the sitter. I cancelled less than two hours later. I got charged a surprise twenty something fee. Why pay a membership? Also I cancelled less than two hours after the sitter accepted. Although, even if it was five minutes later, it doesn't matter, their policy is no refunds. Plus when I asked for the number to customer service, they refused to give it to me. They told me to look at my bank statement.

Service
Value
Shipping
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Quality
Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

Hi Cynthia, I'm so sorry to hear you have been having trouble reaching someone to assist you. As an online-based company, we utilize our online capabilities to the fullest. Please reach out to us through our Contact us link at help.care.com or through Facebook messenger and we'd be happy to assist. Please include Reference Number REV-013843 in your response.

Thumbnail of user carlanau
California
1 review
21 helpful votes
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March 26th, 2016

I made the mistake of signing on with Care.com without researching online for reviews. My sister had success in finding someone to help her with her toddler, so I went ahead and signed up with the hopes of the same success.

Of the five potential caregivers I messaged,

1 person messaged me back and forth about availability but stopped responding when I asked to meet in person

2 people replied that their current schedules would not enable them to care for my toddler after school. They had "after school care" listed in their profile.

1 person messaged me back stating that she could not travel to my location on a regular basis. She had "Willing to travel 25 miles" in her profile; Our cities are only about 5 miles apart.

1 person never replied.

Its a waste of time, money, and energy. Save yourself the headache.

Thumbnail of user sharlottet1
Colorado
1 review
0 helpful votes
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January 6th, 2022
Verified purchase

This is not a bad company in terms of finding care for my daughter. Finding someone can be difficult not matter what method you use. I have found some great people on here and there have been other times when I wasn't able to find anyone at all. I don't think the site can be faulted for that. What I can fault them for is the shady subscription renewals they have. They don't send out any notification that they are about to renew so you can opt out if you don't need it at the time and they won't refund your money either. I have a full time job, I'm a single mother of 3 girls, one of my daughters is disabled. In other words I don't need another thing on my to-do list to keep track of their subscription and make sure it doesn't renew if I don't currently need it. Reputable companies notify a person before a subscription renews so you can opt out if you don't want or need it. This company does not do that. It's a shady business practice in my opinion.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user abbyd77
Abby D. – Care.com Rep

Hi Sharlotte!
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We work hard to make billing terms as clear as possible to our members. To ensure there are no surprises, we take the following action for every premium subscription:

We tell members that the charge is recurring - both on the screen where you choose your subscription term, and again when you check out and pay
We send a confirmation email to the email address you've provided with details on how much and when you will be charged
We also provide instructions on how to cancel your recurring subscription at check out, in the email confirmation, and in our Terms Of Use
We provide the phone number for our Member Care team on your monthly credit card statement with each charge to make it easy to contact us with questions about your bill or to cancel.

Thumbnail of user pattyd199
California
1 review
2 helpful votes
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January 16th, 2023
Verified purchase

Ease of use would be 5 stars. It was easy to find several matches and feel confident in the quality of the candidates. However I felt the need to subscribe just to make the initial contact was slimy. I would much prefer to have paid a commission when I hired somebody. It would also be fantastic if through your website you could pay for workmen's comp, SDI, tax reporting... (for a monthly fee) instead of having to handle that separately. That would make a monthly subscription well worth it even after you've hired somebody long term.

Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

Hi Patty, Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I will be sure to share your valued feedback with our product team!

Thumbnail of user lk250
Canada
1 review
1 helpful vote
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October 3rd, 2023

Great people looking for work on here but the site is super glitchy, too much spam/ automated messages and it's almost impossible to speak to a live person from the actual care.com site when something with the website or membership doesn't work.

I paid for a membership but could never actually talk to candidates. Every time I tried to message someone I got an error message but, bc the company switched some of their customer care functions over to an AI bot, there was no way to speak to a human to get any help. I lost two weeks on a paid membership without having access to an actual functioning site. The company would not provide an extension on the membership or a partial refund.

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user christopherh1456
Texas
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
May 11th, 2022
Verified purchase

Genesis was terrific! He was one of the best teachers I have had in my life, and I taught math and engineering for over 19 years. He taught me so many things about how to use Care.com to maximize the many benefits that you offer. My understanding grew by leaps and bounds the longer we spoke. Please promote him soon to top managerial position. He really knows how to relate to people. He is very clear and patient. Who can beat that?

Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

We love hearing this! Thanks so much for sharing!

Thank you,

Care.com Member Care Team

Thumbnail of user paulm4369
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
May 18th, 2023
Verified purchase

I've been trying to contact potential candidates for 45 minutes now and I have edited my info block at least a dozen times to make sure that there was no offensive language or personal references... no luck - still the red warning pops up. Then I even threw more money at you to upgrade my membership... still no luck! I have 3 days to book now and several more in the very near future... do you folks really want my business or not?

Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

Hi Paul, Thank you so much for your feedback; we really appreciate your sharing your experience with us. We'd be happy to try to assist if you want to reach out to us through our Help Center contact us link at help.care.com or through Facebook Messenger. Please include Reference Number REV-014369 when you message.

Thumbnail of user paulae251
Ohio
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
February 23rd, 2023
Verified purchase

The structure and the mechanics of your organization are not transparent; It's not easy to figure out how Care.com works. I don't like paying a subscription fee to ask a reasonable question. All the pertinent info should be-literally-up front on your site. Thanks for listening :)

Thumbnail of user kristens7
MemberCare -. – Care.com Rep

Hi Paula, While Care.com offers many great tools to help make connections and communication easier between families and caregivers, we are not an agency. Care.com is an online marketplace where families looking for care can connect with caregivers. This means we can’t find and place a caregiver with you or help with hiring.
We provide a comprehensive self-service solution for your family care needs, including:
Searching caregiver profiles and limiting the results to specific requirements.
Posting Jobs with your care needs and requirements so interested caregivers can apply.
Our Premium subscription offers you the ability to:
Send direct messages to potential candidates
Run additional background checks
Access recommendations from previous families
Pay caregivers you’ve hired securely

If you have any further questions or concerns, please visit our Help page for more details.

Thumbnail of user marliek
New York
1 review
63 helpful votes
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July 13th, 2015

This company hide behind the idea they are about families. Really they are not. This is a well organized crooked company. Don't use their service you better off putting an ad in your local paper or doing it the old fashion way.

Thumbnail of user asundaa
Texas
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
January 20th, 2022
Verified purchase

I needed a last minute request for childcare for tomorrow to be fulfilled which is the only reason I signed up. It appears you can't do that after all and that's incredibly frustrating. I wish that had been made clear prior to me even signing up

* Care.com attempted to help this customer through the Sitejabber Resolution Center, but the customer did not respond

Thumbnail of user michelleo877
Michelle O. – Care.com Rep

I have contacted this reviewer and didn't receive a response.
Please reach out to us via our Help Center link at help.care.com or through Facebook Messenger

Thumbnail of user dianer1243
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
January 25th, 2022
Verified purchase

There's no start up date. Before I give feedback I'l like to have all the details solidified. Please don't be one of those services who takes the money first while homeowner still has no idea what date and time this service will start up. Please advise.

* Care.com attempted to help this customer through the Sitejabber Resolution Center, but the customer did not respond

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From the business

Available in more than 20 countries, Care.com is the world’s leading platform for finding and managing high-quality family care. Care.com is designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s families and caregivers, offering everything from household tax and payroll services and customized corporate benefits packages covering the care needs of working families, to innovating new ways for caregivers to be paid and obtain professional benefits.

Business History

2006: Care.com is founded.
2007: Launched the Care.com platform with child care, senior care, housekeeping, and pet care services.
2010: Launched enterprise arm to help employers support their teams with family care benefits.
2012: Expanded internationally into Canada, Belgium, and Finland through the acquisition of Betruet.de. Expanded into household payroll and tax matters through the acquisition of Breedlove & Associates, now known as Care.com HomePay.
2014: Filed for IPO and was listed in the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CRCM.
2016: Expanded into Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, and Norway.
2020: Care.com was acquired by IAC. Care.com acquired LifeCare.

Company Representative

Thumbnail of user sarahm4029
Sarah M.
Member Care
Typically responds within 23 hours
My name is Laurie and I have been working in Member Care for the past 6 years. I just love being able to help our members with any questions or issues that pop up on their accounts! I get great pride from resolving an issue and knowing the member can search for the Care they need.

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