Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/15/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up to use the website in 2012. In 2014, they apparently signed me up for an annual membership which was renewed automatically without notification. I don't know how I didn't notice it on my credit card statements. I checked my email and didn't see any confirmation of membership or renewals. So I have been charged $490 for services that were not used and a membership I was not aware of. They attempted to charge my new card again and that's how I discovered this was going on when my credit card notified me.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/16/2022

  Hi ****,

   

  Thank you for reaching out to us.

   

  Please know, we do not sign parents up for subscriptions. It looks like you upgraded at a discounted annual rate in August of 2012. This continued to renew until cancelled, as stated on the registration page. You are able to cancel at any time in your own account settings, or by reaching out to the Customer Success team at ************. We respond to all emails (at *********************************** within 1 business day, and are available via phone and chat Monday - Friday from 8am to 4pm CST.

   

  It looks like you contacted our *************************** yesterday as well, and received 4 full refunds for $70.00 each. This is for the last 4 years of charges. Your account is closed and will not be billed moving forward.

   

  Please let us know if you have any other questions. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/15/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Similar to many others, I signed up to their service thinking that the $49 covers the whole year and wont be renewed. It turns out that they automatically charge me $70/quarter for 6 times. No email Notification on those quarterly charges. And once I realized I logged on to the account, I also cant find a way to downgrade or cancel the account.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/15/2022

  Hello Tai,

   

  Thank you for reaching out to us.

   

  The account you included in your complaint under the email ******************** is registered to Pavinee Akapaiboon and is currently under the Apple corporate membership paid for by the employer, so this account is the one not being billed. Apple covers the cost of this membership. It looks like this account was created in 2016. The account was used in 2016 and 2019 as jobs were posted and messages were exchanged. You are not able to cancel this subscription because you are not being billed on this account.

   

  I did a search for your name and found an account under the email ********************. This account was upgraded to the quarterly membership in February of 2021. All memberships do renew until cancelled or downgraded - you can do this in your own account settings, or by reaching out to the Customer Success team. 
  

   

  Our customer success team is available from 8am to 4pm CST at ************ or by chat or email. We respond to all emails within 1 business day (at *********************************** and provide email coverage 7 days a week. I can assure you, if you attempted to contact us we would've helped swiftly without any questions. We honor all subscription cancellations.

   

  My colleague is reaching out to you and will provide you with 7 refunds for all charges on this account, since your spouse/partner has the free Apple membership.

   

  Please let us know if you have any other questions. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/16/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for Sittercity in 2019 and paid a fee of $40 and since then, they have been charging me $70+ quarterly. At first i was willing to pay the $40 amount for the premium service. But I haven't had any email communication or receipts sent to me since the initial sign up, thus zero transparency from this business. They started charging my account $70 then $75 with absolutely no communication about a price increase. Absolutely no other legitimate business will do this; other businesses communicate an increase in charges, will email before pulling money out of your account, and send you a receipt of payment. This goes beyond lack of transparency and into scam territory. I'm considering speaking to my lawyer because this appears to be a predatory business.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/18/2022

  Hello Alyssa,

   

  Thank you for reaching out to us.

   

  Our representative ******* responded to your email yesterday afternoon outlining our refund policy - she also cancelled your email and issued a refund for the most recent renewal in the amount of $74.20.

   

  It looks like you upgraded to the quarterly subscription at a discounted rate during a promotion we had. It is important to note that we outline very clearly twice before upgrading that all subscriptions will renew until cancelled. This is also stated in the receipt you receive upon purchase. The discount only applies to the first initial purchase, and it will renew at the normal rate after that. The price increase from $70 to $74.20 was due to sales tax, which we had implemented at that time. 

   

  At this time Sittercity does not send email notifications prior to each renewal. This is something we are discussing as a business, and hope to implement soon. I have gone ahead and issued you two additional refunds in the amount of $74.20 each, which you will see post back to your bank statement within 2 to 4 business days.

   

  Please let us know if you have any other questions. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/01/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company is a scam. They take your money and dont even have requirements for a person to sign up as a nanny or baby sitter. The most unqualified people are on this platform that you cant trust with your child. Anyone can sign up to be a caretaker, which is absolutely horrible. In my area there are less than 10 people on the platform, Ive sent almost all of them messages and none have responded. Its been pointless and not helpful. Some people have lied on their profiles as well and you want me to trust my child with them?! The customer service was not helpful and would not refund my subscription money even though I was on the app for less than 2 weeks. They were not able to help at all and didnt offer to help.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/13/2022

  Hello Rawan,

   

  Thank you for reaching out. I do apologize for the experience you had.

   

  It is important to note a few things about Sittercity. We are not an agency, so we don't vet or place sitters into job positions (we are an online platform with over 5 million sitters) - so both the sitters AND parents have to put in effort to find the perfect fit for their family. While we don't require background checks for every sitter who joins, we do have a very thorough identification verification screening each sitter must complete prior to applying to any positions - if for any reason that fails, a background check IS required. All of this information is available to you on our help center, prior to joining. We have many helpful resources for how to find the best qualified sitter for your family. If a sitter does not have a background check, you can purchase one for the sitter to complete prior to hiring. 

   

  I did a search in your zip code and four 48 active nannies within 25 miles, who have signed in within the last 2 weeks. I see you've also received 6 applications - you have responded and exchanged contact information, but also 3 applications you haven't read yet. 

   

  The representative you spoke with guided you to how to find active caregivers within your area to message. 

   

  If you believe a sitter is not being truthful about something on their profile or in their applications, please reach out to us with this information. Our Trust & Safety team works around the clock and falsifying any information can be grounds for removal.

   

  Since we are not an agency, we don't provide any guarantees. You have signed in and used our product by posting a job and communicating with sitters. Our refund policy is outlined quite clearly prior to signing up, as well as in the receipt you receive upon purchase. This information is also available prior to paying. At this time we do not issue refunds for services rendered.

   

  We would be happy to help you find a qualified nanny or sitter in your area. Our Customer Success team is available via email, chat, or phone and is happy to assist with how to find active caregivers in your area to connect with. 

   

  Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/13/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am a professional educator and as such require enhanced CPS screening for my job, which I have always been given without difficulty. I applied to Sittercity to get a part time babysitter job over the summer. I have worked for them previously without issue. However on this occasion there was a mandatory background check which is a new requirement. I applied for the check and was told I did not meet the standards! This has also been posted on my online profile. This is despite my enhanced clearance from DCS!!!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/16/2022

  Hi Maggi -

   

  Thank you for reaching out. I do apologize for the experience.

   

  To be clear, you were required to submit a free background check because your account information has not passed our current Identity Verification screening. You created your account in 2010, and at that time we did not have the identity verification we have now. All old accounts that do not have a completed identification verification must complete a background check (at no cost to the customer).

   

  It looks like your background check came back with a minor record, making your status 'ineligible for badge.' If you receive the status "Ineligible for Badge", this means that the background check results did not meet the requirements for a badge. There are many reasons why this status may come back, please review your detailed report for more information. Only sitters with completely clear records can be awarded a badge to their profile. This does not mean you cannot use the site. You are still welcome to use Sittercity to search and apply for jobs, and simply explain to parents you had a minor speeding ticket on your background check (and you can also share results with them). Many parents on the site are completely understanding of this, and many of them themselves likely have a speeding ticket.

   

  If you are able to expunge the record, we can have you re-run the check. 

   

  I do apologize for the experience but since we are a child care platform, our background checks are a little more strict than normal. 

   

  Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.