Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/08/20) */
Hoda reached out to our Member Services team on July 30th, see emails below:
Hello,
I did a premium subscription with your services on July 2013. I never agreed to be on automatic renewal. I just noticed when I got my credit card...
bill today that you actually charged me in July 2014 and now in July 2015. (I signed in and reviewed my account and you definitely do not make it clear you intend to keep subscriber credit card information and charge them automatically without informing them!).
This is unacceptable. You never send me a bill or an e mail alert in 2014 or 2015 to alert me you still have my credit card and intend to charge me. I have not used your website or services since the summer of 2013.
This is a serious matter that reflects very poorly on your business practices and leads someone to believe you handle your sitter services with the same level of deception! Please have someone in a management position call me ASAP.
I expect you to close my account immediately and make sure you do not keep any of my information, specially my credit card information.
Name Hoda [redacted]
Cell [redacted].
E mail [redacted]@aol.com
I would ask that you give this matter immediate and serious attention.
Thank you,
Hoda [redacted]
Hello,
I would like to add that I am formally requesting a full refund for both 2014 and 2015 charges, a total of $190.
In reviewing how you set up the manage account/account setting, someone would not actually guess they are on automatic renewal until they actively either look for it or try to change/cancel the subscription.
And with you not sending an alert before charging or a receipt after you charge, the only manner someone could pick up on the charge if they carefully review their credit card bill.
What is even more interesting is how you answer the request for refund if someone supposedly forgot to cancel their subscription and the 5 days rule: so in my case you charged me on July 1st without notifying me. I received my credit card bill today on July 30, and now you talk about pro-rating based on the 5 days rule. (very slick).
What is scary, I was recommending your site to so many people but never even thought I was still being charged and still had an active subscription. I would say, I used it in 2013 and although I never hired anyone through it, I thought it was good. Unbelievable! Shattered trust!
Hoda
Mobile: (630) 453-7590
On July 31st a Member Services team member responded to Hoda's emails, see below:
Hi Hoda,
We appreciate you taking the time to reach out to us.
I reviewed your account and it appears that you registered under our annual subscription. Since all of our memberships are automatic renewal subscription based memberships, they will continue to renew until canceled. This is stated on the registration page. Keep in mind; you are able to turn this off at any time by going into your Account Settings and selecting "Downgrade to Basic."
Because there is no record of cancellation for this membership, your annual subscription did continue to renew. This email confirms I have gone ahead and cancelled your Premium membership today and can confirm that you will not receive any additional charges moving forward.
Typically without a record of cancellation, all we are able to issue is a prorated refund of the most recent charge. However, I was able to get the full refund of the most recent charge approved for you today as a courtesy. You will receive one refund of $95.00, which you can expect to see on your billing statement within the next 3 - 5 business days
IF you have any additional questions in regards to the billing on your account, please feel free to give our Member Services department a call directly. Our number is 888-748-2489.
I hope you have a nice weekend.
Thanks,
Tiffany P.
The Sittercity Team
Hoda sent in the following response, see below:
Hello,
Your response is unacceptable and insufficient. I have the right for full refund for the past 2 years. I have filed a complaint with the Chicago Revdex.com and will be pursuing further action. I still expect someone in a leadership position at your organization to call me ASAP.
Hoda
Mobile: [redacted]
The supervisor of Member Services reached out to Hoda via phone. At this time both the annual renewal charges from 2014 and 2015 have been refunded.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 8, 2015/08/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I did receive the refund so I am satisfied with that part. I still believe they have deceptive business practices and I got the distinct feeling they are not intending to change their practices.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/01/28) */
Hi [redacted]
Thank you for reaching out to us.
It looks like you had registered for a quarterly subscription to our Premium Membership. Because our memberships are subscription based, they will continue to renew until canceled as...
stated on the registration page.
In the future, you will just want to downgrade to a Basic Membership in your Account Settings page prior to renewal to cancel your subscription. If it is easier, you can always give us a call or email us and we will be happy to cancel your subscription for you!
Your account was cancelled completely on January 23, after you called in. I can confirm that you will not receive any further charges to this account.
Typically, without a record of cancellation, we are only able to issue a prorated refund for the time remaining on an active subscription. However, as a courtesy, we processed 6 months in refunds for you. Two refunds of $70 were processed. This refund should have posted back within 3-5 business days.
If you need anything else, feel free to reach out.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/01/29) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
My complaints is with regards to refunding all three charges that were made beyond the 3 month period of the initial subscription. Two charges have been addressed. The third one hasn't, hence my not-accepting this answer.
With no record of a signed contract agreeing to any service beyond this, Sittercity has no right to charge my card. Sittercity can confirm that the account was not even accessed beyond the 3 initial subscription period.
As good business practice, Sittercity should also start sending receipts for every charge they put through client credit cards and stop their shady practices of automatically enrolling new subscribers to quarterly charges.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/02/02) */
Hi [redacted]
We've gone ahead and processed an additional refund of $70.00.
If you do decide to use the service in the future, please keep in mind this is a subscription based service and all of our memberships will automatically renew as stated on the registration page.
You will simply want to downgrade your account to basic in order to discontinue being billed.
Let us know if you have any other questions, we're here to help.
I paid Sitter City a one time $35.00 fee for referrals for pet care. The web site stated that my access would only be valid for a couple of months or so. I have been repeatedly been receiving charges of $70.00 to my credit card even though I only signed up for a one time service. The company has never even sent me an email or a written notice stating that they are charging my account. They know that they are being deceitful because why else would they not notify me of charging my account. EVERY business supplies you with a receipt or record of any charges accrued- except this company. I also requested certain services and I was receiving emails from people who were not able to fulfill my specific requests. I wanted someone to take my dogs for 10 days but I kept receiving emails from people who wanted to come to my house when I was not home.
Mr. [redacted] registered with Sittercity.com on June 12th 2014. On June 13th...
2014, Mr. [redacted] upgraded his membership to a quarterly membership. Sittercity.com states upfront on the registration page and in our terms of use that all subscriptions will renew until cancelled out. Mr. [redacted] did not attempt to cancel out his subscription until he reached out to the members services team on February 19th 2016, at that time he received three full refunds of $70.00 each as a courtesy to him. As a courtesy, we have issued Mr. [redacted] an additional $70.00 refund. This is a total of four refunds of $70.00 each and the absolute exception for an account that has not been cancelled out. Mr. [redacted] subscription is cancelled and he will not receive any additional charges. We consider this case closed.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/01/13) */
[redacted] originally reached out to our Member Services team via email on Saturday January 10th.
We responded to her concerns on Sunday January 11th, see below.
Hi [redacted]
Thank you for reaching out to us.
It looks like you had...
registered for a monthly subscription to our Premium Membership. Because our memberships are subscription based, they will continue to renew until canceled as stated on the registration page.
In the future, you will just want to downgrade to a Basic Membership in your Account Settings page prior to renewal to cancel your subscription. If it is easier, you can always give us a call or email us and we will be happy to cancel your subscription for you!
But I've taken care of this today and have cancelled your Premium membership, effective immediately. I have also closed your account for you today and can confirm that you will not receive any further charges to this account.
Typically, without a record of cancellation, we are only able to issue a prorated refund for the time remaining on an active subscription. However, I spoke with my supervisor about your account and have processed the maximum refund for the last 60 days. You will receive two refunds in the amount of $35.00, which you can expect to see on your billing statement within the next 3 - 5 business days.
If you need anything else, feel free to reach out. We're here to help.
At this time we have also responded to her concerns via Facebook. Her account is cancelled and as a courtesy we did take care of the last 60 days in refunds for her.
[redacted] will not be billed going forward.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/08/19) */
Sittercity offers subscription based auto-renewing memberships, as stated during the registration process. Every user has the opportunity to turn their auto-renewal off, directly from their own account if they would only like to use the...
service for a limited time.
[redacted] upgraded her account to a paid membership on February 8, 2014 for a monthly subscription based membership. The account was never cancelled, which is why it did continue to auto-renew.
Normally, when a member calls to cancel and they've already been billed for the next cycle, we will process a prorated refund for the time remaining on the membership.
As a courtesy, we were able to process two full months in refunds, to cover the last 60 days. She received two refunds of $35, which we processed on August 14,2014. Refunds do take 2-4 business days to post back.
At this time the account is completely closed out and will not be billed going forward.
When I signed-up for Sittercity in 2012 I was under the impression that I was signing-up for one year. I used the service once during that year and decided not to renew because I wasn’t using it. I was unaware I needed to cancel by phone the service in order to stop my credit card from being charged the next year and never received any emails from the company reminding me of the renewal, or a receipt of the transaction. In fact, during the time I was subscribed to Sittercity, I received almost no communication from them regarding my account. Nothing to remind me I was still in fact a subscriber. (I did get about 5 emails over the course of 3 years with offers from affiliates etc none of which set off alarm bells) I had been billed for 3 years of the service before I caught the charge on my credit card today in January 2015. It was a yearly subscription for $140 dollars, $420 total! I called the company immediately and they refunded the most recent payment and said a supervisor would call me back when I mentioned the other payments. Someone did call me later that day and after a while she managed to get an “override†and refunded another $140. I am still out $140 dollars and am kicking myself for not seeing the charges sooner. I find it deceptive that companies are allowed to renew subscriptions without being required to send reminders or receipts. Many other companies I subscribe to do this. Additionally, I would never have checked an auto renew button and I don’t believe the “auto renew†default was made clear on signing-up. (I believe it is buried in the fine print)
Sittercity billing practices are intentionally constructed in order to make customers keep paying them even if they don't want to continue using the services. Very very unethical company, that is stealing their customers money by using this tactics.
In April 2013 I subscribed for a one month only account, and it was never clear anywhere that it would be automatically renewed every month unless I went to account settings and manually did a downgrade to the basic plan. How on earth was I supposed to suspect that?! Turns out they have been charging my credit card every month since then, to an astounding total of $945 without EVER sending any communication of any sort and without me using or even accessing their website during that whole period. What a scam!!!
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/05) */
[redacted] joined and upgraded her account in October 2014 for a monthly membership. On the registration page it states your membership will automatically renew until cancelled. All of our memberships are subscription based and will...
continue to be billed until cancelled out.
Typically without a record of a cancellation we do not process refunds because we are upfront about our policy.
[redacted]'s account had never been cancelled which is why it did continue to renew. [redacted] reached out to our Member Services team, her account was cancelled and three refunds of $35.00 were processed as a courtesy in closing it out.
At this time [redacted]'s account is cancelled and will not be billed going forward.
I feel scammed by Sittercity for shady billing practices and misleading claims about their child care providers.
I moved to Houston Texas not knowing a soul here. After we settled in, my wife and I wanted to go out without our three year old, so I had the bright idea to see if there were providers online, and came across sittercity.com and one other big site. I read through their websites and confirmed they were legit businesses, and based on my understanding that the childcare providers would have background checks among a host of other qualifications (touted by the site), I signed up for a year.... Why not? I'd love to go out with my wife regularly and thought a year would be plenty of time to find some steady sitters.
Unfortunately, I have not even found a SINGLE sitter with a full background check or qualifications. Not one. And, believe me, I searched hard as I really wanted to have a night out, and I wanted no part of the "I told you so" that would come my way if my venture into online child care was not successful.
I honestly don't even think the baby sitters are screened in any way whatsoever, based on the emails I received for my ad. Apparently I, yes ME, can PAY even more money, to have a minor background check done on the baby sitters. This is still unbelievable to me. It's stunning that a business that claims to provide parents with child care connections, does not even provide the most basic protections that one would expect when PAYING a substantial fee.
That is my first point, but I feel the following is near fraud if it is not actually fraud.
So I paid up front for a year. They have an auto subscription model, so whatever you choose for the term, one month, 3 months, one year.... at the end of the term it will automatically renew. I thought "okay, it is turned on when I sign up, but I'll just turn it off when I get in to the site". Well, it turns out if you try to turn off the auto subscription, it turns off your account completely (it is as though you are a "guest" on and unpaid account), even though you have ALREADY PAID, in full, for one year!!
So, I paid for a year, but I can't turn off the auto subscription trigger without turning off my full account access. This is a very dishonest business practice, clearly intended to BILL CUSTOMERS WITHOUT THE CUSTOMER'S INTENTION TO RENEW. I have forgotten to renew my insurance and other things that are highly important to me.... forgetting to turn off my renewal for a baby sitting website after a year of not seeing a bill would be far more likely than remembering to go in and turn it off the day it ended. This is preying on normal human behavior and should be stopped.
I can't recommend another online site to get a sitter as I have not used one (we ended up using a local licensed daycare with night time options), but hopefully I can steer people away from a business that saw my need for a night out with my wife as an open ended invitation to my wallet, without actually providing the service they claimed the contents of my wallet were going to get me.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/27) */
Maintaining a safe, trusted network where caregivers and families connect is paramount to Sittercity. To that end, Sittercity uses sophisticated technology to identify and remove scammers from the network. And, we are constantly...
improving our systems as scammers evolve their methods to avoid detection. We also supplement our technology with aggressive education about online scams. For example, shortly after registering on Sittercity, each caregiver receives an email about recognizing and avoiding common Internet scams. From there, Sittercity regularly reminds caregivers through emails and blog posts how to protect against scams "Safety for Sitters" web page (https://www.sittercity.com/tips-and-tools/sitters/safety-for-sitters.html ) and "5 Tips to Protect Yourself from Scammers on Sittercity" blog posting which addresses common scams (http://blog.sittercity.com/friday-5-tips-to-protect-yourself-from-scammers-on-s...⇄ Sittercity also publishes information on scammers in its Trust and Safety Center and through its Internet Safety Center "Internet Safety" web page (https://www.sittercity.com/internet-safety.html). Sittercity urges caregivers to report suspected scammers by phone at (XXX) XXX-XXXX, by email at [redacted]@sittercity.com or through the website at Sittercity Support.
[redacted] registered and upgraded her basic account in March of 2015 for a monthly membership. All of our memberships are subscription based and will automatically renew as...
stated on the registration page and in our terms of use. Prior to April 16th, the account had not been cancelled. [redacted] did not reach out to member services about her account. As of today, the members services team has processed three refunds as a courtesy of $35.00 each . The account is completely closed and will not be billed going forward. We consider this case closed.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/28) */
All of our memberships are subscription based and do automatically renew until cancelled as stated on the registration.
Because we are up front about this policy, we normally do not process refunds in full, unless the account is...
cancelled within five business days of the last charge.
[redacted] account had not been cancelled, which is why it did continue to be billed. At the time she reached out to Member Services a prorated refund of $43.96 was processed for the time remaining on her account. As a courtesy we have gone ahead and processed an additional refund of $70 as well as the remaining balance on the most recent charge, a refund of $26.04.
The account is completely cancelled and will not be billed going forward.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/05/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
While I am satisfied with the amount refunded to me, I cannot excuse this business's predatory behavior. Their membership offerings are clearly meant to confuse and deceive their customers. They should not offer memberships of specified lengths (1 month, 3 months and 1 year) if in fact every membership is recurring. Yes, upon reinspecting their membership sign up page, I do see the fine print that states that all memberships are recurring unless canceled by email or phone, but in my mind, this only amounts to legal theft. Clearly, they have not set it up this way to better serve their customers, and still refuse to right this wrong despite this issue being the number one complaint against them. I certainly would not use their website in the future and will not recommend that anyone else does either. When looking for a caregiver for my precious child, I need to know that every party involved in that search is trustworthy and ethical, and clearly this is not the case with sittercity.com..
Hi [redacted]
Thanks for reaching out and I apologize that you were unable to get a hold of our Member Services team.
I reviewed your account and it appears that you registered under our monthly subscription. All of our memberships are Subscription based and automatically renew, as...
stated on the registration page. Keep in mind, you are able to turn this off at any time by going into your Account Settings and selecting "Downgrade to Basic."This email confirms I have gone ahead and cancelled your Premium membership today and you will not receive any additional charges moving forward.We have also processed two refunds in the amount of $35.00 each, which you can expect to see on your billing statement within the next 3 - 5 business days.If you need anything else, feel free to reach out. We're here to help.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/08/20) */
Hoda reached out to our Member Services team on July 30th, see emails below:
Hello,
I did a premium subscription with your services on July 2013. I never agreed to be on automatic renewal. I just noticed when I got my credit card...
bill today that you actually charged me in July 2014 and now in July 2015. (I signed in and reviewed my account and you definitely do not make it clear you intend to keep subscriber credit card information and charge them automatically without informing them!).
This is unacceptable. You never send me a bill or an e mail alert in 2014 or 2015 to alert me you still have my credit card and intend to charge me. I have not used your website or services since the summer of 2013.
This is a serious matter that reflects very poorly on your business practices and leads someone to believe you handle your sitter services with the same level of deception! Please have someone in a management position call me ASAP.
I expect you to close my account immediately and make sure you do not keep any of my information, specially my credit card information.
Name Hoda [redacted]
Cell [redacted].
E mail [redacted]@aol.com
I would ask that you give this matter immediate and serious attention.
Thank you,
Hoda [redacted]
Hello,
I would like to add that I am formally requesting a full refund for both 2014 and 2015 charges, a total of $190.
In reviewing how you set up the manage account/account setting, someone would not actually guess they are on automatic renewal until they actively either look for it or try to change/cancel the subscription.
And with you not sending an alert before charging or a receipt after you charge, the only manner someone could pick up on the charge if they carefully review their credit card bill.
What is even more interesting is how you answer the request for refund if someone supposedly forgot to cancel their subscription and the 5 days rule: so in my case you charged me on July 1st without notifying me. I received my credit card bill today on July 30, and now you talk about pro-rating based on the 5 days rule. (very slick).
What is scary, I was recommending your site to so many people but never even thought I was still being charged and still had an active subscription. I would say, I used it in 2013 and although I never hired anyone through it, I thought it was good. Unbelievable! Shattered trust!
Hoda
Mobile: (630) 453-7590
On July 31st a Member Services team member responded to Hoda's emails, see below:
Hi Hoda,
We appreciate you taking the time to reach out to us.
I reviewed your account and it appears that you registered under our annual subscription. Since all of our memberships are automatic renewal subscription based memberships, they will continue to renew until canceled. This is stated on the registration page. Keep in mind; you are able to turn this off at any time by going into your Account Settings and selecting "Downgrade to Basic."
Because there is no record of cancellation for this membership, your annual subscription did continue to renew. This email confirms I have gone ahead and cancelled your Premium membership today and can confirm that you will not receive any additional charges moving forward.
Typically without a record of cancellation, all we are able to issue is a prorated refund of the most recent charge. However, I was able to get the full refund of the most recent charge approved for you today as a courtesy. You will receive one refund of $95.00, which you can expect to see on your billing statement within the next 3 - 5 business days
IF you have any additional questions in regards to the billing on your account, please feel free to give our Member Services department a call directly. Our number is 888-748-2489.
I hope you have a nice weekend.
Thanks,
Tiffany P.
The Sittercity Team
Hoda sent in the following response, see below:
Hello,
Your response is unacceptable and insufficient. I have the right for full refund for the past 2 years. I have filed a complaint with the Chicago Revdex.com and will be pursuing further action. I still expect someone in a leadership position at your organization to call me ASAP.
Hoda
Mobile: [redacted]
The supervisor of Member Services reached out to Hoda via phone. At this time both the annual renewal charges from 2014 and 2015 have been refunded.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 8, 2015/08/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I did receive the refund so I am satisfied with that part. I still believe they have deceptive business practices and I got the distinct feeling they are not intending to change their practices.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/01/28) */
Hi [redacted]
Thank you for reaching out to us.
It looks like you had registered for a quarterly subscription to our Premium Membership. Because our memberships are subscription based, they will continue to renew until canceled as...
stated on the registration page.
In the future, you will just want to downgrade to a Basic Membership in your Account Settings page prior to renewal to cancel your subscription. If it is easier, you can always give us a call or email us and we will be happy to cancel your subscription for you!
Your account was cancelled completely on January 23, after you called in. I can confirm that you will not receive any further charges to this account.
Typically, without a record of cancellation, we are only able to issue a prorated refund for the time remaining on an active subscription. However, as a courtesy, we processed 6 months in refunds for you. Two refunds of $70 were processed. This refund should have posted back within 3-5 business days.
If you need anything else, feel free to reach out.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/01/29) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
My complaints is with regards to refunding all three charges that were made beyond the 3 month period of the initial subscription. Two charges have been addressed. The third one hasn't, hence my not-accepting this answer.
With no record of a signed contract agreeing to any service beyond this, Sittercity has no right to charge my card. Sittercity can confirm that the account was not even accessed beyond the 3 initial subscription period.
As good business practice, Sittercity should also start sending receipts for every charge they put through client credit cards and stop their shady practices of automatically enrolling new subscribers to quarterly charges.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/02/02) */
Hi [redacted]
We've gone ahead and processed an additional refund of $70.00.
If you do decide to use the service in the future, please keep in mind this is a subscription based service and all of our memberships will automatically renew as stated on the registration page.
You will simply want to downgrade your account to basic in order to discontinue being billed.
Let us know if you have any other questions, we're here to help.
I paid Sitter City a one time $35.00 fee for referrals for pet care. The web site stated that my access would only be valid for a couple of months or so. I have been repeatedly been receiving charges of $70.00 to my credit card even though I only signed up for a one time service. The company has never even sent me an email or a written notice stating that they are charging my account. They know that they are being deceitful because why else would they not notify me of charging my account. EVERY business supplies you with a receipt or record of any charges accrued- except this company. I also requested certain services and I was receiving emails from people who were not able to fulfill my specific requests. I wanted someone to take my dogs for 10 days but I kept receiving emails from people who wanted to come to my house when I was not home.
Mr. [redacted] registered with Sittercity.com on June 12th 2014. On June 13th...
2014, Mr. [redacted] upgraded his membership to a quarterly membership. Sittercity.com states upfront on the registration page and in our terms of use that all subscriptions will renew until cancelled out. Mr. [redacted] did not attempt to cancel out his subscription until he reached out to the members services team on February 19th 2016, at that time he received three full refunds of $70.00 each as a courtesy to him. As a courtesy, we have issued Mr. [redacted] an additional $70.00 refund. This is a total of four refunds of $70.00 each and the absolute exception for an account that has not been cancelled out. Mr. [redacted] subscription is cancelled and he will not receive any additional charges. We consider this case closed.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/01/13) */
[redacted] originally reached out to our Member Services team via email on Saturday January 10th.
We responded to her concerns on Sunday January 11th, see below.
Hi [redacted]
Thank you for reaching out to us.
It looks like you had...
registered for a monthly subscription to our Premium Membership. Because our memberships are subscription based, they will continue to renew until canceled as stated on the registration page.
In the future, you will just want to downgrade to a Basic Membership in your Account Settings page prior to renewal to cancel your subscription. If it is easier, you can always give us a call or email us and we will be happy to cancel your subscription for you!
But I've taken care of this today and have cancelled your Premium membership, effective immediately. I have also closed your account for you today and can confirm that you will not receive any further charges to this account.
Typically, without a record of cancellation, we are only able to issue a prorated refund for the time remaining on an active subscription. However, I spoke with my supervisor about your account and have processed the maximum refund for the last 60 days. You will receive two refunds in the amount of $35.00, which you can expect to see on your billing statement within the next 3 - 5 business days.
If you need anything else, feel free to reach out. We're here to help.
At this time we have also responded to her concerns via Facebook. Her account is cancelled and as a courtesy we did take care of the last 60 days in refunds for her.
[redacted] will not be billed going forward.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/08/19) */
Sittercity offers subscription based auto-renewing memberships, as stated during the registration process. Every user has the opportunity to turn their auto-renewal off, directly from their own account if they would only like to use the...
service for a limited time.
[redacted] upgraded her account to a paid membership on February 8, 2014 for a monthly subscription based membership. The account was never cancelled, which is why it did continue to auto-renew.
Normally, when a member calls to cancel and they've already been billed for the next cycle, we will process a prorated refund for the time remaining on the membership.
As a courtesy, we were able to process two full months in refunds, to cover the last 60 days. She received two refunds of $35, which we processed on August 14,2014. Refunds do take 2-4 business days to post back.
At this time the account is completely closed out and will not be billed going forward.
When I signed-up for Sittercity in 2012 I was under the impression that I was signing-up for one year. I used the service once during that year and decided not to renew because I wasn’t using it. I was unaware I needed to cancel by phone the service in order to stop my credit card from being charged the next year and never received any emails from the company reminding me of the renewal, or a receipt of the transaction. In fact, during the time I was subscribed to Sittercity, I received almost no communication from them regarding my account. Nothing to remind me I was still in fact a subscriber. (I did get about 5 emails over the course of 3 years with offers from affiliates etc none of which set off alarm bells) I had been billed for 3 years of the service before I caught the charge on my credit card today in January 2015. It was a yearly subscription for $140 dollars, $420 total! I called the company immediately and they refunded the most recent payment and said a supervisor would call me back when I mentioned the other payments. Someone did call me later that day and after a while she managed to get an “override†and refunded another $140. I am still out $140 dollars and am kicking myself for not seeing the charges sooner. I find it deceptive that companies are allowed to renew subscriptions without being required to send reminders or receipts. Many other companies I subscribe to do this. Additionally, I would never have checked an auto renew button and I don’t believe the “auto renew†default was made clear on signing-up. (I believe it is buried in the fine print)
I'm afraid this website is used to collect personal information for personal identity theft. On another level, the website is littered with scammers.
Sittercity billing practices are intentionally constructed in order to make customers keep paying them even if they don't want to continue using the services. Very very unethical company, that is stealing their customers money by using this tactics.
In April 2013 I subscribed for a one month only account, and it was never clear anywhere that it would be automatically renewed every month unless I went to account settings and manually did a downgrade to the basic plan. How on earth was I supposed to suspect that?! Turns out they have been charging my credit card every month since then, to an astounding total of $945 without EVER sending any communication of any sort and without me using or even accessing their website during that whole period. What a scam!!!
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/05) */
[redacted] joined and upgraded her account in October 2014 for a monthly membership. On the registration page it states your membership will automatically renew until cancelled. All of our memberships are subscription based and will...
continue to be billed until cancelled out.
Typically without a record of a cancellation we do not process refunds because we are upfront about our policy.
[redacted]'s account had never been cancelled which is why it did continue to renew. [redacted] reached out to our Member Services team, her account was cancelled and three refunds of $35.00 were processed as a courtesy in closing it out.
At this time [redacted]'s account is cancelled and will not be billed going forward.
I feel scammed by Sittercity for shady billing practices and misleading claims about their child care providers.
I moved to Houston Texas not knowing a soul here. After we settled in, my wife and I wanted to go out without our three year old, so I had the bright idea to see if there were providers online, and came across sittercity.com and one other big site. I read through their websites and confirmed they were legit businesses, and based on my understanding that the childcare providers would have background checks among a host of other qualifications (touted by the site), I signed up for a year.... Why not? I'd love to go out with my wife regularly and thought a year would be plenty of time to find some steady sitters.
Unfortunately, I have not even found a SINGLE sitter with a full background check or qualifications. Not one. And, believe me, I searched hard as I really wanted to have a night out, and I wanted no part of the "I told you so" that would come my way if my venture into online child care was not successful.
I honestly don't even think the baby sitters are screened in any way whatsoever, based on the emails I received for my ad. Apparently I, yes ME, can PAY even more money, to have a minor background check done on the baby sitters. This is still unbelievable to me. It's stunning that a business that claims to provide parents with child care connections, does not even provide the most basic protections that one would expect when PAYING a substantial fee.
That is my first point, but I feel the following is near fraud if it is not actually fraud.
So I paid up front for a year. They have an auto subscription model, so whatever you choose for the term, one month, 3 months, one year.... at the end of the term it will automatically renew. I thought "okay, it is turned on when I sign up, but I'll just turn it off when I get in to the site". Well, it turns out if you try to turn off the auto subscription, it turns off your account completely (it is as though you are a "guest" on and unpaid account), even though you have ALREADY PAID, in full, for one year!!
So, I paid for a year, but I can't turn off the auto subscription trigger without turning off my full account access. This is a very dishonest business practice, clearly intended to BILL CUSTOMERS WITHOUT THE CUSTOMER'S INTENTION TO RENEW. I have forgotten to renew my insurance and other things that are highly important to me.... forgetting to turn off my renewal for a baby sitting website after a year of not seeing a bill would be far more likely than remembering to go in and turn it off the day it ended. This is preying on normal human behavior and should be stopped.
I can't recommend another online site to get a sitter as I have not used one (we ended up using a local licensed daycare with night time options), but hopefully I can steer people away from a business that saw my need for a night out with my wife as an open ended invitation to my wallet, without actually providing the service they claimed the contents of my wallet were going to get me.
Sincerely, [redacted].
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/27) */
Maintaining a safe, trusted network where caregivers and families connect is paramount to Sittercity. To that end, Sittercity uses sophisticated technology to identify and remove scammers from the network. And, we are constantly...
improving our systems as scammers evolve their methods to avoid detection. We also supplement our technology with aggressive education about online scams. For example, shortly after registering on Sittercity, each caregiver receives an email about recognizing and avoiding common Internet scams. From there, Sittercity regularly reminds caregivers through emails and blog posts how to protect against scams "Safety for Sitters" web page (https://www.sittercity.com/tips-and-tools/sitters/safety-for-sitters.html ) and "5 Tips to Protect Yourself from Scammers on Sittercity" blog posting which addresses common scams (http://blog.sittercity.com/friday-5-tips-to-protect-yourself-from-scammers-on-s...⇄ Sittercity also publishes information on scammers in its Trust and Safety Center and through its Internet Safety Center "Internet Safety" web page (https://www.sittercity.com/internet-safety.html). Sittercity urges caregivers to report suspected scammers by phone at (XXX) XXX-XXXX, by email at [redacted]@sittercity.com or through the website at Sittercity Support.
[redacted] registered and upgraded her basic account in March of 2015 for a monthly membership. All of our memberships are subscription based and will automatically renew as...
stated on the registration page and in our terms of use. Prior to April 16th, the account had not been cancelled. [redacted] did not reach out to member services about her account. As of today, the members services team has processed three refunds as a courtesy of $35.00 each . The account is completely closed and will not be billed going forward. We consider this case closed.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/28) */
All of our memberships are subscription based and do automatically renew until cancelled as stated on the registration.
Because we are up front about this policy, we normally do not process refunds in full, unless the account is...
cancelled within five business days of the last charge.
[redacted] account had not been cancelled, which is why it did continue to be billed. At the time she reached out to Member Services a prorated refund of $43.96 was processed for the time remaining on her account. As a courtesy we have gone ahead and processed an additional refund of $70 as well as the remaining balance on the most recent charge, a refund of $26.04.
The account is completely cancelled and will not be billed going forward.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/05/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
While I am satisfied with the amount refunded to me, I cannot excuse this business's predatory behavior. Their membership offerings are clearly meant to confuse and deceive their customers. They should not offer memberships of specified lengths (1 month, 3 months and 1 year) if in fact every membership is recurring. Yes, upon reinspecting their membership sign up page, I do see the fine print that states that all memberships are recurring unless canceled by email or phone, but in my mind, this only amounts to legal theft. Clearly, they have not set it up this way to better serve their customers, and still refuse to right this wrong despite this issue being the number one complaint against them. I certainly would not use their website in the future and will not recommend that anyone else does either. When looking for a caregiver for my precious child, I need to know that every party involved in that search is trustworthy and ethical, and clearly this is not the case with sittercity.com..
Hi [redacted]
Thanks for reaching out and I apologize that you were unable to get a hold of our Member Services team.
I reviewed your account and it appears that you registered under our monthly subscription. All of our memberships are Subscription based and automatically renew, as...
stated on the registration page. Keep in mind, you are able to turn this off at any time by going into your Account Settings and selecting "Downgrade to Basic."This email confirms I have gone ahead and cancelled your Premium membership today and you will not receive any additional charges moving forward.We have also processed two refunds in the amount of $35.00 each, which you can expect to see on your billing statement within the next 3 - 5 business days.If you need anything else, feel free to reach out. We're here to help.