Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/07/16) */
By way of background, the www.sittercity.com website offers parents access to thousands of caregivers in their area and around the countryFor a fee, parents can search for caregivers based on their selected criteriaParents can even
post jobs detailing their needs and requirements for a caregiver, to which caregivers respondAnd, parents generally use the www.sittercity.com website for many years while they need caregivers for their childrenBecause of this, and in an effort to avoid service disruption, membership plans to www.sittercity.com automatically renewIn fact, almost all subscription-type businesses automatically renew as a benefit to customers *** *** *** *** etc.)Sittercity's autorenewal policy is clear and conspicuous at the point of membership plan selection, at the point of checkout, and even in the terms of use, to which every member must agree to at registration and upon each subsequent login
All of that said, we do understand that some customers do not intend to autorenew their membershipAnd, it is not our business to make money off unintentional autorenewalsThat is why when Ms*** contacted us to cancel her membership we gave her three (3) full refunds of $June 23, 2015, and an additional three (3) more refunds of $on June 29, 2015, when Ms*** was not satisfied with our initial resolutionWe have looked into Ms***'s account further and realize she was only active on the web site for two (2) days after she joinedIn light of this information we have processed additional refunds for the time in which Ms*** did not use her membershipMs*** can expect to see these refunds posted to her bank statement within the next two (2) to four (4) business days
We trust this resolves this matter and hope that if Ms*** is ever in need of childcare she will visit us again
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/24) */
Sittercity offers subscription based memberships that are all set to automatically renew as stated during registration until they're cancelledEach member has the ability to turn the auto-renew on and off directly from their account
settings on their profile
*** registered and opened an account in AprilSince that time the account had not been cancelled, nor do we have any record of an email or phone call to cancel the membershipBecause we are up front about our subscription based policy, we normally do not process refunds for auto renewals, but when *** reached out to our Member Services team on October by phone to cancel, we went ahead and processed two refunds of $as a courtesy in closing out the account
This account is completely cancelled and will not be billed going forward
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/10/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This reply does not address the discussion with the representative*** where she gave the option to 'credit' the amount of $back to my accountIf Sittercity really 'keeps' record of all the phone calls then they should also have recorded this
I am also sure that I called them in May to cancel
On the other note - one line message at the bottom of the subscription page does not really justify Sittercity's 'being upfront' policyIf they 'require' the user/member to provide their e-mail, then they should be 'communicating' with them about their billing/monthly charges to members cards/accountsIn the past months, I have not received a single e-mail from them with any record that indicates that I have an active account with themThis is simply taking advantage of customers whether they use your services or not....how is this a legitimate business?
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2014/10/30) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This reply is not related to my concernI am not asking any clarification on account cancellation and future billing
I am expecting a refund from Sittercity for the amount that they charged to my account fraudulently($105)
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2014/11/13) */
Please know it was never our intent to disappoint*** While we do not have a record of the cancellation we're going to go ahead and take care of these additional charges for her
At this time three refunds of $have been processedA total of $105, will post back to her credit card statement in 3-business days
Sittercity offers subscription based memberships that are all set to automatically renew (as stated during registration), until they are cancelled out by the account holderEach member has
the ability to turn the auto-renew on and off directly from their account settings on their profile*** ** registered and opened an account on September 28, Since that time the account had not been cancelled, nor do we have any record of an email or phone call to cancel the membership. We are up front about our subscription based policyOn June 6th the members services team received a call from Valeria asking for her account to be cancelled out.This account is completely cancelled and will not be billed going forwardWe have also processed five courtesy refunds of $each for ***
I have used an account with SitterCity for roughly years and today I received an email terminating my accountUpon following directions to call Customer Service I was told I violated Terms of Use and was told company policy will not allow them to disclose what policy over the phone Follow up questions indicated they do not know or care ewhat terms if any are violatedThey refuse to tell you theteems of use and tell you to look at the websiteI had to skim paragraphs ro find the terms of use for termination and NOT to my surprise I have not violated any termsI have logged into my account once lately and that was to delete emails from SitterCity Admin regarding accounts being terminated due to scam activityI work full time at a drop in center and with an inconsistent schedule have not been able to utilize the site to its fullest intention but that is no reason to terminate an accountThey have been rude and dismissive and I have been unable to speak with a supervisor or even find out about appeal procedures
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/07/15) */
Hi ***
Thanks for reaching out to usI do sincerely apologize for your lossIt was never our intent to disappoint you
The trust & safety of our members is something we take very seriouslyWe absolutely appreciate you
reaching out to us with this information
In the event that we are able to identify scam activity on the site, our immediate response is to file an internal report and remove this personOnce the member has been removed we then send out a notification email to everyone who has been in contact with that person, letting them know we have removed them and to discontinue all communication
We also recommend always communicating through our site so that we can monitor activity and continue to support youUnfortunately in some of these situations, the communication has been moved outside of the website and at that point we can no longer monitor what is going on
I would also like to share this blog post with you, "Tips to Protect Yourself from Scammers on Sittercity", which can be found here -http://blog.sittercity.com/friday-5-tips-to-protect-yourself-from-scammers-on-s...⇄ I absolutely recommend reading through this, there's lots of good info
Let us know if you have any other questionsWe're happy to help!
Sittercity is an online meeting venue for families and caregiversWe offer a subscription based serviceMs*** purchased our monthly subscription on February 22,
Ms*** closed out her account after the renewal date came up on March 22, The renewal fee was declined twice, the charge for the subscription was renewed on the April 1, Since Ms*** called in on April 13, she was eligible for a pro-rated refund of $As a courtesy today, the members service team has refunded the remaining $back to Ms***We consider this case closed
This business practices misleading advertisingYou purchase a 3-month membership and they continue to bill for several months afterwords without provision of any servicesWhen contacted they refuse to cancel or refund without "prorating"
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/31) */
When a user registers our our site and decides to upgrade, they are given three choices of membership all of which are subscription basedOn that registration page we do state that the membership will continue to renew until cancelled,
this is also stated in our terms of use, and in the member's account settings
Keep in mind we do give all of our members the ability to turn the auto-renew on and off directly from their account settings, as well as two other ways to cancelAccounts can be cancelled at any timeWe also offer a full refund for the most recent charge if a member cancels within five days of the last billing date
*** upgraded her account to a paid premium membership and had never cancelled which is why it continued to renew
At the time of her call to our Member Services team she spoke with a representative as well as her call was escalated to management
Normally we do not process refunds because we are up front about our policy, but *** was definitely the exceptionWe not only took care of the charges that occurred in 2014, we also refunded all of *** received a refund of $in total
At that time the account was completely cancelled and will not be billed going forward
No additional refunds will be processed on this account
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/04/01) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept the response from SitterCityThey are engaging in fraudulent billing practices, as testified to by numerous consumers (see below)
I canceled my membership within the initial month period for which I signed upAnd should never have been billed another dollarInstead, SitterCity billed me over $1,for a service that I had canceled
Moreover, SitterCity did not once in four years send me a single invoice, bill, or any other notification to let me know that I was continuing to be billed on a quarterly basisJust imagine any other business (*** etc.) billing for years without sending one notification or invoice!
Although SitterCity claims that I was "definitely the exception" a quick look online reveals that many other SitterCity customers have had the exact same problem that I experiencedThese customers canceled their SitterCity memberships but continued to be billed, without receiving any notification
Here is a sampling of complaints submitted by other consumers on Yelp's page for Chicago - http://www.yelp.com/biz/sittercity-chicago-
"I haven't logged into citysitter since and just realized they have been silently charging my credit card $every year sinceThey send no e-mail communication regarding the renewal and the only way you'll know is by checking your credit card statementLuckily, I was able get a refund for this year, but even though I didn't login to the website, received no communication from them, I'm out $for a service I didn't use in Booh!!!"
And
"This company is deceitful and will continue to bill you monthlyCheck your card statementsThey will only refund you for months if you complainAwful, awful, awful."
And
"This site is a SCAMI paid up front for a quarterly subscription and they continued to charge me for a year even though I had cancelled and removed my add online! I received no email verification or notice that I was being renewed again and chargedAll they would refund is a month"
And
"STAY AWAY!!!!! Once you give them your credit card they don't stop charging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are shystersDon't believe their month only option!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Clearly, SitterCity is engaging in deceptive business practices and it is incumbent upon the Revdex.com of Chicago to take action
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/04/08) */
As the customer stated in her initial statement, this account continued to renew and had not been cancelledWe have no record of a cancellation as well as no record of communication to our Member Services team via phone or email
We have processed a courtesy refund for all of and 2015, which is the exceptionAgain, this is a subscription based service and we are up front about this policy on our registration page when a user upgrades to a paid premium membership
At this time no additional refunds will be processed on this account
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/04/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept the response from SitterCityThey are engaging in fraudulent billing practices, as testified to by numerous consumersIn fact there are complaints listed with the Revdex.com for the last years, most for the exact same fraudulent business practices that I experiencedSee here: http://www.Revdex.com.org/chicago/business-reviews/nanny-service/sittercity-in-c...⇄ />
I canceled my membership within the initial month period for which I signed upAnd should never have been billed another dollarInstead, SitterCity billed me over $1,for a service that I had canceled
Moreover, SitterCity did not once in four years send me a single invoice, bill, or any other notification to let me know that I was continuing to be billed on a quarterly basisJust imagine any other business (*** etc.) billing for years without sending one notification or invoice!
Although SitterCity claims that I was "definitely the exception" a quick look online reveals that many other SitterCity customers have had the exact same problem that I experiencedThese customers canceled their SitterCity memberships but continued to be billed, without receiving any notification
See the Revdex.com complaints or look at this sampling of complaints submitted by other consumers on Yelp's page for Chicago - http://www.yelp.com/biz/sittercity-chicago-
"I haven't logged into citysitter since and just realized they have been silently charging my credit card $every year sinceThey send no e-mail communication regarding the renewal and the only way you'll know is by checking your credit card statementLuckily, I was able get a refund for this year, but even though I didn't login to the website, received no communication from them, I'm out $for a service I didn't use in Booh!!!"
And
"This company is deceitful and will continue to bill you monthlyCheck your card statementsThey will only refund you for months if you complainAwful, awful, awful."
And
"This site is a SCAMI paid up front for a quarterly subscription and they continued to charge me for a year even though I had cancelled and removed my add online! I received no email verification or notice that I was being renewed again and chargedAll they would refund is a month"
And
"STAY AWAY!!!!! Once you give them your credit card they don't stop charging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are shystersDon't believe their month only option!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Clearly, SitterCity is engaging in deceptive business practices and it is incumbent upon the Revdex.com of Chicago to take action
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/08/26) */
*** reached out to our Member Services team on August Please see her email below
Hello,
I signed up for sittercity in October of 2012, paid $to use the site with premium status for a month in November, found a nanny
and haven't logged on to the site in over a year and a halfI was shocked when logging on to use the site again, tonight, because we need a new babysitter, to find that I have been paying $20/month for years, and I really need your help to make this right
I received no emails, no invoices, no alertsAnd of course, $is under the radar of what would catch our eye on the credit card billI really feel like we have been tricked by SitterCity, and the great experience I had using the site is now completely souredMy husband and I feel SitterCity robbed us
Had I received notifications that I was being charged a fee each month, this would be a different storyBut my usage of your site is well documented and I would like a refund from January to July
The subscription payment without notification seems suspiciously predatoryPlease let me know what you can do to help make this right,
Thank you,
***
One of our team members responded, please see below
Hi ***
Thanks for reaching out
I reviewed the account and it appears you were registered under our monthly membership under a special $a month pricing
Our accounts are set to auto-renew (as stated in registration) but you can turn this off at any time in your Account SettingsI have attached a screen shot of the registration page, where a customer authorizes this
You will remain a Premium member until 8-31-14, so that you can continue out the month to send out messagesYou will not be billed any further past the last charge in JulyAs a courtesy, we have also processed the maximum refund for the last daysYou will receive three refunds in the amount of $each, which you can expect to see on your billing statement within the next - business daysWe escalated the account to our billing processor to process the refunds today, because typically we can only process the most recent charge
If you need anything else, feel free to reach outWe're here to help
Thanks,
***
The Sittercity Team
As a courtesy, we have gone ahead and processed an additional refunds of $That is a total of months that*** has received in refundsHer account has been set to non-renew and will not be billed againRefunds do take about 3-business days to post back
Sittercity.com is an online meeting venue for families and caregiversWhen a sitter joins our site they are made aware that it is a public site and to be very careful with
the people they interact withOn day of a sitters initial sign up they receive an email that states all information regarding scam activity that can occur on Sittercity.comUnfortunately, since we are not an agency, we are unable to get involved in an monetary activity that has happened off of our siteWe have refunded *** background check as a courtesy, however we will not be able to get involved past that point
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2014/03/11) */
On February 27, *** reached out to Sittercity Member Services requesting the cancellation of her account and two refundsBoth refunds were processed electronically that same day
It was explained to *** that if those
refunds did not appear back to the card on file in business days, we would be more than happy to issue a check for the full refund amount
Friday March 7, a follow up email was sent to *** to ensure that she did receive the refundWe expressed our concern and willingness to process a paper check at that time if need be
At this time we have not heard from ***
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/05/16) */
*** reached out us via email on Saturday 05/10/We immediately addressed her concern about the annual membership fees and processed two refunds of $on 05/11/We explained that she would see these refunds post
back in 3-business days
Please see email chain below
I have not used this account for two years, We have been billed for renewals without any sort of notice, receipts, confirmation of payment, or anything of that natureWe demand an immediate, full refund for the past two years ($280)We also intend to pursue this with the Revdex.com and other social media sites
Hi ***
Not a problem, we can definitely take care of this for you
We have cancelled your Premium membership and you will not be billed any furtherWe have also taken care of those charges from & You can expect to see two refunds in the amount of $each post to your billing statement within the next - business days
If you need anything else, feel free to reach outWe're here to help
Thanks,
***
The Sittercity Team
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/31) */
Hi***
Our records indicate that you offered two background checks
One for*** on February 22nd and the other for ***on February 23rd
*** completed her background check on February 24th, which is why
you were billed $***., however, has not completed her background checkOnce her background check is completed, you will be billed an additional $
*** will need to go into her Sittercity account and accept your offer for the background checkBackground checks are typically processed by TalentWise within 1-days, but they can take up to days
A refund of $will not be processed for the background check that was accepted and completed by***
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to our Member Services support team at XXX-XXX-XXXX
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/16) */
Sittercity is not an agency, but an online meeting venueWe provide a place for families to connect with caregiversWe do an Identity Verification on everyone who registers on the site as well as screen everyone against the National
Sex Offender RegistryWhile we do offer background checks as a highly recommended option, we cannot force anyone to run one because we are not an agency
We are able to provide the best level of Customer Service through email and phone supportWe answer all emails in one business day and are available by phone, Mon - Fri: 8a.m - 4p.m CSTWe are always here to answer any question and to hear any and all concerns
I cancelled my account and they have continued to bill me even after my credit card has expiredI followed their process for terminating my account however the charges have continuedI have disputed the charges with my credit card but I cannot show that I cancelled the account because they do not send an email confirming cancellationAlso, if a vendor has a recurring charge on your credit card, your credit card will accept the charge even if the credit card expiration date is past or the credit card number is changedThe *only* way to stop the recurring charge is via the vendor (Sittercity) or close your credit card account
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/23) */
*** reached out to Sittercity to discuss a negative review on her profileShe requested to have the review removedMultiple members of the Member Services team, including the Supervisor, took the time to speak with *** and let
her know the review would remain on her profileWe further explained that she did have the option to respond publicly to the reviewHer response was posted to her profile
At this time *** is not eligible for membership on sittercity.com due to a Terms of Use violation and her account will not be reactivated
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/10/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
My response was not posted to the sitePart of it was the most important part was omittedI actually had parents tell me that and that is why I called sittercity on the day they deleted my profileAlso, sittercity keeps telling me I have violated their terms, but they won't tell me what I did*** told me the day after they deleted my profile the Board of Directors has the final sayI have sent letters to the boardYesterday is when *** told me I am never again eligabe to be on sittercityI would at least like to know that is the Boards decision*** said that is not the case
I am contantly being misled by sittercity
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/10/24) */
On multiple occasions *** reached out to our Member Services department conducting herself in a very unprofessional mannerShe used foul language and continued to be disrespectful towards our staff
At this time *** is not eligible to be a member on our site and her account will not be reactivated
Complaint: 1***
I am rejecting this response because:
While I appreciate the apology and that my account was closed, the point of all of this was that the website does not disclose upfront that a premium membership (which involves fees and payment) is required to communicate with a sitterThis should be acknowledged on their site before they ask you to create an account etc.. and this was my suggested resolution which was not touched on in their responseShould they chose not to do that, it's fine- but I am sure they will have continued complaints particularly since other Revdex.com reviews of this business seem to point to this business as being in the habit of not fully disclosing information to consumers.
Sincerely,
*** ***
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/02/17) */
Hi ***
I'm so sorry to here that you haven't had much luck on the siteWhile we do highly recommend that sitters run the background check, we do know that this is not a guarantee for job placementAt this time I have offered
you a background check at no cost to you, which you can accept directly through your "my background checks" quick link located directly on your profile
I would also be more than happy to refund your daughter for the background check she purchased
If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to reach outWe are always here to help(***)
Please see note below from Sittercity's legal counsel.
1px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Dear Ms. [redacted]
I received your correspondence dated Wednesday, January 13, 2016. I appreciate you taking the time to write to us about your billing concerns. In all, you have opened three separate, paid Sittercity accounts. And, among these three accounts, Sittercity has refunded you on four separate occasions a total of $638 as a result of your claim that you did not intend for your membership(s) to auto renew. For the reasons set forth below, Sittercity is unwilling to refund you any more money.
First and foremost, please understand that we automatically renew memberships as a convenience to our customers so that customers are able to continuously access the Sittercity service without service disruption and without having to re-register and/or re-enter credit card information. As a subscription-based service, the overwhelming majority of parents/customers use our service over a long period of time as childcare needs ebb and flow. In order to accommodate customer needs, automatically renewing memberships make the most sense. In fact, almost all subscription-type businesses automatically renew as a benefit to customers ([redacted] And, the Sittercity website makes abundantly clear that memberships automatically renew at the same subscription that is originally selected. The Sittercity website also makes clear that there are three methods to turn off the auto-renew feature and/or cancel your membership: by calling member services; by emailing member services; and, by changing your account settings. You are no doubt familiar with these three methods as you have taken advantage of each of them. All of that said, we do understand that sometimes customers forget about their account or do not intend to autorenew their membership. And, it is not our business to make money off unintentional autorenewals. That is why we have returned to you a total of $638 over four separate refunds despite your clear familiarity with the automatically renewing nature of the Sittercity service, as evidenced by your contacts with member services and you having turned off auto-renew three different ways.
Member ID [redacted] - Email Address: [redacted]
By way of background, your use of Sittercity began on April 16, 2008, under member ID [redacted] when you registered for a monthly membership. Your initial use of Sittercity under member ID [redacted] spanned nearly three years (April 2008 to July 2011), including account activity in the following months: April 2008; May 2008; June 2008; July 2008; September 2008; October 2008; November 2008 ; January 2009; February 2009; March 2009; April 2009; August 2009; October 2009; November 2009; June 2010; and, July 2011. Within this nearly three years, you turned off the auto-renew feature in your account setting twice, on January 11, 2009 and October 19, 2009. Clearly, you were familiar with and benefitted from your automatically renewing membership as evidenced by your repeated use of the Sittercity service month after month. And, it is also clear that you were familiar with your ability to turn off the auto-renew feature in your account settings, which you did twice.
On July 17, 2012, you reinstated your account under member ID [redacted] Once reinstated, your use of Sittercity under member ID [redacted] spanned eight months (July 2012 to February 2013), including account activity in the following months: July 2012, August 2012 and February 2013. Clearly, again, you were familiar with and benefitted from your automatically renewing membership. Despite this account activity and your demonstrated ability to turn off the auto-renew feature, pursuant to your request on March 11, 2013, member services processed a total of four refunds for $35 as a good will gesture (two on March 12, 2013 and two on March 20, 2013), for a total of $140.
On April 22, 2014, you went back into your account settings and reinstated your account under member ID [redacted] and posted a job, received and sent messages. On January 3, 2016, pursuant to your request, member services processed a total of six more refunds for $35 for a total of $210.
Member ID [redacted] - Email Address: [redacted]
On July 11, 2011, you created another account under member ID [redacted] when you registered for a quarterly membership. Then, on April 16, 2013, you emailed member services to cancel membership ID [redacted] and member services processed a total of three refunds for $70 for a total of $210.
Member ID [redacted] - Email Address: [redacted]
Finally, on April 10, 2012, you created another account under member ID [redacted] when you registered for free membership. Your use of Sittercity under member ID [redacted] spanned nearly three years (April 2012 to December 2014), although you were not charged until August 1, 2014, when you upgraded to a monthly membership. On December 16, 2014, membership ID [redacted] was canceled and member services processed a total of two refunds for $39 for a total of $78.
Sittercity makes it clear that memberships automatically renew at the same subscription as originally selected unless and until you turn off the auto-renew feature or cancel your membership through your account settings or by emailing members services or calling member services. It is clear that you knew that your Sittercity membership automatically renew and it is also clear that you knew how to turn of the auto-renew feature. Despite this, Sittercity refunded you $638 across three separate accounts. As such, we consider this matter closed.
Best regards,
[redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/07/17) */
Hi[redacted]
Thanks again for reaching out. I spoke with you earlier on the phone, but wanted to follow up with an email as well. The account associated with your email, [email protected], had previously been cancelled and closed per...
your request. After a more extensive search, we were able to pin point that you also had an account under the email, [email protected], that which we were unaware of. We have completely closed and unsubscribed that account as well.
Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions or concerns, we're happy to help.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/07/16) */
By way of background, the www.sittercity.com website offers parents access to thousands of caregivers in their area and around the countryFor a fee, parents can search for caregivers based on their selected criteriaParents can even
post jobs detailing their needs and requirements for a caregiver, to which caregivers respondAnd, parents generally use the www.sittercity.com website for many years while they need caregivers for their childrenBecause of this, and in an effort to avoid service disruption, membership plans to www.sittercity.com automatically renewIn fact, almost all subscription-type businesses automatically renew as a benefit to customers *** *** *** *** etc.)Sittercity's autorenewal policy is clear and conspicuous at the point of membership plan selection, at the point of checkout, and even in the terms of use, to which every member must agree to at registration and upon each subsequent login
All of that said, we do understand that some customers do not intend to autorenew their membershipAnd, it is not our business to make money off unintentional autorenewalsThat is why when Ms*** contacted us to cancel her membership we gave her three (3) full refunds of $June 23, 2015, and an additional three (3) more refunds of $on June 29, 2015, when Ms*** was not satisfied with our initial resolutionWe have looked into Ms***'s account further and realize she was only active on the web site for two (2) days after she joinedIn light of this information we have processed additional refunds for the time in which Ms*** did not use her membershipMs*** can expect to see these refunds posted to her bank statement within the next two (2) to four (4) business days
We trust this resolves this matter and hope that if Ms*** is ever in need of childcare she will visit us again
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/24) */
Sittercity offers subscription based memberships that are all set to automatically renew as stated during registration until they're cancelledEach member has the ability to turn the auto-renew on and off directly from their account
settings on their profile
*** registered and opened an account in AprilSince that time the account had not been cancelled, nor do we have any record of an email or phone call to cancel the membershipBecause we are up front about our subscription based policy, we normally do not process refunds for auto renewals, but when *** reached out to our Member Services team on October by phone to cancel, we went ahead and processed two refunds of $as a courtesy in closing out the account
This account is completely cancelled and will not be billed going forward
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/10/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This reply does not address the discussion with the representative*** where she gave the option to 'credit' the amount of $back to my accountIf Sittercity really 'keeps' record of all the phone calls then they should also have recorded this
I am also sure that I called them in May to cancel
On the other note - one line message at the bottom of the subscription page does not really justify Sittercity's 'being upfront' policyIf they 'require' the user/member to provide their e-mail, then they should be 'communicating' with them about their billing/monthly charges to members cards/accountsIn the past months, I have not received a single e-mail from them with any record that indicates that I have an active account with themThis is simply taking advantage of customers whether they use your services or not....how is this a legitimate business?
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2014/10/30) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This reply is not related to my concernI am not asking any clarification on account cancellation and future billing
I am expecting a refund from Sittercity for the amount that they charged to my account fraudulently($105)
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2014/11/13) */
Please know it was never our intent to disappoint*** While we do not have a record of the cancellation we're going to go ahead and take care of these additional charges for her
At this time three refunds of $have been processedA total of $105, will post back to her credit card statement in 3-business days
Sittercity offers subscription based memberships that are all set to automatically renew (as stated during registration), until they are cancelled out by the account holderEach member has
the ability to turn the auto-renew on and off directly from their account settings on their profile*** ** registered and opened an account on September 28, Since that time the account had not been cancelled, nor do we have any record of an email or phone call to cancel the membership. We are up front about our subscription based policyOn June 6th the members services team received a call from Valeria asking for her account to be cancelled out.This account is completely cancelled and will not be billed going forwardWe have also processed five courtesy refunds of $each for ***
I have used an account with SitterCity for roughly years and today I received an email terminating my accountUpon following directions to call Customer Service I was told I violated Terms of Use and was told company policy will not allow them to disclose what policy over the phone Follow up questions indicated they do not know or care ewhat terms if any are violatedThey refuse to tell you theteems of use and tell you to look at the websiteI had to skim paragraphs ro find the terms of use for termination and NOT to my surprise I have not violated any termsI have logged into my account once lately and that was to delete emails from SitterCity Admin regarding accounts being terminated due to scam activityI work full time at a drop in center and with an inconsistent schedule have not been able to utilize the site to its fullest intention but that is no reason to terminate an accountThey have been rude and dismissive and I have been unable to speak with a supervisor or even find out about appeal procedures
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/07/15) */
Hi ***
Thanks for reaching out to usI do sincerely apologize for your lossIt was never our intent to disappoint you
The trust & safety of our members is something we take very seriouslyWe absolutely appreciate you
reaching out to us with this information
In the event that we are able to identify scam activity on the site, our immediate response is to file an internal report and remove this personOnce the member has been removed we then send out a notification email to everyone who has been in contact with that person, letting them know we have removed them and to discontinue all communication
We also recommend always communicating through our site so that we can monitor activity and continue to support youUnfortunately in some of these situations, the communication has been moved outside of the website and at that point we can no longer monitor what is going on
I would also like to share this blog post with you, "Tips to Protect Yourself from Scammers on Sittercity", which can be found here -http://blog.sittercity.com/friday-5-tips-to-protect-yourself-from-scammers-on-s...⇄ I absolutely recommend reading through this, there's lots of good info
Let us know if you have any other questionsWe're happy to help!
Sittercity is an online meeting venue for families and caregiversWe offer a subscription based serviceMs*** purchased our monthly subscription on February 22,
Ms*** closed out her account after the renewal date came up on March 22, The renewal fee was declined twice, the charge for the subscription was renewed on the April 1, Since Ms*** called in on April 13, she was eligible for a pro-rated refund of $As a courtesy today, the members service team has refunded the remaining $back to Ms***We consider this case closed
This business practices misleading advertisingYou purchase a 3-month membership and they continue to bill for several months afterwords without provision of any servicesWhen contacted they refuse to cancel or refund without "prorating"
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/31) */
When a user registers our our site and decides to upgrade, they are given three choices of membership all of which are subscription basedOn that registration page we do state that the membership will continue to renew until cancelled,
this is also stated in our terms of use, and in the member's account settings
Keep in mind we do give all of our members the ability to turn the auto-renew on and off directly from their account settings, as well as two other ways to cancelAccounts can be cancelled at any timeWe also offer a full refund for the most recent charge if a member cancels within five days of the last billing date
*** upgraded her account to a paid premium membership and had never cancelled which is why it continued to renew
At the time of her call to our Member Services team she spoke with a representative as well as her call was escalated to management
Normally we do not process refunds because we are up front about our policy, but *** was definitely the exceptionWe not only took care of the charges that occurred in 2014, we also refunded all of *** received a refund of $in total
At that time the account was completely cancelled and will not be billed going forward
No additional refunds will be processed on this account
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/04/01) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept the response from SitterCityThey are engaging in fraudulent billing practices, as testified to by numerous consumers (see below)
I canceled my membership within the initial month period for which I signed upAnd should never have been billed another dollarInstead, SitterCity billed me over $1,for a service that I had canceled
Moreover, SitterCity did not once in four years send me a single invoice, bill, or any other notification to let me know that I was continuing to be billed on a quarterly basisJust imagine any other business (*** etc.) billing for years without sending one notification or invoice!
Although SitterCity claims that I was "definitely the exception" a quick look online reveals that many other SitterCity customers have had the exact same problem that I experiencedThese customers canceled their SitterCity memberships but continued to be billed, without receiving any notification
Here is a sampling of complaints submitted by other consumers on Yelp's page for Chicago - http://www.yelp.com/biz/sittercity-chicago-
"I haven't logged into citysitter since and just realized they have been silently charging my credit card $every year sinceThey send no e-mail communication regarding the renewal and the only way you'll know is by checking your credit card statementLuckily, I was able get a refund for this year, but even though I didn't login to the website, received no communication from them, I'm out $for a service I didn't use in Booh!!!"
And
"This company is deceitful and will continue to bill you monthlyCheck your card statementsThey will only refund you for months if you complainAwful, awful, awful."
And
"This site is a SCAMI paid up front for a quarterly subscription and they continued to charge me for a year even though I had cancelled and removed my add online! I received no email verification or notice that I was being renewed again and chargedAll they would refund is a month"
And
"STAY AWAY!!!!! Once you give them your credit card they don't stop charging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are shystersDon't believe their month only option!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Clearly, SitterCity is engaging in deceptive business practices and it is incumbent upon the Revdex.com of Chicago to take action
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/04/08) */
As the customer stated in her initial statement, this account continued to renew and had not been cancelledWe have no record of a cancellation as well as no record of communication to our Member Services team via phone or email
We have processed a courtesy refund for all of and 2015, which is the exceptionAgain, this is a subscription based service and we are up front about this policy on our registration page when a user upgrades to a paid premium membership
At this time no additional refunds will be processed on this account
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/04/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept the response from SitterCityThey are engaging in fraudulent billing practices, as testified to by numerous consumersIn fact there are complaints listed with the Revdex.com for the last years, most for the exact same fraudulent business practices that I experiencedSee here: http://www.Revdex.com.org/chicago/business-reviews/nanny-service/sittercity-in-c...⇄ /> I canceled my membership within the initial month period for which I signed upAnd should never have been billed another dollarInstead, SitterCity billed me over $1,for a service that I had canceled
Moreover, SitterCity did not once in four years send me a single invoice, bill, or any other notification to let me know that I was continuing to be billed on a quarterly basisJust imagine any other business (*** etc.) billing for years without sending one notification or invoice!
Although SitterCity claims that I was "definitely the exception" a quick look online reveals that many other SitterCity customers have had the exact same problem that I experiencedThese customers canceled their SitterCity memberships but continued to be billed, without receiving any notification
See the Revdex.com complaints or look at this sampling of complaints submitted by other consumers on Yelp's page for Chicago - http://www.yelp.com/biz/sittercity-chicago-
"I haven't logged into citysitter since and just realized they have been silently charging my credit card $every year sinceThey send no e-mail communication regarding the renewal and the only way you'll know is by checking your credit card statementLuckily, I was able get a refund for this year, but even though I didn't login to the website, received no communication from them, I'm out $for a service I didn't use in Booh!!!"
And
"This company is deceitful and will continue to bill you monthlyCheck your card statementsThey will only refund you for months if you complainAwful, awful, awful."
And
"This site is a SCAMI paid up front for a quarterly subscription and they continued to charge me for a year even though I had cancelled and removed my add online! I received no email verification or notice that I was being renewed again and chargedAll they would refund is a month"
And
"STAY AWAY!!!!! Once you give them your credit card they don't stop charging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are shystersDon't believe their month only option!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Clearly, SitterCity is engaging in deceptive business practices and it is incumbent upon the Revdex.com of Chicago to take action
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/08/26) */
*** reached out to our Member Services team on August Please see her email below
Hello,
I signed up for sittercity in October of 2012, paid $to use the site with premium status for a month in November, found a nanny
and haven't logged on to the site in over a year and a halfI was shocked when logging on to use the site again, tonight, because we need a new babysitter, to find that I have been paying $20/month for years, and I really need your help to make this right
I received no emails, no invoices, no alertsAnd of course, $is under the radar of what would catch our eye on the credit card billI really feel like we have been tricked by SitterCity, and the great experience I had using the site is now completely souredMy husband and I feel SitterCity robbed us
Had I received notifications that I was being charged a fee each month, this would be a different storyBut my usage of your site is well documented and I would like a refund from January to July
The subscription payment without notification seems suspiciously predatoryPlease let me know what you can do to help make this right,
Thank you,
***
One of our team members responded, please see below
Hi ***
Thanks for reaching out
I reviewed the account and it appears you were registered under our monthly membership under a special $a month pricing
Our accounts are set to auto-renew (as stated in registration) but you can turn this off at any time in your Account SettingsI have attached a screen shot of the registration page, where a customer authorizes this
You will remain a Premium member until 8-31-14, so that you can continue out the month to send out messagesYou will not be billed any further past the last charge in JulyAs a courtesy, we have also processed the maximum refund for the last daysYou will receive three refunds in the amount of $each, which you can expect to see on your billing statement within the next - business daysWe escalated the account to our billing processor to process the refunds today, because typically we can only process the most recent charge
If you need anything else, feel free to reach outWe're here to help
Thanks,
***
The Sittercity Team
As a courtesy, we have gone ahead and processed an additional refunds of $That is a total of months that*** has received in refundsHer account has been set to non-renew and will not be billed againRefunds do take about 3-business days to post back
Sittercity.com is an online meeting venue for families and caregiversWhen a sitter joins our site they are made aware that it is a public site and to be very careful with
the people they interact withOn day of a sitters initial sign up they receive an email that states all information regarding scam activity that can occur on Sittercity.comUnfortunately, since we are not an agency, we are unable to get involved in an monetary activity that has happened off of our siteWe have refunded *** background check as a courtesy, however we will not be able to get involved past that point
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2014/03/11) */
On February 27, *** reached out to Sittercity Member Services requesting the cancellation of her account and two refundsBoth refunds were processed electronically that same day
It was explained to *** that if those
refunds did not appear back to the card on file in business days, we would be more than happy to issue a check for the full refund amount
Friday March 7, a follow up email was sent to *** to ensure that she did receive the refundWe expressed our concern and willingness to process a paper check at that time if need be
At this time we have not heard from ***
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/05/16) */
*** reached out us via email on Saturday 05/10/We immediately addressed her concern about the annual membership fees and processed two refunds of $on 05/11/We explained that she would see these refunds post
back in 3-business days
Please see email chain below
I have not used this account for two years, We have been billed for renewals without any sort of notice, receipts, confirmation of payment, or anything of that natureWe demand an immediate, full refund for the past two years ($280)We also intend to pursue this with the Revdex.com and other social media sites
Hi ***
Not a problem, we can definitely take care of this for you
We have cancelled your Premium membership and you will not be billed any furtherWe have also taken care of those charges from & You can expect to see two refunds in the amount of $each post to your billing statement within the next - business days
If you need anything else, feel free to reach outWe're here to help
Thanks,
***
The Sittercity Team
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/31) */
Hi***
Our records indicate that you offered two background checks
One for*** on February 22nd and the other for ***on February 23rd
*** completed her background check on February 24th, which is why
you were billed $***., however, has not completed her background checkOnce her background check is completed, you will be billed an additional $
*** will need to go into her Sittercity account and accept your offer for the background checkBackground checks are typically processed by TalentWise within 1-days, but they can take up to days
A refund of $will not be processed for the background check that was accepted and completed by***
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to our Member Services support team at XXX-XXX-XXXX
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/16) */
Sittercity is not an agency, but an online meeting venueWe provide a place for families to connect with caregiversWe do an Identity Verification on everyone who registers on the site as well as screen everyone against the National
Sex Offender RegistryWhile we do offer background checks as a highly recommended option, we cannot force anyone to run one because we are not an agency
We are able to provide the best level of Customer Service through email and phone supportWe answer all emails in one business day and are available by phone, Mon - Fri: 8a.m - 4p.m CSTWe are always here to answer any question and to hear any and all concerns
I cancelled my account and they have continued to bill me even after my credit card has expiredI followed their process for terminating my account however the charges have continuedI have disputed the charges with my credit card but I cannot show that I cancelled the account because they do not send an email confirming cancellationAlso, if a vendor has a recurring charge on your credit card, your credit card will accept the charge even if the credit card expiration date is past or the credit card number is changedThe *only* way to stop the recurring charge is via the vendor (Sittercity) or close your credit card account
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/23) */
*** reached out to Sittercity to discuss a negative review on her profileShe requested to have the review removedMultiple members of the Member Services team, including the Supervisor, took the time to speak with *** and let
her know the review would remain on her profileWe further explained that she did have the option to respond publicly to the reviewHer response was posted to her profile
At this time *** is not eligible for membership on sittercity.com due to a Terms of Use violation and her account will not be reactivated
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/10/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
My response was not posted to the sitePart of it was the most important part was omittedI actually had parents tell me that and that is why I called sittercity on the day they deleted my profileAlso, sittercity keeps telling me I have violated their terms, but they won't tell me what I did*** told me the day after they deleted my profile the Board of Directors has the final sayI have sent letters to the boardYesterday is when *** told me I am never again eligabe to be on sittercityI would at least like to know that is the Boards decision*** said that is not the case
I am contantly being misled by sittercity
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/10/24) */
On multiple occasions *** reached out to our Member Services department conducting herself in a very unprofessional mannerShe used foul language and continued to be disrespectful towards our staff
At this time *** is not eligible to be a member on our site and her account will not be reactivated
Complaint: 1***
I am rejecting this response because:
While I appreciate the apology and that my account was closed, the point of all of this was that the website does not disclose upfront that a premium membership (which involves fees and payment) is required to communicate with a sitterThis should be acknowledged on their site before they ask you to create an account etc.. and this was my suggested resolution which was not touched on in their responseShould they chose not to do that, it's fine- but I am sure they will have continued complaints particularly since other Revdex.com reviews of this business seem to point to this business as being in the habit of not fully disclosing information to consumers.
Sincerely,
*** ***
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/02/17) */
Hi ***
I'm so sorry to here that you haven't had much luck on the siteWhile we do highly recommend that sitters run the background check, we do know that this is not a guarantee for job placementAt this time I have offered
you a background check at no cost to you, which you can accept directly through your "my background checks" quick link located directly on your profile
I would also be more than happy to refund your daughter for the background check she purchased
If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to reach outWe are always here to help(***)
Please see note below from Sittercity's legal counsel.
1px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Dear Ms. [redacted]
I received your correspondence dated Wednesday, January 13, 2016. I appreciate you taking the time to write to us about your billing concerns. In all, you have opened three separate, paid Sittercity accounts. And, among these three accounts, Sittercity has refunded you on four separate occasions a total of $638 as a result of your claim that you did not intend for your membership(s) to auto renew. For the reasons set forth below, Sittercity is unwilling to refund you any more money.
First and foremost, please understand that we automatically renew memberships as a convenience to our customers so that customers are able to continuously access the Sittercity service without service disruption and without having to re-register and/or re-enter credit card information. As a subscription-based service, the overwhelming majority of parents/customers use our service over a long period of time as childcare needs ebb and flow. In order to accommodate customer needs, automatically renewing memberships make the most sense. In fact, almost all subscription-type businesses automatically renew as a benefit to customers ([redacted] And, the Sittercity website makes abundantly clear that memberships automatically renew at the same subscription that is originally selected. The Sittercity website also makes clear that there are three methods to turn off the auto-renew feature and/or cancel your membership: by calling member services; by emailing member services; and, by changing your account settings. You are no doubt familiar with these three methods as you have taken advantage of each of them. All of that said, we do understand that sometimes customers forget about their account or do not intend to autorenew their membership. And, it is not our business to make money off unintentional autorenewals. That is why we have returned to you a total of $638 over four separate refunds despite your clear familiarity with the automatically renewing nature of the Sittercity service, as evidenced by your contacts with member services and you having turned off auto-renew three different ways.
Member ID [redacted] - Email Address: [redacted]
By way of background, your use of Sittercity began on April 16, 2008, under member ID [redacted] when you registered for a monthly membership. Your initial use of Sittercity under member ID [redacted] spanned nearly three years (April 2008 to July 2011), including account activity in the following months: April 2008; May 2008; June 2008; July 2008; September 2008; October 2008; November 2008 ; January 2009; February 2009; March 2009; April 2009; August 2009; October 2009; November 2009; June 2010; and, July 2011. Within this nearly three years, you turned off the auto-renew feature in your account setting twice, on January 11, 2009 and October 19, 2009. Clearly, you were familiar with and benefitted from your automatically renewing membership as evidenced by your repeated use of the Sittercity service month after month. And, it is also clear that you were familiar with your ability to turn off the auto-renew feature in your account settings, which you did twice.
On July 17, 2012, you reinstated your account under member ID [redacted] Once reinstated, your use of Sittercity under member ID [redacted] spanned eight months (July 2012 to February 2013), including account activity in the following months: July 2012, August 2012 and February 2013. Clearly, again, you were familiar with and benefitted from your automatically renewing membership. Despite this account activity and your demonstrated ability to turn off the auto-renew feature, pursuant to your request on March 11, 2013, member services processed a total of four refunds for $35 as a good will gesture (two on March 12, 2013 and two on March 20, 2013), for a total of $140.
On April 22, 2014, you went back into your account settings and reinstated your account under member ID [redacted] and posted a job, received and sent messages. On January 3, 2016, pursuant to your request, member services processed a total of six more refunds for $35 for a total of $210.
Member ID [redacted] - Email Address: [redacted]
On July 11, 2011, you created another account under member ID [redacted] when you registered for a quarterly membership. Then, on April 16, 2013, you emailed member services to cancel membership ID [redacted] and member services processed a total of three refunds for $70 for a total of $210.
Member ID [redacted] - Email Address: [redacted]
Finally, on April 10, 2012, you created another account under member ID [redacted] when you registered for free membership. Your use of Sittercity under member ID [redacted] spanned nearly three years (April 2012 to December 2014), although you were not charged until August 1, 2014, when you upgraded to a monthly membership. On December 16, 2014, membership ID [redacted] was canceled and member services processed a total of two refunds for $39 for a total of $78.
Sittercity makes it clear that memberships automatically renew at the same subscription as originally selected unless and until you turn off the auto-renew feature or cancel your membership through your account settings or by emailing members services or calling member services. It is clear that you knew that your Sittercity membership automatically renew and it is also clear that you knew how to turn of the auto-renew feature. Despite this, Sittercity refunded you $638 across three separate accounts. As such, we consider this matter closed.
Best regards,
[redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/07/17) */
Hi[redacted]
Thanks again for reaching out. I spoke with you earlier on the phone, but wanted to follow up with an email as well. The account associated with your email, [email protected], had previously been cancelled and closed per...
your request. After a more extensive search, we were able to pin point that you also had an account under the email, [email protected], that which we were unaware of. We have completely closed and unsubscribed that account as well.
Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions or concerns, we're happy to help.