--- title: Bark.com Reviews meta_title: 'Bark.com Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 333 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Bark.com works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 1.6 review_count: 333 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-07-16' parent_category: name: HR url: https://www.g2.com/categories/hr --- # Bark.com Reviews **Vendor:** Bark.com **Category:** [Freelance Platforms](https://www.g2.com/categories/freelance-platforms) **Average Rating:** 1.6/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 333 ## About Bark.com Bark.com is in the top 10% of freelance platforms according to G2. We match customers with providers of professional services in over 800 services across the UK, US, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. Our aim is to be the Amazon of services and we're always looking for new professionals. Customers answer a set of tailored questions, go through our full screening process and enter their contact information. You can review the lead details free, and if you like it, pay a small fee to view the contact details. Anything after that is yours to keep. Why not get started now and create a free profile to see what leads we have in your area: https://www.bark.com/sellers/create ## Bark.com Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users commend Bark.com for its **ease of use** , especially in setting up and accessing leads seamlessly. (15 reviews) - Users praise Bark.com for its **time efficiency** , allowing quick connections and smooth transitions in lead generation. (9 reviews) - Users value the **helpful staff** of Bark.com, praising their attentiveness and excellent customer service support. (4 reviews) - Users value the **easy client interaction** with Bark.com, facilitating seamless communication and accessible lead generation. (3 reviews) - Users value the **efficiency of lead generation** with Bark.com, enjoying clear contact details and consistent client sourcing. (3 reviews) - Users appreciate the **quick response** from Bark.com, highlighting their attentive and superb customer service. (3 reviews) - Users find **affordable pricing** for high-quality leads, especially benefiting from sales and attentive customer service. (2 reviews) - Effective Communication (2 reviews) - Users value the **quick process** of Bark.com, appreciating its seamless implementation and efficient CRM integration. (2 reviews) - Trusted Platform (2 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users are disappointed with the **poor quality of leads** from Bark.com, finding them often fraudulent and unresponsive. (21 reviews) - Users find Bark.com **expensive** , especially for low-quality leads that waste credits and time. (8 reviews) - Users express frustration over the **inefficient vetting process** , leading to wasted time and money on low-quality leads. (6 reviews) - Users experience significant **refund issues** due to inconsistent processes and poor-quality leads, leading to frustration and wasted resources. (5 reviews) - Users warn about **scams and fake leads** on Bark.com, resulting in wasted time and money with no real engagement. (5 reviews) - Hidden Fees (4 reviews) - Users report **poor support** from Bark.com, citing unhelpful customer service and confusing systems that complicate their experience. (4 reviews) - Payment Issues (3 reviews) - Users report **poor communication** with Bark.com, noting fraudulent leads and unresponsive customer service that hampers effectiveness. (3 reviews) - Quality Issues (3 reviews) ## Bark.com Reviews ### 1. SPAM Company **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Pawan B. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 20, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing. I dont recommned using Bark if anyone is looking for leads. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** All the leads looks like spam. no response from any of the leads sent to me. I've had an incredibly disappointing experience with Bark, much like many others it seems. I've poured a lot of money into buying job leads, always quick to respond, only to find that the contact information is often incorrect or leads nowhere. It's frustrating to constantly dial wrong numbers or reach people who were merely browsing and didn't intend to become a lead. It feels like a bit of a scam, honestly. When I take a break from buying leads, suddenly perfect matches pop up, tempting me to spend more. Yet, these too often turn out to be dead ends with fake or unresponsive contacts. It's like throwing money into a black hole. The lack of customer support only adds insult to injury. There's no straightforward way to report these issues or get help. It's left me feeling cheated and contemplating seeking legal advice. I'm starting to think Bark might be exploiting small businesses like mine, offering false hope with little to no oversight. If you've had a similar experience, I'd be keen to connect and possibly gather evidence to challenge their practices. This company's lack of regulation and transparency is alarming, and it seems designed to take advantage of small businesses desperate for work. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** They claim to get you quality leads **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. Please contact us via email at team@bark.com, if you would like a copy of the full Credit Return Policy in writing, as well as further information on how to report leads to us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 2. DO NOT USE BARK.COM - COMPLETE SCAM! **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Accounting | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 25, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Bark.com is an absolute SCAM! They post FAKE leads! **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** **DO NOT USE BARK.COM - SCAM ALERT!** Bark.com is an absolute SCAM! They post FAKE leads, and 9 out of 10 times, I got ZERO response despite replying within MINUTES! The site claims to limit responses to 5, but even being the first or second to reply, I got NOTHING. Out-of-service numbers, ignored emails, and texts—Bark.com is a FRAUD! They trick you into buying more credits with fake leads. Customer service is a JOKE, making you wait 20 minutes to restore credits for bogus numbers. They REFUSED to refund my money, claiming I got the service I paid for, which is a LIE! Don't get SCAMMED like I did! Avoid Bark.com at ALL COSTS! **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Absolutley nothing - they actually hurt my business since I wasted time chasing FAKE leads. ### 3. Complete scam - don’t waste your money **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Emma H. | Owner/CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 02, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** There are no upsides. "Customers" are not advised that service providers have to pay to contact them and the majority of their customers are fake. Of the 176 I was offered, several I tried to contact turned out not to exist in the first place and there is no screening for this from Bark. The two that did reply said they had placed their request several months ago and couldn't understand why they were suddenly being contacted. The only good thing I have to say about this company is that when i informed them of fake leads they refunded my credits but I should not be doing their job for them. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** No genuine leads and you have to pay to find this out. This company has no interest in matching people up with businesses, it is only interested in scamming people out of a lot of money with empty promises they can't achieve because they don't check anything. My advice would be to avoid this company at all costs. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** It doesn't solve any problems at all because the majority of customers are fake **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Emma, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do notify the customer via email that professionals pay a small fee in order to contact them directly. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 4. Terrible **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Patryk P. | Chief Strength Officer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 08, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** The idea of getting leads especially for remote training clients was good in concept. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Leads seem fake and hardly anybdoy responds. Had some success but very rare. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Lead generation ### 5. Scam **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Tim G. | Chief Executive Officer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 06, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing. It entices you with what look like a stream of real projects and leads. What I found after wasting $544 on credits to pursue leads are gmail addresses. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Scam. I sent $544 worth of well-written responses to leads with projects stating $5,000+ as budget. I then called 5 of the phone numbers. 4 went voicemails having no greeting. One answered, grunted, said he wasn't the person to talk to but hold on...he muted phone and hung up 30 seconds later. I texted, asking for courtesy of interest or not. No reply. Called US customer service number. Line is dead, does not answer. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Misrepresents that it will match you with projects based on their budgets. Charges for credits to respond to opportunties. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Tim, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. We heavily invest in our Google AdWords on a monthly basis, as well as other sites, to bring legitimate customers to our website. We also have a 24/7 Customer Success Team based in London and a dedicated Marketing and Development Team to ensure we are providing quality lead generation for our professionals. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 6. Fake Leads **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** candice s. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 26, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing really since I have been on it for a few months, spent money on credits and a verified badge only to have just a few jobs. The money I have spent so far has exceeded the income I have gained from using Bark so I will have to delete my account. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** I have recently text and called a lead. I had no reply to my text so I called and she hung up on me. This is a bit suspicious. I have also received 2 leads at the same time regarding dog training services. Exactly the same details but with a different client name. Same breed of dog (bull mastiff mix german shepherd). Same age, same location (Ashtead K21) , same (prefer remote), same aged dog (1-2 yrs). Super strange. I have to trust my gut feeling and delete my account. If this is the case I'm sure it's illegal. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** None **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience. All leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We usually find that customers don't respond when they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. As such, we find that responding to leads quickly gives professionals a higher conversion rate. We would be happy to look into any leads you wish to report in line with our credit return policy, and to help you make the most of our platform - please do email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 7. Outcome no income **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Tommy P. | Masonry Apprentice, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 25, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** It is a real app that is downloadable, but other than that it seems very sketchy. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** You keep paying for credits to get leads, but you don't get responses, and no refund of credits. Seems as if there may be someone within the app creating leads to use up our credits, causing customers to buy more and more. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** unfortunately not solving any problems, I got it to gain clients and make money, but only losing money to the app itself. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Tommy, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. We heavily invest in our Google AdWords on a monthly basis, as well as other sites, to bring legitimate customers to our website. We also have a 24/7 Customer Success Team based in London and a dedicated Marketing and Development Team to ensure we are providing quality lead generation for our professionals. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 8. Absolute waste of money - Don’t bother **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Caan S. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 16, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing, there is zero reason to recommend. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Bark is a complete waste of money. I have spent hundreds in job leads, regularly the first to purchase. Contact details are either incorrect number, ring off or are people that didn't realise that it was a lead purchase business and was simply trying to 'search' companies. I am certain that when you have not purchased leads in a while they will post FAKE LEADS that match your requirements and location, to encourage credit purchases then numbers are incorrect and emails are not responsive. In the event this does happy there is no customer support or easy way to report it. You are just left with huge losses. The rates are far too expensive especially when nothing comes of them. Also on numerous occasions I have tried to purchase lead credits and be charged twice for one transaction. After using this app for a number of months and not winning a single lead and only speaking with 2-3 real people out of scores of leads purchased. I am in fact convinced that this is a fraudulent company, exploiting small businesses nationwide. I am looking to get legal advice and I would like to reach out to others with a similar experience to collect evidence that this is the case, it seems to me that this company is completely unregulated and free to make fake leads with very little scrutiny or transparency, the whole concept seems like an easy way to exploit small businesses looking to win work. Regards. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** None, no benefits. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform, and that you feel as strongly as you do about our leads. However, we strongly refute the claims that you have made against us. We heavily invest in our Google AdWords on a monthly basis, as well as other sites, to bring legitimate customers to our website. We also have a 24/7 Customer Success Team based in London and a dedicated Marketing and Development Team to ensure we are providing quality lead generation for our professionals. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 9. Bark is a scam if your a business needing leads **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jake B. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 03, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Good concept but needs to not be a scam and needs to have quality leads, not ones that seem made up **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Bark is very much a scam if you are a professional looking for leads. I have had little success with their platform and have definitely spent more for leads than the income in return. Most leads seem very fake and you will try calling and either the leads phone isn't in service or most times just goes right to voicemail. Some actually have voicemails setup but feel that person never really made the request on Bark because they will never call, text or email you back. Most of the time the voicemail is full or not even setup, you will ask bark to refund your credits because of this and they will deny it claming they verified the user of the phone, not sure how that is possible if they don't have a voicemail or you can't reach them. Bark needs to do a much better job in vetting leads and how serious or "worth it" the lead is. All in all, my experience has not been good and would recommend if you own a business to not waste your money with Bark. There are much better and more legitimate services like Thumbtack that you know each lead is a real person. Or even better to spend that money on marketing to create your own leads. With way to many leads seeming to be fake or not an actual person, for that reason alone I wouldn't waste your money or time with Bark.com. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Generating business leads. No benefit because all leads are overpriced and most of them seem to be fake **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Jake, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 10. FAKE LEADS **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Katrina C. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 24, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** There are no upsides to using bark. It's supposed to be a platform to buy legitimate leads for real people and it's not. It's lies and deception to take your money. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** I dislike how they promote lead generation in a variety package and promote if you don't hear from anyone they claim they will give you the credits back to reach out to fake 'leads' .They do not own up to their word as a company and they need to reimburse every business who has invested. I dislike how there isn't a response from their help desk as well as from the fake leads and in the same breath they want to blame you for the content you putting out that could possibly be the reason I'm not getting a response. That's BS!!! IF I'M LOOKING FOR CLEANING SERVICES AND A COMPANY IS FOLLOWING UP WITH ME THROUGH PHONE CALL EMAIL, TEXT, BEST BELIEVE I'M RETURNING THE CALL BECAUSE I DO NEED THE SERVICES. THIS IS ILLEGAL!!! **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** They are not solving the problem. They told me it's the content in my voicemail, email and text. And they don't know what I said. They told me if I ordered through the app they will not give those credits back because I need to order through the website to get the credits back and start over. But that's not what's on their website. It specifically says if there is no hire for you they would generate the credits back and you will be able to start over. No one has money to just give away. You don't know what's the situation with people. This is so wrong!!! **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're sorry to hear that you haven't had success with us as yet, however we refute the claims you have made against our business. All leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We usually find that customers don't respond when they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. As such, we find that responding to leads quickly gives professionals a higher conversion rate. The Get Hired Guarantee is a feature that acts as a safety net for new professionals on Bark and is designed to minimise the risk associated with your Starter Pack of credits, which can only be purchased from us directly via our website or over the phone with an agent. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 11. Very pathetic , and not professional **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Bharath G. | Chief Executive Officer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 16, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing i liked in this platform , all lies i ahve been promised to refund leads and credits if client is not responding to calls or the lead is fake but now they say they dont refund they only refund when the number is not verified , but we are not opting for them at all i have opted all verified , within time frame and all leads turned out to be fake out of 9 leads , 7 dint respond to call ..event though i am the first to respond and with in time frame thier team suggested and rest 2 said , they are not looking for such service at all **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** everything they said before buying is all lies **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** nothing much **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're sorry to hear you have had a negative experience using Bark.com, and if there has been any misunderstanding regarding our Credit Return Policy. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are incorrect. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 12. Fake leads. No Refunds Do Not Use **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Luke B. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 11, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** There is nothing helpful or useful. It's a rip off. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Leads would sometimes be sent 45 mins after they were posted. Sometimes these leads are already closed. They try to give the impression that we are missing leads by not responding fast enough but when you you do get a lead that was just posted the number is always fake, and the email never gets replied to. I use a couple of these sites and this one is fake through and through. You can't win work on every lead you get but you should at least be able to get through to the customer. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Bark doesn't help solve any problem. Bark take your money with the promise to provide leads then proceeed to supply fake leads. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Luke, We're sorry to hear you have had a negative experience using Bark.com. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. If a professional is unable to purchase a lead, it will be because either the customer has closed the request and would not like further professionals to follow up, or the maximum number of professionals have responded. Please email team@bark.com directly if you would like further assistance regarding following up with customers through the platform, in order to achieve conversion with us. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 13. It's fraud **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Volodymyr H. | Project Manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 05, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** It's fraud. They take money for false information. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** One of the worst sites I've used in the past few months. They take payment for providing information on leads for which not only the performer has already been selected, but also the work itself has already been done. After I wrote to them that they were providing false information, they blocked my account. At the same time, they refused to refund money for services not provided. Which is outright fraud. I strongly do not recommend using Bark. If you are already using it, then take your money and run, before you are scammed like I was. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Taking into account the provision of unreliable payment, for which they take payment, the price of a real lead is up to 50% of the cost of the order. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're sorry to hear you have had a negative experience using Bark.com. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We are sorry to hear you reached out to a customer who had decided to work with a different professional. We allow up to 5 professionals to purchase any one lead, however every professional will be able to see exactly how many professionals have purchased the lead before them, and can take this into account when deciding whether or not, they wish to spend their credits. The professional can be selective over which leads they would like to purchase. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. Please note, if Bark.com has closed a professional account on the platform, it will be due to a breach in our terms and conditions, and you would have been emailed regarding this. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to email team@bark.com directly. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 14. A lot of hassle **Rating:** 2.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Kevin B. | business development professional, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 17, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** First of all I do like the idea of bark, giving you the option to only pay for the leads you want and specify exactly what area you wish to explore **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** First off it's too expensive, business leads in particular are massively overpriced with absolutely no promise of hiring and secondly it's absolutely riddled with fake/wrongly submitted leads, Iv recently been charged £169 to open an add that turned out to be a migrant worker with grasp of English, no experience in the field he's advertising in and NOT in anyway related to the advert posted which was for a commercial cleaning contract 😡😡 bark has so much potential but it's just let down by the companies refusal to check add legitimacy while they're more than happy to charge extortionate amours for a phone number 🤦‍♂️ **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Bark solves the problem of contact flipping the advertising form customer to business which works **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Kevin, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. All of our pricing is set based on the monetary value of the job as well as the heat of the lead. We are not a commission based system and therefore do not take a cut of any money you earn or repeat business you win. Our role is to provide professionals with the opportunity to convert more business. We are a cheaper alternative for smaller businesses than using PPC, Google AdWords and other forms of online marketing. As such our prices are carefully configured to take all these factors into account. Please get in contact at team@bark.com should you require any more information or help making the most of the platform. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 15. This Company Is Unethical and A Scam At Best **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Nichole L. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 30, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** I dislike everything about this company. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** I signed up and began using an email automation service that I linked with Bark to check if my emails were being read by potential leads. After spending some money, I noticed that none of the leads were responsive. I emailed the company and asked for a full refund. I saw that the company opened the emails and did not respond for several days. When they did, they made sure to inform me that it was something I needed to do better such as respond faster, call, and send emails to clients to get responses. (all of which I was doing with no reply). They denied my money back and gave me more credits instead. The same day they responded was the same day the leads I reached out to opened my emails but still failed to respond. I received a lead the same day with little communication that seemed fishy, and when emailing the client, they still never responded. Nor answered calls. This leads me to believe that they are generating false leads, that they may use to bait clients. I do not believe that this is a legitimate company because I receive real and better feedback from Thumbtack. Do NOT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY ON THESE CROOKS! **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** They do not solve problems, they create them. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. Our Starter Packs are covered by a Get Hired Guarantee. The Get Hired Guarantee is a feature that acts as a safety net for new professionals on Bark, and is designed to minimise the risk associated with your first credit pack. In the event that you do not secure any customers using the credits in a credit pack covered by the Get Hired Guarantee, we’ll return all the credits to your account and give you a second 'attempt' with the credits you've purchased. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 16. Blocked from the site after spending $5,000 **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Animation | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 03, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** There are several great people at bark.com, management is unfortunately not. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** I was blocked from the site with no access to the over 500 leads that I had paid for. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Bark.com offers a service where you can pay to contact "leads". A large majority of the people that I've contacted didn't know that they had made a post. When I complained that leads were not being refunded that were invalid, they gave me a formal warning, and then blocked me from the site and all the leads that I'd already paid for for 7 days. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're sorry to hear you have had a negative experience using the Bark.com platform. While we can appreciate your frustration in your account being suspended, we reserve the right to suspend accounts who are not adhering to our policies, to protect our users. We value your business and hope to work with you to create a positive experience on our platform. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to write to our legal address as specified in the initial email regarding this matter. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 17. A Tale of Broken Trust and Dissatisfied Customers **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Chuck T. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 28, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** My experience with Bark.com, a platform designed to connect service providers with customers, has been a roller coaster ride filled with disappointments and frustration. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Here, I shed light on the unsatisfactory practices and questionable integrity of the platform. 1. **False Leads and Financial Drain** One of the major issues with Bark.com is the proliferation of fake jobs on the site. Many of these false leads cost between $15-$30 per lead, eating into your credit without giving you anything in return. The company claims to vet their leads, but in reality, it seems that anyone can put up an advert, leading to a considerable waste of time and money for professionals hoping to find legitimate work. 2. **Lack of Communication** One of the biggest red flags is the lack of response from Bark.com. Despite being an Elite Pro on the platform and investing a significant amount of money, I've experienced incredibly poor customer service with no effort from the company to address my concerns. 3. **Dubious Lead Generation** In an attempt to increase interactions, I opened my services to remote work. Indeed, my leads increased, but with no profitable results. There was a notable lack of engagement from the so-called leads, suggesting that many, if not all, might be fake. I was left chasing shadows, engaging in a fruitless cat-and-mouse game. 4. **Automated System Integrity?** Bark.com assures its users that all leads are screened via an automated system that caps lead responses at five, automatically shutting down after this. However, my experience contradicts this claim, casting a shadow over the company's integrity. 5. **Disappointing Results and Loss** Despite spending a total of $960.55 for 53 leads, the return on investment was extremely poor. Only four of these leads engaged in any meaningful interaction, with two ghosting midway, and two revealed to be scams – one even sending a fake cashier's check! **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** My experience with Bark.com has been marred by deceptive practices and a distinct lack of customer service. I believe the company's actions fall into the category of 'unfair trade practices', causing harm to its customers, both financially and in terms of time and effort. It's highly disappointing that a platform that promises to connect professionals with clients fails to deliver on its promises. I would advise potential users to exercise caution when considering Bark.com. Given the numerous issues and the company's unwillingness to address them, a class action lawsuit seems appropriate to stop these detrimental business practices. ### 18. Fake Leads For Sure **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Consumer Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 24, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** NOTHING! This is a scam site. I wish I would read google reviews about this company first. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** One of the major issues with this platform is that it often tricks users into purchasing credits in order to connect with potential leads. However, upon closer inspection, many of these leads lack a last name in their contact details. When attempting to reach out to them via phone or email, they never respond. Furthermore, the emails received from these leads appear strange and suspicious. This becomes even more evident when you realize that the email addresses provided are composed of random numbers and unrelated names. It's clear that this platform may be engaging in fraudulent activities. I wish I would read google reviews about this company prior to spending my hard earned money. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** None **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform, and that you feel as strongly as you do about our leads. We heavily invest in our Google AdWords on a monthly basis, as well as other sites, to bring legitimate customers to our website. We also have a 24/7 Customer Success Team based in London and a dedicated Marketing and Development Team to ensure we are providing quality lead generation for our professionals. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 19. Complete waste of time and money **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ann K. | Design Notions, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 12, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Absolutely no redeeming points. They grab your money and feed you a load of fake 'leads' that you have to purchase at what seems a random number of credits. very little information about a potential project is available and I feel Bark just grabs money from small freelancers. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Complete waste of time and money. most of the leads appear to be fake and never respond. Customer service doesn't provide any help - they just say it's not our problem if they don't respond. I wish I'd read this before I bought credits. Won't have anything to do with them again. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** They didn't help me at all. I just get spammed with fake leads - the projects have very little information which you are supposed to pay to contact. If you sign up for Elite Pro there is no way to unsubscribe without contacting customer services. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 20. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Mark Z. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 06, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** The concept is great, but this does NOT do what it says on the box! **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** There is no way that BARK has so many people seeking professional services in our area only for them to be completely non responsive - especially when the cost of engaging with them is high. This is NOT an accusation, as I have no way of verifying my comments, BUT...this does feel very much like a scam. A very, very smart scam,. I have paid two lots of money for "credits" and used those to engage with 10+ people "matched to me" who seek the services of a life coach. As a well established business in the life coaching sector, the behaviour of these profiles that "seek" coaching, are not consistent with what we see in leads that contact us directly. I would love to be proven wrong here, but I have emailed the Bark Team and not heard back from them yet (admittedly I only emailed them yesterday and they may be in another time zone, so I will give them benefit of doubt on that), however, it feels like its not what it is supposed to be. Again...if I am wrong here I will happily remove this review, but even the people I contact say: "can I call you back" and never do, or they text back saying "not interested" and that pattern doesnt fit our normal engagement pattern with potential new clients. BARK - please prove me wrong. The rest of you out there...do your homework / duedilligence before you part with your money. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** BARK sold me credits to be able to engage with many many "leads" who almost seem too good to be true as there are so many of them that keep popping up but are either non responsive or not willing to engage. That pattern doesnt fit the pattern of engagement that we are used to seeing in our business. And how on earth do they get so many leads by the hour on this patform? **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Mark, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 21. Money making for Bark nothing for little guy **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Health, Wellness and Fitness | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 05, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Bark used to be good. Recently they have become more about money making off the small guy/business than anything else. Charge to be Elite, charge to be 'Verified' and then charge per lead. In my case, the latest lead would cost me £25 with no guarantee that the lead will use my services. I have not contacted the lead. I have become an unwilling Bark customer. Bark need to rethink their money making ideas as it is unfair for a small startup business to be throwing money into the wind in the hope of getting a client. My Accountant asks me why I spend so much money on Bark. I am asking myself the same thing. Bark, I think you need to rethink your money making business before people stop using it. I feel You had a good thing going before you got greedy. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Bark have become money grabbers. Little thought for the small self employed customers who literally can't afford to pay £25 for a lead. Re-adjust your credits to what they were before and lower your cost per credit. Hardly any return on investment- leads don't pan out, some leads have no idea what I am talking about when I phone them. I would rather spend this amount of money on Google or Facebook advertising- better return in investment. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Lead generation. No benefit when leads don't work out **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your experience with Bark.com. We truly appreciate your honesty and value your perspective as it helps us continually improve our services. We're sorry to hear that you've had a less than satisfactory experience and feel that our recent changes have made the platform less favorable for small businesses. Your concerns about the cost of being Elite, Verified, and the per-lead charges are duly noted. We understand that every penny counts for a small startup, and we genuinely want our platform to be accessible and beneficial for businesses of all sizes. We hear your feedback loud and clear, and we are actively reviewing our pricing structures to ensure they align better with the needs of small businesses. We understand the frustration of investing in leads without a guaranteed outcome, and we are committed to finding a balance that provides fair value for your investment. Additionally, we appreciate your comparison with other advertising channels like Google and Facebook. We are constantly working to enhance our platform and deliver a better return on investment for our users. Your insights will be shared with our team to explore ways to improve the quality of leads and ensure a more positive experience for all users. Thank you for bringing these issues to our attention. We genuinely value your input as it helps us make Bark.com a more effective and user-friendly platform. We hope to regain your trust and demonstrate the positive changes we are making to better serve businesses like yours. If you have any further suggestions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. We are committed to addressing your needs and providing a more satisfactory experience in the future. Best regards, The Bark Team ### 22. Bark is a waste your money. **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Mental Health Care | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 19, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** There is no upside reason to using Bark. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** The deception and not receiving any good leads. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Bark has not helped me solve any problems, as a matter of fact they created a problem. I paid money in order to purchase leads and obtain clients. The leads were not as good as Bark presented and I ended up wasting money using Bark. As a professional counselor I have found Bark to be totally useless and feel it is a scam. Not only are the leads expensive but they're a dead end. The leads are passed off as being verified and wanting counseling services yet when I call the individuals they either don't return my calls or say they've hired someone else. This seems very suspicious to me as it happens so often. Yes, I am a one person show and work for myself, which is why it is so important for me to work with a business that I can trust. I DO NOT TRUST BARK!!! 😡 **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback about your experience with Bark.com. We're genuinely sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations, and we take your concerns seriously. Just to clarify we heavily invest in our Google AdWords on a monthly basis, as well as other sites, to bring legitimate customers to our website. We also have a 24/7 Customer Success Team based in London and a dedicated Marketing and Development Team to ensure we are providing quality lead generation for our professionals. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We understand that the value of our service lies in providing quality leads and transparency, and we apologize if you felt deceived and did not receive the leads you were hoping for. We would like to learn more about your specific experience to address any issues and make improvements to better serve our users. If you're open to it, we encourage you to reach out to our customer support team directly to provide more details about your experience so that we can investigate and address any issues you encountered. Your feedback is essential in helping us identify areas for improvement. Thanks The Bark Team ### 23. Leads Are Completely Questionable; Never Listen To Category Suggestions **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jim C. | Game Show Host, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 25, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** They have a wide variety of categories - just won't listen to suggestions. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Don't truly vetbleads, confusing credit system, won't listen to suggestions from who would be a paying customer **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** They aren't solving any problems. They simply cause more and ignore vendors. ### 24. Using Bark for my Business **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Emily L. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 17, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Bark is a brilliant platform for my profession. Every week there is hundreds of new leads that I can access. The app is extremely useful and easy to use. I use Bark every week for my business and it had helped generate ££££ into my monthly income. The customer support team is very friendly and helpful whenever there is a dead lead they are happy to investigate. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** The packages of credits start off quite high and would appreciate there being a small package. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** When I have leads with fake phone numbers the customer service team on the phone are happy to help resolve the issue and remove the fake accounts off the platform. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Emily, Thank you so much for sharing your positive experience with Bark.com! It's fantastic to hear that the platform has become an essential tool for your profession, providing you with a steady stream of new leads on a weekly basis. The fact that you find the app extremely useful and user-friendly is great feedback for both potential and existing users. It's also reassuring to know that Bark.com's customer support team has been responsive and helpful, especially in investigating dead leads. Their friendliness and willingness to assist contribute to the overall positive experience you've had with the platform. It's evident that Bark.com has not only streamlined your business operations but has also played a significant role in boosting your monthly income. We appreciate you taking the time to share your insights and hope your continued use of Bark.com brings you even more success in the future! Thanks The Bark Team ### 25. Garbage service **Rating:** 0.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Shawn W. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 03, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** The app interface, that's literally it.l, and once in a blue moon you get a customer that's not looking for a Facebook market place 20 dollar special, aside from that, Run, just run, or go burn your money literally, you'll get more value out of that than you will from this platform. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** They do not have any systems in place to verify their professional platform users credentials, they don't check insurance, don't verify its a valid business. They routinely refuse to refund credits to leads that give bad phone numbers or are found to be other companies shopping competitor pricing. Their lead qualification questions leave much to be desired, and at the end of the day only pass off the lead users because we have to pretty much start from the beginning. Cool concept, but piss poor execution, that typically ends up costing you more than it's worth to use the platform. When you try to contact service and go through the refund process for credits, if they say no and you try to challenge that they threaten to kick you off the platform. They are all about the dollars and fuck anyone who asks for clarification or a second opinion. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** None. In all reality they are fostering bottom of the barrel rates you would expect to pay some crackhead on Facebook. Great idea as a platform for lead generating, but piss poor execution. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Shawn, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform, and that you feel as strongly as you do about our leads. We heavily invest in our Google AdWords on a monthly basis, as well as other sites, to bring legitimate customers to our website.  We also have a 24/7 Customer Success Team based in London and a dedicated Marketing and Development Team to ensure we are providing quality lead generation for our professionals. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 26. Account Deletion and Lack Of Customer Service **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Eugene M. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 18, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** I can't like to company which deleted my account for no reason with all invested money and purchased leads. - Don't pay them money - Don't invest in this company your time - Avoid Bark.com **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** I am writing to bring to attention a recent incident that has caused significant disruption to my business operations on your platform. On 6 Jun 2023, 23:36 BST, my account, contact(at)coldblud.com, had been unexpectedly deleted by employee Martin without any prior notice or apparent reason. This deletion resulted in the loss of all the money I had invested and the leads I had purchased through your platform. I was taken aback by this action, as it severely impacted my ability to conduct business effectively. In an attempt to seek support and clarification, I promptly contacted your customer service department (call log 6 Jun 2023, 23:57 BST). Regrettably, my experience was far from satisfactory. I was met with rudeness from a male employee, who abruptly hung up on me without providing me with an opportunity to explain the issue I was facing. Such treatment left me frustrated and disappointed, as I expected better from a company like Bark.com. Considering the gravity of this situation, I am concerned whether such actions are a normal practice within your company. The sudden deletion of my account, coupled with the unprofessional behavior of your customer service representative, has raised doubts in my mind about the reliability and professionalism of Bark.com's services. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Unfortunately, Bark.com create problems and produce fake customer request to be able to sell fake leads. There are no benefits, and the cherry on top is that their customers don't care about you, your time and your money. ### 27. 11-16-23 Worst Experience I Have Had With A Lead Company In 39 Years **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Health, Wellness and Fitness | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 16, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** The is literally nothing to like about this company. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Saw an ad for Bark.com, and set up a free profile. After that received over 100 emails claiming there were people requesting my professional services. At first, I thought I was really impressed. I scheduled 2 hours to call their sales team to learn about how I could follow up on these leads. How every, their high pressure sales person LIED and claimed they would have to get off of the phone before answering all of my quesitons. Their lead system was prompting me to purchase a package in order to see the phone numbers for the leads. Makes sense. A sales rep, over the phone, told me a ton of lies and misleading info about how the leads would work, the quality of the leads, and much more. ( I recorded 9 phone calls with this company and can provide those to anyone who would like to hear them, and I recorded my screen as well for proof of everything done to me, and I printed out screen shots. ) To continue, I emailed one of the sales reps, and asked if their was a coupon on promo available. They sent me one. I thought I was impressed. Then EVERYTHING changed. 8/11 leads were FAKE LEADS, and by this I mean: invalid phone number that were not working number ( even on the ones that they lied and claimed had been validated ), voicemail inboxes belonging to women, and the lead was supposedly a man, and voicemail belonging to a 10 year old boy, etc. Only 1 of these people, in 3 days, EVER spoke to me on the phone. And they were laughing at me and mocking me, to the extent it really seemed they were just playing jokes on the website, or maybe had been hired by the site to pose as a fake lead. It was very strange. I called support, and was devasted. I had been robbed, 100% robbed. I stayed polite and calm, and asked what could be done about my "get hired guarantee". They gave me the run around. Eventually I found their website's policies. I called back again and again and again. Finally, one of their agents admitted I had been lied to about 4 different things. In addition, she promised that all of the FAKE LEAD credits would be replaced. I started to have HOPE, and I thanked her for her help and honesty! THEN, things got BAD. Someone called ME from Bark. Said he was some kind of TOP Management. I told him I was not expecting a call from him, and that I was at work, and that all of my issues were perfectly resolved by the last agent. I told him I didn't need to communicate with them, and that I was happy, and that once my credits were restored for all of the fake leads, I would try again. He persisted to talk, and I told him I really needed to get back to work, and there was nothing to talk about. Finally, he hung up the call, after he was VERY disrespectful to me, repeated himself like a crazy person, ignored my requests and responses, called me names, accused me of being unprofessional for not wanting to stay on the phone with him, and it was just absolutely insane. The creepiest part was, the whole time he was talking to me, he spoke in this very creepy, soft, and condescending voice. It was bizarre. Anyway, I got back to work. An hour or so later, I used my lunch break from work to log into Bark to begin the process of printing out and documenting which leads were fake for sure, BUT was not able to log into the account! It said that the log in NO longer existed! I was like, "Oh my God, these people just deleted my entire account, took the money, did not honor the guarantee, and ran." I called support, and said, "Look, if you are going to delete my account, and refuse to provide me service, by law, you have to give me a refund. I have recorded and documented everything." The lady this time said she was issuing the refund. I asked her to send me an email that confirms the refund has been issued. She claimed she did, but the email never came through. I asked her to try again. She claimed she did it. Again, no email came through. I waited some time and called back again. I talk to someone in the NEW accounts department. Let them give me their long stupid fake sales pitch, and then explained I needed proof of my refund, and wanted to know why my account was deleted without my knowledge, notification, or consent. This agent, who I also recorded, admitted that they had sent an email to the wrong email address. Does that also mean that the refund was sent to the wrong place too? Probably. I have NO IDEA if I will ever SEE my money again! I can not say this enough, this company treats people like garbage. NEVER use their service. Their entire business model is based on being misleading, and ripping you off, and wasting 99%-100% of your money on FAKE LEADS. Find ANYONE else to work with. Find ANY other marketing method you can. But, these people are CON ARTISTS. Buyer Beware! I would rather go OUT of business then attempt to work with them. At this point, not only did I lose the $120 I paid them, but I also lost over 10 workable hours. I will never get any of that lost money back again. There should be a class action lawsuit brought against them, and criminal, international fraud charges. They are based in the UK, supposedly, but I am in the US. If they scammed me like this, they have done it to THOUSANDS of other people too. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** There is NO benefit to using this company. It is 100% a scam. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi We sincerely apologize for the challenges you've faced, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us. We understand the importance of reliable lead generation for your business, and we're committed to addressing your concerns promptly. We strive to maintain the highest standards in our services. We invest significantly in platforms like Google AdWords to attract genuine customers to our website and have a dedicated 24/7 Customer Success Team in London, along with a specialized Marketing and Development Team. We want to assure you that all leads go through a thorough automated screening process, and our credit return policy covers any non-functioning contact details. Regarding the account closure, we want to emphasize that such actions are typically taken to protect our users or initiated by the account owner. However, we take your concerns seriously, and we would like the opportunity to review your case further. Please reach out to us directly at team@bark.com with specific details about your account closure so we can identify you. Our team is committed to assisting you and resolving any issues you may have encountered. We value your feedback and are dedicated to improving our services based on customer experiences. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we look forward to the opportunity to address your concerns directly. Best Regards, The Bark Team ### 28. Stay away from Bark Scammers **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Shan T. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 08, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing useful from this scam website... **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Creating fake leads and sending nonstoply. Using publics personals without their permissions. Stealing money **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** They are not solving anything. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Shan, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're sorry to hear that your experience on Bark.com didn't meet expectations. First and foremost, we want you to know that we are committed to delivering high-quality leads to our professionals. We invest a lot of time and resources into attracting genuine customers to our website, and we have a dedicated team that works around the clock to ensure a robust lead generation process. We use an automated system to screen all leads, and we have a credit return policy in place to cover any non-functional contact details. We really want to help you get the most out of our platform and improve your conversion rates. If you are open to it, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at team@bark.com. We're here to help and we appreciate the opportunity to work with you to enhance your experience. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 29. A huge waste of money **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Amie D. | Principal, Consultant, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 13, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** In theory this is a fantastic service. It provides a huge number of leads for a variety of services. I used it for my executive coaching and consulting business. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** The leads are completely unqualified. The most you ever know is that they have a verified phone number. So, 99% of the time, you spend money on buying a lead and never hear back from the prospect. About 10% of the time the leads turned out to be competitors of mine who were shopping either their competition or the Bark platform. The bigger problems are more subtle. The only ways to make your profile stand out are more or less inaccessible. They only allow reviews to be added either directly by clients or through Facebook API. Since I am in a B2B space, my reviews are on LinkedIn and on my own website--not on Facebook. They have no API with LinkedIn, and they won't allow you to add them in any other way. In the absence of references, it's easy to appear to be a novice, or not to have any positive client feedback. Their response when I asked about this was to have my clients provide their reviews on Bark. But, asking busy professionals to write a second review on yet another platform is ridiculous. And I am not going to do that. It violates my own values. If a client gives me a testimonial on any one platform. It is my responsibility to use it elsewhere--not their's to re-write it everywhere that I market. They also have copious quantities of add-ons that all involve more cost for questionable "value". For example, you can become "verified". This sounded interesting to me. But, instead of entailing a background check or verification of corporate filings or something--it's primary method was to charge an additional $75/mo for the "checkmark". They clearly lifted this directly from Musk's Twitter attempt at the same. It felt like a truly cyclical money-grab. (It was the last straw for me.) They solicit feedback on the service, but never include it in the product roadmap. The only changes I've seen in the 14 months of use was more and different ways to charge more to businesses like me--those using their service. Subscriptions, special statuses, verification, etc. But they have done nothing to improve either the volume or quality of leads. They could easily include a question about budget in their UI, or verify the person by having them sign-in through LinkedIn. That would make it easier to determine if a lead is even remotely appropriate. But they prefer to keep the leads as skeletal as possible so as to manipulate businesses into paying for leads based on speculation and hope, rather than actual information. As a business, you have a powerful interest in believing each lead is real, ready and able to buy. But it's actually a massive gamble. You have so little to go by that you may as well be throwing darts. Part of how their business model works is that it relies on having zero barrier to entry for those interested in services. By making the ability to express interest so frictionless, all kinds of people fill in a form, and submit their interest as a real lead. But they are not actually interested. They are less interested than window shoppers. Even a service like Fiverr requires MUCH more information. Bark prefers the lack of any friction because they get more "leads" that way. It creates an appearance of abundance when they pitch their paying businesses (like me). But the abundance is an illusion. Most of the leads are not genuinely looking for the service. I have not purchased any additional credits and will not be using them anymore. I got exactly one client from the service in the 14 months. During that time I must have replied to at least 300 leads. That's an appalling rate of effectiveness. If I had actually interacted with those leads I would be able to consider that my own sales ability had a role in that poor return on investment. But since the majority of leads NEVER respond to anything , it seems like a lead quality issue, not a sales issue. The amount of time I wasted in responding to leads and following up, only to get no response or any interaction with the prospect at all is a huge cost. The leads themselves are also costly--increasingly so. I can't recommend this to any professional selling a service with a relatively high cost. It may be useful for lower priced services in which the transaction is an easy decision for the buyer. For example, it might be great for a hairdresser, car-detailing, graphic designer, etc. But if you sell consulting, professional services, coaching, or other business to business services, I would stay away. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Ostensibly it provides qualified leads looking to purchase executive coaching and management consulting services. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Amie, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. We heavily invest in our Google AdWords on a monthly basis, as well as other sites, to bring legitimate customers to our website. We also have a 24/7 Customer Success Team based in London and a dedicated Marketing and Development Team to ensure we are providing quality lead generation for our professionals. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We will of course pass all of your feedback regarding reviews to our technical team, and if you email team@bark.com directly with your queries regarding our Bark Verified feature, we can explain in more detail the background checks which take place in order for a professional to become verified on the platform. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 30. Poor quality leads and no credits for non responding leads. **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Paul G. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 12, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing really, all very unprofessional in apperance and use. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Extremely poor quality leads without full customer info. No comeback when customer won't respond. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** It isnt solving anything for me as lead quality is too poor **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Paul, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're sorry to hear that your experience on Bark.com didn't meet expectations. First and foremost, we want you to know that we are committed to delivering high-quality leads to our professionals. We invest a lot of time and resources into attracting genuine customers to our website, and we have a dedicated team that works around the clock to ensure a robust lead generation process. We use an automated system to screen all leads, and we have a credit return policy in place to cover any non-functional contact details. We know that dealing with unresponsive customers can be frustrating, but we believe that responding quickly to requests can help you connect with them before they make their decision. Sometimes, customers may be talking to other professionals, which can lead to delayed responses. We really want to help you get the most out of our platform and improve your conversion rates. If you are open to it, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at team@bark.com. We're here to help and we appreciate the opportunity to work with you to enhance your experience. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 31. Not worth the money **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Resha M. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 09, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** I did like that peyote could reach out to you but even though they contacted you, you still had to pay to contact them **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** I have spent hundreds of dollars on leads f from bark and out of 600 dollars spent I got one good lead that actually became a client. Waste of time if you ask me **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** None **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Resha, We're sorry to hear that you've had a negative experience using Bark.com. We are aware that leads not responding is an issue for some professionals, and we are always actively working on ways to try and improve the connectivity between buyers and professionals. As our role is simply to provide contact details for customers, we do not return credits if the details are still valid and the customer is not responding, as this is something largely outside of our control. Of course, we will always return credits if the contact details are invalid or if any of the information on the request is incorrect. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. Please do get in touch by emailing team@bark.com so we can provide you with specialist support and advice to help maximise your success on our platform. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 32. ******BARK IS A SCAM!! STAY FAR AWAY!!!!****** **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Heather A. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 12, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing! Their customer service is horrible, promising you a guarantee on credit refund if you don't get a lead, which you never will and their overpriced scheme per price for a lead is not worth it. Total money grabber site to make you think you're getting potential leads which in fact it just made up! **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Blocked me off the site after I already paid the almost $300 in credits and then asked me to pay $25 to unblock me from logging into my account. This site is a total scam! If you're a contract freelancer like me, I highly suggest you stay AWAY from Bark. Don't fall for the credit refund guarantee like I did! Total waste of time and money!!! **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** It's not solving any problems and I benefited nothing! Completely wasted my time and money. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Heather, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with Bark.com. We sincerely apologize for the frustration and inconvenience you've encountered. Your feedback is valuable, and we take it seriously as we strive to improve our services. We heavily invest in our Google AdWords on a monthly basis, as well as other sites, to bring legitimate customers to our website. We also have a 24/7 Customer Success Team based in London and a dedicated Marketing and Development Team to ensure we are providing quality lead generation for our professionals. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. Regarding the account blockage and the request for an additional payment, we want to clarify that this is not our standard practice. We are keen on resolving this issue promptly, and we appreciate your patience as we investigate and rectify the situation. Our goal is to provide a positive and effective platform for business owners, and we regret that your experience did not meet these expectations. We are committed to understanding and resolving the issues you've raised. Please reach out to our customer support team directly with your account details at team@bark.com, and we will do our best to assist you promptly. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we appreciate your feedback as it helps us improve our services. Sincerely, The Bark Team ### 33. Waste of Money **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Photography | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 17, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing. Its a complete scam. You might as well set fire to your money. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Everything. Its a complete scam. I paid $150 for a leads package, received leads 90% not in my state and when I did respond, nothing.. I emailed and text, nothing... The leads I paid for are still "pending" - Its a bullsh*t way of conning people out of their money looking for business leads that never materialize... Plus, they bug you every month to buy more credits... **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Nothing. I said I was totally unhappy and wanted my money back - they simply said tough... dont buy any more credits **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're sorry to hear you have had a negative experience using Bark.com. All of our professionals are able to adjust their lead settings to change their location radius, to ensure we're sending through relevant requests to their account. Please email team@bark.com directly if you wish to receive more information regarding this. Furthermore, where a lead is 'pending' in the professional's account, this is a way for the professional to organise their leads. It is up to the professional to manually change the lead from 'pending' to 'hired' for example, or keep this as 'pending' to assist professionals in knowing which leads they are still following up with. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 34. Never ever Bark.com again as a Service Owner **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Julian P. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 29, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Well, maybe bark.com has an easy interface to host your services, but thats already everything good about this company. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** I received an interesting lead by mail, but I needed credits for it. After I bought the credits NEVER AGAIN came a lead. I am now sitting on the credits and can do nothing with it. Money is gone. Support does not help, but always refers only to the fact that leads are sent in the app or by mail and I am notified. Fine, but this is of no use if there are no orders. It seems that no one is looking for services through this platform. The refund that is supposed to be given does not exist. Pure discussion with the support, which at some point simply no longer responds. As a service provider, I have tested various lead platforms so far. Bark is definitely the worst! **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Nothing. Bark.com just costs a lot of money, but hasnt got any befenits for me. ### 35. Not a single purchased lead has returned a phone call or email... **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sebastian F. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 20, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** There isn't a single thing about this company or service that I like. Every time I have called and spoken to someone they blame me for customers not returning a call or email. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Every single lead that I have purchased has not returned a phone call or an email. I have only responded and purchased leads that were an exact match for the service I provide. I find it really strange that I have purchased 18 leads (and counting) and not a single potential lead has returned a phone call or email. The only way that this is possible is if people are just filling out requests with no intention of hiring anyone for that service or if the leads are being fraudulently added. It could very well be a combination of the two. Bark doesn't even verify all the potential leads they send out. So for all we know as potential vendors it could be teenagers having fun filling out requests for services or corporate events and we pay anywhere from $8 to as high as $26 for a lead that doesn't go anywhere. That slowly drains a small business out of business. Do yourself a favor and avoid the temptation to join this silly site and avoid the aggravation and loss of money that I have endured. This has been an absolutely horrible experience and a total waste of time and money! If Bark truly worked do you think I would write this? I'm a very reasonable person but I get sick and tired of companies like Bark preying on small businesses. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** It has not solved a single problem. It has only caused nothing but problems and has been a total waste of money. ### 36. Bark is an absolute waste of money! **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Construction | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 08, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** We liked the thought of paying only for qualified leads we chose. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** The leads do not result in actual sales. Some leads cost $ 50 CAD+ and the customer doesn't even respond. We have paid for over 20 leads and have not booked a single job. Some leads are double-posted, we saw an identical lead with the same contact information on our profile a second time after we passed the lead. We sent an email to Bark citing their 'Get Hired Guarantee' and were told we need to respond more promptly, preferably within the first hour of them being released to get the job. We followed their advice and since then found even fewer people are responding. We strongly recommend you do not pay Bark for any leads as they are not legitimate leads and do not amount to actual sales. Out of over 20 leads we have responded to, only 2 customers booked an estimate with us and neither one booked the job. Bark does not vet their leads properly and is just charging businesses for unqualified leads that do not result in actual sales. Save your money - do not purchase any credits with Bark for worthless leads. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Lead generator **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using Bark.com. We heavily invest in our Google AdWords on a monthly basis, as well as other sites, to bring legitimate customers to our website. We also have a 24/7 Customer Success Team based in London and a dedicated Marketing and Development Team to ensure we are providing quality lead generation for our professionals. For further information on how we screen leads, please email team@bark.com. We offer the Starter Pack of credits to new professionals on the platform, and this credit pack is covered by The Get Hired Guarantee. This is a feature that acts as a safety net for new professionals on Bark, and is designed to minimise the risk associated with their first credit pack. In the event that a professional does not secure any customers using the credits in a credit pack covered by the Get Hired Guarantee, we’ll return all the credits to the professional's account and give them a second 'attempt' with the credits they've purchased. Professionals just need to ensure that they've used all the credits in the pack, and it's been 3 days since they purchased their last lead. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 37. Not sure if leads are qualified **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Michael M. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 26, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** I like that I get updates when someone submits a project request. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** The people who made the project request don't always respond, even when you call, text, and email them. And I often have to email separately since I'm not sure the emails Bark sends go out as there's no tracking feature. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Gets me in front of potential clients, but they don't always respond. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Michael, Thanks for your review, and further feedback regarding the platform. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 38. Lead Genneration Network **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Stephen G. B. | Founder & Group Publisher, Media Production, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 14, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Exceptionally large number of projects to bid on...almost too many to be well vetted, qualified leads. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** They bombard you with potential leads when in the pre-subscription trial phase. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** They're not. Jamming my inbox with unqualified non vetted leads is more of a nuisance than a benefit. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Stephen, We're sorry to hear you have had a negative experience using Bark.com. Please email team@bark.com directly with any email notification concerns, so we can show you where in your account to adjust your email preferences. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 39. $30,000 SCAM AND WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE-SAVE YOUR MONEY! **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Waqar M. | Administrator, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 01, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing. Most of the leads do not even answer your call or respond to your messages. Not many leads for our service area either. So there's not much to begin with.We haven't got a single hire yet! **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** We are a law firm based in Australia and started using Bark in early May. We were unable to secure a single hire despite spending almost $400.00 AUD and therefore, decided to get in touch with the customer success team. We advised them of our budgetary constraints during the call and also informed the agent that our sales team is based overseas and we would need access to the Bark App from the overseas destination. The sales agent said he would check with the team and get back to us on this. We outlined that we would not want to spend more than $600AUD per month on the site. However, the sales agent pitched the Gold package to us and advised us to purchase that. (This package is not even mentioned on the site – so there is very little details surrounding the package) The agent did not disclose all of the package terms and conditions during the call. However, without informing us, he had signed us up for the package on call as well and merely sent us an onboarding email subsequent to the call. [on or around 12 May 23] Unbeknownst to us, the package we were signed up to was a package for around $630.00 AUD per week and for a lock in period of 12 months. This is almost $32,760.00 for the year. To be clear the purpose of the initial call was for us to get an understanding of the platform and see how the process works and discuss the best plan for our business, not to get signed up to a lock-in contract without even reviewing the terms. We were totally unaware of this for the following reasons; We never received a contract that outlined the costs and terms We did not have the opportunity to consider the package and actually opt-in (by signing any contract) We only realised this was the package they locked us into after about 3 weeks where we realised this sum was being debited out of our account weekly Further to this, we specifically reached out to the customer success agent, a few days after the initial sales call (where he signed us up on call without our knowledge) and continued to outline that we need access to the app from overseas (for our sales team) and did not receive any support. When we raised the issues we were faced with, we merely got a rude response saying that we were now locked in for a period of 52 weeks and we need to continue to make those payments and it was not Bark’s problem that our offshore sales team couldn’t access the app. The name of the customer success agent is Sam and his conduct is highly misleading. We have been trying to get on call with him but he continues to be unavailable. Their terms say they record the conversation, however, we are yet to receive a copy of the call where it is alleged that we agreed to this package. We will be making a formal complaint to the UK consumer authorities and pursuing the company for misleading and deceptive behaviour. DO NOT BUY THEIR SERVICE, THEY WILL SIGN YOU UPTO A LOCK IN CONTRACT WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE! **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Getting new leads and conversions. ### 40. Great System and honest - But Needs to Close the Loop **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Keith R. | General Manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 29, 2021 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** I like best the fact that I do get some good business from the platform. Also, when a phone number does no work or email is wrong, the refund is almost instantaneous - really fast support. I also like the questions asked of buyers that measure intent and budget - really outstanding. The response from elite membership queries by email can be measured in minutes - really excellent. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** This is my ONE big quibble. You may respond immediately to a query - and these are expensive at around $60 - and get absolutely zero response. Bark has no mechanism in place to check if the lead was serious or frivolous. They do not follow through to see if the lead called anyone or bought from anyone. This is EXTREMELY frustrating - and damn expensive. I've just had 2 in 2 days. This is a systems issue, and the staff simply cannot deal with it - they have their scripts as do all customer support staff and stick to them. What else can they do? If it was not for this problem I would rate Bark 9 or even 10. I didn't have the heart to score less than 6 because everything else is fine. But these useless leads are not infrequent. One in fifty I could accept but it's much higher than that, They really do need to check, after accepting up to $300 per lead ($50 * 5) that at least the buyer called SOMEONE! **Recommendations to others considering Bark.com:** Expect no better than a 20% success rate - which is good. You can get a good ROI on that in my business. Don't jump to horrid nasty conclusions when some leads don't work out. This is a reputable and honest business in my opinion, albeit with one glaring fault. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** The one problem I experience has been detailed above - ghost leads. There are no other problems with the platform. The benefits are some good leads and customers. They are filtered nicely by the Bark system so that I don't waste money bidding on a complex website when the dreamer behind the request has a $500 budget! Fast response. Fast refund of credits when lead details are incorrect. Very responsive staff - well trained and polite. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there Keith, Thanks for your review, We're glad to hear that we have been able to help your business convert. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. Please get in contact with us directly for support. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 41. Can be expensive **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Financial Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 03, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** The leads are exclusive, because the lead chooses YOU. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** They say to try it out you will get enough leads for 10 contacts. Well with the cost of each lead, that, for a financial professional is impossible. So for $80, you might get one, and they may or may not return your call or email. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Bark gives you exclusive leads that are tailored to your niche. You pay for the leads name, email and phone number. If you reach out and the lead does not respond (even though you have the information and their exact solution because they wrote what they were in need of), they may or may not respond. If they happen to respond, it's almost a guaranteed close. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, Thanks for your review and further feedback about Bark.com, we will escalate this internally. All of our pricing is set based on the monetary value of the job as well as the heat of the lead. We are not a commission based system and therefore do not take a cut of any money you earn or repeat business you win. Our role is to provide professionals with the opportunity to convert more business. We are a cheaper alternative for smaller businesses than using PPC, Google AdWords and other forms of online marketing. As such our prices are carefully configured to take all these factors into account. Please email team@bark.com should you require any more information or help making the most of the platform. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 42. BUYER BEWARE of Bark.com **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jerry D. | Digital Marketing Expert (CDC) - Beverly Hills, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 02, 2022 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Bark.com reached out to me to sell me SEO leads. They guarnateed me that they would get me leads OR I could have my money back. The leads included: • A kid trying to learn SEO who I paid roughly $55 for who just wanted to learn SEO but had ZERO budget. • Not one person willing to respond to email. • Most of the leads with a budget of under $500 • Every client NOT knowing what SEO is and really in need of a web developer - not an SEO expert. When I called their 24/7, UK-based support - they refused my refund. The woman (night support on 1/2/22) hung up on me. Before that, they charged my card $550+ MORE for MORE CREDITS. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** This is a scam. I don't like being hung up on and not getting the refund that they promised. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** They promised me a refund and HUNG UP ON ME when I asked for it but NOT AFTER they charged my card for "more credits" without a warning or anything. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Jerry, We're very sorry to hear you feel this way, but we refute the claims that you have made against our business. Firstly, we do not claim to offer monetary refunds. It is stipulated on our website that our Get Hired Guarantee is the offer of all credits returned one more time for free if no work is converted using a starter pack of credits. We also stipulate this in our Terms and Conditions. Bark.com is an open public platform where customers can detail what help they need, and in turn, professionals can filter out any leads that do not suit them - such as low budgets. This is how they can ensure they are being matched with the right kinds of clientele for them. If you need any help with this, please contact us at team@bark.com. For your reference, all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We usually find that customers don't respond when they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. As such, we find that responding to leads quickly gives professionals a higher conversion rate. We are sorry to hear that our Customer Success Agent had to disconnect your call. We do not have access to your account details here, so please contact us at team@bark.com with the details and we will investigate internally. However, please note that agents are instructed to end calls where they are being abused or encounter threatening behaviour. We successfully help professionals achieve a 1 in 5 conversion rate across the board, so please view our Help page for all of our best practice tips to success. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 43. Worst Company for trades **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Consumer Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 18, 2024 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** The sensitive customer service staff who are evidently paid to cover up this scam **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** A particular agent who's name begins with S, he is a punk who is definitely paid to cover up the sham **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** None, customers are cheap and the tokens are expensive **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're sorry to hear you have had a negative experience using the platform. All of our pricing is set based on the monetary value of the job as well as the heat of the lead. We are not a commission based system and therefore do not take a cut of any money you earn or repeat business you win. Our role is to provide professionals with the opportunity to convert more business. We are a cheaper alternative for smaller businesses than using PPC, Google AdWords and other forms of online marketing. As such our prices are carefully configured to take all these factors into account. Please get in contact at team@bark.com should you require any more information or help making the most of the platform. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 44. They don't refund your money even if they don't have any Leads. **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Fernando F. | Photography Specialist, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 05, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** The idea was great, but the execution is terrible, and honestly, not giving people a refund if they don't have any leads for you is way beyond a scam. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Bought a Starter Credits Pack with a "Hired Guarantee" with a promise of 3 leads per week, the thing is. There are 0 leads for me on their website, waited for a couple of weeks, and still ZERO, None, Nada. I asked for a refund on my credits and they say the credits are Non-refundable, Exactly, they play with words on their Ads "We guarantee you to get hired or give your credits back" The thing is when you get deeper into their fraudulent refund policy, they just gonna recharge your account with new credits, not giving your money back. RUN AWAY, If you are a small business Trust me, spend your money somewhere else. I'm currently trying to do a reverse transaction with my bank as Bark Team will not help at all. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Collecting leads **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Fernando, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review about your experience with Bark.com. We appreciate your feedback and are sorry to hear that you did not receive as many leads as you were hoping for. We understand that every service provider has unique preferences for the types of leads they receive, and we do our best to match our leads to the preferences you have set up in your account. However, it is possible that some leads may not perfectly align with your preferences or that there may be fewer leads available in your particular service category or location. We recommend that you review your lead preferences in your Bark.com account and adjust them as necessary to receive leads that are more tailored to your needs. Additionally, we encourage you to reach out to our team at team@bark.com if you have any questions or need assistance with your account. We are always happy to help and are committed to ensuring our service providers have a positive experience with our platform. Best regards, The Bark Team ### 45. Poor service, bad lead quality and no refunds. **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Marketing and Advertising | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 27, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** i would love to give an outstanding review here but sadly, the worst possible experience. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** This company cannot provide leads that fit my minimum purchase requirement. i emailed in 3x with no reply. i than called and explained the situation to the customer service rep who refused to do anything or help solve my problem, said i could email in the same email that did not reply. i explained to him that i was not willing to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result and asked him if he could help solve my problem.... he hung up on me mid-sentence. this company is providing a false pretence of what type of leads they have coming in and everyone using it has a budget of $500 which is not how you make money. they will not provide me with a refund for my purchase knowing that they can't provide me with the results i need to even acquire a client from them. as a business owner, I understand and appreciate contracts and terms, however I also know when it makes sense to do the right thing... if you're looking to work with a company that has your back, look elsewhere. My money is gone and they won't even provide support or answer an email... and it's been over 7 days. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** currently, not solving anything **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a Credit Return Policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 46. Non Qualified and non Responding Leads **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Daniel F. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 07, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** Nothing at all. The only thing that seemed nice was the number of leads that they advertised. They have a very good way to make it look real and nice but behind the scenes, I bet you it's something else. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** This platform is not real. I had contacted over 15 leads. 10 of them did not pick up the phone (multiple attempts to call. no Voice greeting on any of them). 1 picked up and was the wrong number. 4 were not in service. none of them responded to emails. I contacted the support. They responded by sending me a link to "How to contact leads" page. Really? even if any of the leads were real, They sell a lead to 5 contractors. none of the leads are even qualified for what they charge. Don't waste your time and money on this thing. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** nothing whatsoever. IT just made me waste my money and my time. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Daniel, We're very sorry to hear that you haven't had a positive experience using our platform, and that you feel as strongly as you do about our leads. We heavily invest in our Google AdWords on a monthly basis, as well as other sites, to bring legitimate customers to our website. We also have a 24/7 Customer Success Team based in London and a dedicated Marketing and Development Team to ensure we are providing quality lead generation for our professionals. We can assure you that all leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We feel this is the fairest system we can have as we are not a commission based system that guarantees work, and only provide contact details for enquiries placed with us. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating when customers don't respond. We usually find this is because they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. We generally find that responding to the customers as and when they place their requests gives you the best chance of speaking to them when they are available and before they have hired anyone. In order to look into a lead for a credit return, we would just need the name and the issue you had with the client. We also need to know why you believe this should be a credit return so we can investigate the lead correctly. Please email this directly to team@bark.com for the next available agent to look into! We would also be happy to help you make the most of our platform and achieve conversion with us - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 47. I got 1 viable lead **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Francis P. | Owner, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 22, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** I like the interface except they need to veer the customers who received consultations for free. The customers should have budgets. Also, the batteries do not specify what the customer's company is so the customer should have an option to say in the Beauty category, I'm a skin care company or hair stylist etc. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** The lack of detail on the customer. The category is a start but what did the company do? What's their budget? What is their contact info for their company to look up to see if it's a good fit. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** Gaining leads for gigs. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Francis, Thanks for your review, and for providing further feedback on questions you would like prospective customers to answer, when placing their requests. We will pass on all feedback directly to the relevant team. Please email us at team@bark.com should you require any support with your account. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 48. Scammer and fake compny **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Zakk W. | Security manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 25, 2022 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** you can get only one client after you spend 500$ up to 2000$ **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** A lot of phone numbers and emails are fake, because no one requested services and they are not responding, i have been using this company for years not saying that I didn't get any clients but you have to spend $500 to get one lead, so please stop adding fake leads, and don't respond with apology you can tell the one who did the ads its robot not even human, fake discreptions and fake numbers all out of service. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** been contact them and explain the issue they just ignore me and say oh we gonna send you back credit, the scammer, not even look at the phone numbers not on service. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi there, We're sorry to hear that you haven't had success with us as yet, however we refute the claims you have made against our business. All leads are screened by an automated system, and we have a credit return policy which covers any contact details which are not working. We usually find that customers don't respond when they have hired, or are considering hiring, another professional. As such, we find that responding to leads quickly gives professionals a higher conversion rate. We would be happy to help you make the most of our platform - please email us at team@bark.com. Kind regards, The Bark Team ### 49. Unprofessional, Rude, and Unhelpful **Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Joshua B. | President, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 30, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** They curate information on the leads in advance, so you can pick and choose which leads to respond to. **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Up to 5 people at a time can respond, so it lessens your chance of closing that leads. However the main reason I dislike Bark and the reason for the review is that when you are trying to refund leads for legitimate reasons they push back quite a bit. I mentioned this to our "customer success agent", and he was quite rude and unprofessional in his response. He called me a liar and said he flag my account for trying to return leads they deemed legitimate. Even though I had proof of the issue with the leads within their system, he didn't even ask for it. Instead of trying to be helpful and assist, he made the situation far worse. He tainted the reputation of Bark and we are currently looking for other alternatives. I am waiting to hopefully hear back from management, however reading some of these reviews on here that may be wishful thinking. In the mean-time I would be cautious when purchasing leads and dealing with their "support" or "customer success agents". And by the way, I am an "Elite Member" , I can't imagine how they treat their regular members. **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** They are trying to generate leads for companies more efficiently than running your own ad campaigns, unfortunately they haven't master the art of customer service and this taints everything else about their platform. **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Joshua, We are sorry to hear that you received poor customer service. We take pride in providing excellent customer service and it is deeply concerning to hear that we have fallen short of your expectations. I would like to assure you that we take your feedback seriously and we are committed to improving our services to ensure that this does not happen again in the future. Bark.com allows up to 5 service providers to respond to each lead for a few reasons. Firstly, having multiple providers respond to a lead increases the chances that the customer will receive a quote that matches their requirements and budget. Each provider has their own unique approach and pricing, so offering the customer multiple options can help them make an informed decision. Secondly, it promotes healthy competition among service providers, which can result in better pricing and quality of service for the customer. Finally, Bark.com's system is designed to prevent over-saturation of leads, ensuring that service providers have a fair chance to respond to leads and secure work. By limiting the number of providers who can respond to each lead, Bark.com can manage the flow of leads and ensure a balanced marketplace. We would love to still help you make the most of Bark.com like many of our other professionals. Please reach out to us directly at team@bark.com with details so we can assist. The Bark Team. ### 50. Been with bark for over a 2 years now and have picked up many clients from their app **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Lee B. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 18, 2023 **What do you like best about Bark.com?** In depth explanations about what clients are looking for **What do you dislike about Bark.com?** Nothing no complaints. Easy to follow and good customer support if needed **What problems is Bark.com solving and how is that benefiting you?** As I'm set employed in my own gym gives me good outreach that I would not be able to get **Official Response from Bark Team:** > Hi Lee, We sincerely appreciate your loyalty and the time you took to share your experience with Bark.com. It's fantastic to hear that you've been with us for over two years and have successfully connected with many clients through our platform. We're pleased to know that you find our service helpful in providing in-depth explanations about what clients are looking for. Our goal is to facilitate meaningful connections between professionals like yourself and clients seeking specific services, and it's great to hear that our platform has been instrumental in your success. It's also gratifying to hear that Bark.com is providing you with outreach that you might not have been able to achieve otherwise. Connecting professionals like yourself with clients is at the core of what we do, and we're thrilled to have played a part in supporting your business. If there's anything specific you would like to see improved or any additional features you would find beneficial, please don't hesitate to let us know. Your feedback is crucial in helping us continually enhance our platform. Thank you once again for choosing Bark.com. We look forward to continuing to support your business and helping you connect with even more clients in the future. The Bark Team ## Bark.com Discussions - [THE BIGGEST SCAM LEAD COMPANY ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH](https://www.g2.com/discussions/the-biggest-scam-lead-company-on-the-face-of-this-earth) - 3 comments, 2 upvotes - [How would you suggest I go about obtaining a refund?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-would-you-suggest-i-go-about-obtaining-a-refund) - 4 comments, 1 upvote - [Fraudulent credit card charges](https://www.g2.com/discussions/fraudulent-credit-card-charges) - 2 comments, 1 upvote - [Why do you provide bogus leads](https://www.g2.com/discussions/why-do-you-provide-bogus-leads) - 3 comments, 1 upvote - [HOW TO PREVENT THIS KIND OF ONLINE FRAUD ???](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-to-prevent-this-kind-of-online-fraud) - 3 comments, 1 upvote - [View Bark.com pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/bark-com/reviews?page=2§ion=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-07-16+15%3A33%3A40+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=741f5b65-1e68-43f8-ac7f-a3d15887876c&secure%5Btoken%5D=8cbe60b8ce6ffe1d88dffa763199ad16e1d2e97f84db7b557f72be2995161d5d&format=llm_user) ## Bark.com Integrations - [Agentforce Sales (formerly Salesforce Sales Cloud)](https://www.g2.com/products/agentforce-sales-formerly-salesforce-sales-cloud/reviews) - [Zapier](https://www.g2.com/products/zapier/reviews) ## Bark.com Features **Hiring** - RFP Creator - Messaging - Freelance Profiles **Project Management** - Guidelines and Policies - Workflow Builder - Digital Asset Management **Payment** - Secure Payments - Multi-Currency Payments ## Top Bark.com Alternatives - [Upwork](https://www.g2.com/products/upwork/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (3,099 reviews) - [Fiverr](https://www.g2.com/products/fiverr/reviews) - 4.3/5.0 (456 reviews) - [Skyword360](https://www.g2.com/products/skyword360/reviews) - 4.3/5.0 (196 reviews)