On SmartCustomer, businesses may not offer incentives or pay to remove reviews. Learn more about our Review Guidelines.
From the business
Bark is an online marketplace that connects customers with local and online professionals.
We take the hassle out of finding the right professional for any job. Whether you’re looking for a cleaner in Nottingham, a web design in Boston or a personal trainer in Auckland - with over 2000 professional services in 8 countries, you’re bound to find the perfect professional for your project on Bark. Simply tell us what you need and will send you a list of professionals - for free!
Need new customers? We’ve helped thousands of businesses of all sizes keep find new clients. We’re passionate about helping businesses of all sizes find customers for life.
Life’s better with Bark.
Bark Reviews Summary
Bark has a rating of 2.2 stars from 1,644 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Bark most frequently mention customer service, phone number and potential clients. Bark ranks 9th among Service Marketplace sites.
We monitor reviews for authenticity
I have been using this site since December. I have actually managed to obtain some clients for my hypnotherapy service to help build my business. The best way is to contact Bark by telephone and not email as replies can be a bit slow. Initially had a problem where I was charged for a closed lead and Bark wouldnt refund but after phoning them they agreed to do this. Will continue to use this site to help build my business thanks.
I have to stay Bark is the most horrible company I have ever work with.
So far I haven't got one client from them.
When I asked them for a refund, they refused.
I am a personal trainer in Harrow.
This is the worst company ever.
I don't understand why it's still working.
It should be shut down.
The customer service is thick.
Just losers sitting with no brains to advice.
Stay well away.
Hi Nida,
We're sorry to hear that you have not found our platform useful.
We have some key hints and tips that have helped many professionals convert on our platform that we would be happy to share with you - just email us at [email protected].
We have an average conversion rate of 1 in 5, but the most common reasons for not achieving this is often to do with late response times or not having the fullest details available for the company.
We also find that responding to leads with the most information is best - remember we are a public platfrom that matches those looking for services with those providing them, so we would always advise responding to the leads that have the most amount of information included in them.
All our customer success agents are trained and offer as much advise as they can, however we are ultimately a platfrom that allows you to market yourself.
If we can help any further, let us know.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
IMO ITS A SCAM!
I dont think the 'leads' are genuine!
The 'money back' guarantee is a lie, they only give you credit to waste more time responding to so called potential clients that never ever respond!
Hi Hayley,
We're sorry to hear that you did not have success on our platform.
As we are an open public platfrom, all our leads go through a computerised screening system, however if there are any issues with incorrect information having been placed in the request we are able to return the credits for it so long as it is reported within a 2 week period.
We do not offer money back guarantees - the guarantee on our starter packs is for the credits returned of you are not hired using it. Please email us at [email protected] if you would like further information about this.
We appreciate that is frustrating when customers don't reply, and whilst we do our best to prompt customers about responses from professionals, there is only so much was can do as a pay as you go introduction service. We did launch a Customer App a few months ago to help make the connectivity between Customers and Professionals better.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
The leads cost a lot of credits and there is no guarantee you will be contracted or even contacted... it is pretty much a crap shoot.
So don't waste your money.
There are many more useful and cheaper ways to get clients.
Hi Lina,
We are sorry to hear that you have not had success using our site.
We offer professionals the opportunity to market themselves to members of the public who place requests on our site, but we cannot force those people to make contact with any specific professional. We do ofcourse send them email and text notifications to try to keep them aware of the interest they have received.
We would be happy to help you make the most of our service - please email us at [email protected] for some tips and advice.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
You need to pay Bark upfront for you to contact customers. Some customers have already been served long time ago but, Bark will still recommend the customer to you thereby using the so called credit you purchased from Bark. That is it. Either the lead is genuine or not, once you click the link, your credit is gone.
Bark is not real it is a scam.
I have paid Bark and never got a contract
Stay away from Bark
Hi there,
We're sorry to hear that you have not had a positive experience using our site.
We screen every single lead using our automated system and have a credit return policy which allows us to return credits for any leads which are found to have incorrect details. Please email us at [email protected] if you would like a copy of this and if you would like to report any leads.
We are an open public platform and allow customers to place as much information as they wish to in the Additional Details section. We always advise our professionals not to respond to vague leads, as this then prompts us to get in touch and prompt them to add more details. You can utilise the Filter Questions section of your account in order to remove any vague answers from your leads and customise them fully. Do get in touch if you need any help with this.
We aim to get each request 2 - 5 responses so we urge professionals to respond quickly to requests to give them a good chance of converting. We ask customers to close their requests once they have found someone but unfortunately they do not always remember.
If you would like us to send any extra hints and tips for making the most of the platform, please email us at [email protected] and we'll be happy to help.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team.
I paid for credits on 14th November and was charged again on 18th November.
In both cases I recieved no confirmation email at all.
I asked for a refund on the second payment. A gentleman in London called Edward said no refunds allowed and I must have authorised the payment.
I did not I only wanted an initial trial, incidently I got no work from the leads.
I am raising a dispute with Mastercard and if necessary will go to a UK County Court to recover the second unauthorised payment.
Further to the reply from Bark, I never recieved an email telling me that I had used up my credits at all, If the customer team at Bark can provide the email for all of us to see I would be delighted.
An update many weeks ago now Mastercard are reviewing this case.
It could go my way or Bark`s way, but I think this company should be avoided.
Also I don`t believe the good reviews about Bark at all.
Be very wary of this company.
If I read Company House records correctly Bark.com are late filing their company accounts.
Hi Rhett,
We're sorry to hear that you were unaware of your payments made to us.
When you purchased your pack you opted in to our Auto Top Up. This automatically provides you with another pack when you run out of credits so that you never miss out on a lead. We do send notification emails and you can turn this function off at any time from your account.
Had you not used any of your packs, we would have been able to refund those for you, however as they had been used this was not something we were able to do as we cannot take the contact details back which you have utilised.
You can find a copy of our full terms here: www.bark.com/terms/
We are sorry to hear that you have not had a hire with us yet. If you wish to email us at [email protected] we will happy to provide any hints and tips for making the most of the platfrom.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
No one responds to the leads - don't waste your money. If they do they want the work for nothing. Pointless website
Hi Andrew,
We're sorry to hear that you have not had success with us and thank you for your feedback.
All of our leads are screened, however as we are an open public platform we urge professionals to respond to leads with the most information, and ideally within the first hour of them being released. Professionals that adhere to this practice are the most likely to convert with us, as these leads are the most likely to turn into work. If you would like some help with making the most of the platfrom please email us at [email protected].
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
We're a reputable web design / software development company and thought we would spend circa £300 with Bark to generate leads. We called up their sales team, spoke to someone who said they have a guarantee that if we didn't get any business we would get our 'money' back. See below how deceptive their practices are.
Sending out proposals, chasing, calling does take a lot of time in any case when you are trying to get new business. However, in the case of leads supplied by Bark, YOU WILL BE WASTING YOUR TIME.
1. The leads are of very very poor quality
2. I spoke to two customers who said they were getting paid to pretend to want a website and they weren't really interested
3. Bark tell you you respond to a lead within mins. We did that on 7/10 occassions and ZERO results.
Bark is a con. They tell you will get your 'money' back but really all they do is give you the credits back. Now if those credits didnt get you any business in the first place, why are you going to waste your time again?
STAY AWAY FROM THESE - YOU WILL LOSE YOUR MONEY.
Hi there,
We're sorry to hear that you have not had a positive experience using our platform, but we do refute the claims you have made against our business.
We did try to resolve your issue however you did not respond to our message.
To clarify our role, we offer professionals the opportunity to try and convert business and market themselves at the fraction of the cost it would normally be to get themselves to the top of Google (which is what we do). We do not guarantee work, but provide a platform that should garner professionals a 1 in 5 conversion rate - essentially we want to get you a return on investment. We do not charge commission and so do not take any earnings from you, nor do we take any earnings from repeat business you may win.
We cannot provide refunds for used credit packs as we cannot retrieve the online marketing we already provided for your business. Our Get Hired Guarantee allows us to return the credits one more time in order to help professionals achieve a return on investment with us.
Should you like to speak with us about your account, please email us at [email protected].
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I just sent them a email.
Hi, I have been sending out Responses, Emails and Phone calls and I have YET to receive ANY Replies!
I may have share my results on social media. So far it has been a horrible experience. Once my "Points" run out, I am done.
Regards,
Eddie Connell
EWC Designs
http://ewcdesigns.com
Hi Eddie,
We can see that we did respond to you on the 5th November and it seems you had your issue resolved.
If we can help any further, please email us ta [email protected].
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
Company: legit business, based in the UK, customer service responsive on credits and tips
Leads: Majority are not serious to book or invest. Many don't respond. It's free for them to request quotes but they don't know how much it costs the business owners. Out of 10 contacts, we had one successful lead book with us.
Tips: don't contact if lead is more than 4 hrs passed, don't contact if they don't have a date or unsure on certain items, don't respond if they have no set budget. Do call them immediately once u send your information
Overall, I would put this site on the lower end of your advertising criteria. Use your credits wisely and read the full description of how serious the lead is. Keep in mind they get multiple quotes and many times forget to close it if they picked another company.
Hi there Maryam,
Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your useful tips!
You are absolutely right that responding quickly to well-filled-out leads is the best way to use our platfrom. We are an open online public platform and so not all leads have an equal chance of conversion. We have some exciting changes planned for next year that we hope will help improve the quality of our leads further, but as-is many professionals do achieve a 1 in 5 conversion rate with our site. We feel we are a reasonably priced marketing platfrom We offer professionals the opportunity to try and convert business and market themselves at the fraction of the cost it would normally be to get themselves to the top of Google (which is what we do). We also do not charge commission and so do not take any earnings from professionals, nor do we take any earnings from repeat business they may win.
If you would like any further help with using our platform, please email us at [email protected].
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I will be contacting trading standards first thing tomorrow, Bark is and without doubt a con, i have attempted to contact a potential lead only to receive no communication whatsoever, I have just received a call from a person that I left a message with assuming it was a genuine bark contact and he as no knowledge of bark,, yet I received his number from them, I still have a number of credits with Bark I will request that Trading standards use them to endorse my aligations that Bark is a fake trading platform that needs to be closed down
Hi Christopher,
We're sorry to hear that you had an issue with a lead.
We are an open public platfrom that members of the public input their details into, so this sounds like a case of a mis-typed number. Please email us at [email protected] and we can return credits for leads where the details have been found to be incorrect.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
The amount you spend on leads is high. Add that to the fact that 90% dont even reply to your initial emails or phone calls makes it questionable at best. Customer service is close to talking to a bot, canned responses and not relevant to the conversation.
Hi Robert,
We're sorry to hear that you have not found our platform useful.
We feel our prices are competitive as we offer professionals the opportunity to try and convert business and market themselves at the fraction of the cost it would normally be to get themselves to the top of Google. We also do not charge commission and so do not take any earnings from you, nor do we take any earnings from repeat business you may win.
We would love to help you achieve our average 1 in 5 conversion rate so please do email us at [email protected] for any extra hints and tips.
Whilst our customer success team endeavour to give personalised help to each account, we often find a pattern as to why a professional may not being hired. We also have a credit return policy which the team are unable to change and must adhere to when returning credits for leads where there has been an issue.
If we can be of further help, please let us know.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
Ive read a small handfull of other reviews and i can agree some numbers/requests seem fake, few are timewasters but some are 100% genuine!
Hi Paul,
Thank you for your review,
We do appreciate that our automated screening process is not exhaustive, and this is why we have our credit return policy. Please do report leads to us at [email protected] where the details have been found to be incorrect and we will be happy to return the credits to you.
We're glad to hear that you have found business on our site, and if we can help any further, please do let us know.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
It's an absolute con I'm going to report them to trade and standards tomorrow.
For instance they are advertising a garden wall in West Sussex and the telephone number is for new Zealand.
Hi there,
We're sorry to hear that you had an issue with a lead.
We are an open public platfrom that members of the public input their details into, so this sounds like a case of an incorrect number or someone mis-using the site. Please email us at [email protected] and we can return credits for leads where the details have been found to be incorrect.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I wish I had looked for reviews before I did this. Poorly executed site. I have spent $950 for a $250/mo client. Certainly not a good return on investment. You don't even get a chance to pitch your service. You pay, then you immediately get a message that potential client is no longer excepting bids. Or you send your pitch and the clients don't respond. I'd be better off just throwing that money on the ground and setting fire to it. AWFUL!
Hi there,
We're sorry to hear that you have not had success using us.
In your particular case it sounds like you may have been responding to leads a bit late. It is always up to the customer to close a lead once they have found someone but despite our prompts they do not always remember - this is why we advise responding when leads have just gone live and are fresh.
We have some other hints and tips that can help too - please email us at [email protected] and we will be happy to help where we can.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
Only reason I purchased the minimum 100 credits was to answer just one lead. Turned out the lead was not even a lead, totally unqualified. After 5 months of being on their platform, I got just one unqualified lead. I wanted to get a refund, they said it's not in their policy, despite their guarantee of at least one job from the purchased credits. I got more leads from Google and Alignable.com which both are free services. Stay absolutely away from bark.com! You are better off spending your money elsewhere.
Hi James,
We're sorry to hear that you ddid not have success using our site.
We are an open public platform, and so if an issue is found after it has been through our automated system and reported within 2 weeks we can investigate it. We return credits where any details have found to be incorrect, however we cannot return credits where the contact details are working but they have not responded to you or if they have hired another professional.
We can only provide monetary refunds for unused packs of credits as we cannot take back the contact information which has already been purchased, back. We will be happy to offer you some tips for making the most of the platform with your remaining credits, and your starter pack came with a Credit Back Guarantee so that if you are not hired using the whole pack, we can return those credits back to you one more time for free.
If we can help any further, please email us at [email protected].
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
BARK is a lead generation service with little to no vetting process. Aside from a few qualification questions that don't fundamentally help the service provider to land the lead.
Service providers are totally in the dark as to what to expect, and much of the time, the lead is falsely representing their interest in support. At times it's even been a competitor looking to see what the competition is doing.
Most leads are also poor, and simply "browsing", so much of the information they are providing isn't even in alignment with their true intentions on the site.
In addition, leads don't receive your notifications, or find no value in the platform, and close their request within hours or days of opening it, without ever replying to you. I know, as I've been tracking this systemic issue. I send a message, I call and text a few days later, I followed yup with email - the lead ghosts off the platform, or says they'd already found someone outside of Bark. It's insanity.
I could say more, its been a horrible experience, and honestly don't bother dealing with their team! They basically just cut and paste the same policy response!
Hi Jessica,
We're very sorry to hear that you have not had success using our site.
We do have an automated screening process as well as a credit return policy for any issues found after this process. If we are made aware of a professional placing a test request we will always shut down the account and return the credits so long as we are made aware - you can contact us at [email protected] or call us on 0203 697 0237.
We have a number of questions that the customer must answer in order to place a request, however we give professionals the opportunity to filter out any vague answers, or answers where they are not suitable for their business. It is found in the Settings, My services and Filter Questions section of your account.
We appreciate that is frustrating when customers don't reply, and whilst we do our best to prompt customers about responses from professionals, there is only so much was can do as a pay as you go introduction service. We did launch a Customer App a few months ago to help make the connectivity between Customers and Professionals better. We also make it clear to customers that professionals pay to use our service.
We have some great tips for making the most of our service, so do make contact should you like our help.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
Well upon setting up my Bark account for catering and cooking class parties I started getting leads... out of 15 leads 10 did not fit my criteria and had false info within them and the other 5 were odd situations such as strange noises coming from phone and when a person answered one of them you could tell he had no idea what to tell me and I knew his answers were scripted... seemed as though the calls are set up and really no business to be generated here folks... save your money and time... SCAM 100%
Hi Garrin,
We're sorry to hear that you haven't found our platfrom useful.
Due to us being an open public platform there is a certain amount of personal filtering that can help with these leads. By going to Settings, My Services and Filter Questions you can remove leads that include "other" and "I don't know" - essentially anything that makes the lead more vague or not customised for you. This should then mean you receive leads where the buyer has been specific about their needs which suggests they are fully aware of the service they desire. We always advise our professionals not to respond to vague requests, as this then prompts us to get in touch and prompt them to add more details.
This should make a difference to your only going for the right leads for you, and will help you go for the ones you want quickly.
We do also have a credit return policy for issues with leads, so please do report leads where you believe there is a problem and explain the issue you have had.
If we can help any further, please email us at [email protected].
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
I write as a business owner offering professional services.
The Bark qualification of opportunity is appalling, doesn't ask the most fundamental questions, yet allowing prospective customers completely ridiculous expectations of cost.
Their "professional" option fails to put your business in the list shown to enquirers of a service.
Then their special offers are marketed with false advertising in respect of discounts.
Hi there,
We're sorry to hear that you have not had success with us.
All of our leads go through a computerised screening system before we send them out to professionals. If an issue is found after this, let us know and we can return the credits for you where the issue can be verified.
We no longer show our budget estimator to customers, and is now only shown to professionals so that they can get an idea of the competition on the platform.
We do not have any false advertising about our deals - all emails state clearly what our offer is and has a hyperlink that can input the offer automatically for you. Our customer success team is also on hand should you have any questions.
If you would like some more hints and tips for making the most of the platform, please email us at [email protected].
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
A scam. Be very careful when you buy credits for the first time. Your card is going to be kept on record and there is no way to remove it. Also, the auto top-up will automatically activate to squeeze more money out of you without your consent.
As for the site, I joined three days ago, I spent 50 pounds, spent hours replying to potential customers requesting a quote, I had the site stealing another 57 pounds and I've got nothing and as for their claimed of hired guaranteed or your money back. That's nonsense. They automatically take money from you therefore you end up paying even if you don't want to. By the time you realise that the auto top-up activated when you bought your first packet of credits is too late. Even if they refund the first purchase for lack of customers they still pocket the 57 pounds they take from you the second time round.
To date, I can safely rate this site as a SCAM. Don't fall for it. Steer clear.
Hu Lae,
We're sorry to hear that you have had some issues using our site.
When purchasing packs of credits, the card is stored for quick future purchases but you can always ask us to delete these details for you.
We're sorry to hear that you have had issues using our Auto Top Up function. When purchasing packs of credits there is a tick box visible under Buy Now that allows you to turn off our Auto Top Up function on purchase. You can also turn this off/on in the Credit section of the account any time. We created this function so that our professionals never miss a lead they are interested in. If the credits are unused we will be able to refund the pack - just email us at [email protected].
Our starter packs come with Credit Back Guarantees rather than a monetary refund. This is stipulated on the pack at purchase. If you email us at [email protected] we can see if you are eligible for this offer.
Making direct contact with us over any payment issues is best for a speedy resolution.
If we can help any further, let us know.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team
See reviews as you browse!
Get the Chrome Extension.
Add Extension
- SmartCustomer’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- SmartCustomer has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
- SmartCustomer’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- SmartCustomer has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
Hi Neill,
We're sorry to hear that you have not had a positive experience using our platform.
We are an open public platfrom that connects those needing services with service providers, and therefore it is always up to the customer to close requests when they wish. We are very open about the competitive nature of our platfrom and this is why we advise all professionals to respond quickly to fresh leads. We have some great hints and tips that have helped professionals convert on our platform that we would be happy to share with you - please email us at [email protected] for more help with your account.
We cannot provide monetary refunds for used packs of credits as we cannot take the details for customers back which have been purchased.
If we can help any further, let us know.
Kind regards,
The Bark Team