Care.com displays lack of care for woman with a disability

On February 2, 2014 I attempted to log into my Care.com account and follow-up with some applicants who had responded to my ad for a Home Health Aide. After a few tries that only led to error messages instead of access to my account, I clicked on their Member Care link and sent them a message to see what the problem was.

Basic Membership to Care.com is free and allows someone seeking a Caregiver to post an ad describing the type of care they need. To actually communicate with a potential Caregiver or utilize any of the other services Care.com offers requires a paid membership, which Medicaid and Medicare do not cover. One month costs $37 or an annual subscription costs $147.

For me, the most appealing feature of Care.com is that members can choose to only communicate with Caregivers who post the results of their criminal background check. This is a huge safeguard that was worth every penny, even though it had to come out of my $800 monthly budget.

On February 3, 2014 Care.com responded to my message alerting them to the fact that I could not log into my account. Here is what they had to say:

Thank you for your email. After researching this issue, we found that you previously had an account that was closed by Care.com.

Unfortunately we are unable to accept your membership. This decision is final and irreversible. No exceptions will be made to these terms.

I was stunned! I thought this had to be a mistake or misunderstanding. I am a healthcare advocate with a disability. What could I have said or done to warrant this extreme action? They must have been hacked, I thought! So, I called them.

As it turns out, Care.com was not hacked. They told me it could take up to a week for my membership fee to be refunded and that I can never have a membership with them again and…here is the kicker…they do not have to tell me why.

I’m a small statured woman who uses a wheelchair. Obviously, I’m no stranger to being disrespected. In fact, the last person I interviewed from Care.com had plenty of disrespectful things to say about my lifestyle. I didn’t cause a ruckus about it though. I just didn’t hire her.

Since Care.com refused to tell me why they revoked my membership, I’m always going to wonder if that judgmental interviewee complained to them about my non-traditional ways. Am I being discriminated against because of my lifestyle? Their website states that their goal is ”…to provide families with as many options as possible so everyone can find the care that best fits their unique needs.”  Why am I being excluded?

Now, let’s fast forward. On April 18, 2018 I attempted to open a new Care.com account because I have moved to a different state and need to assemble a whole new team of Caregivers. My first attempt got an error message. On April 19^th I tried again and got another error message.

It’s been four years since we parted ways. Care.com couldn’t possibly be holding a grudge, right? There must really be a problem with their website, right?

Like I did four years ago, I clicked on their Member Care link and sent them a message to see why I was getting an error message. In return, I got this seemingly automated response.

Thank you for contacting us at Care.com.

While we review your submission, we’ve included some general information below about how Care.com can help you find the perfect caregiver.

How does Care.com work?
Care.com is a self-service website where you can find and screen local caregivers and service providers.  With your membership, you can post a job, browse through providers, and contact your preferred candidates when you are ready to begin the screening process.  By accessing background checks, reference checks, and member reviews, you gain a greater sense of the experience and qualifications of your emerging candidates.  The general steps include:

·      Browse caregivers by zip code or post a job to generate applicants for your position

·      Check references and read reviews from other members and previous employers

·      Run background checks and view other safety verifications

·      Narrow down your top candidates for interviews, and hire with confidence

What’s included in the Safety Center?
The Care.com Safety Center offers safety and hiring guides, frequently asked questions, detailed information about our background checks, and other safety articles for your perusal.  These resources help you take full advantage of the screening tools available with your membership, and to make the most informed decisions throughout your search.  If you have any further questions or concerns, you may also browse our Help section.

We hope this helps, and if your specific question was not addressed in this message, we will do our best to respond within 24 hours.

The déjà vu was getting stronger every hour I waited for an answer. By the evening of April 19^th my impatience got the best of me and I sent Care.com a Facebook message, asking why I was getting error messages upon trying to open an account, and this is what they had to say…

Jane, after researching this issue, we found that you previously had an account that was closed by Care.com.

Pursuant to the Care.com Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, Care.com is not required to release the specific details as to why an account has been closed.

As a membership-based online community, Care.com reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove a member's Care.com membership for any reason or no reason, with or without notice. If we terminate your registration, we have no obligation to notify you of the reason, if any, for your termination.

There was no error. Care.com is still denying my membership for reasons unknown to me. Is this acceptable behavior for a multimillion-dollar company that does business in over a dozen countries? Where is the Customer Service? Where is the compassion? Most importantly, where is the CARE?

If I violated Care.com’s membership rules, it was absolutely an accident or misunderstanding. I feel I deserve a fair trial, so to speak, before I’m handed a lifetime sentence. Instead, their cowardly method of handling this situation will always make me wonder if there are aspects of my life that I need to hide in order to find the kind of care that I need to live in my own home and community.