Bark Service any good?

[Gizmo Gomez]

Hey Forumites

Wanted to get some feedback & experiences, maybe those of you who are familiar with or have dealt with Services offered by https://www.bark.com/en/za/

We found them looking for a quote to have some building work done, it's easy to register and post a request - within the hour we received a notification that a builder was interested and would contact us.
While this was impressive and all, I couldn't help but play on the cautious side - yes living in SA has made me this way don't judge .
But what I'm getting at is, how do we know this isn't just a glorified Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace where hard working citizens fall victim to scams every hour of every day? It seems pretty easy to register as a "provider" and who knows what kind of checks are done to ensure no Fly-by-nights are offering services on the platform....

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

sure looks dodgy to me, was even a pleasant green video describing something very similar in the US
seems they migrated to good old South sh1th0le

 

[Gizmo Gomez]

sure looks dodgy to me, was even a pleasant green video describing something very similar in the US
seems they migrated to good old South sh1th0le

Wow okay this is a concern. I mean we been dealing with the contractor over Whatsapp for about a week, they have kept every promise in terms of providing quotes, sourcing materials etc. Although they have a Facebook page with pictures of previous projects, its hard to say if these are legit or not

 

[Gizmo Gomez]

Two Cousins Properties | Johannesburg

Two Cousins Properties, Johannesburg. 1 like. Property

www.facebook.com

 

[Snyper564]

Two Cousins Properties | Johannesburg

Two Cousins Properties, Johannesburg. 1 like. Property

www.facebook.com

here are your red flags

 

[Snyper564]

Also I would never deal with a contractor without a personal recommendation

 

[Gizmo Gomez]

You guys got me worried now
Although we haven't yet laid out a cent, they did make arrangements to come "assess" on Sunday - Although the three guys that pulled up wore branded clothing (had their company logo on the shirts) they seemed a little out of place and for lack of a better way of putting it, didn't look like your typical builders. And besides how hard is it to have some shirts embroidered and try to look more professional while you take clients for a ride

 

[Snyper564]

You guys got me worried now

only worry if you paid

If not say sorry you took to long block the number carry on with life

Also not being cautious is silly ALWAYS BE CAUTIOUS

 

[Snyper564]

more red flags



No reviews mean Im not gonna be the first one to risk it WALK AWAY

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

only worry if you paid

If not say sorry you took to long block the number carry on with life

Also not being cautious is silly ALWAYS BE CAUTIOUS

this is sound advice, couldn't agree more here.
walk away and carry on with your life.

 

[Gizmo Gomez]

sure looks dodgy to me, was even a pleasant green video describing something very similar in the US
seems they migrated to good old South sh1th0le

Thanks for this, where did you even find this, or how'd you recall it so quick

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Thanks for this, where did you even find this, or how'd you recall it so quick

Jew POWER! I follow this dude some of the Scam-baiting he does is quite funny,
tackles many African scumbags who do dodgy things to Americans,

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

You guys got me worried now
Although we haven't yet laid out a cent, they did make arrangements to come "assess" on Sunday - Although the three guys that pulled up wore branded clothing (had their company logo on the shirts) they seemed a little out of place and for lack of a better way of putting it, didn't look like your typical builders. And besides how hard is it to have some shirts embroidered and try to look more professional while you take clients for a ride

probably scouting your place for a robbery, id be extra cautions now.

 

[Gizmo Gomez]

probably scouting your place for a robbery, id be extra cautions now.

For sure, we always been paranoid, but this calls for extra paranoia now, and come to think of it, its December - what do most folks do with their Xmas bonusses - renovate. I think these guys are opportunists tbh

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

For sure, we always been paranoid, but this calls for extra paranoia now, and come to think of it, its December - what do most folks do with their Xmas bonusses - renovate. I think these guys are opportunists tbh

probably are, hopefully they move on and dont Rob you, but Id stay away from dodgy sites,
maybe go down to builders warehouse and hire one of those contractors standing outside, not sure if they are any good TBH,
never had to hire people to work on our place.

 

[Gizmo Gomez]

Unfortunately what we need done will require a little more than the average builder outside builders can provide. We have a garage and backroom we want to join and extend to become a Grandpa flat. Quite a job, not too big but will need some sort of company to co-ordinate hence us looking around on the interwebz. We sat lastnight going through all the companies listed on Bark.com, and boy let me tell you the fake reviews are abundant, most even blatantly copied / pasted with different user names and have horrendous grammar! I am convinced they either using AI to fill out fake reviews, or they scammed people via Whatsapp to sit and fill out reviews ‍‍

 

[Gizmo Gomez]

This came through to me on Wednesday, one of many - unfortunately I lose the chat when I block them

 

[Gizmo Gomez]

 

[Bewlen]

probably are, hopefully they move on and dont Rob you, but Id stay away from dodgy sites,
maybe go down to builders warehouse and hire one of those contractors standing outside, not sure if they are any good TBH,
never had to hire people to work on our place.

Bud, indicate sarcasm next time please? Not all people will be able to read between the lines.

To be clear, never EVER hire one of those outside-Builders-Warehouse guys. The odds will not be in your favour.

 

[Gizmo Gomez]