bark phones glitchy; customer service is awful I have bark phones for my two kids. The controls do not work consistently. So far, glitches have resulted in their phones telling them that they’re out of time when they shouldn’t be. This morning my son woke up and his phone said he was out of time already because he had used texting for nine hours over the night. I know that’s not true because my parental controls won’t let him use texting overnight and even if they did, he has a time limit of three hours on all apps. So, literally, using his phone for nine hours is impossible with the settings I have in place. Customer service really sucks. You can’t talk to anybody without scheduling a meeting well in advance. They try their best to handle everything via text and email. It’s awful. By the time they reach out to contact me, it’s while I’m at work and I don’t have my son‘s phone with me etc. For $50 a month per Phone. I expect better service and better performance. I definitely will be looking into alternatives. Really disappointed because I really was hoping Bark worked. On paper, they really seemed like the best option for us.

Bark Parental Control App review Bark Parental Control App review Bark DOES NOT work consistently with Apple products. It seemed that time that Apple had an update, Bark stopped working and we’d have to spend HOURS on email (you can’t call Bark - you have to set up an appointment to talk - days in advance!) and also with Apple. Don’t ever give your credit card to Bark. They renewed our subscription, even though we continued to have problems with it working. We asked for a refund within 3 weeks but they somehow talked us into trying to get it to work again. It temporarily (never went for more than a few weeks with all devices backing up to it,) so we asked to cancel a few months later. They refused stating that their terms if service are to offer NO REFUNDS. If you have $99 to burn and hours and hours of time to devote throughout the year to getting Bark to work again, then go for it. If not, find another monitoring software!

Bark.us I recently came across Bark.us, a platform that claims to help parents monitor their children's online activities to ensure their safety. While the concept behind Bark.us is promising, I can't help but feel that they are missing out on a significant opportunity to assist agencies in keeping kids in residential care safe. As someone who works closely with such agencies, I find their current offerings falling short in addressing the unique challenges faced by these establishments. Bark.us primarily targets parents who want to monitor their children's online interactions, which is undoubtedly important. However, there is a glaring gap when it comes to helping agencies responsible for the care of children in group homes, foster care, or other residential settings. These agencies have a critical need for tools that can help them ensure the safety and well-being of the children under their watch, especially in today's digital age. The missed opportunity lies in the fact that Bark.us could have extended its services to cater to the specific needs of these agencies. Children in residential care are often vulnerable and can be at a higher risk of exposure to online dangers, just like any other child. In fact, the risks might even be amplified due to their circumstances. The agencies responsible for these children need robust tools that can effectively monitor online activities, detect signs of cyberbullying, harassment, or grooming, and intervene to prevent potential harm. Bark.us could have explored features such as: Customizable Alerts for Agencies: Agencies could receive alerts tailored to their unique concerns, enabling them to quickly respond to any potentially harmful situations. Comprehensive Reporting for Accountability: Detailed reports could assist agencies in keeping track of online interactions and demonstrating their efforts to ensure child safety to regulatory bodies. Collaborative Monitoring: A system that allows both agency staff and assigned caregivers to stay informed about a child's online presence would foster a holistic approach to child protection. Integration with Reporting Channels: Direct integration with appropriate authorities or helpline services could streamline the process of reporting any suspicious or dangerous activities. Training and Resources: Offer guidance and resources to agency staff on identifying online risks and implementing best practices for digital safety in a residential care setting. It's disappointing to see that Bark.us has not ventured into this realm. By targeting agencies responsible for children's residential care, Bark.us could have positioned itself as a comprehensive solution for child safety in various contexts. This missed opportunity not only affects the potential growth of Bark.us but also raises concerns about the platform's commitment to the broader goal of child protection. In conclusion, while Bark.us has a valuable concept for monitoring children's online activities, they are missing out on a lucrative opportunity to extend their services to agencies in charge of kids in residential care. The potential to make a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable children is significant, and I hope Bark.us reevaluates their offerings to include these underserved areas of child safety.

Purchased the Bark phone with app Purchased the Bark phone with app. Got it yesterday and after spending 5 hours attempting to set it up and get her apps working I give up. Something like this should not be so complex for an adult with the full access to the app. There is no way to call anyone to walk through the steps and all the answers online refer to mostly just the app not the actual phone. Its ridiculous. It conflicts with google mail for kids to set up a phone as well. Day 2 and im sending it back I already wasted way too much time and energy on figuring this out.

Impossible to Cancel - Misleading Billing Practices I purchased a device with Bark parental control software pre-installed, but soon realized the extremely intrusive monitoring was not suitable for my needs as an adult user with Autism. When I attempted to cancel service through their website and app, I encountered constant runaround and deception from Bark representatives. No matter how many times I clicked "cancel account", Bark would claim there was a "technical issue" preventing cancellation and that I needed to contact support for help. When contacting support via email and phone, I was given circular explanations that made no sense and seemed intentionally confusing. Even after explicitly stating I wished to cancel service multiple times, Bark continued to bill my credit card monthly fees. When I disputed the charges, they tried claiming the recurring payments were somehow not under their control despite being the service provider. I filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau detailing Bark's misleading cancellation practices and inability to process a standard request to stop services. Other online reviews show I am one of many dealing with similar deceit from Bark when trying to end the account relationship. Unless major changes are made to simplify and properly respect cancellation requests from users, I cannot recommend Bark's parental control software due to their unethical business operations focused on stringing customers along rather than honoring basic consumer rights. Proceed with extreme caution or select an alternative provider.