Avoid Bark: False Advertising, Poor Vetting, and Zero Accountability

I recently used Bark to find a contractor for a kitchen renovation, expecting the "professionals" they heavily advertise. What we experienced was the complete opposite — wasted time, major damage, huge financial losses, and shocking indifference from Bark. The first contractor MDUDUZI contractor accepted the job and started work, but quickly abandoned the project. He damaged materials, wasted supplies, and left our kitchen completely unusable for many weeks. He failed to complete the work he quoted for, forcing us to hire a second contractor also through Bark. The second contractor quoted R15,000 but ended up adding another R10,000 in "extra expenses." He too handled the project unprofessionally. In total, what was meant to be a R26,000 kitchen renovation cost us R51,000. We have now had to take on extra debt and loans just to finish the job and repair the damage caused by the first contractor. Bark’s response? They simply said the first contractor received a written warning and that they would "monitor" his account. If there are more complaints, he might be suspended. That’s it. No compensation, no real assistance, nothing. They continue advertising their contractors as vetted professionals while exercising extremely loose controls that end up costing clients dearly. This experience has been incredibly stressful, expensive, and frustrating. Bark makes it sound like they stand behind their service, but in reality they take little to no responsibility when things go wrong. Strongly advise others to think twice before using Bark. Their platform lacks proper screening and support for clients when contractors fail. Save yourself the headache and money — look elsewhere for reliable contractors.