BEWARE WHEN BOOKING We booked a sitter on Wednesday at to start on Thursday for a vacation for the weekendWithin less than hours of booking, our pup was vomiting and having diarrheaWe contacted John Rwith whom we had JUST made the reservation and he agreed it would be best to cancel and he would put in the refundHowever, we came to find out he only refunded us 1/the amount and claimed it was because he "had turned down other offers" in that short window of timeSeriously? This was NOT a reservation that had been in place for any extended period of timeHOURS!!!!! And he agreed that a sick pup was not a good call to leave with himObviously, not the honest kind of guy who does the right thing but is just trying to get as much as he can out of thisUnfortunate that Rover supports/stands behind this ludicrous behaviorThey basically said they can't help and that it's up to the sitterI would caution you going through Rover at all and definitely DO NOT use JOHN R in FALLS CHURCH
I had a terribly upsetting experience with someone from Rover.com two weeks ago and more of a problem with how the staff at Rover.com handled it I paid for two nights of House Sitting with someone who had a very good review from Rover.com She was given a full page of instructions, shown her guest room and bath and we went over all of our senior dog's needsShe lied about when she arrived the first time to our home- saying she was there at 2:when we checked the Ring device on our garage, she didn't arrive till 4PM She was supposed to stay the rest of the day and all through the night, instead she left at 4:23PM and did not return till the next morning at 8:30AM My dog suffers from separation anxiety already and this put him in a real tailspin- literally His back had already had problems (herniated discs which he had recovered from to 95%) suddenly when we got home, he could not walk again and could only propel himself by his front legs Even the second day, the sitter arrived at 8:34, left soon after, returned a few times during the day and left for the night at 6PM when she was supposed to stay all night She returned the next morning at 10:AM and was surprised to find that he had soiled himself She left before we got home at 2: When I asked her via text if she stayed over as the bed she was supposed to use looked untouched, she admitted she hadn't stayed over I contacted Rover.com and they sent me to their trust and support department I was assigned someone who would be contacting me shortly I then heard from other people in the department who said that the person I was assigned was out that day but she would contact me asap She never did I sent them the timeline from my Ring device to show the times she came and went They never contacted me again I called them and was told they couldn't discuss the case with me! She is still listed on their site We are very upset that they allow someone to remain on their list who is actually cruel to animals
We booked a dogsitter through Rover because they tout their thorough background check We had a meet and greet with a local Rover dogsitter and hired her to care for our year old golden retriever Unfortunately, a week into our vacation, the dogsitter was taken away by ambulance for a psych evaluation after having an alcoholic relapse The officer on the scene informed me that the name on her Rover profile was actually an alias and different from the name on her license While we were away, she had consumed every bottle of liquor in our house as well as bringing in several of her own mason jars filled with pot There was significant damage to my furniture and table from her drug paraphernalia and the fact that my dog wasn’t properly cared for so pooped in the house In addition, she fed my dog Chinese food instead of her regular food, giving her diarrhea and did not dispense any of her medication even though it was pre-dosed and packaged Rover has been nickel and diming us at every turn regarding covering vet bills and loss of property, as well as being unresponsive to emails and inquiriesWe are so lucky our dog is on the mend but would never use Rover again and strongly discourage anyone else from doing so
Hi [redacted] , We’re sorry to hear that your sitter cancelled your stay—I know how frustrating it can be to find a replacement at the last minuteI’m glad to see that you’ve been working with our support team on a resolutionIf you have any additional questions Rover Support is available 24/at 888-453-7889.All the best,Jenni S
Rover.com is the most shady and unprofessional business that I have ever worked this I had an experience with a bad sitter who after booking a drvisit with my pets, never returned my messages and did not meet with me at the agreed time to greet my pets and receive instructions for the stay I contacted Rover customer service about the issue, and they have done nothing to correct the issue I am not even able to write a review for the sitter I booked with because "I had canceled the stay" after she did not return my messages I had to rebook with another (more expensive) sitter the day before my hour trip Customer service is a joke and could care less about customer complaints against bad sitters Everyone of the sitters have 5-star reviews because they do not allow you to create a bad review for them I will never use this service again and neither should anyone else
I had been a member of rover for years, doing dog sitting through them, and recently more activeI hadn't had any issues or complaints at all, until someone's dog managed to get out of their kennel, then opened the locked sliding door to my house (leaving my house exposed for who knows how long)After looking for this dog for hours in our neighborhood, AND notifying the owner, the dog was located at Animal Care ServicesRover told me all I had to do was submit my statement explaining what happened, and that would be itI provided them with every bit of information they asked for, and they told me they would pause my account while they looked into ittwo weeks later my account was still paused, and they had told me nothingSo I finally asked them on it, and their response was "oh sorry, we decided to close your account indefinitely, and you will not be able to use ANY of the services"I then asked if there was an appeal process I could do, and they told me no flat out
DO NOT USE ROVER!!! they do not actually screen or background check their sitters , and they do not screen any pets the sitter might haveits a waste of money as their insurance doesn't really cover you at all! and they charge your card for unauthorized charges
Imagine for a moment that you go away for daysYou book a sitter that you've used before, with good resultsYou trust that your animals are going to be cared forThe sitter even texts you to let you know that your animals are doing greatYou arrive home at the end of your trip only to find that your animals are hungry( because they were not fed), are thirsty( because their bowls are bone dry and they were not watered), have filthy litter boxes (because the litter was not cleaned once).....this is what I came home to after trusting Larisa, a Rover sitter, to care for themAs I texted to her, there is a special place in hell for people like thisUse at your own riskAs for me, never her again and never Rover againI literally paid to have my animals starved and neglected While I was issued a refund, she's still employed by them Also, she still has my key When I emailed Rover about the fact that I'd have to change my locks this was their response: I'm so sorry that you still don't have your keys back We do have Premium Insurance which may be able to assist with this There is a $deductible and it's reimbursement based When you get your locks changed, if it's over the $deductible, you can email us your receipts and I can open a claim with our Trust & SafetyAll the best, Katie LRover Support I live in an apartment I have one lock Seriously?
Hi [redacted] ,We're sorry you had such a poor experience with a Rover sitterWe take last-minute cancellations very seriously, and we know it's disappointing and frustrating when a sitter cancels at the last minuteWe did reach out to you about finding another sitter, but we know it may have been too lateAt this time, we only allow pet parents to leave reviews for completed staysThat being said, we're always looking to improve our site, so we'll be sure to share your feedback with our product team.Thank you so much for leaving your feedbackWe hope you give Rover another shot in the future, but we understand if notIf you have any questions, please call us at [redacted] or email [redacted] @rover.comAll the best,Rover Support
Rover.com suspended my account and requested that a pet sitting client book my services via the website and then when she tried to book the service Rover.com would not let herShe then proceeded to cancel less than hours before the pet sit was supposed to startIf the pet sit were actually booked through Rover.com and I would have gotten a late cancel paymentThus, I want Rover to pay $that I lost out on because of themThe late cancel is documented in Rover chat Hi [redacted] ! We're going to stay home this weekend [redacted] isn't getting better and [redacted] is worried about leaving her for the whole weekendWe're going to take her back in to get checkedSorry!! We'll keep you in mind for the future [redacted] *days ago Additionally, I have asked for my account be deleted and Rover.com has not responded
This company advised me to leave a booking after making contact, the client's boyfriend showed up while I was dog-sitting for them, had 8-unknown men over heavily drinking I did as advised by Rover before and after being placed in a potentially lethal situation, and the client left a bad review which was a lie by omission Rover does not have any safety measures in place for its dog sitters, and shows a general lack of care for the safety of its dog sittersThey are aware of the situation, have not removed the person who caused this situation from their site to prevent this from happening in the future, and refuse to remove the blatant lie reviewNo steps have been made to prevent this from happening to another potential sitter
Hello ***, We are all incredibly saddened about [redacted] passingFrom all of us at Rover.com, where our pets are our families, please accept our heartfelt sympathies for your loss Although it will not bring your beloved dog back, please know that pet safety is taken seriously at Rover, and the sitter in question was removed from our platform We would sincerely like to connect with you directly, so should you feel ready, please do not hesitate to call our Trust & Safety team at [redacted] , email us at ***@Rover.com, or respond directly to the email we sent on September 19, Our thoughts are with you Sincerely, Rover Support
I recently used Rover.com to hire a person (Gia) to come to my house to feed my cats while I was awayWhen I came home my bed, couch, chairs and carpets were soiled in urine and stoolI had a completely soiled white comforter so I thought how did the sitter not see or especially smell this as she passed my bedroom to get to the kitchen to feed my animals? I looked in the cat box but it was completely clean, as if it was not usedGia must have come by the day I had returned and only cleaned the boxShe came other days to take a pic of my cats assuring me she had been coming byI called Rover and spoke to Josh who never followed up with me so I called back, he stating he forgot to forward my info to his superiors and had actually forgotten about the call altogether, he apologized several times, and assured me would now escalate my caseThe next day I received an email stating the issue had been resolved, describing incidences we didn't even talk aboutI wrote back stating he must have sent me someone else's emailI received no reply and my case was droppedAfter a week I went to use my toaster and it had urine in it, also, all my laundry detergent was gone along with some other household suppliesI learned from the rover employee that she was going thru a divorceShe literally that week had signed papers to relinquish her house and was now homelessI then realized she might also be mentally ill, after the toaster incident, I wondered if she staged the stool all over my house in spite for loosing her homeIn years my animals had never behaved that wayRover doesn't take responsibility for people that they hire and they vehemently don't careI suggest with my misfortune you not use this coand know going in Rover,com doesn't bond these people (I asked)Its the luck of the draw if you come out unscathed or stolen fromJust beware these people are not regulated by anyone so once they have the keys to your home and the permission by you to be there they can do whatever they wish while your gone and you will not know until you come homeAlso Rover.com doesn't insure your home or any losses you have nor do they take responsibility for the people they allow to sign up to caretaker you animals
One of my dogs was poisoned at a Rover.com sitter's house"A Place for Rover, Inc." (a.k.aRover.com) makes it appear to consumers looking for pet-sitters that all of their "5-star pet sitters" are carefully chosen with "pet safety their number one concern." That is simply (curiously, not one of their sitters appears to have below stars, including the sitter I recently gave star)If one digs deeply enough one finds that the company does not seem to check anything their sitters post on the Rover.com website nor carefully check a sitter's background to see whether the sitter can provide reasonable or safe services, and the company disclaims all liability for any fraud perpetrated via their websiteAnalysis of the company website, its ad's for pet-sitters to join them, and communications I have had with the company reveal numerous contradictions about whether sitters are vetted at all, but the bottom line seems to be this: the appearance crafted for the general public is of a company that carefully ensures the highest pet-sitter qualifications with pet-safety and quality of care given priority in "hiring" pet-sitters (except that sitters are "independent contractors," wink-wink) while the company makes no effort to ensure anything of the sortI will lodge a complaint with the relevant regulatory bodies for what appears to be internet fraud by the company; I'm not sure about the legal status of individuals who engage in fraud via the company website but that merits a complaint as wellOne of my dogs has been slowly dying for two months after a stay with a Rover.com sitter whose abilities do not match her advertising (some people would call that "lying" but it might be a case of "puffery," arrogance, lack of self-awareness, ignorance, lack of common sense, and greed)This is the review I posted on the Rover.com website after my two dogs stayed at the house of a Rover.com sitter, Sheila C., here in San Diego while we were out of town for Thanksgiving: "Scott LJanuary 16, Verified Stay Zero starsOne of our dogs might not survive after being poisoned by extremely toxic plants in Sheila C’s yardContrary to her profile, Sheila isn’t really “intuitive with any potential medical symptoms that might arise and comfortable providing any medical treatments that might be necessary.” She explicitly claims knowing pet “first aid” but if she knew about basic canine medical problems, bothered to examine her yard for dangers or to see what my dog had eaten once he became sick (rather than passively stumbling upon the cause on the fourth day of illness), or called the Rover.com support line for veterinary advice (per Rover.com protocol) when my dog was on his second day of ghastly bright yellow diarrhea, my dog might not be slowly dying from damage to his GI tract going on two months nowNor was it true that Sheila’s yard is fully enclosed: our two dogs walked out of her yard on the first day, one dog crossed a dangerous street to return home but, fortunately, was found uninjured by another dog-sitter whom Sheila had no previous acquaintance with but had sub-contracted for the first few days while Sheila was out of town; the sub-contracted sitter had to find boards to block the gap in the yard’s enclosureMost recently, in a hurtful and presumptuous response yesterday to my request for her gardener’s contact info to see what other toxins my dog might have ingested, she refused to provide the information and asserted, with zero basis and falsely, that I am “trying to cast blame for a medical condition that was already present prior to Mufasa's stay with us.” Sheila is irresponsible, negligent, and untruthful, and our previously perfectly healthy two-and-a-half-year-old dog, Mufasa, is now suffering the consequences as we pay mounting vet bills in a desperate attempt to save himAnd yes, Sheila, NOW I am casting blame."
Hi ***, As pet parents and dog lovers ourselves, we’re so sorry for any discomfort your dog experienced from his allergic reactionWe completely understand your frustration, and while the insurance offered with every booking has a minimum deductible that this situation unfortunately does not meet, please know that we’re here for youIf you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to follow up directly with our Trust & Safety team All the best, Courtney
Rover does not properly vet and train sitters. The sitters are just individuals looking to make extra money on the side. Definitely, not professionals. On paper, Julie, our sitter is the perfect sitter. Unfortunately, in reality, our dog is injured in a 2 days stay. Our dog was bitten with a 2 week recovery and drain tube. Coco was taken to the park where she played with a German shepherd. Coco is well socialized and even though it is a dog park, she should not have been allowed to play with a large dog specially with no supervision. The situation ended in the German Shepherd biting Coco. The wound was covered by her fur and unfortunately, we didn't get home till the next day. At the vet, the doctor cleaned the wound and removed the fur to surface a deep subcutaneous wound with a second wound that had a deep pocket. How could a a few seconds of a fight result in such a bad wound? Coco is one year old and is still a puppy. My notes clearly stated that. How can a sitter let a puppy play with a ferocious and aggressive German shepherd? The result is that we're in trauma over the injury and our dog is in pain since 3 days now and will be suffering for another 2 weeks. We're busy, working professionals and have taken the best care of our dog for this entire year with no incidents. This situation has not only caused us trauma mentally and emotionally as pet parents but, it's unbearable to see a little innocent dog in so much pain and suffering with a drain tube at such an early age. I would highly recommend not using strangers to watch your dogs. Rover and other instant services have made us blind. People who are not trained professionals and claim to be "sitters" can never take care appropriate care of your dog. You're better off looking for alternate options. As for Julie, she was apologetic and offered to pay for the vet charges. I have only one question to ask her - 'What if your own child was bitten mercilessly in your absence and ended up in the hospital? How much money could one pay to give you relief and peace from that kind of pain and suffering?' There really is no turning back from this incident but, I write this review to warn other pet owners from using sitters who may seem to be 'perfect' and are very warm and probably great human beings but, are NOT equipped to take care of your dog. They have probably no training, no concern and definitely no commitment to your dog. Please consider working with Julie at your own risk and likewise with other sitters on Rover. I would highly recommend NOT using Rover as they do not vet their sitters. Reviews are misleading and you will never know how the sitter is managing your pet during your time away. Rover did not even offer to refund us for the stay. Horrible service with no integrity.
Rover.com has a lot of work to do with their communication processI have been trying to be set up as a sitter for over a monthNo communication from themI always have to email them and then get the run aroundThere was no delay in processing my $fee for a background checkI'm actually not comfortable using this serviceIf I was to have any issues I don't feel they understand customer service and know how to communicate properlyI would not be a sitter for them or trust my dogs in the care of one of their sittersThe sitters are probably fine but if there is a problem no one on the Rover side knows how to deal with the slightest question never mind an emergency
Hi ***, Thank you for sharing your experienceWe’re so sorry for the frustration you experienced and for any confusion about sitter cancellation policiesEach Sitter on Rover is running their own small business and sets their own cancellation and refund policies, which you can read about at rover.com/helpIf you have a concern about a cancellation or refund, we encourage you to contact your sitter for resolution first, and I see that your sitter has approved a 100% refund for this stayIf you have any further questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let us know All the best, Courtney
Hi ***, We’re so sorry to hear that this was your experience and we hope that your dog is doing well nowWe would like to hear more about what happened and work with you to resolve this issuePlease contact Rover Support at 888-453-7889--we’re available 24/to helpAll the best,Jenni S
I left my dog with sitter for ten days, they were neglected and starved, I would like a refund, they were severely dehydrated when I got them back, dogs seem to have been kept locked in a pissy room most of the time and not fed properly because of The significant weight loss
BEWARE WHEN BOOKING We booked a sitter on Wednesday at to start on Thursday for a vacation for the weekendWithin less than hours of booking, our pup was vomiting and having diarrheaWe contacted John Rwith whom we had JUST made the reservation and he agreed it would be best to cancel and he would put in the refundHowever, we came to find out he only refunded us 1/the amount and claimed it was because he "had turned down other offers" in that short window of timeSeriously? This was NOT a reservation that had been in place for any extended period of timeHOURS!!!!! And he agreed that a sick pup was not a good call to leave with himObviously, not the honest kind of guy who does the right thing but is just trying to get as much as he can out of thisUnfortunate that Rover supports/stands behind this ludicrous behaviorThey basically said they can't help and that it's up to the sitterI would caution you going through Rover at all and definitely DO NOT use JOHN R in FALLS CHURCH
I had a terribly upsetting experience with someone from Rover.com two weeks ago and more of a problem with how the staff at Rover.com handled it I paid for two nights of House Sitting with someone who had a very good review from Rover.com She was given a full page of instructions, shown her guest room and bath and we went over all of our senior dog's needsShe lied about when she arrived the first time to our home- saying she was there at 2:when we checked the Ring device on our garage, she didn't arrive till 4PM She was supposed to stay the rest of the day and all through the night, instead she left at 4:23PM and did not return till the next morning at 8:30AM My dog suffers from separation anxiety already and this put him in a real tailspin- literally His back had already had problems (herniated discs which he had recovered from to 95%) suddenly when we got home, he could not walk again and could only propel himself by his front legs Even the second day, the sitter arrived at 8:34, left soon after, returned a few times during the day and left for the night at 6PM when she was supposed to stay all night She returned the next morning at 10:AM and was surprised to find that he had soiled himself She left before we got home at 2: When I asked her via text if she stayed over as the bed she was supposed to use looked untouched, she admitted she hadn't stayed over I contacted Rover.com and they sent me to their trust and support department I was assigned someone who would be contacting me shortly I then heard from other people in the department who said that the person I was assigned was out that day but she would contact me asap She never did I sent them the timeline from my Ring device to show the times she came and went They never contacted me again I called them and was told they couldn't discuss the case with me! She is still listed on their site We are very upset that they allow someone to remain on their list who is actually cruel to animals
We booked a dogsitter through Rover because they tout their thorough background check We had a meet and greet with a local Rover dogsitter and hired her to care for our year old golden retriever Unfortunately, a week into our vacation, the dogsitter was taken away by ambulance for a psych evaluation after having an alcoholic relapse The officer on the scene informed me that the name on her Rover profile was actually an alias and different from the name on her license While we were away, she had consumed every bottle of liquor in our house as well as bringing in several of her own mason jars filled with pot There was significant damage to my furniture and table from her drug paraphernalia and the fact that my dog wasn’t properly cared for so pooped in the house In addition, she fed my dog Chinese food instead of her regular food, giving her diarrhea and did not dispense any of her medication even though it was pre-dosed and packaged Rover has been nickel and diming us at every turn regarding covering vet bills and loss of property, as well as being unresponsive to emails and inquiriesWe are so lucky our dog is on the mend but would never use Rover again and strongly discourage anyone else from doing so
Hi [redacted] , We’re sorry to hear that your sitter cancelled your stay—I know how frustrating it can be to find a replacement at the last minuteI’m glad to see that you’ve been working with our support team on a resolutionIf you have any additional questions Rover Support is available 24/at 888-453-7889.All the best,Jenni S
Rover.com is the most shady and unprofessional business that I have ever worked this I had an experience with a bad sitter who after booking a drvisit with my pets, never returned my messages and did not meet with me at the agreed time to greet my pets and receive instructions for the stay I contacted Rover customer service about the issue, and they have done nothing to correct the issue I am not even able to write a review for the sitter I booked with because "I had canceled the stay" after she did not return my messages I had to rebook with another (more expensive) sitter the day before my hour trip Customer service is a joke and could care less about customer complaints against bad sitters Everyone of the sitters have 5-star reviews because they do not allow you to create a bad review for them I will never use this service again and neither should anyone else
I had been a member of rover for years, doing dog sitting through them, and recently more activeI hadn't had any issues or complaints at all, until someone's dog managed to get out of their kennel, then opened the locked sliding door to my house (leaving my house exposed for who knows how long)After looking for this dog for hours in our neighborhood, AND notifying the owner, the dog was located at Animal Care ServicesRover told me all I had to do was submit my statement explaining what happened, and that would be itI provided them with every bit of information they asked for, and they told me they would pause my account while they looked into ittwo weeks later my account was still paused, and they had told me nothingSo I finally asked them on it, and their response was "oh sorry, we decided to close your account indefinitely, and you will not be able to use ANY of the services"I then asked if there was an appeal process I could do, and they told me no flat out
DO NOT USE ROVER!!! they do not actually screen or background check their sitters , and they do not screen any pets the sitter might haveits a waste of money as their insurance doesn't really cover you at all! and they charge your card for unauthorized charges
Imagine for a moment that you go away for daysYou book a sitter that you've used before, with good resultsYou trust that your animals are going to be cared forThe sitter even texts you to let you know that your animals are doing greatYou arrive home at the end of your trip only to find that your animals are hungry( because they were not fed), are thirsty( because their bowls are bone dry and they were not watered), have filthy litter boxes (because the litter was not cleaned once).....this is what I came home to after trusting Larisa, a Rover sitter, to care for themAs I texted to her, there is a special place in hell for people like thisUse at your own riskAs for me, never her again and never Rover againI literally paid to have my animals starved and neglected While I was issued a refund, she's still employed by them Also, she still has my key When I emailed Rover about the fact that I'd have to change my locks this was their response: I'm so sorry that you still don't have your keys back We do have Premium Insurance which may be able to assist with this There is a $deductible and it's reimbursement based When you get your locks changed, if it's over the $deductible, you can email us your receipts and I can open a claim with our Trust & SafetyAll the best, Katie LRover Support I live in an apartment I have one lock Seriously?
Hi [redacted] ,We're sorry you had such a poor experience with a Rover sitterWe take last-minute cancellations very seriously, and we know it's disappointing and frustrating when a sitter cancels at the last minuteWe did reach out to you about finding another sitter, but we know it may have been too lateAt this time, we only allow pet parents to leave reviews for completed staysThat being said, we're always looking to improve our site, so we'll be sure to share your feedback with our product team.Thank you so much for leaving your feedbackWe hope you give Rover another shot in the future, but we understand if notIf you have any questions, please call us at [redacted] or email [redacted] @rover.comAll the best,Rover Support
Rover.com suspended my account and requested that a pet sitting client book my services via the website and then when she tried to book the service Rover.com would not let herShe then proceeded to cancel less than hours before the pet sit was supposed to startIf the pet sit were actually booked through Rover.com and I would have gotten a late cancel paymentThus, I want Rover to pay $that I lost out on because of themThe late cancel is documented in Rover chat Hi [redacted] ! We're going to stay home this weekend [redacted] isn't getting better and [redacted] is worried about leaving her for the whole weekendWe're going to take her back in to get checkedSorry!! We'll keep you in mind for the future [redacted] *days ago Additionally, I have asked for my account be deleted and Rover.com has not responded
This company advised me to leave a booking after making contact, the client's boyfriend showed up while I was dog-sitting for them, had 8-unknown men over heavily drinking I did as advised by Rover before and after being placed in a potentially lethal situation, and the client left a bad review which was a lie by omission Rover does not have any safety measures in place for its dog sitters, and shows a general lack of care for the safety of its dog sittersThey are aware of the situation, have not removed the person who caused this situation from their site to prevent this from happening in the future, and refuse to remove the blatant lie reviewNo steps have been made to prevent this from happening to another potential sitter
Hello ***, We are all incredibly saddened about [redacted] passingFrom all of us at Rover.com, where our pets are our families, please accept our heartfelt sympathies for your loss Although it will not bring your beloved dog back, please know that pet safety is taken seriously at Rover, and the sitter in question was removed from our platform We would sincerely like to connect with you directly, so should you feel ready, please do not hesitate to call our Trust & Safety team at [redacted] , email us at ***@Rover.com, or respond directly to the email we sent on September 19, Our thoughts are with you Sincerely, Rover Support
I recently used Rover.com to hire a person (Gia) to come to my house to feed my cats while I was awayWhen I came home my bed, couch, chairs and carpets were soiled in urine and stoolI had a completely soiled white comforter so I thought how did the sitter not see or especially smell this as she passed my bedroom to get to the kitchen to feed my animals? I looked in the cat box but it was completely clean, as if it was not usedGia must have come by the day I had returned and only cleaned the boxShe came other days to take a pic of my cats assuring me she had been coming byI called Rover and spoke to Josh who never followed up with me so I called back, he stating he forgot to forward my info to his superiors and had actually forgotten about the call altogether, he apologized several times, and assured me would now escalate my caseThe next day I received an email stating the issue had been resolved, describing incidences we didn't even talk aboutI wrote back stating he must have sent me someone else's emailI received no reply and my case was droppedAfter a week I went to use my toaster and it had urine in it, also, all my laundry detergent was gone along with some other household suppliesI learned from the rover employee that she was going thru a divorceShe literally that week had signed papers to relinquish her house and was now homelessI then realized she might also be mentally ill, after the toaster incident, I wondered if she staged the stool all over my house in spite for loosing her homeIn years my animals had never behaved that wayRover doesn't take responsibility for people that they hire and they vehemently don't careI suggest with my misfortune you not use this coand know going in Rover,com doesn't bond these people (I asked)Its the luck of the draw if you come out unscathed or stolen fromJust beware these people are not regulated by anyone so once they have the keys to your home and the permission by you to be there they can do whatever they wish while your gone and you will not know until you come homeAlso Rover.com doesn't insure your home or any losses you have nor do they take responsibility for the people they allow to sign up to caretaker you animals
One of my dogs was poisoned at a Rover.com sitter's house"A Place for Rover, Inc." (a.k.aRover.com) makes it appear to consumers looking for pet-sitters that all of their "5-star pet sitters" are carefully chosen with "pet safety their number one concern." That is simply (curiously, not one of their sitters appears to have below stars, including the sitter I recently gave star)If one digs deeply enough one finds that the company does not seem to check anything their sitters post on the Rover.com website nor carefully check a sitter's background to see whether the sitter can provide reasonable or safe services, and the company disclaims all liability for any fraud perpetrated via their websiteAnalysis of the company website, its ad's for pet-sitters to join them, and communications I have had with the company reveal numerous contradictions about whether sitters are vetted at all, but the bottom line seems to be this: the appearance crafted for the general public is of a company that carefully ensures the highest pet-sitter qualifications with pet-safety and quality of care given priority in "hiring" pet-sitters (except that sitters are "independent contractors," wink-wink) while the company makes no effort to ensure anything of the sortI will lodge a complaint with the relevant regulatory bodies for what appears to be internet fraud by the company; I'm not sure about the legal status of individuals who engage in fraud via the company website but that merits a complaint as wellOne of my dogs has been slowly dying for two months after a stay with a Rover.com sitter whose abilities do not match her advertising (some people would call that "lying" but it might be a case of "puffery," arrogance, lack of self-awareness, ignorance, lack of common sense, and greed)This is the review I posted on the Rover.com website after my two dogs stayed at the house of a Rover.com sitter, Sheila C., here in San Diego while we were out of town for Thanksgiving: "Scott LJanuary 16, Verified Stay Zero starsOne of our dogs might not survive after being poisoned by extremely toxic plants in Sheila C’s yardContrary to her profile, Sheila isn’t really “intuitive with any potential medical symptoms that might arise and comfortable providing any medical treatments that might be necessary.” She explicitly claims knowing pet “first aid” but if she knew about basic canine medical problems, bothered to examine her yard for dangers or to see what my dog had eaten once he became sick (rather than passively stumbling upon the cause on the fourth day of illness), or called the Rover.com support line for veterinary advice (per Rover.com protocol) when my dog was on his second day of ghastly bright yellow diarrhea, my dog might not be slowly dying from damage to his GI tract going on two months nowNor was it true that Sheila’s yard is fully enclosed: our two dogs walked out of her yard on the first day, one dog crossed a dangerous street to return home but, fortunately, was found uninjured by another dog-sitter whom Sheila had no previous acquaintance with but had sub-contracted for the first few days while Sheila was out of town; the sub-contracted sitter had to find boards to block the gap in the yard’s enclosureMost recently, in a hurtful and presumptuous response yesterday to my request for her gardener’s contact info to see what other toxins my dog might have ingested, she refused to provide the information and asserted, with zero basis and falsely, that I am “trying to cast blame for a medical condition that was already present prior to Mufasa's stay with us.” Sheila is irresponsible, negligent, and untruthful, and our previously perfectly healthy two-and-a-half-year-old dog, Mufasa, is now suffering the consequences as we pay mounting vet bills in a desperate attempt to save himAnd yes, Sheila, NOW I am casting blame."
Hi ***, As pet parents and dog lovers ourselves, we’re so sorry for any discomfort your dog experienced from his allergic reactionWe completely understand your frustration, and while the insurance offered with every booking has a minimum deductible that this situation unfortunately does not meet, please know that we’re here for youIf you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to follow up directly with our Trust & Safety team All the best, Courtney
Rover does not properly vet and train sitters. The sitters are just individuals looking to make extra money on the side. Definitely, not professionals. On paper, Julie, our sitter is the perfect sitter. Unfortunately, in reality, our dog is injured in a 2 days stay. Our dog was bitten with a 2 week recovery and drain tube. Coco was taken to the park where she played with a German shepherd. Coco is well socialized and even though it is a dog park, she should not have been allowed to play with a large dog specially with no supervision. The situation ended in the German Shepherd biting Coco. The wound was covered by her fur and unfortunately, we didn't get home till the next day. At the vet, the doctor cleaned the wound and removed the fur to surface a deep subcutaneous wound with a second wound that had a deep pocket. How could a a few seconds of a fight result in such a bad wound? Coco is one year old and is still a puppy. My notes clearly stated that. How can a sitter let a puppy play with a ferocious and aggressive German shepherd? The result is that we're in trauma over the injury and our dog is in pain since 3 days now and will be suffering for another 2 weeks. We're busy, working professionals and have taken the best care of our dog for this entire year with no incidents. This situation has not only caused us trauma mentally and emotionally as pet parents but, it's unbearable to see a little innocent dog in so much pain and suffering with a drain tube at such an early age. I would highly recommend not using strangers to watch your dogs. Rover and other instant services have made us blind. People who are not trained professionals and claim to be "sitters" can never take care appropriate care of your dog. You're better off looking for alternate options. As for Julie, she was apologetic and offered to pay for the vet charges. I have only one question to ask her - 'What if your own child was bitten mercilessly in your absence and ended up in the hospital? How much money could one pay to give you relief and peace from that kind of pain and suffering?' There really is no turning back from this incident but, I write this review to warn other pet owners from using sitters who may seem to be 'perfect' and are very warm and probably great human beings but, are NOT equipped to take care of your dog. They have probably no training, no concern and definitely no commitment to your dog. Please consider working with Julie at your own risk and likewise with other sitters on Rover. I would highly recommend NOT using Rover as they do not vet their sitters. Reviews are misleading and you will never know how the sitter is managing your pet during your time away. Rover did not even offer to refund us for the stay. Horrible service with no integrity.
Rover.com has a lot of work to do with their communication processI have been trying to be set up as a sitter for over a monthNo communication from themI always have to email them and then get the run aroundThere was no delay in processing my $fee for a background checkI'm actually not comfortable using this serviceIf I was to have any issues I don't feel they understand customer service and know how to communicate properlyI would not be a sitter for them or trust my dogs in the care of one of their sittersThe sitters are probably fine but if there is a problem no one on the Rover side knows how to deal with the slightest question never mind an emergency
Hi ***, Thank you for sharing your experienceWe’re so sorry for the frustration you experienced and for any confusion about sitter cancellation policiesEach Sitter on Rover is running their own small business and sets their own cancellation and refund policies, which you can read about at rover.com/helpIf you have a concern about a cancellation or refund, we encourage you to contact your sitter for resolution first, and I see that your sitter has approved a 100% refund for this stayIf you have any further questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let us know All the best, Courtney
Hi ***, We’re so sorry to hear that this was your experience and we hope that your dog is doing well nowWe would like to hear more about what happened and work with you to resolve this issuePlease contact Rover Support at 888-453-7889--we’re available 24/to helpAll the best,Jenni S
I left my dog with sitter for ten days, they were neglected and starved, I would like a refund, they were severely dehydrated when I got them back, dogs seem to have been kept locked in a pissy room most of the time and not fed properly because of The significant weight loss