ComplaintsforA Place For Rover Inc

• Initial Complaint

  08/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I do not agree that sitters can set their own cancellation policies. When I make a purchase but havent received the product or service I paid for, or decide to cancel I should be able to get a full refund. Why should they get paid when they literally didnt do anything? Its like tipping a cashier because they took your order, absolutely ridiculous. I want a full refund or I will contact my bank and file a dispute. I think it is absolutely appalling and ridiculous to have this policy when the economy is tanking. I understand a last minute cancellation however this was more than a 24 hour notice. Even my doctor ****** charge a cancellation fee.

  

  Business response

  08/12/2024

  Hello ******,
  Thank you for taking the time to reach out. We understand your frustration and want to support you the best way we can. I would love to give you some insight into the cancellation process in the hopes of providing more clarity. Sitters on Rover have the freedom to customize their business and that includes choosing their cancellation policy. Your sitters cancellation policy states that they will give a full refund to an owner if they cancel 3 days before a booking begins. Because you had to cancel within that 3 day period, you are only eligible to receive a partial refund. While we cannot override a sitters policy, you are more than welcome to ask the sitter directly for a full refund. If they agree, we would be happy to move forward with a full refund. If you need further assistance or clarification, please feel free to contact our support team at ************.

  
  All the best,
  Lexie

  Customer response

  08/12/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This matter involves my relationship with Rover. I am a Rover sitter and I use their platform to obtain clients. However, I received an email today that detailed the following below. However, after doing what the email indicated and speaking with a customer service rep for their company named ****** today my account was not resolved with the issue it currently has. The company for some reason which they are not disclosing has permanently changed the status of my account where it shows potential clients that I am not accepting new clients. No matter what I do to my account the company did something to change this status permanently. They are not telling me anything and the agent of the phone named ****** did not find out anything at all. I feel discriminated, and terribly mistreated. I can show images of my account status and the messages between me and the agent: Hi Milinaire,We've currently set your profile to repeat only because of your current activity level and lack of calendar availability for bookings. If your availability has changed, or you want to attract new clients, you can always update your profile to be live in search results.Update your profile Confirming your availability is the best way to let everyone know if you're available, so be sure to do that here. Have questions? Feel free to reach out here.All the best,The Rover Team

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dates of service: 7/23/2024 to 7/27/2024.We hired a house pet sitter for our senior dog through Rover. The sitter agreed to be with our dog most of the day and overnight for the dates of services. As we were returning home after our trip, we found out from the sitter that she had left our dog unattended overnight a few days earlier and that the dog had peed on our expensive leather couch. When we got home, we could smell the urine on the couch and the cushion buckled.We shared our complaint with Rover and requested a full refund. Rover directed us to talk directly with the sitter for a refund and then contact Rover if the issue was not resolved. After a fruitless conversation with the sitter, we filed a complaint with Rover via email. They stated they would review the complaint and then contact us within 48 hours. After not receiving a response within the time promised, we contacted them again, only to be told it would now take 72 additional hours! However, later in the day, we received an email stating that they would refund us half of the service fee within the next 5 to 10 business days and that they were going to do a complete review of our complaint. However, they stated that they would not be sharing any response to the complaint with us due to confidentiality. This is unsatisfactory for us. The entire process of trying to talk with someone at Rover is exceedingly difficult and unhelpful.

  

  Business response

  08/07/2024

  Hi *****,
  
  Thank you for reaching out and bringing this to our attention. Were so sorry for your experience and hope youve been able to get some rest after what sounds like a very stressful situation.
  
  While sitters are independent business owners and refunds are at their discretion, we wanted to do what was within our scope to help make things right. For that reason, weve added $150 in Rover Credit to your account to go toward your next stay. Please let our Rover Support Team know if you have any questions.
  
  All the best,
  **********************

  Customer response

  08/07/2024

   
  Complaint: 22079818
  
  I am rejecting this response because: there is no acknowledgement of the break of agreement regarding the sitter being hired to stay overnight nor the lack of communication. We have received a refund of $149. However, we will no longer be using Rover services in the future.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  -My dog was booked to stay 5/12/24-5/18/24. -$186.48 paid - I dropped my dog off on 5/12/24, and opted for them to communicate with me daily via picture updates or communication to ensure my dog was okay -I ended up reaching out myself on 5/13/24 as my dog had been in their care greater than 24 hours to make sure everything was okay. I did not receive any update photo or communication. I ended up hearing back over an hour later after reaching out. -Due to a lack of communication I opted to pick my dog up on 5/14/24 -Initially, I was never processed a refund for the dates my dog did not stay with the sitter. When I reached out to rover, thats when I received a partial refund.- I was refunded $62.16 of the $186.48 paid. They charged me a $56.00 cancellation fee -When I contacted rover and the sitter regarding the cancellation fee in an attempt to resolve the issue, I never heard back from either -I did not cancel the request, simply ended the stay sooner. I have made alterations to request in the past and never charged a cancellation fee.Seeking refund of erroneous cancellation fee ($62.16) since we did not cancel our stay. Going forward, we are not using Rover for service without corrective action.

  

  Business response

  07/31/2024

  Hello *******, 
  
  Thank you so much for reaching out--we're so sorry to hear you had a stressful experience. While we understand you did begin your booking, please allow us to provide some clarity regarding our cancellation policy. When you book a stay, it's contracted for the dates included in the booking request that you as an owner pay for. Ending that stay before the original booking dates constitutes a cancellation. Our cancellation policy is the way we support sitters who **** out their calendars to provide care and allow them to recoup for that time when a stay ends unexpectedly early. If a sitter ends a stay early, they do not qualify for the cancellation fee. As sitters are independent business owners, we aren't able to refund their cancellation fee without their express permission. Unfortunately, your stay falls within the scope of the cancellation policy, and therefore cannot be refunded. We know this isn't the answer you hoped for, and apologize for any added stress. 
  
  Regarding the care provided, if you have concerns about safety or sitter conduct, please contact our Trust and Safety team at ************ so they can review the situation further. 
  
  All the best,
  **********************

  Customer response

  08/01/2024

   
  Complaint: 22070401
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I removed my dog from the sitters care due to a lack of communication on the sitters behalf. When I booked my dog with this sitter, I communicated that I wanted daily communication (pictures) about my dogs welfare. I understand that cancellation fees need apply in certain situations, but my dog was removed from their care because they were not doing what they agreed to do. If you look at my rover account, you can see that I booked wa new sitter the very next day, so its not like I didnt need a sitter.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am pet care provider who uses Rover **** as a platform to connect me to people who need pets taken care of. I have been successfully using the app for several years. My most recent customer filed a very damaging review on the company application with a number of falsehoods. The effect of this review has been to stop my ability to get any costumers. I contacted Rover **** directly to explain the truth and remove the review. Rover **** refused to remove the review. They also have not acknowledged the falsehoods that are provably in their system. I am attaching the document Rover **** requested which describes how I responded. It also includes the original review. I believe Rover has a responsibility to it's workers to protect them and their livelihood from defamatory reviews. No explanation came from Rover after my document other than to say they could not take down the review. Since the review, no additional business has been forthcoming.

  

  Business response

  07/31/2024

  Hello ****, 
  Thank you for taking the time to reach out. We understand how frustrating this situation must feel and want to support you the best way we can. I would love to give you some insight into our review process, in the hopes of providing more clarity. Ultimately, the heart behind our reviews is to give sitters and owners the ability to share their subjective experience. The owners do so by giving an initial review, while sitters do so through their ability to publicly respond to these reviews. Due to our commitment to transparency, we don't remove reviews for being negative. While we understand this isn't the outcome you hoped for, we want to support you in your public response to your client. Please contact our support team at rover.com/help for assistance with writing your response. 
  All the best, 
  **********************

  Customer response

  07/31/2024

   
  Complaint: 22069651
  
  I am rejecting this response because: This is not a matter of a negative review which I would welcome the opportunity to engage with. The "review" is factually inaccurate and borderline slanderous. Unfortunately, the client was unwilling to engage on their most important issue from day one of my stay. Their refusal to respond to my concern about the bed situation is documented in the Rover application. Furthermore, expecting me to vacuum their house is absurd. In no part of our written or spoken communication was that a stated expectation. Beyond that, I have never had that request from a previous client. What little contact I had was combative and showed a lack of respect for me. My expectation is that Rover *** either remove the posting or remove the client from their application for bad faith criticism. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Rover refuses to delete a provider listing which is a scam. They list Sarah and Amanda as pet care providers. They are listed on Rover solely to get referrals for themselves. They immediately pressured me to pay them $2550.00 for services that I never received. They refuse to reply to my calls, texts or emails. The have sent me very abusive text messages. They say that they will sue me but refuse to give me the name of their lawyer so that I can resolve this matter. They say they provided personal care to me. That is a lie. They were paid to pet sit and they failed to provide that service.

  

  Business response

  07/23/2024

  Hi Margaret,
  
  Thank you for reaching out! It looks like Damaris, your assigned agent, is currently reviewing the screenshots you submitted. Once she has reviewed them, she'll reach out with the next steps. Feel free to contact her directly if you need additional assistance by responding to the email you've been communicating on or by phone at (888) 727-1140.
  
  Best regards,
  Olivia B.

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We scheduled with a sitter to watch our dog. She had several good reviews so we were ok with using her sight unseen. She claimed to have some pets of her own but never said she was fostering other animals. When we arrived at the door I could smell f**** coming from the inside. Once inside the house was dark and dingy but well enough for us to see food (human and pet) all over the floor as well as cat p*** and pee. The house smelled of a massive litter box. When we asked about the amount of animals living on the property she admitted to fostering some cats who had needs where they couldnt use the litter box. That was never discussed when we booked so we left due to us feeling unsafe to leave our dog there. We were afraid he would be eating p*** off the floor. She didnt even realize it was there I had to point it out to her. I cancelled my stay and the next day was charged almost $300. I was told by rover.com it was my job to do due diligence and it didnt matter that the house was covered in p*** and pee and put my animal at risk. They claim they are the platform for other business owners but they do no vetting of their pet sitters which is dangerous.

  

  Business response

  07/23/2024

  Hi *****,

  
  Thank you for sharing your feedback. We set high expectations for sitters and apologize that your experience did not meet that standard. We'd like to investigate this further. Please call our 24/7 support team at **************.

  
  All the best,
  ******

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had a conflict with Rover on July 10th, 2024 in which Rover took the unethical action of cancelling a booking I had for my dogs without notifying me or the Sitter. This clearly is an unethical business practice used by Rover to intimate and harass anyone who has a complaint against them. I'm requesting a change in their policy and a written apology from the **** Thank you.

  Customer response

  07/19/2024

  Rover is taking retaliation by refusing to refund my money for the booking they cancelled without notice. 

  Customer response

  07/19/2024

  Rover is taking retaliation by refusing to refund my money for the booking they cancelled without notice. 

  Customer response

  07/19/2024

  One additonal note: The issue is regarding my using Rover to book my dogs for a stay. It is not about me caring for a dog. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2024

  Hi *******,

  Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your feedback.  Our team has attempted to contact you multiple times to no avail regarding a booking where you were the Care Provider. Please respond to the latest email from our Trust & Safety Team or call us at ************.You account will continue to remain paused until this matter is resolved. 

  *******

  Customer response

  07/19/2024

   
  Complaint: 22010059
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Rover failed to contact me and the Boarder regarding a cancellation and are now withholding my refund. No communication or calls were received from Rover. Rover is not ethical in their statements. A refund needs to be processed ASAP and is under dispute with my credit card company. This illegal tactic needs to be resolved prior to any communication.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Customer response

  07/22/2024

  Desired Resolution: Refund of $ ****** not paid due to Rover cancelling future booking without notification or authorization from complaintant. 

   

  Thank you.

   

  ****

  

  Business response

  07/24/2024

  Hi *******,
  We appreciate you following up with your feedback. As stated previously, our team has attempted to contact you multiple times to no avail regarding a booking where you were the Care Provider. Please respond to the latest email from our Trust & Safety Team or call us at ************. Any further action regarding reactivation and/or refund must come from your assigned agent on this case.
  ********

  Customer response

  07/24/2024

   
  Complaint: 22010059
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  For the third time, this issue is about a cancellation Rover made about a booking I had with a Care Provider not an issue of me providing care. Rover cancelled a booking with a Care Provider without notifying me or the Care Provider and withheld my refund. Why in the world would I be a Care Provider for my own dogs!???Please read the complaint and respond to the complaint as I am a customer in this case. I believe you are now harassing me because no organization can be this incompetent. I've attached the booking I MADE and the cancellation Rover made.
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  08/01/2024

  Hi *******,
  
  Decisions made regarding a sitter's fit on our platform also directly impact their eligibility to user ********************** as a pet owner. For your particular case, your entire Rover account was deactivated which will prevent you from booking stays as both a care provider and as a pet owner. Our Trust & Safety Team sent you an email on July 29th which explains this decision. You're welcome to reply to that email with the information we've been requesting as well as any other questions you have about the status of your account.
  
  All the best,
  **********************

  Customer response

  08/01/2024

   
  Complaint: 22010059
  
  I am rejecting this response because: For the fourth time, Rover failed to read and comprehend this complaint. The response statement of:
  "For your particular case, your entire Rover account was deactivated which will prevent you from booking stays as both a care provider and as a pet owner." This is an issue of Rover cancelling a stay which was already booked without notifying myself or the Sitter. It has zero to do with booking a stay. The refund was also posted and then withdrawn from my credit card. I'm begging Rover to respond to the actual complaint which constituted unethical and unprofessional actions. Please have someone at Rover get their nose out of the Policy manual and provide an appropriate reason for their unethical and harassing actions. Thank you.
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  -July 8, 2024 I hired a pet sitter from Rover.com to make daily visits to my home to care for my dog beginning July 17, 2024.-The sitter is only available for communication through the Rover platform that anonymizes those messages. All of the communications referenced below are documented.-Following the sitter agreeing to perform the services I sent a follow-up message the same day to arrange a "meet and greet" essential to the performance of the services. I had never met this sitter. They had no idea where I lived and had never met my dog.-Six days later (July 14) the sitter had still not responded to the meet and greet request and I had to travel in 3 days.-I cancelled the sitter's services due to the lack of response and fear that I was not covered for my needs.-The sitter quickly responded to the cancellation and stated that they had not seen my meet and greet request because their cell carrier did not send it till then - 6 days later.-Rover takes payment up front and I was penalized 50% of my full payment of $249.75 for cancelling the sitter job due to the sitter's 7-day cancellation policy that Rover supports.-I have reached out to the sitter through the Rover service (again, my only means of communication with them) for a full refund since it was their admitted error, or problem, that led to my fears of not being covered for my pet and my required travel.-Rover has continued to leave any refund of the penalty to the sitter who continues to not respond either yes or no to repeated requests through the Rover service.-Rover is facilitating what may be a pattern of bad faith behavior, or potentially willful fraud, by this sitter. The sitter selectively answers communications through their service, leaves customers in a worried state and then penalizes them for their bad behavior and lack of service.-I am seeking full refund of my good faith payment due to no communication on an essential element of the service I hired them for.

  

  Business response

  07/21/2024

  Hi ***,
  
  Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your review. We understand the frustrations caused by your sitter profile. To best assist you, please give our Rover Support team a call at ************, and we'd be happy to help further.
  
  All the best,
  ******

  Customer response

  07/22/2024

   
  Complaint: 22005289
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  After speaking with some very nice Rover support team members I have received the exact same response from them that I did when communicating via their online support. They continue to say that I need to reach out to the sitter to discuss a refund of the 50% penalty that they charged me for cancelling a sitter appointment when the sitter failed to respond to my request for a "meet and greet" to find out where I live and to meet my dog. All of my communications with the sitter are through Rover and through them only. They anonymize the sitters for their protection but this also makes it impossible to follow up with what they call "independent contractors". This sitter selectively answers communications and that resulted in my concern and cancellation of sitting when it was with three days of start for mandatory travel. I had to have reliable coverage for my pet.

  Instead because of their lack of responding to my polite request for a meet and greet, I was penalized half of my fee! $124.86 . Today I did find out something new from Rover though! The sitter blocked my communications through their service when I asked for a refund of the penalty since it was their fault for not getting back to me and fulfilling a necessary part of this service.. finding out where the dog is at and if they can manage it. So Rover's continued message to me, including on the phone again today, is to reach out to the sitter to discuss a refund... but that sitter first did not acknowledge my request and next blocked me.

  This has all the earmarks of a scam by this "independent contractor" that can only be communicated with through Rover. Rover helps to facilitate this behavior by not, at minimum, getting an answer from the sitter themselves it they will not answer me. Rover has been telling me over and over again that I need to contact the sitter yet I was only told TODAY (July 22) that my communications to the sitter were blocked by them. I have wasted time reaching out to them to get the same answer and reaching out to the sitter only to find out they blocked me.

  A Place for Rover facilitates bad faith behavior by this sitter.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  08/02/2024

  Hello ***,
  
  We are sorry to hear about the experience you've had finding a sitter to care for your pet. We have initiated the refund for this stay, and you can expect it to arrive in your account within 3 to 5 business days.
  Please don't hesitate to contact our Rover Support Team at ************ with any other questions or concerns. Have a great day!
  
  All the best,
  **********************

  Customer response

  08/02/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Thank you all for your time and efforts.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was bit by a dog in the care of a rover.com sitter. The sitter had no idea how to control dogs and did not know basic dog commands. Further, when I attempted to contact the company to report the incident, I was forced to create an account. There is no customer service number or email available without creating an account. This is unacceptable as a business practice. Once I did create an account, login and painstakingly found a way to speak to a human, two representatives tried to tell me there was a number available on the website. When I asked them to talk me through where it was located, they could not find it. "Mysteriously" at that point, we were disconnected. Companies should be required to have a valid phone number and/or email on their website without forcing an individual to create an account. Their business practices seem haphazard at best and they appear to have no vetting and training of sitters. That is the only logical conclusion from what I witnessed and it is irresponsible business practice. I am asking the BBB to require legitimate companies to have readily available contact information for all people, not just account holders.

  

  Business response

  07/15/2024

  Hi *****,
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate your feedback. Upon reviewing your ticket, it appears that your assigned agent, ****, has reached out and is waiting to hear back from you. Please respond to this email at your earliest convenience. You're also welcome to contact our 24/7 Trust and Safety Team at ************ with any additional questions.
  
  All the best,
  **************

  Customer response

  07/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 21985888
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it has not addressed my concern. My BBB complaint is because there is no way to contact the company without having an account. There is no customer service phone number or email address on the website. Their own agents could not find it. I was forced to create an account to report the incident. That is my complaint and that is what needs to be addressed by the company.

  Additionally, for the record, I did respond the agents email on July 13th with a full report of the incident.. If they do not have that report that is further indicative of their disorganization as a business and inability to properly resolve issues such as this.  

  My BBB complaint will only be resolved if the company makes contact information readily available on their website for all individuals, not just those with accounts. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  07/23/2024

  Hello *****,
  
  We appreciate the additional clarification, and are sorry to hear about your frustrations with reaching our Support Team. Safety is one of our top priorities, and our goal is to make it easy to get the support you need. We'll share your feedback with our team, and if there is any support we can provide you with in the future, please don't hesitate to contact our Trust & Safety team at ************.
  
  All the best,
  ********************

  Customer response

  07/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 21985888
  
  I am rejecting this response because: there was no commitment from the company to make their contact information accessible on their website. Anything less is unsatisfactory. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩