ComplaintsforA Place For Rover Inc

• Initial Complaint

  02/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Booked in house dog sitting beginning on 12/23/2021 - 12/31/2021. An amount of $1,095.00 was provided to book a stay with ************** From Rover.com/app. We heard great things about this company and decided to put our trust in the provider to ensure a trustworthy individual would be able to care for our three dogs while we travelled out of the province, It was understood that this individual would stay at our home, all days inclusive to the dates provided above. We were happy to open our home given the promise and commitment to those paying for this service. The sitter provided a few updates and texts during the week. Upon arriving home, we discovered that our main washroom toilet had been used and clogged for days. Our home smelled awful and we were forced to call an emergency plumber to come over right away on a holiday. The plumbers worked for over two hours trying to retrieve whatever was forced down our toilet. Ultimately affecting our other toilet on the main level. This service call/repair cost us nearly $600 in fees which we have since had to pay. When I reached out to the sitter via the app, she had acknowledged that she thought something was wrong on her last day of the stay. This is a lie as our washroom had been clearly out of commission for days at that point, and there was evidence that she had used our ensuite washroom which was never discussed that she enter those premises of our home. In addition to this plumbing mess, she ruined two of my pots and made a complete mess of our kitchen. There was food droppings all over our cabinetry. No acknowledgment of this and there was never an agreement that she use our nice pots and pans which are clearly not in drawers I told her to use. We do not have evidence of this but we are very sure that she had other people over as there were wine glasses used and red marks on our dining room table from sitting wine glasses. I have tried reaching out to the emails for Rover online for months and no response to date.

  

  Business response

  02/27/2022

  Hello *****, thank you for sharing this feedback and the details of your booking.  We're sorry to hear this experience did not meet your expectations and would like the opportunity to learn more.  To date, we have no records of communication with you either via phone call or email regarding these concerns, however, we remain available at ************ or [email protected] to best assist.  

  Customer response

  02/27/2022

   
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: My complaints were in fact sent. The first email was sent on 2022-01-03 and a follow-up on 2022-01-10 regarding my experience and complaint. No response was provided. The emails have just been forwarded again to the email provided [email protected]. I look forward to a response. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business response

  02/28/2022

  Our systems have no records of the emails mentioned, as per your email you may have sent them to an unmonitored or unrelated email address.  We have, however, received them at this time and the appropriate team will be in touch regarding your concerns. 

  

  Business response

  02/28/2022

  Per our reporting expectations and terms of service, we have provided next steps from our Support Team in response to your email and addressing these concerns directly with your care provider.  Once this step has been taken, our Support Team is available/able to review any documentation you might have that speaks to your concerns.  At this time we are unable to assist until these steps are taken and supporting evidence has been provided as requested.  

• Initial Complaint

  02/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We hired a sitter for our cat and fish. The sitter did not communicate well, let our fish die and didn't say anything, our camera was disconnected and more. When I called to ask Rover what to do they put me through to a woman who blamed us for "not vetting" properly. Rover does not want to take responsibility for our dead/sick fish or our skittish cat. When I called for help it was initially to ask how to get my key back. The woman who was the customer service was very rude and kept trying to minimize my issues. Rover is getting away with this and there's nothing I can do. They said that they don't check their people because they're independent. Okay, so why does Rover reassure customers that their sitters are background checked and everything? I feel that Rover isn't connecting trustworthy people to the customers and animals are at risk.

  

  Business response

  02/19/2022

  We are so sorry to hear about the passing of your fish, and your extended difficulties with your service provider. 
  
  Our platform is an online meeting place for sitters (independent contractors) and owners to come together and be introduced for the goal of excellent pet care. In that regard, it is extremely important for owners to meet their sitters and walkers prior to the scheduled service, both for interviewing purposes to ensure the ****** is qualified to meet your criteria, and for the purpose of introducing the ****** to your dogs and giving them the tools and information they need to succeed while caring for your animals.
  
  We understand that your pets are your family, as my dog is my family, and we feel that a responsible pet owner is one who fully informs their sitter and prepares them for the task at hand fully. It is our understanding that a meet and greet was not performed prior to the walk, and that is something we highly recommend for the future.
  
  I wanted to link a relevant portion of our Terms of Service for your review: We make no representations or warranties about the quality of boarding, pet sitting, dog walking, house sitting, transportation, or other services provided by Service ********* ********* Services), or about your interactions and dealings with users. Though we provide general guidance on our Site to Service ********* about safety and pet care and to Pet Owners about selecting and engaging Service *********, Rover.com does not employ, recommend or endorse Service ********* or Pet Owners, and we will not be responsible or liable for the performance or conduct of Service ********* or Pet Owners, whether online or offline
  
  Due to this you should exercise caution and use your independent judgment before engaging a Service Provider and interacting with users via the Rover.com Service as you would with all other online platforms. Pet Owners and Service ********* are solely responsible for making decisions that are in the best interests of themselves and their pets.
  
  As sitters are independent business owners as opposed to traditional employees and there is nothing in the Rover Terms of Service preventing you, as a private citizen, from continuing to request or pursue reimbursement directly from the pet sitter.
  
  Should you wish to have your complaint reevaluated, please don't hesitate to call our Support Team at **************.

• Initial Complaint

  02/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On December 21st, 2021 at 4:20 PM, Alannah ** showed up at the contracted time to take over physical custody of *** ******* and ************************* at the ******* residences, the expectations outlined in Exhibit A were then relayed again and Alannah ** was asked by ****************** if she needed any clarification or had questions regarding the care of *** ******* and ************************* or care of the residences. At 7:59 PM, Alannah ** started to act in bad faith by ignoring the expectations set when accepting the contract to take physical custody of *** ******* and ************************* by using the patio at the ******* residences as the primary way to take the dogs out to relieve themselves. In Exhibit B-1, it shows the recorded logs from ********* ******** Yale Nest door lock, on December 21st, 2021, those records reflect that the front door was never opened after 4:21 PM at the ******* residences and the cameras located the front of the residences confirm those records. On December 22nd, 2021, the Yale Nest door lock reflects that the first recorded action to be at 7:17 AM, which reflects the door was unlocked and then locked on the outside at 7:18 AM, reference Exhibit B-2. The Ring doorbell shows Alannah ** leaving the residences at that time for work but does not reflect that *** ******* and ************************* ever were taken out to relieve themselves outside or exercised outside as outlined on the expectations. The patio cameras do show Alannah ** taking *** ******* and ************************* out on the patio, reference Exhibit C-3. *** ******* and ************************* werent provided any time or care in the morning based on the cameras in the living room from when they were allowed into the main area of the residences and when Alannah ** left the ******* residences. When ********************************* recognized that *** ******* and ************************* werent being treated as expected, she reached out to Alannah ** via the Rover app message system, see Exhibit D-1. Alannah ** responded via the Rover app mes

  

  Business response

  02/11/2022

  Hi *********, 

  Thank you for taking the time to message Rover. It appears that some of your statement is missing as it just cuts off mid sentence. Based on what you've shared, we've located you account and see that you're in contact with our Trust & Safety team. They recently emailed you yesterday and we see that you've responded. However the document named RoverBreachLetter_Cerbone_Final.pdf is a ****** drive link that requires permissions. If you could please respond to that email with a copy of the statement our Trust & Safety team will be able to review the information and documentation that you've provided and will follow-up as soon as possible. Should you have any questions in the mean time we ask that you respond to their email so that the appropriate team may assist you. 

  Best,

• Initial Complaint

  01/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a pet sitter through Rover.com for five days in December, Tuesday the 7 to Sat the 11. Due to a work emergency with my husband we had to cancel our plans. Sunday morning I cancelled the stay. On Dec. 2 Rover charged us $515 for the stay (with a sitter we had previously used) My husband is a surgeon and was on call the weekend before we were to leave and he had patients who would need operations and thus we could not leave town. On Dec 5 Rover refunded us $252.85. When I questioned them about why we didn't get the full refund they replied that the decision was up to the sitter as they are independent contractors and that I should contact her. I did and she told me she was ok with a full refund, And she noted she had not received ANY funds from Rover. I told Rover what she told me and they emailed that they have a seven day cancellation policy. Who knows seven days ahead of travel if you are going to have an emergency and have to cancel? that is absurd. So basically we have paid Rover $262.15 to use their website!? I have contacted AMEX and they could not resolve as Rover would not relent. I have tried numerous times to contact Rover but there is no customer service phone. As of this date our sitter has not received any payment from Rover, and we are out $262.15 for nothing. I want Rover to do the right thing, stop changing their tune and policies (is it up to the sitter-independent contractor or is it up to Rover) and refund the remaining $262.15. It seems the company has taken advantage of both us and the sitter. Will not use them again

  

  Business response

  01/18/2022

  Your booking for Dec **** was refunded in accordance with your sitters cancellation policy, which is a Three Day policy - meaning if you cancel within three days of your booking's start date a 50% cancellation penalty applies.  As each care provider operates as an independent business, they manage their own rates and cancellation policies, which Rover abides by.  Last-minute cancellations can disrupt a sitters schedule and availability, and policies like these ensure the stability of their business.To learn more, I recommend this article in Rovers ************ What are the sitter cancellation policies?
   
  While were unable to override a sitters policy without their permission, youre welcome to discuss a potential refund with the sitter through the Rover messages. Please keep in mind that Rover does not retain cancellation penalties incurred, these funds go directly to your care provider and can confirm that your care provider has in fact received and withdrawn this money to date.
   
  If you'd still like to speak with someone, we'd be happy to talk with you. Our 24/7 support team can be reached at ************.

  Customer response

  01/18/2022

   
  Complaint: 16478642
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have contacted the sitter who told me she would authorize a full refund and this was communicated with Rover
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  01/18/2022

  Hello ***, We're terribly sorry for any misunderstandings or confusion.  We have not received any communication from your care provider regarding the cancellation fee or authorization to refund.  At this time, the cancellation fee has been withdrawn from your sitter and any further refund would need to be discussed with her directly.  Should she wish to authorize refund of the 50% cancellation penalty, please have her contact our Support Team at ************ and we'd be happy to facilitate. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My wife and I recently went on vacation for a week, and hired a young lady through Rover.com for in-home pet sitting. We come home to vomit, urine and f**** everywhere. Our animals were covered in urine. The sink and counter are full of dirty dishes. Trash all over the kitchen table. Our mail and packages are missing. This company just said try to contact the girl that stayed for a refund. They claim to have guarantees for positive experiences, but when there is an issue, they tell you to contact the person you hired through their service as they can't do anything, due to them being infependent contractors. I want my money back.

  

  Business response

  01/06/2022

  Hi *******, My name is ***** with Rover's Resolutions team. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We know this situation has been stressful, and apologize that this has been your experience. However, as all sitters are independent business owners, all transactions are between yourself and the care provider. As such, we are not able to revoke funds once they've been issued. If you are seeking a refund you would first need to contact the sitter directly via the Rover messages to inform them of your request, and then allow 48 hours for them to reply.
  
  If they wish to issue a refund, they can contact our support team at ************. If they do not respond after 48 hours, or they decline to issue a refund, you can contact our support team and we can review your request. We simply need to allow the care provider an opportunity to review and address your request first; as based on your messages they would be of the impression that you were happy with their service. We look forward to any updates you may have, and remain available should you have any other questions.
  
  Sincerely,

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired a sitter on Rover a few weeks ago. I paid a little over $60 for a sitter to watch my dog overnight in her home while I went on an overnight trip. The morning I was due to leave for my trip, I received a text message saying my booking was cancelled. The message was sent at 4:17am. I saw it at 6am, and I was due to drop my dog off at 9am and then leave for the trip. I contacted the sitter immediately to confirm that she cancelled. She claimed to be in labor as the reason she cancelled. However, I saw on social media that she had her baby 3 weeks ago so I don't know the real reason for cancelling. I tried to find another sitter, but on short notice was unable to. I couldn't go on my trip, and could not get my hotel costs which was about $200 refunded. I contacted Rover to let them know what happened, and to attempt to leave a review for this sitter. Reviews are a big part of choosing a sitter on the site, and my experience is something potential clients should know about. I was told I wasn't allowed to leave a review. I was told they will conduct their own review, but they are unwilling to share any follow up with me. I want this sitter either taken off the site or I want to be able to leave a review that would be visible to potential clients warning them about this sitter.

  

  Business response

  12/14/2021

  Hello, *******.  We appreciate your feedback and are disappointed to hear of your experience and any frustrations it has caused.  While we believe customer feedback is a vital part of ensuring other pet parents make informed decisions for their pet-care, reviews of care providers are only offered upon completion of a service.  Although the intention of public reviews for care providers is to share your experience once a service is actually provided, our team does actively monitor and review care providers listing services on our platform to uphold the standard of quality and professionalism we, and pet parents, expect.  We do apologize, however, reviewing a service that has not been provided is not within our capabilities nor something we can offer at this time.  We will, however, absolutely review your sitter for concerns and take any appropriate action. 

  Customer response

  12/14/2021

   
  Complaint: 16360611
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  11/25/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We had contracted a pet sitter through Rover to use the services of one of their pet sitters to watch our dog in our home, essentially providing pet and house watching while there. My wife had a meet and greet with the potential sitter, explaining the type of services we required for our dog. The sitter understood the instructions and agreed to watch our dog starting on 11/24-27th. Although she did arrive on the 24th, she left at 10 pm. When we contacted her about her departure, she indicated that she was going home to check on her mother. She never returned, these times can all be verified with time stamped videos from our Ring camera. I could hear that our dog was in distress and had been abandoned. He is 13 years old and requires heart medication 2x per day, this was not administered. I contacted Rover's emergency service department and although they did try to find a replacement sitter and promised a full refund, we decided to seek another solution on our own. While the dog was left alone, he relieved himself on our dining room carpet and which will now require cleaning. I am seeking reimbursement for this service (carpet cleaning), an written apology from Rover and for them to present a more vigorous screening process for future animal caregivers that they subcontract. I have successfully used sitters from Rover in the past, this may have been a one off, but I have always questioned whether their sitters have gone through any background checks.

  

  Business response

  11/26/2021

  Hi ***, 
  
  We're sorry to learn about your recent Rover experience. We understand that you're currently in touch with our Trust & Safety, at this time we see that they've processed a full refund for this booking and are conducting a holistic review. To address your point on background checks. All sitters on Rover must pass a background check before they can start to promote their business on our marketplace. To ensure that sitters meet our community standards, we hand review each profile and offer educational resources to help them succeed. Rover also remains committed and is constantly working to improve this process to keep our community safe.
  
  Our Trust & Safety team will be following up with you as soon as possible for next steps.
  
  Best,

• Initial Complaint

  10/21/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I feel like i am being scammed by a dog sitter and river seems to be aiding in the process. I booked a sitter for 40/ night for 2 nights and am being charged 400. I went to cancel a minute after when i realized what was happening and rover told me it would cost me 175$ to cancel. This feels like a scam

  

  Business response

  10/22/2021

  Hello ***, 
  
  Thank you for reaching out, we are very sorry to about any frustrations caused by the cancellation policy. Please understand, as all our Sitter's are considered independent businesses we must enforce their cancellation policy. Each Sitter is able to choose the cancellation policy that best suits their business. In the event you and your Sitter would like to agree on an accommodation or waiving the policy, please have them reach out to us directly and we will be happy to proceed as advised by your Sitter. We would also be more than happy to answer any questions or assist with facilitating this conversation, our Customer Support team is available 24/7 at ************. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/14/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our young and healthy dog died using Rover. He had a medical emergency while in their care. The sitter panicked and did not try to help. She texted us but since we didnt have reception we didnt see it until a while later. When we finally called she was crying saying he wasnt breathing and she didnt know what to do. We calmed her down and asked her to get him to a vet. Vet says he might have been saved if she would have either called or drove him to vet once he started showing symptoms. All of the claims on Rovers app about her being trained in first aid and CPR were false. Their claims about the pet being in a safe environment are misleading. We contacted Rover to share what happened but they kept the sitter on their site and have not replied back to our emails or our comments on social media. They even charged us for his fatal visit. There is zero accountability or oversight.

  

  Business response

  10/14/2021

  ******, we were terribly saddened to hear of ******** untimely passing and share our sincerest condolences with you and your family.  Any time a report is made to our team of concerns with a booking or care provider, a full review is conducted to determine the most appropriate actions to take for the safety and well-being of the Rover Community.  Although we cannot disclose specific review outcomes due to our privacy policy, we assure you safety and professionalism are our top priorities.  After further review, it appears you submitted your vet invoice, disclosing ******** cause of death as what appears to be GDV (bloat), which Great Danes are highly predisposed to.  We do understand your concerns regarding the timeline of events which transpired and hope that in the future these emergencies can be alleviated as much as possible.  If you still have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach back out to our Trust and Safety Team at ************ as we are available to speak with you further. 

  Customer response

  10/14/2021

   
  Complaint: 16023505
  
  I am rejecting this response because: justifying gross neglect and incompetence because of a certain breeds likelihood of developing GDV is absurd and insulting. The sitter lacked common sense to get a dying animal help. She has no right taking care of other peoples loved ones. The timeline is fact and cannot be argued by either her nor I. That is why she needs to be removed and Rover needs to acknowledge a mistake was made and take actions to prevent this from happening again. 
  

  The phone number and email have proven to not be proper forms of communication. I have waited weeks for a response. It took 1 hour to get a response once I submitted this complaint. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  10/08/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Rover will not refund me for a stay that was ended early due to the sitter's neglect of my animals--they won't refund for the cancelled 4th night or for the 2nd night when my pets were left alone for 18 hours. The Rover guarantees are completely fraudulent. I also suffered property damage and vet bills due to the sitter's lack of care for my pets and my belongings (which were damaged initially because of the 18 hour neglect period). Sitter also lied to me about when she took them out at night. Smart lock records clearly show the door locked at 8:30pm and was not opened until late the next morning, and she claimed she was there at 10pm.

  

  Business response

  10/09/2021

  Hi *******, 
  
  
  Thank you so much for reaching out regarding these concerns and providing more insight into this situation, we are very sorry to hear about this experience and want to help. At this time it does appear that our Trust and Safety team has been made aware of the incident and is performing a review of the incident. They have followed up via email to gather more documentation and would like the opportunity to assist you with any veterinary expenses and review property damage expenses through the Rover Guarantee. The Trust and Safety team will be using your response to continue their holistic account review of all users involved to assure safety within the platform. We understand this has been a difficult experience and appreciate the time youve taken to continue to work with us, should you have any immediate questions or concerns which have not yet been addressed or if you have not received our email follow up please know our Trust and Safety team is available 24/7 by phone at ************. 

*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. ↩