It may not have anything to do with you. I had a regular client that stopped booking through me and it turns out they moved and with all the moving craziness didn't tell me until a little while after. They may also have had a change in finances - one of my clients had some unexpected medical bills come up so I allowed them to go back to their old booking rate after my price increase. I took a brief look at your profile and it looks like you have many great reviews so I wouldn't be too concerned. If you did want to reach out, Deb makes a good suggestion, you could try just asking those clients for feedback in general. If you ask something along the lines of..."Hi __, I am always looking for ways to improve and give the best care I can. If you had the time, I would love to know if there was anything you really liked about your booking with me or any suggestions for improvements. Thank you and I hope to see (pet's name) again soon!" That might get you some answers. I hope that helps!

Harold, just like Walt and Jessica said - that is not a problem! I have one client who always books a walk M,W,F - I rebook every weekend for the following weeks walks just in case her schedule changes but otherwise it is agreed that those walks will happen, unless otherwise talked about. I also have several other regular clients with regular M-F bookings.

So it is no problem at all and something you can easily discuss and work out with the right sitter. Good luck!

For many Rover Sitters, bookings are not something they flake on or take lightly. When looking for a sitter, look in your area at those that are highly rated with good reviews. During a meet and greet is a great time to ask a sitter if they do have a backup sitter in case of emergencies!

I do not book any new clients without a meet and greet. If you look around on here, there are some bad stories that could have been avoided with a meet and greet. I mention on my profile that I require a meet and greet for anew clients and I have lost some potential bookings because the owner didn't want to meet but that is okay. Save yourself some trouble and do the meet and greet!

Hi Karis, I just responded to your comment on the other post! Walk makes a lot of good points. Another thing I would suggest would be just to look at the profiles of the people near you who are getting lots of bookings. That is something I did when I was originally making my profile because if they are getting multiple/repeat bookings then their profiles are probably a good place to find some inspiration! Good Luck!

(pt. 2) Or find some good natural lighting and take a selfie. If you look at my profile, my picture is one I took of myself in good lighting. Just start with the basics and think about what you would want to see if you were looking for someone to take care of your pets! Hope that helps! :)

(pt. 1) Hi Karis, cool - I have been here for a few months now! I just took a look and right away I noticed you offer services in your home but no pictures of it - so add some nice pictures of your home (where the dogs will be). Also have a friend take a clearer, more professional photo of you.

I am sorry your sitter didn't communicate well with you. I normally will send an update midway through the first day but not right when I arrive - I like to let things settle down a bit. Outside of that, I encourage my clients to message me anytime they want an update (we also discuss update frequency at meet and greets). What may seem like too frequent to one person may be just often enough to another. But I agree with Walt, a sitter should send a minimum of one update a day.

I hope that helps and best of luck!

Hi Gabrielle!

• Always do a meet and greet. Skipping them can cause you major problems.
• Do not use things, eat things, etc. that are a clients unless you have discussed it.
• Always be professional, you are being hired for a job.
• Don't be afraid to ask extra questions, better to be safe than sorry.
• Go with your gut but try to give each client the benefit of the doubt. My best client had very little info on her profile so I was a bit nervous about the job. I did the meet and greet (always do the meet and greet PRIOR to booking) and turns out she had just moved here and was in urgent need of a sitter and new to rover so she hadn't put effort into her profile. I met her and all my questions were answered - now she is my most regular client!
• If a potential client seems hesitant to share info or they seem off, again, go with your gut. I just had someone reach out to me to cat sit but had their cat listed as a dog and it's name was "It's a Cat". He only asked to book one day ( the next day) and then it turns out he wanted a pet sitter every other day for a week! I asked some follow up questions and he stopped responding. So when it comes to your safety, don't worry about your booking score.
• Even if you have a meet and greet scheduled do not book it until after you complete the M&G - save yourself some trouble.
• Never start a job if the client hasn't confirmed on Rover. Even if you did an M&G and they seem legit. Tell them that you cannot complete the booking until it is officially booked with Rover. They have no excuse for not confirming the booking if they want to hire you.

I hope that helps - good luck!

Hi Laura,

Deb made some great points which I agree with and I am sorry you are upset!

As a sitter, I personally do not eat/use anything unless the owner has specifically told me I can use or that I have asked to use. For example: I have a regular client who specifically told me I could use the pool if I wanted and she will leave notes when there are fruits and veggies I can help myself to. I also asked that on the off chance my husband is with me, if he can come in and sit with me while I let the dogs out and what not. I do not go through anyones things and I do not use anything I did not have specific permission to use (depending on the job - the bathroom is a given so I don't ask about that one).

I also am very big on cleaning up after myself because, to me, it is very unprofessional to leave a client's house messier than when I got there. I normally end up leaving it cleaner than when I got there. If I use a glass for water, I hand wash it, dry it and put it back. I like to leave client's houses looking like I was never there.

I definitely think you have every right to let her know what you liked and didn't like and what your expectations are - just as sitters should be clear about their expectations (they want to bake cookies, make dinner, etc.). So no, I do not think you are wrong. Hopefully that helps and best of luck!

It looks like "file upload" option is not working. If anyone knows how I can get it to sow up for all of you, please let me know! Otherwise here is that the promotion is - $20 back when you spend $75 or more online at rover.com.

If you do - share this with them!

AMEX has "offers" for it's card users (like a lot of cards do) and is offering a Rover promotion through 8/16/18. I took a screenshot so that you have an idea of what it looks like. I know it is always nice to offer our favorite clients a discount from time to time, so let them know that if they happen to have an Amex card they should check out their current offers and see if the Rover one is available to them. :)

I know this is not a question but I wasn't sure how to share it with you guys!

Go to: Edit Profile - Services and Rates - Service Options. That is where you can adjust the maximum distance you will go to get to a clients home.

If I find myself in that situation, as long as the care is minor, I just charge my "additional dog" fee. So if it were me, charging $5 per ferret would be $30 more. However, since it looks like you only do house sitting, it would be up to you to adjust this higher depending on how much work they require. Hope that helps!

Sorry you are having trouble finding someone. Like Walt said, we are all independent contractors so some people just do not keep up with their calendar like they should.

When you are looking through the list of possibilities, someone who has been keeping up with their calendar should have a little "calendar recently updated" box at the top of their profile preview. Walt's suggestion is also a great option that I would try.

Hope that helps!

Hi Emily!

I just took a look at your profile and here is what I would suggest right off the bat. - change your cover photo to be a higher quality animal photo - change your profile photo to be one of your face so that clients know what you look like - re-take the photos of your home after you have "staged" the areas (close the drawers in the kitchen, remove the stuff from the counters and have it free of people - same thing with the living room) - put a little more personality in your "about you". I am not sure how to give an example except for, take a look at mine and see if that helps.

It sounds like you have some great qualifications, your profile just needs a little TLC. :)

Also, I joined Rover at the end of April so am also relatively new. My first booking was a referral from a friend. One of her regular clients needed her but my friend was going to be out of town so she recommended me. It was a little outside my service range but she left an amazing review and kind of got my bookings started. So if you have friends who also use Rover, see if one would recommend you to a client when they aren't able to make a requested booking.

My prices are also lowered to bring in more clients and that also helped a lot. Just make sure you do your M&Gs (once you start getting request) because lower prices can bring out some people who may want to try and take advantage - but I haven't had a problem.

I have heard mixed reviews about Rover Go - some people find it useful and others wish they hadn't done it because they didn't get what they were hoping to out of it and then you have the higher percentage cut to deal with. I do not use it. You can also try going into your settings and turning on Rover Match. :)

Hopefully some of that helps and good luck :)

Walt is right, you should have been notified of what was canceled. You can also try reaching out to your client to verify you are still on (or not) for the booking. Most clients know that Rover can be a little confusing at times and most will appreciate the fact that you are being thorough.

Walt, I noticed the walk timer on drop-ins now but it has only showed up recently. It did not used to be there for me until maybe a week or two ago - so I haven't normally been using it.

I know what you mean, she has since then added some photos but I agree completely. I think they should at least require a picture of themselves and of the animals.

I agree with Deb as well. I also agree Erica, you should DEFINITELY charge her for stopping by additional times prior. Maybe as drop - ins. I would state what you are most uncomfortable with in a kind and professional manner and take this as a learning opportunity. Best of luck!

Walt gives some great advice.

The way I look at house sitting, especially for dogs, is you are taking care of them completely during that time. That (most of the time) means food, water AND exercise. Dogs need to burn off energy so if I were an owner I would assume playing with and walking the dog were included in house sitting.

So, you should consider upping the amount you charge per day to be more inclusive of what you want to make for your services or you need to be very clear prior to the booking that walks would be additional.

Hope that helps!

Thank you Walt!

I agree. In a situation like this, politely and professionally tell him you cannot move forward until it is officially booked. Rover can be confusing but not that confusing - so don't feel that you are obligated to complete the unofficial booking. He is an adult and it's his responsibility.

I agree with Deb.

I have a regular client who has almost no information on her profile. No pictures, no descriptions, nothing.

At first I was skeptical but I treated her like all other requests and scheduled an M&G. It turns out she was in the process of moving here from another state and needed help very quickly. She was brand new to Rover and made an account with the minimum info so that she could find a sitter for two days later. She ended up being a regular client with the most wonderful pets.

Red Flags: There is no need for someone to have your personal info if you are not comfortable with that, especially right away. If they complement your appearance in a flirtatious way or really at all. It is not professional or appropriate at all.

Trust your gut if you find yourself in a weird situation but lack of info is not always bad. Hope that helps!