As I understand it, I will not be part of this system as I do not use a cell phone. What has been established as my "punishment" for this transgression?
This report card system is absurd. I watch up to 8 dogs, with 2-3 on any given day are daycare or drop in. No way can I track pee and poo for that many dogs and no way do I feel comfortable having my phone used as a tracking device for how long we walked. I can see demanding Rover clients already saying I want you to walk him 2 miles instead of 20 minutes. Every sitter and dog have their own pace and fitness level.
ROVER REALLY missed the mark on this one.
And they say it's to treat the dog like they are family? Uh yeah I don't track my husband's or kid's movements via GPS or poops either!! :)
Rover is going to start finding ways to control and monitor us more and more. They work for the clients, not us sitters.
Guess you should all go work for McDonalds, if your not happy
Maybe you should learn how to spell *you're* Walt, if you're going to write such a nasty and rude comment. Truly disappointing comment from you.
Walt, I truly do wish you would think about what you are saying before you say it. It is very sad to see that you are rude to others, not just me, on this site.
I used it once and hated it!!! Drank water x amount of times... IDK??? Pooped, yeah I'm sure he did. It was for a daycare sit. I could see using it for drop in visits but those are not always walks. Some dogs just need potty relief. Over all just more work. I already spend entirely to much time on my phone taking pictures, sending update and the average start up text for a meet and greet seems to 20 text. Crazy! Where is the time for the actual dogs. I say thumbs down!
I find that I have a like/dislike relationship with it. I've had several things come up, some minor.
First: If one of the reasons they're doing is to have less cancellation support requests, I feel like they're going to end up getting more "hey I should get paid because {insert reason} which the app didn't account for".
Example situation, customer orders a drop in visit for 1x on one day and 3x on another, same booking. Rover's system doesn't let you change number of visits on per day, so I use the cost adjustment feature, to remove the extra costs for the 2x non-requested visits.
Rover's (soon to come) system doesn't pay me because I don't log-in with the app (it's going to assume the visit has been cancelled) even though I have an agreed upon set up with customer.
So now I have to contact Rover's support to say, "please pay me, see my exchange with customer". Huge hassle. Rover's only suggestion was, do two separate bookings or email us. Many of these people can barely understand how to use Rover, and now I need them to set up a booking twice. Ugh. Plus they're charging our customers a fee.
So they're confused and paying more than we quoted, which looks bad, imo.
Second: Small thing, but annoys me anyways. The"optional message" area in the report card is not useful. You can't see the messages without going into each and every report card. I think it is better to save the report card and write my messages in the actual messaging area. I have customers who don't care about the report card features (check-in, check-out), they want to see a written response, not a poo summary. So it isn't saving me any time.
Third: I like the idea of a map for the walk, that's cool, but I don't like how inaccurate they can be. For especially paranoid owners, or owners who don't want you walking in specific areas, or owners who don't understand technology, these inaccurate maps can be worrying. I'll require more time for me to explain it's inaccurate about a feature they didn't care about to begin with.
Fourth: Low battery, phone mishap, no GPS signal can all lead to us having to contact Rover to make sure we're getting paid. Which requires us to be even more diligent that we're not missing any funds.
Fifth: Why are all these new features added but the ability to add/see dog notes, see how many miles a customer is from you, and the exact dates of a stay are something we still can't see in the app. That's crazy.
Many of these things are why I feel like it'd be better as optional -- as a badge in Rover's system. I sent Rover feedback on all ...
Good points. All things that I have been thinking as well. I am hoping they do not make it mandatory, for reasons that you mentioned.
I have a problem with it being required, especially given some of the other "bugs" in the booking system that require me to sometimes have to get creative to meet my clients' needs. When these RoverCards become required, I will probably re-offer the majority of twice-a-day drop in requests that come in as overnights to avoid needing to use it.
I already have work arounds that I like for most of the features offered, such as using RunKeeper and taking a screenshot of the walk and sending that to my client as a photo when they request a walk. I used the RoverCard for my last booking over Labor Day weekend and I don't feel like it added any value.
Edited to update: I've already told a repeat client request coming in that I won't book as drop-ins moving forward(since I pretty exclusively sit for people leaving town and don't offer dog walking services). She was fine with it and understanding. I may allow it for new clients, but then will let them know that if they loved me and want to re-book, I only offer "overnight" as an option.
Ugh this is awful! Sounds like another way to track us. And I don't even have a smart phone; I've been saving money by using a cheap phone and I've always loved dog sitting because I could keep it simple.
Honestly, I imagine many pet parents don't even want a report card 3x a day. Annoying.
Here is the only information I could find regarding when this will be required, though it does not state a date: "Starting in a few weeks, you’ll need to send Rover Cards for every dog walk, day care stay, and drop-in visit. For now, it’s optional, but now’s the perfect time to get your feet wet. Make sure you’re ready to go and download the app. If you already have the app, take a moment to make sure your phone’s automatic updates are turned on." It is from this article: https://www.rover.com/blog/sitter-res...
For info which might be helfpul to those who don't have a smartphone.
I contacted Rover with the same question, asking how I'd be able to continue with them when I have an old phone which their app doesn't support (it is a smartphone, but an old one, the app works but only an old version which doesn't have the report card feature).
They responded reiterating that the report cards would be mandatory, but "should you need a smartphone capable of handling the app going forward, we would be happy to send you one in the mail".
So maybe an option for those that don't have a compatible phone?! To be honest it sounds too good to be true, and I didn't take them up on it as I've stopped dog walking for now, so I don't know if they'll actually honour this, but worth asking if you think you need it.
I have had to update my phone which I cannot affford so I could do daily cards as was presented to me as a newbie, as Required! The first card I sent was very detailed and included a 40 min walk and the owner reported on a review that I didn't talk to her dog enough and then my 5 star rating ended, calls stopped and I lost money on the client , having to put the spare change to Verizon data! That's the thanks we get for following rules when owner can lie and call 11;30 pm for a day care visit in 9 hours and then text IM CominG EARLY!!! While I'm trying to feed my kids and dogs and take a shower?????
I was part of the beta team that tested the report cards over the past few months and I love it as do my clients. It is very easy to use and takes seconds to complete. There is little reason to report numerous potty events on the app!
I am primarily a walker and what I do like is the arrival time and elapsed time you are with the client reported to them at the end of the event. Many clients who previously used other sitter/walker services want daily report cards in one form or another and have asked for this feature. Many independent service providers, not Rover, also use software App's, Time to Pet is one of several out there that provide the same reporting capability. I am very happy that Rover has elevated the offering to include this feature to provide a competitive advantage to the Rover Community.
Will it become mandatory to use the App, I'm not sure, but the plan as I understand it is if you don't start the event you will not get paid for the event.
Change is always difficult, give this new feature some time to get used to, and I'm certain you will love it.
But I don't have a smart phone! I've been trying to save money and not get one; this is super annoying for me. And Rover says it will become mandatory in a few weeks. I think it's just awful and controlling to make something like this mandatory.
I really like the idea of it being optional, discussed and agreed upon between me and the client. I don't like the idea of it being mandatory. I understand the reason is to make their cancellation process easier to manage, but I'm sure they could accomplish that another way.
And I did use it over Labor Day weekend optionally. At first I thought it was cool, but then realized it offered no additional value to me, since I will discuss those topics in detail anyway. Also, I didn't get any feedback from my client whether I provided my normal updates or thru the Rover Card
I'm in the same boat as others, I have an older iPhone and can't get the Rover app because it's not supported on my phone. I've only just started on Rover, and I expect this means I won't be able to continue?? It's ridiculous for Rover to limit their sitters only to people who have smartphones.
I've already experienced glitches with Rover (showed up at a m&g when customer canceled) to where I don't feel comfortable with this being mandatory. I also don't like being micro managed. I already keep my own log and communicate with my customers to where Rover cards are completely unnecessary.
I do not have a data plan on my phone to be able to offer Rover Cards. How can they withhold pay if we are not able to provide the Rover Cards? That's ridiculous and incredibly frustrating
I have to buy a new phone with my rover earnings to apply for rover go!
While I agree it is a nice feature and tool .. this tool cannot be made mandatory or be required to use. As independent contractors, we have the right to run our business as we see fit. We are not employees. Rover should be careful over this one. The IRS may come knocking.
I asked Rover date. They were unclear of the date, but indicated after Sept. I already changed my profile to reflect that I won't offer those services on Rover. Kim made great point. Clients may find& book Rover sitters by find&contact elsewhere or book diff. svc. (Rover Overnight)