Do you agree with Rover Cards?

I wish they weren't mandatory. I sit/drop in mostly out in more rural areas and rarely have service. If I don't have service, the app doesn't load and I can't start the timer, fill it out, or send it until I get to an area with service or accessible wifi . Owners don't always understand Rover cards so when I explain the situation they think that I'm doing something wrong or trying to be sneaky. I've had one client who got very annoyed by them. I think it's great to let the owner know about their pets but the Rover cards make it difficult. It'd be easier to discuss with the owner how often they would like to be updated and what kind of updates they want.

I am just simply not comfortable of any kind of app following my location. This is my privacy. Is there no trust anymore in people? I think those walkers should fall out of the system who do not do their job right.

Such as with any other app you can switch off locations. They should not be able to force anyone to actually provide such information to them unwillingly.

If we're independent contractors, they aren't allowed to mandate it by law. An independent contractor has the authority to decide how to go about accomplishing tasks, and does so without the employer's input. If they continue to 1099, which they will otherwise there are additional expenses and logistical nightmares for them, they cannot mandate the "how" we do our jobs. I will completely and totally argue this. It takes time away from the dogs, I have one lady that I do drop ins for with SIX dogs, how the heck am I supposed to keep track of who did what when they are going into a fenced yard? Almost all my stops are multiple dogs and this uses up a lot of data over the month between the tracking and all. If I'm charging 15+ for a drop in, and you're trying to get me to use this and I'm spending an extra $40 in data.... it really cuts into profits. It costs me money, it costs me time, and it costs me attention. I would rather have full focus on the dogs, type out the message I want and go about my business.

My biggest question on this is sitters are considered independent, 1099 class service providers. By making something mandatory, they're wading into w2 employment practices. You can't make a 1099 contractor do anything except comply with local and federal laws/regulations and to do the service they're hired to do. Anyone else looked into this?

The app itself is a wonderful idea, but it's horrible that sitters will NEED this to stay on the site. I have been searching for a job for over a year with no luck, and I've been trying to find freelance work of any sort, so this seemed like a great break for me. I've had the same computer and cell for seven years, and I certainly don't have the extra cash to get a smartphone. I'll be back if Rover changes the policy, but unless they do, I can't really recommend this site to anyone. Even though I have friends with smartphones who could use the site, I'm hesitant to send them here for fear of how they would be treated as sitters. I think it's disrespectful to not let sitters offer any services when there are probably pet owners who would be willing to compromise or who don't mind not getting a Rover Card. Though we are not direct employees of Rover, it's still important to show us some consideration and respect.

I absolutely HATE the Rover card being mandatory! I do this for my full time job and have at LEAST 3-6 different walks or drop in visits scheduled everyday. I love what I do and take serious pride in making sure every owner and pet is happy and satisfied with my service. I have always provided the owners with cute fun messages and edited pictures after every visit and updated them on our activities. I personally feel that the Rover cards take so much time away from actually interacting with the pups and a lot of the personal touches I like to add to the updates I send. I would say starting and stopping the walk as well as waiting through all the loading screens ect. takes and additional 6-10 mins away from the actual walks or drop in visit. What I have always loved about my job is connecting with the dogs and the owners and feeling the trust between the owner and myself growing over time. I feel the rover card takes the "trust building" out of the equation all together because my every move is being tracked and proven. I also struggle with service, data, and battery issues. I have had many cards come up with the wrong distance or tracked me in a completely different area than I actually walked. I understand that this feature could be amazing for some but NOT for ALL. this feature should be a option for the owner to request if they feel that it is right for them. I really hope Rover adjusts this before it starts effecting my business. I allow Rover to take their 15% cut to market me and provide a website I can communicate safely with my clients but I don't think it is right for them to start demanding FEATURES that I MUST provide through MY business.

Hehe now I know what these rover cards are. I had an unpleasant experience for the first time I was on a walking mission as my cell phone battery was almost dead. Now I know I need to charge my phone well before starting an assignment. I don't mind the cards because I was told by a client that the previous hired sitter came by for a drop-in and spent 5 minutes in the house instead of 30. The client saw that on her camera.. So I think there is a reason for these rover cards. But I don't like section about how many pees and poops a dog did because I don't usually count them lol That being said my clients appreciate rover cards and I put part of my phone bill into tax deductions because now I am using my phone for work a lot!

As a sitter for almost a year, it seems like Rover is a one-way street. Sitters are measured on little things, given fluff email "helps" (about common-sense things, how to keep a dog secure). But, as far as I can tell, owners are not held to any standards at all.

We can't see how many sitters a dog owner has had (if they "hop"). We can't see their reviews (if they're hard to please). I receive many requests from owners who haven't completed their profiles. With so little valid info available to me, I "read between the lines" and decline owners if I don't get a good "vibe" from the profile. I have to make assumptions about the owner.

I get many owners who bring their dogs to my door without a leash. (That's potential trouble with my neighbors). One owner used me to change his dog's food. Some get excited and foment anxiety when they pickup their dogs (leading to separation anxiety they next time). You'd think these would be nice "fluff" topics for owners (considering all the similar emails sitters are given to help them be better).

It feels like everything revolves around the sitter being held to high standards. Rover makes changes to its website, usually for the worse (like the profile-thumbnails. The portrait thumbnails are blurry now after a seemingly pointless change Rover made to the "tiles." The portrait thumbnails are generated at a small size Rover never uses, then re-enlarged to the size Rover uses -- resulting in poor quality.). If that was a sitter, their "metrics" would go down. But, it's not, so it's a low priority for Rover.

Like everyone else, I understand how the Rover Cards can be valuable. However I hope that Rover does NOT make them mandatory! I do not have a data plan so I can save money on my phone bill. I cannot afford to add a data plan to my phone bill just so I can submit Rover Cards. I always send lots of photos during my stays and on top of text updates, I leave hand written notes for my clients.