score:
1

How do I alter or end an assignment that no longer seems suitable?

Hi everyone, have kind of a sensitive question. I have a client that lives within my accepted radius but the road is unpaved and there is incline after incline, with switchbacks galore. They live soooo high up on the side of a mountain basically. They are working on this house that they bought and living there, However, there is no running water, (I bring my own for the dog) no indoor plumbing. The couple works tremendously long hours, in another town and when I am not there, they keep the dog in a locked room 10 x 10 appx room with no contact. My auto is old and guzzles gas like crazy. Our arrangement goes on a biweekly basis (every two weeks) with an "assumption" that this would be ongoing until further notice. I approached the owner with a couple of options, which she quickly poo poo'd . To be honest, I don't feel this is a suitable fit for me, though we are in our 3rd week now. I've been officially told that I should have assessed this at the Meet & Greet, but I didn't realize at that time that my car would basically be eating up my drop in fees in gasoline just for the travel. I certainly don't want to drive it in the winter, that would not be a good idea, but she said we should just deal with it at that point. I don't even want to drive it should it rain since it's all dirt...I'm afraid I'd slide down. Since I've brought this up, just the travel aspect, she has been curt and rude and I just don't want to continue the assignment, especially with winter right around the corner. I don't want to wait until there is a storm to come up with a plan. I want to have it established beforehand.I also don't want to basically slide down the road should it rain, it's doing a number on my brakes as it is. Like I said, officially we schedule every two weeks. I would understand if we already had a long-term deal on the books, but like I said, we go two weeks at a time. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this? I have no idea how to navigate this one! Thanks in advance.

2 Answers

Sort by ยป oldest newest most voted
score:
2

Honesty is the best policy, inform the owner you cannot accept future assignments and be done with it. You aren't obligated beyond the current booking. Best of luck.

I also peeked at your profile and your rates are really low and if I were you I'd at least set my drop-in rate equal to your walking rate. And take and pass the Rover 101 quiz and get the badge it is important.

score:
1

It sounds like the client came from & is booked through Rover. If that's true, then I'd reach out to customer support. They can see all her activity, including other sitters she may have considered, and while they will not share it with you as a sitter, they can confirm if there is another sitter in the area that they think they could match her with.

Then you nicely let her know that your car is having trouble and for safety reasons, she'll need to make other arrangements and that rover support can help match her with another sitter for no additional fee. It will be best if you finish what's already booked, and let her know you'll do so, but will not be available after that. You do not need to discuss or defend your reasons for doing so.