Can I leave a review for a cancelled service?

No you are unable to leave a review for the sitter and sorry you experienced an issue. I would definately call Rover support and voice your displeasure about the sitter to them [Edit: Rover’s contact options have changed. Visit the Rover Help Center at https://support.rover.com/ to find the phone number, help articles, or chat with the team]

We just had the same thing happen to us! A cancellation the day before our drop off with no explanation from Toby and Meng (Yin). All we received was a generic note of cancellation and $20 from Rover. I did notice that the Toby and Meng kept their dates open on Rover and put in a higher daily rate than they received from our booking. I think they cancelled us for more money. This is a faulty design of the service and we should be able to alert people of this

That's very unfortunate, but when she cancelled (I assume she had a serious reason/illness/injury etc), and you had called Rover right away, they would have found a last minute sitter. But you can not leave a review for a sitting that didn't happen.

I went through something similar recently if not worse. The sitter cancelled within an hour of us dropping off the puppy because she couldn’t handle his barking. We were taking off, fortunately our parents were in town but it gives me shivers to just imagine what would have happened if there was no one around. There should be consequences for such situations and Rover did not take any responsibility. They said they cannot guarantee a sitter’s quality.

Dude cancelled on me day before the 7-day window, said he had a death in the family. Now the booking funds are locked up in a refund, and I can’t book another sitter because I can’t afford to pay another booking fee. Rover customer service said the refund can take anywhere from 5-10 days. So now I have to tell my boss about my predicament. I will never use this service again, it left me in a crappy situation.

I would hope it would depend on why the sitter had to cancel. People have emergencies, they get sick, love ones die.

I am a Rover sitter, an RVT and dog trainer. I have had many last minute cancellations, at the most I am given notice the night before or even a few hours before. I depend on my Rover income, I have turn other clients, and money away to save a spot for the fur baby coming. However, my clients always have a good reason. I have a very strict cancellation policy and still I was able to get their money refunded. The sitter you choose should have emailed customer support, explained their circumstance and Rover would refund your money. I would read the profiles of your dog sitter the way you would pick a baby sitter for a night out; carefully, read reviews and how much experience they had. We are not all the same. I have a degree in Veterinary Technology, I am Licensed by the state, I have over 25 years experience.
My own Rover sitter is a stay at home mom and has been doing this for a short time. Yet her reviews and how many "repeat customers she had helped me to determine she was the right choice for our pets. She may not have as much experience but her reviews and repeat clients told me she would take care of my babies. I hope this helps and I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your sitter

This situation just happened with us. The sitter is Shawna A. in Bloomington, MN. The sitter cancelled on us at 10:30 pm the night before an 8:30 am drop off. She did not contact me directly, and was likewise a very poor communicator in general. I just learned that you cannot leave a review of any experience with a sitter on Rover unless you complete a booking. This should be changed. http://Rover.com phone support said they have made a note on her record in order to watch for a pattern with her going forward. That doesn't solve the issue though. Had I read a review of Shawna from someone who was put in our position, I would not have contacted her to begin with. http://Rover.com appears to be set up to benefit the sitters without much consideration for the users of the site. We most likely won't use Rover again in the future. It's simply not a reliable source for good dog care.

Seeing that the original question was asked four (!!!) years ago and nothing has been done by the owners of this site, I don't expect that my comment will be read. Still, I am writing it hoping to make some change for the better. I was hoping to board my cat for a day and asked the sitter (Amanda in Innisfil, ON) if she could do that. There was a calendar stating her availability which showed that she was available on that specific day, yet she responded that she was not available. Seriously, how hard is it to update a calendar, particularly when it is your business? That kind of sloppiness is really maddening and unacceptable, and the owners of this site need to screen their sitters better. I am never coming back here. Disappointed customer.

For those looking for sitters, I suggest looking through your friends, neighbours, etc. and do it in advance - you never know when you might need the service.

It’s worth emphasizing that Rover connects dog & cat parents with pet sitters & dog walkers across the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe. Rover basically connects the parties and doesn’t supervise or manage the relationship/details. With hundreds of thousands of sitters/walkers internationally, a background check and basic information gathering is done, but each sitter/walker is an independent contractor running their own business. There are so many different levels of care provided. Sometimes by reading the profiles, pet owners can get a good idea of who is the best match for their pet. This should be followed by meeting sitter(s) and exchanging lots of information (ask any relevant questions pertaining to the pet. After that, I would highly recommend testing out the relationship before an actual need and definitely not during peak holiday dates by booking services, whether that is walks, or daycare or overnight stays.

I totally understand your frustration and am sorry you went through that. I have had a dog that needed care and a friend had bailed on me at the last minute for no good reason so I feel your pain. I know you said you wanted to leave a negative review and while that's not possible, Walt gave a great suggestion in advising you to contact Rover support. However, even though I've personally never had to cancel last-minute, I've taken dogs at the last-minute because the previous sitter booked cancelled. I always ask the client if they gave a reason. If the sitter gave no reason for the cancellation I advise them to call Rover support and let them know what happened. However, if they had a valid reason (personal or family illness/emergency) I don't think that warrants a complaint. Unfortunately things happen beyond our control. I know it doesn't help now, and you've already missed the wedding, but it's possible you could have gotten another sitter either through contacting others yourself or calling Rover support. There are many, many wonderful sitters you can find through Rover and I know that Rover strives to have great sitters. Many of us are willing to be there last-minute to help someone out in a pinch. I hope this helps at least a little bit!