A sitter I want to hire seems to be on the level, but she only has two reviews, both posted on the same day, very recently. Could this be a scam?
Many new sitters to Rover ask their friends or family to write testimonials for them, they typically show with dates close to each other. Is this a scam? No
It depends on how it is labeled. Do they say "Verified Stay"? Those can only come from a booking on Rover. Being posted on the same date might be coincidence or the result of a technical process from Rover's system, especially if the sitter only takes in one dog. You can always check with Rover at [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].
If it doesn't say Verified Stay, then it is a testimonial, which all new sitters are encouraged to obtain, in which case the date is irrelevant because most sitters do their solicitations at the same time.
No it's NOT a scam. To get started, sitters are asked to have anyone who knows of their experience with pets to write an honest testimonial.
Are there scammer "pet owners"? Yes, there are... there are people on here who have no intention of booking anyone, but will tie you and your schedule up with the hope of a 5 day booking for 2 dogs, only to leave you hanging, despite your preparing for those dogs and the owner, only to finally say no thanks with no explanation. So far 2 in a row, seems to be a thing on here.
It will say “Verified stay” if it were some booked with Rover. I am a sitter on rover and I don’t take in pups with out a meet and greet. It’s important for owners to meet and check out where their babies will be, so we can get acquainted, and so I can get the personality of the dog. Matchmaking
If someone wants money upfront for your work always say no. If they don’t pay after you do the job properly than that’s different. Call me. If you want to talk. We make our animals food and they are our children. They also live twice as long
An ex co- worker of mine had a friend write fake reviews so she would get more business that way. Lame but who’s to say. Family and friends can review you but are they really going to say that you aren’t cut out for pet sitting? Unlikely. I know I’m doing a good job review or not. 👍🏼