I am encountering an on-going problem with customers being late for pick-ups, drop-off and meet and greets. I am EXTREMELY accommodating to people's schedules (I've had drop offs at 5:00 am and pick ups after midnight). In return I would like for them to at least be on time. At this point, I'm feeling a little taken advantage of by these people. They are not 5, 10, 15 minutes late. It is more like 45 minutes to an hour late consistently and many times do not even offer to text me to ask if it's ok.

I have a flexible schedule, but that doesn't mean I'm like a convenience store that's open whenever they decide they want to drop by. Waiting for customers to show up means that I have to hold off things that I've planned to do until they feel like showing up. I am grateful for my customers and show them by offering exceptional care for their dogs (which is why I have so many regulars). But I am fed up.

Has anyone encountered this and what are some of the ways you deal with this situation?

Thanks.

You can try finding a sitter who only sits one dog at a time and who does not have a dog of their own. This may be difficult, but it is possible. And even if you cannot find a sitter who does not have a dog, you should be able to tell if your dog and their dog get along during the meet and greet. So, if they only sit for one dog at a time, you'll at least know that your dog and their dog will be fine together and you won't have to worry about other owners' dogs being around.

I know what you mean Christine. When I try to offer the code to clients int their message, it shows up as ".......". So, I always have to wait until the meet and greet and give it to them in person. I don't know why it's set up like that. It's almost like Rover doesn't want us to use the code.

Yeah, that answer is definitely the way to go. Wish Amber was around on all of the occasions I've been in this position :)

I agree, this would be an excellent feature. I've often wished it existed as well, but sadly it doesn't. We can review/rate dogs, but I'm not sure about the usefulness of this feature since no other sitter can see what we've written.

I have had to cancel in the midst of a stay before; about half way through. It wasn't for the same reason, although your reason is completely justified. I had to cancel due to a family emergency. I felt really bad about it, especially since the owner was out of the country, but there really was nothing I could do. Fortunately, the owner seemed to understand.

The stars are a rating given by customers for the dog sitting services the sitter has provided. So, after a stay is over, an owner is able to rate the stay. 5 stars means it was an excellent stay and they were pleased with the service. If you want more ratings (stars) you can ask the owners for a rating after you have completed a stay.

Thank you for clearing this up. I appreciate you contacting them!

Once you book the stay (click the "Book It Now" button), your card is charged and you have paid for the stay. The sitter doesn't gain access to the money until 1-2 days after your stay is over. So, in essence, your money is in escrow until the conclusion of the stay.

Ok, gotcha. Thanks for your input :)

Hi Meaghan, I have also had the same concerns over archiving. When I first started Rover a year ago, they used to say that you should book 1 out of every 3 requests to maintain your search rank. Of course, this seems unfair when owners do not always pay attention to your profile and send you inappropriate requests. So, I contacted customer service a few months ago to ask about it, and they said that archiving requests doesn't harm your rank. The rep didn't give an explanation, she simply said it wouldn't affect it negatively. So, there seemed to be some contradictory information and I didn't know what to make of it. However, after several months, I can say that based on personal experience, it doesn't seem to affect me. I archive ALOT, and since speaking with that rep, my rank hasn't been affected by it. So, I think it's safe to say that you are clear to archive any and all requests that are not suitable.

Oni

Hello, For any sitter who has participated in the latest contest and received your gift cards, do you see a Walmart option to redeem your card? On the contest page, it offers a Walmart gift card as an option, but when I went to redeem my card, Walmart wasn't listed. Does anyone know if there is a way to redeem the Tango card for Walmart, or should I just let go? :(

Thank you

Why do I still get requests from repeat customers even when my profile is set to "away"?

My dog eat Orijen. It's not made in the US, but in Canada (at least not China). It's pricey, but worth it. Every dog that I've hosted loves it, even dogs who also eat premium food, even a very picky dog on a raw diet, loves Orijen.

I agree with Michele. You should give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but at a certain point, you have to realize when someone is blowing you off and not interested in your service. The other thing to consider is that that type of behavior could spill over into the stay. If you were to book a stay with her or someone like her, she may arrive late to drop off or pick up the dog as well. If you have something planned, she may prevent you from proceeding with those plans because you're always waiting for her. In my experience clients like these aren't worth the stress, annoyance, and ultimately the resentment that may arise as a result of their inconsideration. You want this experience to be fun and positive, and she might prevent that from being the case.

It would be nice if they could change the system somehow to prevent this from happening, but at least it does not count against you. It used to; they used to tell you to try to book at least one out of every three requests so that your rank doesn't decrease. However, not too long ago I emailed customer service to ask about this and they said that it didn't. So, I guess they changed it.

I've entered a couple of the contests before and assuming they work the same way, they usually email you the code to redeem the card. It usually takes a couple of days - less than a week.

Benebones are really good. They are like Nylabones, but they're flavored (bacon, chicken, peanut butter). You can find them on Amazon and some independent pet stores.

Oh, late fees are after the fact?? Well, that changes things...

I know, but I feel bad about it. I know that at times (or all the time) I am too accommodating, but it is very hard to tell someone to pay a late fee when it's such a personal situation. I don't want to alienate my customers because I'm grateful for them, but I also don't want this festering anger. I may just need to get over it!

It's pretty much everyone. Sometimes regulars are worse because they get comfortable and are used to me always be available.