In certain UK cities, we’re testing a new feature that will automatically record when a sitter cancels at the last minute. If you cancel five or fewer days before the start date of a booking, an automated record will appear on your public profile. We believe that this increased transparency will help build trust with your pet owners and help distinguish you as a reliable and trustworthy sitter.
If you’re a sitter and didn’t receive an email about this feature, then these changes don’t currently affect you. For information about this test, please review the FAQs below.
Why are you testing this for sitters only?
Last-minute cancellations are difficult for everyone involved. Pet owners must scramble to find a replacement, and may have to change or cancel their own plans if they can’t. As a sitter, you can decide which bookings to accept, decline or cancel. The automated records will help pet owners make a more informed decision when booking a sitter. They’ll have a better sense of whether a cancellation is an infrequent one-off, or if a sitter regularly needs last-minute flexibility.
We recognise that last-minute cancellations by pet owners affect you as well. As a sitter, you have the option to set and enforce cancellation policies for your bookings when a pet owner cancels at the last minute. Learn more about how to customise your cancellation policies here.
What if I cancel the booking on behalf of a pet owner? Will an automated record appear on my page?
No. If a pet owner needs to cancel, Rover has a feature that allows sitters to initiate the cancellation on their behalf. To help your pet owner cancel a booking, select “The pet owner needs to cancel” as the cancellation reason to initiate the cancellation process. Then, your pet owner will be prompted to complete the cancellation.
Where will the automated record appear?
Automated records of last-minute cancellations will appear in the “Reviews” section of your profile. It’ll mention how far in advance you cancelled the booking.
Can I reply to an automated record?
Just like with a review, you can publicly reply to an automated record to explain what happened. Like reviews, others will be able to see your response, so please avoid mentioning any personal details that you don’t want to be visible to others.
The cancellation is out of my control. Will I still get an automated record on my profile?
We understand that unexpected situations can happen that are outside your control. While not required, you can reply to the automated record to help pet owners understand why you had to cancel.
Will this have an impact on my recurring services?
No. At this time, the automated cancellation record won’t appear for recurring service cancellations.
