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Rover.com pet-sitting website in-depth review.


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.6 / 5 (Excellent)
99 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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Rover.com is a website that connects pet parents with loving, local dog sitters. It’s the country’s largest network of dog lovers for hire, with over 25,000 pet sitters nationwide who can easily be accessed online. Services offered by pet sitters include dog hosting (the sitter watches the dog in their home), dog sitting (the sitter watches the dog in the owner’s home), dog walking, and dog daycare. Rover.com also offers premium insurance, 24/7 support, and a reservation guarantee, at no extra cost.

Availability: (Nationwide)

Pet Sitter Rates
$25 per day average

Payment Options

Credit card (Visa, MasterCard)
PayPal

Pet Sitting Location

Pet Hosting (In the Owner's Home)
Pet Hosting (In the Sitter’s Home)

Pet Services

Dog boarding
Day care
Pet sitting
Dog walking
Transportation

Setting an Appointment

Self-Service: Online

Search sitters, send messages, book and pay, all through Rover.

Full-service: Telephone

Call Rover Premier, and a consultant will handle the details, matching pet parents with the best sitter to meet their needs.

Pet Insurance – Included with all services

Universal insurance coverage for stays and services booked on Rover

Medical coverage

$25,000
$250 deductible per claim

General liability (Bodily injury and property damage)

$2,000,000 per occurrence
$3,000,000 general aggregate
No deductible

Professional liability

$1,000,000 per occurrence
$1,000,000 general aggregate
No deductible

Fine Print

Limited one-time refund

Requests for refunds should be sent within 48 hours of the end of your pet’s stay. This excludes any fees payable to Pet Care Service Providers. In cases where Rover.com determines that a Pet Care Service Provider violated policies in connection with a service, Rover.com may provide pet owners a refund of all fees charged by Rover.com.

Identity and Background Verification

Rover.com does not attempt to confirm any user’s purported identity or background. Users are responsible for providing true, accurate, current and complete information about themselves. Users are advised to maintain and update any information so it remains true, accurate and complete at all times. Rover.com offers optional background checks through a partnership with First Advantage that verifies that a sitter has not committed a felony or violent crime, such that there would be reason to believe that animals would be in danger while in their care. Rover.com does not investigate any user’s reputation, conduct, morality, criminal background or verify information submitted though the services.

Cancellations

If you book a reservation with a sitter, then you have to cancel your reservation, which does happen, Rover.com will return the funds to the pet owner in accordance with the sitter's cancellation policy. Policies may vary from sitter-to-sitter. Rover.com, however, isn't obligated to intervene in any dispute between users regarding any cancellations and/or refunds outside of Rover.com cancellation policy (if any), regardless of whether Rover.com collected any money on behalf of a pet care service provider or third party service provider. It's really about you knowing how the sitter you choose operates, then being respectful with your sitter in the event that an unforeseen emergency comes up or your travel plans change last minute.   

Rover.com Summary

Rover.com is an excellent gateway for pet parents searching for pet-sitting services. Its nationwide network of over 25,000 loving pet sitters makes it the most extensive online database of its kind. It’s easy-to-use messaging system and secure payment portal allows pet parents to find, book, and pay for a sitter—and remain in touch throughout the stay. Rover.com offers premium pet insurance which includes medical coverage, general, and professional liability, giving pet parents an extra layer of protection. With Rover.com, loving neighborhood sitters are backed by the support and security of a nationwide company. Overall, Rover.com is a robust yet simple tool for helping pet parents connect seamlessly with pet-sitting services.

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Customer Comments

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Sarikka
1/5/2017
Our sitter, Jessica, in Houston, TX, promised to visit our pets twice a day over the 2 weeks we were gone. It cost us well over $700. All she had to do was take the two dogs outside, feed them and the cat, give everyone water, and clean the litter box. What we also expected from a sitter was that she'd spend a little time giving everyone pets and cuddles on a daily basis. I mean, I'm paying you $60 a day, that's a lot of money to divert. When we came home our house looked like a dog kennel. No animal had a drop of water when we walked in, though she claimed to have been there twice that day. There was feces, urine, vomit, and blood everywhere. Yes blood! One dog had rubbed the tip of his... Read More
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Elena
12/31/2016
Rover prides itself on the premise that it is "Connecting pet parents with the nation’s largest network of loving & trustworthy dog walkers & sitters". Loving and trustworthy ... If the Rover team ever left their Seattle office to truly vet the thousands of people who have registered on their site as a pet sitter, they'd probably be out of business. Anyone can sign up to be a pet sitter...Rover prides itself in doing background checks, but without truly vetting a person, the background check means nothing. I hired a sitter through Rover to watch my precious pets only to discover (through my security system) that my dogs were being severely neglected. Rover didn't care. Their customer... Read More
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Greta W
12/31/2016
I can't believe this company does not check their dog sitters! My dogs were unattended for serveral of the days I paid for them to be let out and walked. I'll never use this company again! Their customer service does not care about your complaint and they still take a cancelation fee. So the neglectful sitters get their money anyway. Don't use this company!!! Find and interview a reliable person on your own, the effort is worth it to have your animals cared for in the way you prefer.
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Jrscates
12/21/2016
To make a long story short, I hired a sitter from rover.com to watch my pets while I was on vacation. It came to my attention from a neighbor that the sitter took my vehicle without my authorization. I found out from the police that the sitter and her fiancee, who did not have permission to be on the premises, were setring up house in my home. That was not part of the deal. The sitter asked if she could stay during the day to take of my pets. That wasn't the case as theyou had several bags and suitcases at my home. Furthermore, my neighbor removed my dog from the house and to safety. When she was in the house, she saw the sitter was doing laundry there!!! I certainly did not give... Read More
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Martha C
12/7/2016
I hired a sitter for my shy dog. The sitter's page stated she only took two dogs at a time, not including hers. I took my dog to her house for the initial "meet and greet", where she informed she would have 3 dogs altogether during my dog's stay. I decided this wouldn't be so bad since my dog needed socialization anyway. When I arrived at her house for.a five day stay, she had a garage sale going g o. In front of her house, she also had two kids under 8 in the house with 3 dogs. When we came in I e of the dogs attacked mine and that's when we decided no way. That's also where I determined that Rover doesn't check on their sitters background or conduct safety checks. That was it for... Read More
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Michael L
11/3/2016
1) We contracted a Rover sitter to conduct daily checkins for our new puppy—to let her out to pee during the middle of the workday—before she was fully vaccinated and we could start her with daily group dog walks. 2) Brianna was nice and seemed great during her interview so we began service with her. 3) Everything seemed fine at first until we started noticing clues that she wasn’t actually coming some days of the week as agree and as paid. We thought surely not, who would leave a puppy cooped up and unable to be let out all day? 4) After enough peculiar things we set a simple trap and came home to find she had not come that day like she said she had, and was taking our money anyway.... Read More
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Patti G
10/13/2016
I was in a bind as my dog sitter cancelled last minute and a friend told me about Rover. Not only was I able to sign up quickly, but I was able to find a great dog sitter to help me out before I left for vacation. What a lifesaver this website is. So happy to have found it!
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Sarah R
9/17/2015
Rover is a great company! I found a great dog sitter (at sitters house) on my first try and couldn't be more pleased with her and Rover. In the past I've spent my vacations/trips hoping my dog wasn't miserable at the kennel, and now it feels like I can finally relax knowing that my dog is probably having as much, if not more, fun than I'm having with a family who cares!
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Roberta M
4/30/2015
The Rover concept is great. But, you have to be VERY careful of the individual dog sitter. I used Elizabeth Ewing/Chevy Chase to watch my 2 dogs in my home for 11 days. During that time, she moved in her husband and son, went off to a meeting and her under-age kid was in charge of my dogs. The husband, Ted Andrews, got into my computer, the kid messed up the programming on my TV and the family basically had a mini-vacation in my home in my absence. I never met the husband or the kid, but they were living in my home without the approved-dog sitter. NONE of this was OK'd by me and I didn't know it was happening. Despite regular communication, Ewing never asked my permission or told me... Read More
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Top Rated
  • Over 25,000 pet sitters nationwide
  • Complimentary premium pet insurance
  • 24/7 support and Rover reservation guarantee
  • Sitter background checks
  • On-call veterinary assistance
  • Daily photo updates of your pet via free mobile app (IOS & Android)
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