• Rover

Rover

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Overview

Rover has a rating of 1.2 stars from 605 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Rover most frequently mention customer service, pet sitter, and next day problems. Rover ranks 488th among Dogs sites.

  • Service
    218
  • Value
    199
  • Shipping
    47
  • Returns
    66
  • Quality
    165
Positive reviews (last 12 months): 1.7%
Positive
1
Neutral
0
Negative
59
239
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How would you rate Rover?
Top Positive Review

“Rover as a platform is terrible, but the sitters are legitimate.”

Becky S.
8/11/22

The reviews on here are absolutely insane, and not in a good way. 95% of Rover sitters are wonderful humans who care deeply about your pets. The reviews on here are clearly sabotage and paid for by other platforms. I will say that Rover as a platform is awful as they take 20% from sitters. Owners, if your sitter is comfortable, please pay them in cash. This will save you and them fees, plus Rover rarely actually intervenes when something goes wrong.

Top Critical Review

“Terrible customer service”

Doug L.
10/6/24

If you ever have a problem with billing, you will never be able to talk to someone. The sitters are wonderful, but, when my dog died, and I had to re-block for just my cat, they kept the 500+ dollars I had already paid and then made me pay again for the cat just to confirm since my dog died. Pretty heartless. Supposedly, I will get refunded for the visit I had but why can't they take the new booking out of the money I had already paid them? The most unnerving part is that they have this endless menu system that keeps you from reaching a real person. Their ratings also look really high on Google, but that's because the people they have a sitters are really good business end is terrible.

Reviews (605)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

pet sitter (85) customer service (72) dog sitter (76) rover sitter (53) use rover (124)
Thumbnail of user marks3326
Mexico
1 review
15 helpful votes
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January 16th, 2021

Their pet sitter lost the keys to our apartment on Christmas eve with us out of the country. Spent all day trying to get a locksmith to make keys so we could get our pets food and water. Rover was useless and used the tactic of having every correspondence sent by different people so you could not really follow what was being said or done. They then claimed that they are a "no fault" company and we were responsible for their pet sitter losing our keys. If the claim was over $250 - then they wanted a PayPal account or visa # from us before they would review the claim. WHY, when they are responsible for this entire mess. Totally corrupt organization in my opinion.

Tip for consumers:
Stay as far away from Rover.com as you can.

Products used:
Pet sitting

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user tiffanys160
Virginia
1 review
12 helpful votes
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August 12th, 2018

I requested three different sitters because that is what Rover suggested and they all had open availability on their calendars but they each had an excuse. Michael and Sidney were gonna be out of town even though their calendar was empty. Crystal said her big dog doesn't like other big dogs but she said on her page she was comfortable with all breeds and her hosting preferences go up to an 100 pound dog. My dogs are 50 and 59 pounds. This has been a horrible experience and a complete waste of my time. Thanks for nothing!

Thumbnail of user maryj792
North Carolina
2 reviews
39 helpful votes
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May 18th, 2019

I'm not sure why I thought Rover could provide the service I needed. I have contacted three sitters who claimed to be available for the dates I needed. One by one, I found out there was more to their stories and they simply could not be trusted. Then I looked up reviews and I read about pets that were lost and even killed. Honestly, you just don't know who you are dealing with. There might be a small percentage of legitimate sitters on the site, but good luck finding the gem. I don't think Rover does anything to protect your pet. It's just a broker. Look elsewhere, I am done!

Thumbnail of user maryp511
Michigan
2 reviews
29 helpful votes
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May 4th, 2019

I found a sitter through Rover. We used her for over a year. In November, she left our dogs unsupervised and free to roam with her dogs. Emma was horrifically mauled and left to die in the E. R. We were 500 miles away when it happened. We found out after this she had a history of neglecting dogs. Rover failed to tell us that they pulled her off the platform after the police were contacted by her neighbors when her own dog died from heat stroke after being left outside on a hot July day with no water. Rover does NOT screen their sitters adequately, and shrugs their shoulders when a preventable tragedy like mine happens. II would give a -10 stars if I could.

Thumbnail of user nareec
California
7 reviews
42 helpful votes
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August 10th, 2019

Very shady place, they will go all out to remove honest reviews which they did to my friend. I would suggest going elsewhere or having someone you trust to watch over your pets. I wouldn't suggest working with them either, it doesn't pay well and often times the owners will lie about their pets.

Thumbnail of user paulm5211
New York
1 review
4 helpful votes
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December 20th, 2023

My sitter let me down once telling me she was going to be four hours late and expected me to find a replacement when I was at work driving a bus. Then she failed to show or message one night and my dog was left alone for 10 hours. She made some terrible excuse and when I told her I was going to find someone else she kicked up a fuss like she had done nothing wrong and she refused to return my key. I had to change all my door locks and Rover didn't give a crap.

Thumbnail of user davidj2947
Texas
1 review
5 helpful votes
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September 2nd, 2022
Verified purchase

I am very dissatisfied with my Rover experience! My pet was injured by another boarded dog who aggressively attacked my dog. My dog required medical attention and nearly 7 weeks of recovery and 2 veterinary visits. The Rover "guarantee" completely failed and I am left with a large vet bill.

Rover did not encourage pre-screening of pets to determine temperament nor did they require any vaccination records. You will have no idea if your pet is being boarded with unscreened, unvaccinated viscous animals.

I will never use Rover again and I recommend that you stay away too.

Service
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Quality
Thumbnail of user clemenciac5
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 29th, 2022

I wasn't quite as unlucky as other people from whom I've read stories, but my sitter brought a dog into my house without asking, scared one of my cats who was a semi-feral and is still extremely skittish, and he now will not come home, although I've seen him hanging around the house. And I was one of the lucky ones! I guess it would be ok to use as a starting point, but it's incredibly important to request personal references and not go with ANY inexperienced people. Your pets are too important for that!

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Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user apezzullo
Rhode Island
1 review
9 helpful votes
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August 24th, 2023

I would rate negative stars but that's not an option. The day before our vacation the sitter, Terry, called to say there is a problem with one of the days. When we told her that was not acceptable she tried to charge us more. We said we could not afford that and she said then we should cancel. Because it is the day before rover won't refund the full amount unless she approves it. There site is set up for these people to extort money or leave you high and dry with your pets.

Tip for consumers:
Terry from Waterford should not be aloud to watch anybodys pets.

Products used:
None we needed to find a new sitter the day before.

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user luked55
Oregon
1 review
24 helpful votes
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March 28th, 2019

This is an awful company, especially as an organization that markets themselves as having a high regard for customer safety and satisfaction, and yet if there's an issue Rover states that each dog walker and sitter is an individual business and must be held responsible separately. We had our dog sitter steal our house keys and dis-activate her account and Rover's Support Team told us they cannot be held liable for her theft, but we'd have to pursue her privately via local law enforcement. This is an exceptionally odd and irresponsible response when Rover markets themselves as covering you if anything goes wrong. If in need of a dog sitter, definitely look elsewhere.

Thumbnail of user chelseys67
New York
1 review
4 helpful votes
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November 16th, 2022

I used to work for Rover for 5 years. First, they do not care about the sitter at all. Not even one percent. If you have any trouble with a crazy customer, they will not help you. If a customer posts a fake review ( and it does happen sometimes), they do not investigate their claims even on the basic level. In fact, they will penalize you for reporting anything wrong.

Secondly, they take out 20 percent of your hard earned profit. You are better off making your own website and promoting yourself via Craigslist or advertisement. Rover is a JOKE

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
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Thumbnail of user ginas303
California
7 reviews
14 helpful votes
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August 30th, 2022

What happened to Rover.com? We messaged 14 different potential pet sitters. Most never responded. Some responded that they did not have availability despite their schedule showing otherwise and some stated they were available but never showed up for the meet.

Tip for consumers:
Rover.com was a waste of our time. Try other more reliable sitters on other sites

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user leem273
New York
1 review
15 helpful votes
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August 4th, 2019

Most of the pet sitters advertising on Rover are either unreliable, fake, or unavailable even when their calendar indicates availability. Most of them have work schedules that clashes with the time you want them, so essentially it is a hit or miss to get one who is not working at that time. And when you do, they have another dog that your pet has to stay with while the sitter might be out. From 15 requests for sitters in my area, only one had some flex time to see my dog. All the others had one excuse or another. Don't believe, the ads they post. After you contact them, it's another story.

Thumbnail of user francesm113
Colorado
1 review
39 helpful votes
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March 29th, 2019

We had a sitter booked for over two weeks (Kara S. From Denver in Cherry Creek) and then she cancelled on us last minute because apparently her roommate decided she didn't want a big dog in the house. I contacted customer service to leave her a bad review and was informed that it wasn't possible to do so unless she actually watched the dog. Then I asked that she be banned from the site and they informed me that she would be "monitored." So, basically this girl has ZERO responsibility to follow through on her commitment. We will never use this service again. Our trip had to be cancelled.

Thumbnail of user jps42
Massachusetts
1 review
2 helpful votes
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May 8th, 2022

We took a small trip and dropped our dog off with a Rover pet sitter named Julie from Woburn, MA. She basically let her very young daughter care for our pet. They let our dog out into their nasty backyard and she came back to us loaded with ticks. Get someone you know and trust to watch your dogs. I can't speak for all the sitters but I wished I investigated more as you can't run a pet sitting service just because you like pets.

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Thumbnail of user practemp6
Georgia
1 review
2 helpful votes
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May 3rd, 2023

I had a customer Amberly ( be aware in Atlanta her pet name is "curry " golden doodle) who filed a complain to get compensated under rover care policy ( scam money from rover), rover ended up kicking me out due to amberly trying to get money through rover. I asked her several times please let me know what the issue is and I will compensate. She never replied, only wanted rover to compensate her. SCAM SCAM please watch out hardworking and pet loving sitters like me. I love doing this, always had 5 star reviews rover never cared. I had clients driving an hour for boarding they knew how much I cared and loved their pets. Missing them every pet was my love. They did not care to even look at our chat.

Caleb is agent handling case never cared to gave me or "scammer" amberly why he removed my account. Her actions led to this.

Thumbnail of user kaylae24
Louisiana
1 review
17 helpful votes
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November 8th, 2019

I hate writing bad reviews and consider myself a level-headed person, but we had a sitter who destroyed and stole some of our property, took our dog from our home to stay at his house without asking (despite explicitly paying him to stay in our home), got incredibly aggressive to the point where we didn't feel safe having our dog in his care and had to hire someone else WHILE boarding a plane. Rover didn't refund us for property damage OR for what we paid for the service. Good luck if anything goes wrong! Absolutely awful service.

Thumbnail of user kayleel14
California
1 review
4 helpful votes
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October 27th, 2019

They are a nightmare to deal with. I boarded this demonic dog who had severe separation anxiety and would destroy anything it saw. Constant howling, whining and barking followed by destroying items. I called the owner and Rover support and had zero help. Rover basically told me to stick through the entire booking. Then later that night the owner decided to pick up the dog before discussing it with me. She then modify the booking 7 hours before its completion and got a refund. I looked after the dog and lost earning for that day. Rover says its policy so sitters take a loss. Bottom line is you are better off finding jobs on fb or craigslist. They don't take a cut and you don't have to go thru the bs

Thumbnail of user brookep34
New York
1 review
4 helpful votes
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June 26th, 2019

I see many people, almost all of the reviews. Owners upset that their dog didn't receive the care that was expected. This is very unfortunate, and I feel sorry that this has happened. With that being said, I have over 7 years experience in animal care, and dog walking/sitting, and have never had one complaint. I do think that Rover does not take responsibility for their "employees" which feels like a scam, but they are technically private contractors. Call references, call past employment, and if you get a bad vibe don't hire us! Anyone can use this app if they pass a background check, that doesn't mean you did your homework on who you are allowing to care for you pet. I understand the frustration, but would you leave your child with someone who simply passed a background check? No. Do your homework, know who you are dealing with. Not all people who work through Rover are negligent, or untrustworthy.

Thumbnail of user willb489
North Carolina
1 review
3 helpful votes
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September 25th, 2023

In July as a result of the Rover Pet sitter, my home was broken into by her friend while caring for my dog. He then emptied the contents of my refrigerator covering my kitchen floor & expensive antique rug (ruined). He destroyed my son's room, broke my printer, urinated and defecated (#2) on my kitchen floor. The trauma is still impacting my dog and terrified my son. The sitter's friend was recently arrested for this and assault on a female. Rover settled a portion of my claim but refused to settle the balance. I strongly recommend against ever using Rover, and they did not do everything needed to remedy the terror and destruction on my home.

Thumbnail of user alexej
Ohio
1 review
5 helpful votes
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June 12th, 2019

Everyone is talking bad about rover. I have had a mixed experience. First of all, people have lives, things happen, so Yeah we are going to cancel on you sometimes. Sometimes your dog's are also very very bad dogs and bite people too. I have met my best friend who's a dog using this app, but the other 3 dogs have been BAD BAD BAD. 3 boy dogs, 1 was extremely humpy and couldn't be let into our house with our girl dog. 1 could barely walk because a fused spine and another now is biting and barking like mad for 4 days straight. So, I would meet the dog first and let him even stay one night in advance to meet each other? I feel a lot of these issues would be avoided if 1. They had back up sitters 2. Insurance or even a Pound to call if the dog is bad 3. A vet 4. Everyone LIES and says they have a good dog

Thumbnail of user cg45
New Jersey
4 reviews
15 helpful votes
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June 21st, 2022

I was looking for a cat sitter and sent requests to quite a few sitters. Some sitters did not respond while others took over 2 days to respond. I had to enter a credit card information before I created a request. Each request to a sitter would saved but I could not delete or cancel it. The calculation of cost was very confusing as well and I was lured by prices as low as $10. Rover.com adds a fee for their service in your bill. Each sitter can also have a "holiday" rate which will surge certain charges. You will have to look carefully at the dates they are available. I had to end up getting a relative to cat sit for me instead. I am very disappointed with Rover.com

Thumbnail of user sueh608
Texas
1 review
10 helpful votes
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December 16th, 2021

I had sitter Kim S booked for a week long Christmas sitting job. I spent $40 on a daycare in November so Kim S could make sure my dog would work in her care/ with her dog. The day before a was do to fly out, I received a cancellation notice. Said landlord troubles and couldn't care for all the dogs she had booked. I suspect my spot went to highest bidder. Why wait until the day before to cancel unless a late breaking pile of money showed up. Will NEVER book through Rover again.

Service
Thumbnail of user daniellej230
Wisconsin
1 review
6 helpful votes
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July 27th, 2021

Booked what appeared to be a younger girl in our area. Schedule said she was available. I contacted her, and nope, turns out she works a full time job. Then said she is available on weekends. Okay, booked her for the weekend. Got a text today, a month before we are supposed to leave, and suddenly she has a family emergency that she will need to be out of town for. How nice. I found a neighborhood lady on Nextdoor. Sounds like I dodged a bullet by having the girl from Rover cancel on me. Based on what others have to say

Service
Thumbnail of user cityd2
California
1 review
6 helpful votes
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May 25th, 2023

Paid almost $700 for a "top rated" Rover sitter. Home & service was not as described, home filthy, alley entrance only, sitter lied/left pet unattended. Rover doesn't allow full refunds. Took 350.00 for 4 hours of wasted time.

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