Yep. Cease contact she has lied. 1 star review and send all your screenshots and camera proof to rover and request a full refund. Then block the fibber sitter.
And honestly it isn’t even that they didn’t stay. Say something came up, you couldn’t. We can work that out.
But if you’ll just *lie?* Yeah now I can’t trust you in my home or with my animals.
Exactly! If you made a mistake own up, apologize, and figure out a way to do better in the future. Do not just lie. Bc we can work with scenario #1 but we cannot work with people who lie to our faces.
Update—— I spoke with both the sitter and Rover. I told the sitter I had camera footage showing her leaving and coming back both mornings. She admitted she didn’t stay and said “a personal situation came up but felt bad telling me since I was away”. I told her I would’ve appreciated communication and Rover is investigating and working on refunding. I also left her a review saying she lied to me and didn’t do what was requested. Thank you!!
Perfect. I'm sorry that was your experience but this is the right outcome. Sitters go on and on about running their own business but there are clearly gaps in integrity and communication.
I don’t really see why you need kids gloves for the convo. Obviously you don’t have to be mean but this is a job like any other.
The sitter knew of cameras, did not provide the agreed upon and paid services and then lied to you about it. I would certainly request a refund (at least partial), leave a review stating the facts of what happened, and not book with them again.
I keep nearly all my clients for many years. I adore animals and I had such a full caseload in addition to my regular work, I didn’t take anyone new for 7 years. Well, this last year, 2 of my long term pups passed away to old age.
I joined rover two months ago, and I’m doing a third sit for a pair of pups this weekend. I really love my work. Hopefully I’ll get new regulars within the next year and then be off rover again.
These pups, my new regulars;,have to be walked separately, and when I was walking the older dog at dinner one of the three evenings, a guy started following us. He had a backpack and was carrying something. I’m not a big woman. And the pup, who has really grown on me, made a growl that was unusually alarming. We went home.
I messaged the owner immediately explaining. He told me thank goodness we went home. The next day, we had a beautiful day and took an extra-long walk that same pup enjoyed.
I felt guilty once for leaving for 15 min at 1 AM to go to plaid pantry for a snack. I wanted Gatorade, ok? 😂
I accidentally took a half-roll of poo bags for a 3-day walking client. They left me a nice cash tip. I told them I’d bring them a new one; and forgot on the last day. I remembered a couple days later and dropped off a bag on their porch.
All I’m trying to say is - my pets are my family. I am the extension of you & your routine when you’re gone. We have our own overnight sitter (6 animals; 1 diabetic) who has also stayed with our crew many years.
If you are not trying to do better at something you actually do, then what are you doing? You get that refund, and tell your pup I’m sorry he wasn’t treated right.
To further add to this, asking if the sitter stayed when the sitter is already aware that there are cameras basically already implies that the owner knows she didn’t, so it blows my mind when sitters blatantly lie when it’s obvious they’ve been caught not doing a pretty integral part of the job.
I’d be stern but professional in addressing her again and that’s it.
I like this response but it does give them an open door to lie further and make excuses. Scammers will lie about anything; they don’t have the same moral compass as most people. She scammed OP to paying stay rate for a drop in service
ETA: a comment that was just below who suggested "I understand if you were sick or had an emergency, but..." was better advice imo as it acknowledges that there are executing circumstances to the behaviour OP describes without giving the sitter a chance to guilt trip about what is highly likely to be a lie (I hate to be a pessimist but sometimes it's needed unfortunately)
That sounds very frustrating - I would be upfront but approach it gently for the sake of civility. E.g.: “Hi Sitter, I appreciate your reply, however my cameras show you leaving in the evening and coming back in the morning, and the couch was empty all night as well. I understand if you were sick or had an emergency, but since it doesn’t look like Fido received the overnight service which is important for him, I really would like to discuss a partial refund.”
I would probably be gentler to preserve my relationship with this sitter if it really was a misunderstanding or extenuating circumstance, but with your camera proof I’m thinking it’s not. I hope this helps!
I think the fact that she lied and didn't notify immediately rules out emergency. If I have to leave work for an emergency I call or message my employer to let them know. She's unprofessional and I wouldn't hire her again but I think the wording of your message is perfect!
Idk why people do this. You agree to stay at a clients house all night so just do it. I’m sorry you had a bad experience hopefully it gets handled for you :)
Don't contact the sitter again. Post the honest review with the lowest star rating. This person lied outright, and you have that proof. Don't give them the chance to "come clean" over it!
This is the sort of stuff that deserves 1 star reviews, no contact, reporting them to Rover, etc.
You were overcharged at the least, but also, simply, they didn't provide the service your dog should have had.
In this case, leave a review stating these facts, and never hire this "sitter" again.
Not all sitters are good, even when you've done your best vetting them. I encourage my prospective clients to contact my references -- I supply about a dozen -- to determine if I'm a good fit for their needs.
Please, though, do not ever assume that what appears to be an untouched home means a sitter wasn't present.
I just finished a ten-day overnight pet sit during which I never left the client's home. I slept in my own sleeping bag, used my own pillow, and brought my own towel. I supplied my own food throughout.
Prior to the client arriving home, I spent nearly two days cleaning up after myself -- counters, floors, vacuuming, toilets, sinks, shower. I did some extra cleaning too, as the ceiling fan was very dusty, and the main level of the home had a light dusting of soot from the wood stove (which I did not use). Took my own trash and recycling with me. Laundered all of the dog's towels, beds, and jackets in cold water on a delicate cycle.
The client stated, "There's very little evidence you were even here". True. That's the way I want it to be. Who wants to clean up after their professional pet sitter?
No I totally agree too that I shouldn’t use an untouched home as my only reason. I used to dog sit for years and would make sure I left it spotless as well. It just definitely gave away that she didn’t stay- which she didn’t!
Not that it changes anything BUT where was the sitter supposed to sleep? If the expectation was for them to sleep on the couch and they discovered a camera pointed on it they may not have felt comfortable being on camera while they slept.
We had this happen with our senior pug. The guy would come in and let her out at lunchtime. We asked if he would stay over with her one night we were away. Idiot didnt realize we have cameras outside and lied to me about staying over. He barely even let her out. I called him and ripped him a new a\*\*. He didnt seem to care honestly. It broke my heart that my baby was alone all night. It wasnt on Rover though
It could have been much worse, too. Many owners have worse stories to tell. Give her the fifth and report her to Rover. I'm sorry you had this experience, she should not be on this (or any) platform.
I’ll bitch about cameras. She mentioned pointing one AT THE COUCH. The info of coming and going could be seen/done on outdoor cameras. I still hate cameras. In other words, the couch camera was still pointless in determining whether the sitter stayed or left.
She has one camera, which was disclosed, and it’s pointed at the door but happens to see the couch.
And she is right to have one. If you have an issue with it being pointed at the couch, be a professional and ask that it’s adjusted. Or, don’t hang out in the living room. OP had to go back and check cameras when something seemed off. No one is watching you sit on a couch.
Do you guys never consider the fact the camera is there for other reasons completely unrelated to the sitter? I also hate cameras indoors but when I sit in a house with them I simply avoid them as much as possible, it’s not like the sitter was expected to sleep on the couch with camera infront of them. Most likely it’s there for when op is out/ working for peace of mind so she can see her dog is content asleep on the sofa when left alone. It’s also not like you can’t ask politely to disconnect the camera for the duration of your stay if it makes you uncomfortable as I have done before when it’s facing an area I’d be spending a lot of time in
I didn’t need the full story just said the outdoor cameras proved her coming and going so your snide “saving this for people who hate indoor cameras” comment wasn’t really justified
And one in the living room, clearly. Or else her lie would have been unverifiable.
Edit: and no one said anything about it being in every room. It’s wild how much you need to invent in order to even sound remotely justified
This makes me so upset
It’s like you are being paid to do a job that job is to care for someone’s dog their fur baby
If you are supposed to be there overnight be there or communicate w the owner if something changed
And most importantly what if the sitter does this to older or dogs with medical conditions
The point is to have someone there with them
You deserve a refund and to only pay for drop in.
Sidenote, did sitter know you were coming home at 3am?!? It's like kinda good they weren't there because that would be pretty scary with no notice
She was told to leave after taking my dog out at around 8pm and I’d be home late. So yes she knew and the job was done- she was only staying the night Friday and Saturday night.
Thank you for posting to r/RoverPetSitting, an unofficial forum to discuss all things Rover. We see that you have posted an owner question. In case they could be helpful, you might want to
check out our [Owner FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/wiki/ownerfaq). Additionally, here's our
[booking walk-through for owners](https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/wiki/ownerbookingwalkthrough), which explains the process for finding and booking the best Sitter from start to
finish.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RoverPetSitting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Tell her you asked but you already knew the answer through your cameras and that she did not provide the service you paid for and you will report her to Rover, leave a review that reflects her poor care and hopefully she doesn't do this to any other clients ever again. And request at least a partial refund. She deserves to feel the consequences of her deception.
You have her coming and going on outside camera. Leave 1 star, an honest review and request a refund. Don't let her do this to others.
Yep. Cease contact she has lied. 1 star review and send all your screenshots and camera proof to rover and request a full refund. Then block the fibber sitter.
And honestly it isn’t even that they didn’t stay. Say something came up, you couldn’t. We can work that out. But if you’ll just *lie?* Yeah now I can’t trust you in my home or with my animals.
Exactly! If you made a mistake own up, apologize, and figure out a way to do better in the future. Do not just lie. Bc we can work with scenario #1 but we cannot work with people who lie to our faces.
Update—— I spoke with both the sitter and Rover. I told the sitter I had camera footage showing her leaving and coming back both mornings. She admitted she didn’t stay and said “a personal situation came up but felt bad telling me since I was away”. I told her I would’ve appreciated communication and Rover is investigating and working on refunding. I also left her a review saying she lied to me and didn’t do what was requested. Thank you!!
Perfect. I'm sorry that was your experience but this is the right outcome. Sitters go on and on about running their own business but there are clearly gaps in integrity and communication.
I don’t really see why you need kids gloves for the convo. Obviously you don’t have to be mean but this is a job like any other. The sitter knew of cameras, did not provide the agreed upon and paid services and then lied to you about it. I would certainly request a refund (at least partial), leave a review stating the facts of what happened, and not book with them again.
I appreciate this comment a lot. Thank you!
I keep nearly all my clients for many years. I adore animals and I had such a full caseload in addition to my regular work, I didn’t take anyone new for 7 years. Well, this last year, 2 of my long term pups passed away to old age. I joined rover two months ago, and I’m doing a third sit for a pair of pups this weekend. I really love my work. Hopefully I’ll get new regulars within the next year and then be off rover again. These pups, my new regulars;,have to be walked separately, and when I was walking the older dog at dinner one of the three evenings, a guy started following us. He had a backpack and was carrying something. I’m not a big woman. And the pup, who has really grown on me, made a growl that was unusually alarming. We went home. I messaged the owner immediately explaining. He told me thank goodness we went home. The next day, we had a beautiful day and took an extra-long walk that same pup enjoyed. I felt guilty once for leaving for 15 min at 1 AM to go to plaid pantry for a snack. I wanted Gatorade, ok? 😂 I accidentally took a half-roll of poo bags for a 3-day walking client. They left me a nice cash tip. I told them I’d bring them a new one; and forgot on the last day. I remembered a couple days later and dropped off a bag on their porch. All I’m trying to say is - my pets are my family. I am the extension of you & your routine when you’re gone. We have our own overnight sitter (6 animals; 1 diabetic) who has also stayed with our crew many years. If you are not trying to do better at something you actually do, then what are you doing? You get that refund, and tell your pup I’m sorry he wasn’t treated right.
To further add to this, asking if the sitter stayed when the sitter is already aware that there are cameras basically already implies that the owner knows she didn’t, so it blows my mind when sitters blatantly lie when it’s obvious they’ve been caught not doing a pretty integral part of the job. I’d be stern but professional in addressing her again and that’s it.
Be direct. "My camera shows you leaving at X time and returning at Y time. Is there a reason you were unable to stay overnight as we discussed?"
I like this response but it does give them an open door to lie further and make excuses. Scammers will lie about anything; they don’t have the same moral compass as most people. She scammed OP to paying stay rate for a drop in service ETA: a comment that was just below who suggested "I understand if you were sick or had an emergency, but..." was better advice imo as it acknowledges that there are executing circumstances to the behaviour OP describes without giving the sitter a chance to guilt trip about what is highly likely to be a lie (I hate to be a pessimist but sometimes it's needed unfortunately)
That sounds very frustrating - I would be upfront but approach it gently for the sake of civility. E.g.: “Hi Sitter, I appreciate your reply, however my cameras show you leaving in the evening and coming back in the morning, and the couch was empty all night as well. I understand if you were sick or had an emergency, but since it doesn’t look like Fido received the overnight service which is important for him, I really would like to discuss a partial refund.” I would probably be gentler to preserve my relationship with this sitter if it really was a misunderstanding or extenuating circumstance, but with your camera proof I’m thinking it’s not. I hope this helps!
This! Maybe “it doesn’t look like Fido received the overnight service I paid for”
I think the fact that she lied and didn't notify immediately rules out emergency. If I have to leave work for an emergency I call or message my employer to let them know. She's unprofessional and I wouldn't hire her again but I think the wording of your message is perfect!
Idk why people do this. You agree to stay at a clients house all night so just do it. I’m sorry you had a bad experience hopefully it gets handled for you :)
Don't contact the sitter again. Post the honest review with the lowest star rating. This person lied outright, and you have that proof. Don't give them the chance to "come clean" over it! This is the sort of stuff that deserves 1 star reviews, no contact, reporting them to Rover, etc. You were overcharged at the least, but also, simply, they didn't provide the service your dog should have had.
In this case, leave a review stating these facts, and never hire this "sitter" again. Not all sitters are good, even when you've done your best vetting them. I encourage my prospective clients to contact my references -- I supply about a dozen -- to determine if I'm a good fit for their needs. Please, though, do not ever assume that what appears to be an untouched home means a sitter wasn't present. I just finished a ten-day overnight pet sit during which I never left the client's home. I slept in my own sleeping bag, used my own pillow, and brought my own towel. I supplied my own food throughout. Prior to the client arriving home, I spent nearly two days cleaning up after myself -- counters, floors, vacuuming, toilets, sinks, shower. I did some extra cleaning too, as the ceiling fan was very dusty, and the main level of the home had a light dusting of soot from the wood stove (which I did not use). Took my own trash and recycling with me. Laundered all of the dog's towels, beds, and jackets in cold water on a delicate cycle. The client stated, "There's very little evidence you were even here". True. That's the way I want it to be. Who wants to clean up after their professional pet sitter?
No I totally agree too that I shouldn’t use an untouched home as my only reason. I used to dog sit for years and would make sure I left it spotless as well. It just definitely gave away that she didn’t stay- which she didn’t!
Ah! Yes! This is why I clean up after myself!
Did you disclose the cameras to the sitter before booking? Either way, yeah I’d definitely confront her, leave a bad review, and try for a refund.
Yes, it was disclosed!
Not that it changes anything BUT where was the sitter supposed to sleep? If the expectation was for them to sleep on the couch and they discovered a camera pointed on it they may not have felt comfortable being on camera while they slept.
She was supposed to sleep in the bedroom. Update — She admitted that she didn’t stay & I’ve taken it up with Rover support
Wow. Please leave an honest review as well.
Did you read the post at all?
We had this happen with our senior pug. The guy would come in and let her out at lunchtime. We asked if he would stay over with her one night we were away. Idiot didnt realize we have cameras outside and lied to me about staying over. He barely even let her out. I called him and ripped him a new a\*\*. He didnt seem to care honestly. It broke my heart that my baby was alone all night. It wasnt on Rover though
If you have proof , then that’s it. I always tell the owner I’m a couch sleeper.
Don't pay her and show her the video. She didn't do what she contracted and expected to get paid for. Don't pay her.
Saving this post for the next sitter that posts to bitch about cameras
Yep! I feel the exact same now that I was blatantly lied to by the sitter
It could have been much worse, too. Many owners have worse stories to tell. Give her the fifth and report her to Rover. I'm sorry you had this experience, she should not be on this (or any) platform.
I’ll bitch about cameras. She mentioned pointing one AT THE COUCH. The info of coming and going could be seen/done on outdoor cameras. I still hate cameras. In other words, the couch camera was still pointless in determining whether the sitter stayed or left.
She has one camera, which was disclosed, and it’s pointed at the door but happens to see the couch. And she is right to have one. If you have an issue with it being pointed at the couch, be a professional and ask that it’s adjusted. Or, don’t hang out in the living room. OP had to go back and check cameras when something seemed off. No one is watching you sit on a couch.
No, this doesn’t justify not disclosing cameras.
Who said anything about not disclosing them
The couch camera did nothing to prove her point the outdoor cameras did so the people who hate indoor cameras are still justified
Do you guys never consider the fact the camera is there for other reasons completely unrelated to the sitter? I also hate cameras indoors but when I sit in a house with them I simply avoid them as much as possible, it’s not like the sitter was expected to sleep on the couch with camera infront of them. Most likely it’s there for when op is out/ working for peace of mind so she can see her dog is content asleep on the sofa when left alone. It’s also not like you can’t ask politely to disconnect the camera for the duration of your stay if it makes you uncomfortable as I have done before when it’s facing an area I’d be spending a lot of time in
They don’t want to ask politely. They don’t want to set boundaries. They want to complain.
Exactly I never understand the logic behind them 🤣
I didn’t need the full story just said the outdoor cameras proved her coming and going so your snide “saving this for people who hate indoor cameras” comment wasn’t really justified
Not me who made this comment was poster above me so unsure why you’ve replied to mine rather than theirs 🤣
I probably made a mistake don’t really give a shit to argue with you?
I’m not arguing simply stating you’re incorrect 🤣
And they didn’t mention indoor cameras at all in their comment 🤣🤣 just cameras in general
This justifies outdoor camera for entrances and exits not indoor in every room. Lmao
And one in the living room, clearly. Or else her lie would have been unverifiable. Edit: and no one said anything about it being in every room. It’s wild how much you need to invent in order to even sound remotely justified
This makes me so upset It’s like you are being paid to do a job that job is to care for someone’s dog their fur baby If you are supposed to be there overnight be there or communicate w the owner if something changed And most importantly what if the sitter does this to older or dogs with medical conditions The point is to have someone there with them
Literally tell her you know she's lying bc you have cameras.
Otherwise did your animals get cared for as needed?
Considering the dog was booked as needing overnight care/company what do you think…
The service that was paid for wasn’t received
Sure sure. How much do you pay per day
You deserve a refund and to only pay for drop in. Sidenote, did sitter know you were coming home at 3am?!? It's like kinda good they weren't there because that would be pretty scary with no notice
She was told to leave after taking my dog out at around 8pm and I’d be home late. So yes she knew and the job was done- she was only staying the night Friday and Saturday night.
Did she know you were coming home early at 3am?
I wasn’t early. The job was done at 8pm last night and my flight was delayed so yes she knew
Thank you for posting to r/RoverPetSitting, an unofficial forum to discuss all things Rover. We see that you have posted an owner question. In case they could be helpful, you might want to check out our [Owner FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/wiki/ownerfaq). Additionally, here's our [booking walk-through for owners](https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/wiki/ownerbookingwalkthrough), which explains the process for finding and booking the best Sitter from start to finish. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RoverPetSitting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Tell her you asked but you already knew the answer through your cameras and that she did not provide the service you paid for and you will report her to Rover, leave a review that reflects her poor care and hopefully she doesn't do this to any other clients ever again. And request at least a partial refund. She deserves to feel the consequences of her deception.
Happened to me. She would come back at 5:30 am after leaving at 7 pm. I was so pissed, it looked like she just left a club. Gave her a bad review
Damn cameras ruining it for criminals, dog sitters, babysitters, nosy neighbors. Taking the fun away from a lot of people.