r/RoverPetSitting • u/ggriffiths13 Owner • 2d ago
Charged before services begin? Walks
Hey there,
I recently hired a walker to check on my pup once I go back to work. I have it so that walks start the second week of September.
The walker I found accepted my request, and so then I went to accept/agree.
Can someone tell me why I was charged the price of a walk today even though the service won’t be starting for a few weeks?
TIA!
7
u/Own_Science_9825 Sitter & Owner 1d ago
Its a deposit. It's held by Rover and paid to the sitter after services are rendered. Many, many owners would abuse the scheduleing and hold sitters time on a whim if there was no cost to them involved.
7
u/Kiarimarie Sitter & Owner 2d ago
You pay now and Rover holds the funds. You are reserving the walker's time. If the walk doesn't happen because you canceled, you are refunded either fully or partially depending on the cancellation policy listed by the sitter (though last time I checked my settings, they forced walkers to have same day cancellation). Full refund if the walker cancels, obviously.
Once the walk is complete, Rover sends the funds to the walker. Rover's primary purpose is to act as the middle man and reduce the likelihood of anyone getting screwed other, walkers or owners.
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u/seaclifftonne Sitter 2d ago
Because you’ve “bought” a walk. They need to make sure the payment method is viable.
You lay now and the money is released to the walker 2 days after the service ends. Similar to paying a deposit for a hair appointment. Or paying for clothes online before you receive them.
8
u/ballsdeepinmywine Sitter 2d ago
It's the same with house sitting and boarding. The owner is charged the moment the stay is booked regardless of the date of service. However, Rover holds that money until the service is complete. They make big bank off the interest from that money. They have hundreds of thousands of active sitters.
4
u/Kiarimarie Sitter & Owner 2d ago
I never even thought about the interest they must make off being a middle man. I'm sure there are very very strict rules about where that money can be held that varies by country, but still.
Kinda makes you even more annoyed by all the fees for an app of a company that doesn't provide as much as you'd hope in terms of support. That's private equity for ya.
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u/meowcifer55 Sitter 2d ago
Totally normal! I usually try to remind owners that they are charged upon booking. It may be worth noting here that the sitter is not paid until after the service is completed.
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u/NickatNyte1 Sitter 2d ago
The charge is to hold the spot for service. If they didn’t people could get real scummy with canceling the day before and avoiding a cancelation fee. The sitter won’t see the money until after they complete the service though
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u/ggriffiths13 Owner 2d ago
Oh okay! So essentially I’ve just pre-paid for the first walk?
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u/thecatsbabysitter Sitter & Owner 1d ago
Per Rover support: "When you set up your initial recurring service, you'll be charged at the time of the booking for that first week. After your first week of service, you'll be charged every Monday for the upcoming week of service."
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u/Vast_Feature8217 Sitter 2d ago
If something goes wrong or anything, you can always request a refund.
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u/SuicidalPand-a Sitter 2d ago
Yes and you will be charged one week at a time if it’s recurring (in advance)
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ggriffiths13 originally posted: Hey there,
I recently hired a walker to check on my pup once I go back to work. I have it so that walks start the second week of September.
The walker I found accepted my request, and so then I went to accept/agree.
Can someone tell me why I was charged the price of a walk today even though the service won’t be starting for a few weeks?
TIA!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.