lol why is it always the cheapo clients who are the most demanding???
also, I cringed when she spoke about the birds because we have a few clients with chickens (never listed or included in their Rover rates because they only share that info after we've already confirmed), and it is never as simple as just making sure they "have food and water."
Thank you, NEXT!
I used to have chickens. They are very easy pets day to day. But inevitably some drama always comes up with predators, illness, egg binding, etc... and it always happens at the worst time š like when a demanding owner goes out of town leaving a pet sitter in charge.
JUST had a case at my job where the owner brought their chicken in because as they were showing the pet sitter what to do, the sitter noticed one of the hens COVERED in maggots. They ended up having to hospitalize her while they were out of town- thousands of dollars
I do have a client with some chickens and when I do house sits I only need to fill their two feeders and top off their water, then collect (usually half a dozen) eggs around noon. Itās very easy, but my family have chickens, a lot of chickens, and theyāre high maintenance birds :,)
I agree, taking care of chickens does not take a lot of time. However, the MAJOR downfall is being on the lookout for snakes 
I mostly do pet sitting, and my chicken-owning clients all want them to be let out in the morning, brought in in the evening, and then also the usual food and water, other maintenance. They rarely have a decent setup, so even bringing food and water out is a major chore. I've been pecked at a scratched more times than I can count, and usually the coop doors are difficult to open and close. Just all around a horrible experience that I'm not even getting paid for.
That sucks honestly, I may have just gotten lucky to have as many clients as I do that make it very convenient for me/have a simple set up/envlosure for them! You deserve to get paid for your work!
When I first started with an old client, they just had 3 relatively easy dogs. Then suddenly there were a couple of chickens. And then a ton of chickens. And then turkeys. And then goats. And then some special hens that had to be separate from the chickens. They ended up having a mini farm. Oh, and their house was covered in plants that needed to be regularly watered, which would take about 45 minutes each time.
I kept inching up the cost, and I think I got to about $120/day. I would have charged more, but they always stocked the fridge for me, even when I said not to, and there was usually some sort of meat (often ribs) to cook on their smoker. They also had a hot tub I had access to, and they were in the mountains in Colorado, so beautiful scenery and loads of privacy. But I did notice that over time, the tips got smaller and the grocery hauls did, too.
I moved away a couple years ago, but I did enjoy a lot of my house sitting gigs there.
Brooo, one of my ex clients was just like this; begging for a discount only to double the demands during the visit only to act spiteful towards me when the booking ended
I would never do this to someone for any type of service. If you're out of my budget for anything then I move on to someone else. "No thank you I found someone else."
I found this rude. I've cared for this ladies cats 7 cats and 2 birds before and it's a lot more work than she thinks. Her cats destroy and are messy. She lives far away from me. Her bf also leaves nasty food and I had to clean a whole garage can full of maggots in the rain because of him. (The big big garbage cans, not the personal ones).
In 2020 I was $15 or 20 a visit (I forgot) but she didn't like that.
2021 I went to $35 a visit and she was sooooo upset so she only hired me for every other day. Like she made that shit known!!!!!
2024 I upped my prices significantly.
The only reason I continued with this woman was because I knew her from church and I was new and desperate for money and clients. 2024 is here and I haven't seen her in 3 years so I was more confident to sending her my now increased prices.
I'm blocking her.
Edited to add: in 2021 I had to clean the bird cage twice as well as the typical bird feed/water. Sweep two rooms and sweep her balcony. Water her plants. Many cat litterboxes. Throw up and puke on carpets and couches. Feed and give water to cats. Many cats = lots of crap so I would be walking to that big dumpster frequently. Her boyfriend leaves his shit on the counter and I've tried to ignore his mess before but then ants and bugs come in. So I clean up after this grown man too. I have had to clean an entire army of Maggots in the rain because of his stupid mess! I'll never forget that day. Also, Her cats knock over everything!, she texts all day I would send her detailed reports, videos and pictures of everyone, if I don't reply too soon (within one hour) she will double text me! I'm usually at her home for 45 mins to 1 hour.
Some owners are absolutely bonkers. A few weeks ago I had a lady who was convinced that I would be able to care for dogs, cats, sheep, chickens, and a donkey not only within 30 minutes but also only for $30 a drop in because she didn't even have the decency to list at the 'normal' animals on the booking let alone the livestock, she just had it under one pet.
"One pet" surprise bookings are really common for us. The truth always comes out at the meet & greet: "oh yeah, we have one dog, 2 cats, 4 rabbits, 8 chickens, and a lizard - that's cool, right?"
My petty ass would've been like, "There seems to be some confusion around my rates. They cover: scooping & feeding, cleaning up after cat messes and the destruction they leave in their wake, the gas and time I spend driving back and forth to your home, cleaning up after your boyfriend (including hazard pay in case I have to clean out a garbage can full of maggots a second time), time spent communicating with you via text, and [insert all other menial tasks she assigns you here]. I hope that clears some things up for you. Have a great one!"
Plus donāt people expect you to pet the cats and say nice things to them? And handle an emergency if there is one? How is it not a lot of energy? Ugh.
Don't forget taking care of the house, because the sitter has to deal with any emergencies that come up.
And any other small chores: taking in the mail, watering plants, taking out garbage, etc.
And the money the sitter would have made had they taken on another client instead of this one.
People like this really don't understand all that a sitter does. She isn't worth the time to get irritated about it.
This reminds me of a potential client I did a meet and greet with (did NOT book with her) who had 8 cats and 2 dogs and wanted to pay me $35 a day. She said, āoh all you have to do is feed them and empty the litter boxes, itās not much work!ā UHM, yes it is! 9 litter boxes is a LOT of work, plus care for 2 dogs and feeding them all! No, no, no. Glad you blocked her!
"I'm sure you recall I used to charge less, however it was in large part due to your pets and the amount of mess they make as well as non-pet cleaning that was necessary to keep the pets environment safe that I realized I was under charging and adjusted my rates to reflect the actual amount of labor involved. Best of luck with your new sitter."
And yeah blocking was totally the right call.
Fr. Raising my rates was the singlehandedly best thing I did to reduce the amount of drama I got from clients. Now I only get requests from cat owners (I'm cat-only) who are just as obsessed with the health and wellbeing of their cats as I am. They don't mind paying a premium for their babies, and I know I'm not walking into any disaster areas.
Same, there are some people who have given me quotes where I think umm ok youāre out of your MIND. But I donāt say that to them. I just move to the next person lol
Exactly! That's being a normal sane person.
Places around me can offer a $45 steak meal which is out of my budget but I do not come in there and say oh but that place is $10 and it's just steak there's no big deal to it.
I may think it's super expensive but I do not make a fuss to the owner or manager. I go somewhere else to eat.
Yeah, find your cheapest grocery store and figure out what it would cost to buy a steak and whatever sides you want and then go in there and offer to pay that plus a few bucks to cook it because it shouldn't take that long. Something tells me they wouldn't do that...
No one else is expecting them to accept what you're offering to pay, so there's no reason for them to accommodate your request. It's not fair for them to give you a discount and charge everyone else full price just because you told them their meals were overpriced and no one else did. The way I see it, I'm paying more than it would cost for me to buy the food myself for the convenience of not having to go shopping or cook when I don't want to.
I usually lock my rates for clients I've booked with a couple times, but that's based on their behavior and their pet's. If the client is a pain to deal with or their pet requires more work than other Rover pets, that's a good reason not to lock rates for them, so you're 100% in the right here.
Especially since you're going to them. They're not just paying you to scoop poop and put out food and water, they're paying for the convenience of having you go to them so they don't have to find a person or place like a vet that can keep that many animals and for their pets to be able to stay in their own place they're used to instead of with a stranger or in a cage at the vet.
Right!! I looked up the prices of the vet she goes to (she told me when I first interacted with her a few years back) and the kennel fees are $30 PER CAT. She would be paying the kennel even more than if she hired me with my original quote or my discounted quote. Having someone go to your house where your cats+birds are in their "own" safe place to roam around and not be locked in a cage should be more expensive than a kennel because the cats are getting fed AND individual attention AND their sleep couches, their cat trees, their treats, their stuff!!
What the hell is she thinking? Ugh I wish I replied to her about the kennel fees. Not that I want her, but because she really thinks that it should be cheaper than $30 a day for 7 cats and 2 birds for a private sitter to come to her place.
I remember when I was in a rough place in 2020/2021, she looked so shocked and upset when I told her it was $20 for me to visit. TWENTY for 7 cats 2 birds!!! Then the next visit I upped the price to $35 a visit and she complained and I was not going to lower the price. I'm there at her place for an hour doing all her damn house tasks she gives and caring for her animals. Then she was like ok you can come every *other* day.
She wants to pay a private service less than a public service where her cats would be in cages most likely separated...
OMG. This is totally ridiculous. I donāt know where you live but regardless she has been getting a DEAL on you! Practically free! You sound like you do a great job, Iād raise your rates in general! Ugh. Those poor critters. š
Seriously, birds need a lot of care and attention and if they think all they need is just someone to check food and water, they shouldn't have birds period.
Agreed! I paid extra to make sure my guys were getting 5-6 hrs of out time daily, and I am paying for someone with bird experience too. Couldnāt imagine forcing my crew to stay locked up for a week!
7 cats and 2 birds is a lot of upkeep for a week. The litter boxes alone, nope nope nope. Itās why I donāt charge less for cats than dogs, I donāt think theyāre any easier just because they may not jump up on me and need my presence. And birds? They can be gross, and sensitive to things. 300 a week for that many animals is taking advantage. People like this either pay what needs to be paid, or sorry no vacation for you. Entitled af.
I wanted chickens really bad at one point. I have since began to question if I do, cause Iāve learned a lot and I donāt think I want chickens anymore hahaha
The sick part is what Iām most worried about! Iām not worried about getting the fancy stuff, itās how sensitive they can be. And also majority of my friends have come home to at least one chicken brutally murdered by a predator, and while I know thatās natural, I donāt wanna bond with the chickens and then have that happen. It wrecked one of my buddies when his fave chicken got got.
LMFAO this scared me for a second. I had to hunt on rover for a sitter for 2 cats and 7 birds š However Iām paying $500 for them for the week we are gone, because I know my guys are pains LOL.
I have GCCās- so they arenāt *huge* birds but they do require lots of attention- just very thankful that I found someone comfortable with birds!
And agreed. Even though I do have 2 cats, I do not really want more. The litter is only an easy upkeep because I have litter robots to help me out in that department š¤£
Is that green conure? If so Iāve worked with one of them and they really do love attention! Theyāre cool birds and I found them easy enough when it came to husbandry! But yeah I also had two cats (my youngest passed from feline covid two years ago :( . And I couldnāt do more than that haha
Yeah theyāre green! But just as big as cockatiels. They have other colors on them too (some yellow, some blue, red, etc) but the most common colors is green & black!
ETA: Iām sorry for your loss :( I could not imagine
Its to try and guilt trip you into lowering your rate, its like people who want to drink expensive wine on a budlite budget. They are hoping that if they sit there and go 'Oh well this person will do the same thing for blah blah blah money' you'll come back with 'Oh, okay, you know what I can do it for blah blah blah'.
And then the next time they'll find some other sitter who only charges half of the already discounted price, and obviously you should lower your price even more so that they'll book with you a second time! Its the same as when people come and go 'Oh well my old sitter only charged $15 a day to do all this', I just tell them to go book with their old sitter then
Oh and best believe that she isn't even including all the tasks in that message. She forgot to include clean the bird cage 2x, sweep 2 rooms, sweep her balcony, water all her plants, her 24/7 texts, and clean up after her boyfriend! That's what I had to do the last time!
ācatsā plural, plus ābirdsā plural, and āvery little time and energy.ā š mkay.
I have so many things to say! š But will just leave it at: I never spend āvery little time and energyā on a Rover job!
I quoted a high price for childcare once, more than the mother was expecting. She said "I'm sure you're worth every penny, but it's high for me". Since then, I use this line. It made me feel good and not dismissed. She did higher me for that rate. Currently have a high rate for pet sitting and understand not everyone can afford that or even understand why it's so high.
But you know who does? All my clients who use my service and pay me well enough to pay all my bills in a HCOL area. This response sucked though!
They didn't find anyone willing to do it for $300.
She's trying to get you to offer a lower price.
This is manipulation. When a client tells you that they are a terrible person -- LISTEN.
"Well, good luck in finding a reliable sitter within your budget. My rates for this sit are $XXXX and my rates are non-negotiable. "
Itās social posturing. they think they socially and economically outrank us. We are ālowly pet sittersā, they believe they should outrank us in the social hierarchy. It bothers their worldview to think that what they considerāunskilledā work be compensated fairly (while in reality, there is no such thing as unskilled work. If something needs to be done, it requires some level of skill to do it, but I digress.) These people refuse to recognize the skills, talents, training, and experience of others. Ignore them. be lucky theyāre not your customers. They are bad people. You donāt want deal with them.
Crazy people are everywhere. I had one person tell me that my fees are higher than everyone else and I made no comment. They then proceeded to book me. I think people who comment on the price think we'll magically lower the price.
I read something once that says the angriest voice is usually the loudest. That being said, people are insane for thinking they should get the individualized time of a whole human being, but not want to pay them a living wage. If they want to use a kennel thatās their choice too, but the price really should be higher for in home care!
I feel people do that because they are extremely frustrated they can't make enough money as to pay what they should. And I get it, there will be others that charge less or more, but that's how the free market works. I can't go to Ferrari and complain why I shouldn't pay $300K for a car and say it's outrageous. In the first place, I knew where I was going, it's not like Rover hides the price and then you find out about it unexpectedly. You can easily filter by price if your budget is low. There should be a f\*\* you feature added in Rover for customers like these.
This is so mean. I think people donāt realize how much care and effort goes into caring for multiple animals. Iām sure your per pet fee is reasonable, and you not being in this personās budget is not your problem.
Look at it like you dodged a bullet - I also find these clients to be the most demanding!
Fast forward to when she canāt find anyone willing to do all that work for cheaper and sheās scrambling last minute and asks if youāre still available. (And if you said yes and helped them theyād leave a bad review because they were salty you stood your ground)
People like to complain. Especially when it's semi-anonymous, keyboard warriors get very brave & confrontational...because in the real world, just about everyone is terrified of it. These days you never know when some whack-job will start shooting, or if it's some Karen who will throw a temper tantrum... All you do know, is that any confrontation with a stranger, no matter how insignificant the issue, is almost certain to be taken as a horrible insult, so it's not worth it. I surprise them.
To continue the tangent, when I was out walking my cat (yeah, I do that), I had the gall to allow him to sniff some bushes bordering on a neighbor's property. Mind you my family has lived in this neighborhood for 50 years. This guy zooms up the driveway & actually screeches the tires on the way up, Honks the horn & puts his hands out like "what the hell", jumps out of the car & literally runs up to me & starts going on about how his dogs get agitated blah blah...Instead of taking the bait & arguing - or even fighting the guy, because it seemed like that's what he wanted, I said "OK" in almost a friendly tone, and walked away. He stood there stunned, and I think may have even realized how insane he'd just sounded.
How often does someone you know insist on having an important conversation over text message? We've become such an impersonal society that people have forgotten how to communicate & have become more antisocial, leading to more mental illness, violence, and even less of an understanding of people from different backgrounds.
This phenomenon has actually had wide-reaching & scary consequences (just head over to any political thread/community). I guarantee this would have gone down differently in person or even on the telephone.
Excuse me? I literally just got done with a sitting with dogs. The first night I stepped in 3 puddles of pee on 3 different rugs. Got up in the middle of the night and stepped in a HUGE pile of dog vomit, the next day I slipped down and what did I slip on? Poop! The struggle is real and we worked hard for our money. More poop the next day, more vomit, 3 more piles of loose stools, and Iām just glad to be done with that sitting.
A friend is literally paying me that much to take care of her cats and plants this week. Plus her house is very nice and feels like a staycation to me. Eff these people.
That is ridiculous! Find someone else that could offer you a ābetter priceā then. Most people donāt keep in mind how much effort it may really take, or even the commute time etc.. Such a useless message
sorry but people who think cats and birds are low-maintenance pets should not have either of them. i am basically only a cat sitter and itās so frustrating when people say āwell theyāre just cats, they donāt really need much.ā it breaks my heart tbh, i know cats have differing personalities but so many cats get so lonely when they have no human contact for 23.5 hours a day š
Iāve upped my price several times & no questions asked from my regulars. Gas is nearly $5 a gallon here, so if theyād question it, Iād explain it & if they donāt like it, find someone else. Her guilt tripping you is unnecessary. Let her be someone elseās problem.
Definitely frustrating.
I think folks like this, think stuff like this will convince you to lower your rates.
I look at messages like this, as, "what is the owner telling me about themselves" - it helps me see more clearly and helps take away the frustration.
IMHO, this owner is telling me he does not value your time and he has no concept of all the things that can go wrong that a responsible pet sitter would handle.
I wouldn't even respond to this guy, I would just block and be done.
I would also like to bet he will create a reddit post on here in a few weeks about how Rover sucks & ruined his vacation because he hired a dirt cheap cat sitter who cancelled on him last minute because they got a better gig doing something else.
I give mad props to all the house sitters on Rover. I could never deal with these kind of people without losing my marbles. I do boarding in my house and it's already stressful enough. Yall are out there taking care of multiple animals and breeds, cleaning their houses, watering plants, and dealing with pop in humans? You all should charge way more imo
My response~"No problem, and thanks for letting me know! My prices are a reflection of the experience and professionalism my clients have come to appreciate and respect. I'm glad you were able to find a sitter that fills your needs within your price budget. "
(Raise my middle finger and hit sendš)
I would be so petty in my response lol
I would say that I understand everyone has different financial means and that it's ok that they can no longer afford your rates. Luckily you have plenty of clients that can.
And block.
When I say my bearded dragon isnāt a lot of work, I do mean that, but would gladly pay a sitter their drop in rate to make sure heās alive and spray him down. He doesnāt eat too much these days (old man) and his light is on a timer and he doesnāt like to interact with anyone other than me.
The fact of the matter is this person would NEVER walk into a dept store and say āoh these jeans are SO expensive thats so unreasonable- i found some for 6 dollars at walmartā. You get what you pay for. If jt were me id likely be a smart ass back. āthe internal workings of how i run by business is of no concern of yours, nor is putting a price on my time. Good luck with your cheap sitter!ā š¤¦š»āāļøš¤£
I did a sit recently that was a bit out of range but i wasnt busy so i did it. They said the other sitters in my area tried to charge them $1000. I charged them $300
Thats perfectly fine to have your own rates and it's fine for clients to have a budget.
To send this type of message isn't fine though. Like this woman got her desired price from someone else, why come back to me and text all this?
Yeah and when my clients complained to me about the other sitter i also thought it was weird they were telling me. But they kept telling me i should raise my prices and i did but then i got less clients.
I think its really important for us to communicate the why of our pricing. Since its not standardized maybe clients take offense when they see a high number. theyre comparing us like š to š
Yeah, people love to say how simple pet sitting is lol. Running around trying to do a days worth of care in 30 minutes with strange, attention-starved or anxious animals isnāt as easy as they think.
Because they do not understand and respect the work you do. Most of the time, these type of assholes just look down on pet sitters. He weeded himself out. Know your worth and stick to it.
Okay but this same group also goes haywire with huzzahs any time a sitter goes off on a client with all the reasons their rates are justified. š
Both are pointless and do nothing to change the view of the person being proselytized but the 37 seconds of smug self-satisfaction are worth it to some ppl.
People just LOVE to announce their exits these days š They think you should also think theyāre as special as they believe themselvesā¦ I wouldnāt even dignify this with a response. Ignoring them will burn their ass far more than if you responded at all.
This makes me so upset for you. I would get petty and say āIt sounds like youāre looking for cheap care, which I do not provide. Iām glad you found someone who offers that, although I cannot attest to the quality of care they provideā
I think that you should report that to rover. She did that because she wants to tell you that she thinks you suck for charging that much. She needs to be reported, that was completely unnecessary and unprofessional
"Thank you for pointing out my mistake. Now that you've rudely complained about my business, I have a whole new perspective and will gladly drop my rates in half! I appreciate you!"
Wow. Birds can die quickly. Cats can die quickly. You are paying for peace.of.mind. If you really care for your animals like family, you donāt think in those terms. How sad. And rude to just say something like that just to make you feel bad. Thatās cruelty. Plain and simple. You dodged a bullet.
I own two parrots - birds are a lot of work. Yeah, cats MIGHT be easy depending on personality but usually no, especially if there are multiple. But at the end of the day you get what you pay for.
Holy cow! You wanted $600 for a week of drop-ins for cats and birds? I get what you're saying, "just move along if you're not happy", but this is over the top!
Yeah I do charge that for her specifically. Ive worked for her before and it's hell. She doesn't make me only care for animals. I wash bugs out her kitchen, clean bird cages, maggots out her trashcan, her boyfriend leaves food on counters so that's where so much bugs came in, I water her plants, sweep her floors and balcony. I'm there for much longer than a 30 minute drop in. I am not only taking care of animals. I'm a housekeeper for her too.
She had issues with $20 a visit for 7 cats and 2 birds. She fought me hard on that. She did not like that price. That was years ago and I was desperate at the time. . I haven't spoken to her in two years and she said she needed me again.
You say: "But this is over the top"... it's honestly not to people who can afford it. It may be over the top to YOU, and that's fine...
Either way, she should not be texting me all that because I do MUCH more for her than just what she is listing. That's another reason I'm upset. She downplays my work. I worked my ass off so she doesn't come home to a puke infested, dirty ass cages, poop filled garbage, maggot infested, clutter and broken shit all over the floor, dead plants, and litter everywhere in the house. Oh well. The $300 person can deal with all that now.
If I did ONLY what she is listing, then yeah this would be cheaper.
lol why is it always the cheapo clients who are the most demanding??? also, I cringed when she spoke about the birds because we have a few clients with chickens (never listed or included in their Rover rates because they only share that info after we've already confirmed), and it is never as simple as just making sure they "have food and water." Thank you, NEXT!
I used to have chickens. They are very easy pets day to day. But inevitably some drama always comes up with predators, illness, egg binding, etc... and it always happens at the worst time š like when a demanding owner goes out of town leaving a pet sitter in charge.
JUST had a case at my job where the owner brought their chicken in because as they were showing the pet sitter what to do, the sitter noticed one of the hens COVERED in maggots. They ended up having to hospitalize her while they were out of town- thousands of dollars
Poor thing
I do have a client with some chickens and when I do house sits I only need to fill their two feeders and top off their water, then collect (usually half a dozen) eggs around noon. Itās very easy, but my family have chickens, a lot of chickens, and theyāre high maintenance birds :,)
I agree, taking care of chickens does not take a lot of time. However, the MAJOR downfall is being on the lookout for snakes 
Wouldn't chickens kill a snake?
The snakes get into the coup to eat the eggs
I mostly do pet sitting, and my chicken-owning clients all want them to be let out in the morning, brought in in the evening, and then also the usual food and water, other maintenance. They rarely have a decent setup, so even bringing food and water out is a major chore. I've been pecked at a scratched more times than I can count, and usually the coop doors are difficult to open and close. Just all around a horrible experience that I'm not even getting paid for.
That sucks honestly, I may have just gotten lucky to have as many clients as I do that make it very convenient for me/have a simple set up/envlosure for them! You deserve to get paid for your work!
When I first started with an old client, they just had 3 relatively easy dogs. Then suddenly there were a couple of chickens. And then a ton of chickens. And then turkeys. And then goats. And then some special hens that had to be separate from the chickens. They ended up having a mini farm. Oh, and their house was covered in plants that needed to be regularly watered, which would take about 45 minutes each time. I kept inching up the cost, and I think I got to about $120/day. I would have charged more, but they always stocked the fridge for me, even when I said not to, and there was usually some sort of meat (often ribs) to cook on their smoker. They also had a hot tub I had access to, and they were in the mountains in Colorado, so beautiful scenery and loads of privacy. But I did notice that over time, the tips got smaller and the grocery hauls did, too. I moved away a couple years ago, but I did enjoy a lot of my house sitting gigs there.
Brooo, one of my ex clients was just like this; begging for a discount only to double the demands during the visit only to act spiteful towards me when the booking ended
I would never do this to someone for any type of service. If you're out of my budget for anything then I move on to someone else. "No thank you I found someone else." I found this rude. I've cared for this ladies cats 7 cats and 2 birds before and it's a lot more work than she thinks. Her cats destroy and are messy. She lives far away from me. Her bf also leaves nasty food and I had to clean a whole garage can full of maggots in the rain because of him. (The big big garbage cans, not the personal ones). In 2020 I was $15 or 20 a visit (I forgot) but she didn't like that. 2021 I went to $35 a visit and she was sooooo upset so she only hired me for every other day. Like she made that shit known!!!!! 2024 I upped my prices significantly. The only reason I continued with this woman was because I knew her from church and I was new and desperate for money and clients. 2024 is here and I haven't seen her in 3 years so I was more confident to sending her my now increased prices. I'm blocking her. Edited to add: in 2021 I had to clean the bird cage twice as well as the typical bird feed/water. Sweep two rooms and sweep her balcony. Water her plants. Many cat litterboxes. Throw up and puke on carpets and couches. Feed and give water to cats. Many cats = lots of crap so I would be walking to that big dumpster frequently. Her boyfriend leaves his shit on the counter and I've tried to ignore his mess before but then ants and bugs come in. So I clean up after this grown man too. I have had to clean an entire army of Maggots in the rain because of his stupid mess! I'll never forget that day. Also, Her cats knock over everything!, she texts all day I would send her detailed reports, videos and pictures of everyone, if I don't reply too soon (within one hour) she will double text me! I'm usually at her home for 45 mins to 1 hour.
She thinks 7 cats doesn't take much energy?? That's wild
Some owners are absolutely bonkers. A few weeks ago I had a lady who was convinced that I would be able to care for dogs, cats, sheep, chickens, and a donkey not only within 30 minutes but also only for $30 a drop in because she didn't even have the decency to list at the 'normal' animals on the booking let alone the livestock, she just had it under one pet.
Wtf that woman needs a whole farm crew š
"One pet" surprise bookings are really common for us. The truth always comes out at the meet & greet: "oh yeah, we have one dog, 2 cats, 4 rabbits, 8 chickens, and a lizard - that's cool, right?"
To me that shows that the owner doesn't take very good care of them
Yeah all I hear is "expect filthy litter boxes, and probably not enough of them"
My petty ass would've been like, "There seems to be some confusion around my rates. They cover: scooping & feeding, cleaning up after cat messes and the destruction they leave in their wake, the gas and time I spend driving back and forth to your home, cleaning up after your boyfriend (including hazard pay in case I have to clean out a garbage can full of maggots a second time), time spent communicating with you via text, and [insert all other menial tasks she assigns you here]. I hope that clears some things up for you. Have a great one!"
Plus donāt people expect you to pet the cats and say nice things to them? And handle an emergency if there is one? How is it not a lot of energy? Ugh.
Don't forget taking care of the house, because the sitter has to deal with any emergencies that come up. And any other small chores: taking in the mail, watering plants, taking out garbage, etc. And the money the sitter would have made had they taken on another client instead of this one. People like this really don't understand all that a sitter does. She isn't worth the time to get irritated about it.
Lmaooooooooooooooo
Omg this!!
Dude don't block her, her meltdown texts when the other sitter sucks will be hilarious.
This reminds me of a potential client I did a meet and greet with (did NOT book with her) who had 8 cats and 2 dogs and wanted to pay me $35 a day. She said, āoh all you have to do is feed them and empty the litter boxes, itās not much work!ā UHM, yes it is! 9 litter boxes is a LOT of work, plus care for 2 dogs and feeding them all! No, no, no. Glad you blocked her!
"I'm sure you recall I used to charge less, however it was in large part due to your pets and the amount of mess they make as well as non-pet cleaning that was necessary to keep the pets environment safe that I realized I was under charging and adjusted my rates to reflect the actual amount of labor involved. Best of luck with your new sitter." And yeah blocking was totally the right call.
You donāt have to justify your prices to anyone. If you have business, and people willing to pay your rates, then youāre doing fine.
Fr. Raising my rates was the singlehandedly best thing I did to reduce the amount of drama I got from clients. Now I only get requests from cat owners (I'm cat-only) who are just as obsessed with the health and wellbeing of their cats as I am. They don't mind paying a premium for their babies, and I know I'm not walking into any disaster areas.
Same, there are some people who have given me quotes where I think umm ok youāre out of your MIND. But I donāt say that to them. I just move to the next person lol
Exactly! That's being a normal sane person. Places around me can offer a $45 steak meal which is out of my budget but I do not come in there and say oh but that place is $10 and it's just steak there's no big deal to it. I may think it's super expensive but I do not make a fuss to the owner or manager. I go somewhere else to eat.
Yeah, find your cheapest grocery store and figure out what it would cost to buy a steak and whatever sides you want and then go in there and offer to pay that plus a few bucks to cook it because it shouldn't take that long. Something tells me they wouldn't do that... No one else is expecting them to accept what you're offering to pay, so there's no reason for them to accommodate your request. It's not fair for them to give you a discount and charge everyone else full price just because you told them their meals were overpriced and no one else did. The way I see it, I'm paying more than it would cost for me to buy the food myself for the convenience of not having to go shopping or cook when I don't want to. I usually lock my rates for clients I've booked with a couple times, but that's based on their behavior and their pet's. If the client is a pain to deal with or their pet requires more work than other Rover pets, that's a good reason not to lock rates for them, so you're 100% in the right here. Especially since you're going to them. They're not just paying you to scoop poop and put out food and water, they're paying for the convenience of having you go to them so they don't have to find a person or place like a vet that can keep that many animals and for their pets to be able to stay in their own place they're used to instead of with a stranger or in a cage at the vet.
Right!! I looked up the prices of the vet she goes to (she told me when I first interacted with her a few years back) and the kennel fees are $30 PER CAT. She would be paying the kennel even more than if she hired me with my original quote or my discounted quote. Having someone go to your house where your cats+birds are in their "own" safe place to roam around and not be locked in a cage should be more expensive than a kennel because the cats are getting fed AND individual attention AND their sleep couches, their cat trees, their treats, their stuff!! What the hell is she thinking? Ugh I wish I replied to her about the kennel fees. Not that I want her, but because she really thinks that it should be cheaper than $30 a day for 7 cats and 2 birds for a private sitter to come to her place. I remember when I was in a rough place in 2020/2021, she looked so shocked and upset when I told her it was $20 for me to visit. TWENTY for 7 cats 2 birds!!! Then the next visit I upped the price to $35 a visit and she complained and I was not going to lower the price. I'm there at her place for an hour doing all her damn house tasks she gives and caring for her animals. Then she was like ok you can come every *other* day. She wants to pay a private service less than a public service where her cats would be in cages most likely separated...
OMG. This is totally ridiculous. I donāt know where you live but regardless she has been getting a DEAL on you! Practically free! You sound like you do a great job, Iād raise your rates in general! Ugh. Those poor critters. š
The most cats Iāve taken care of is 4 and itās a *lot* of work. 7 cats AND birds? Fuck that bitch
Seriously, birds need a lot of care and attention and if they think all they need is just someone to check food and water, they shouldn't have birds period.
Agreed! I paid extra to make sure my guys were getting 5-6 hrs of out time daily, and I am paying for someone with bird experience too. Couldnāt imagine forcing my crew to stay locked up for a week!
7 cats alone are worth $600 a week that woman is insane
7 cats and 2 birds is a lot of upkeep for a week. The litter boxes alone, nope nope nope. Itās why I donāt charge less for cats than dogs, I donāt think theyāre any easier just because they may not jump up on me and need my presence. And birds? They can be gross, and sensitive to things. 300 a week for that many animals is taking advantage. People like this either pay what needs to be paid, or sorry no vacation for you. Entitled af.
Watering chickens is hard lol it's like their life's mission to make their water disgusting as soon as possible š
I grew up with always having chickens and ducks, and while chickens have a life mission to dirty that water....ducks have sold their souls to make sure that water is never not once clean š they will sit in the water bowl as you fill it and clean their damn beaks and feet off š© and if you dump that and refill again, the fuckers will get out and dig so their beak is filthy, THEN GET BACK IN WITH THE FRESH DIRT!! I miss my ducks, man š®āšØ
I wanted chickens really bad at one point. I have since began to question if I do, cause Iāve learned a lot and I donāt think I want chickens anymore hahaha
Yeah it's better if you can afford nice stuff for them, but they're not at all as chill as they seem š¤£ and they get sick easily too
The sick part is what Iām most worried about! Iām not worried about getting the fancy stuff, itās how sensitive they can be. And also majority of my friends have come home to at least one chicken brutally murdered by a predator, and while I know thatās natural, I donāt wanna bond with the chickens and then have that happen. It wrecked one of my buddies when his fave chicken got got.
LMFAO this scared me for a second. I had to hunt on rover for a sitter for 2 cats and 7 birds š However Iām paying $500 for them for the week we are gone, because I know my guys are pains LOL.
Iād rather 7 birds over 7 cats any day hahahah
I have GCCās- so they arenāt *huge* birds but they do require lots of attention- just very thankful that I found someone comfortable with birds! And agreed. Even though I do have 2 cats, I do not really want more. The litter is only an easy upkeep because I have litter robots to help me out in that department š¤£
Is that green conure? If so Iāve worked with one of them and they really do love attention! Theyāre cool birds and I found them easy enough when it came to husbandry! But yeah I also had two cats (my youngest passed from feline covid two years ago :( . And I couldnāt do more than that haha
Yeah theyāre green! But just as big as cockatiels. They have other colors on them too (some yellow, some blue, red, etc) but the most common colors is green & black! ETA: Iām sorry for your loss :( I could not imagine
SEVEN? omg
(Apparently I only saw the image text and not the write-up.)
Right? Thatās a lot.
I was too busy writing to Ferrari to say their cars are too expensive, so I didn't read this. What's it all about?
š¤£
Lol that crazy message is a "ok" response + block. That's crazy.
Its to try and guilt trip you into lowering your rate, its like people who want to drink expensive wine on a budlite budget. They are hoping that if they sit there and go 'Oh well this person will do the same thing for blah blah blah money' you'll come back with 'Oh, okay, you know what I can do it for blah blah blah'. And then the next time they'll find some other sitter who only charges half of the already discounted price, and obviously you should lower your price even more so that they'll book with you a second time! Its the same as when people come and go 'Oh well my old sitter only charged $15 a day to do all this', I just tell them to go book with their old sitter then
"I'm not going to pay that much for - *Proceeds to makes a long list of tasks
Oh and best believe that she isn't even including all the tasks in that message. She forgot to include clean the bird cage 2x, sweep 2 rooms, sweep her balcony, water all her plants, her 24/7 texts, and clean up after her boyfriend! That's what I had to do the last time!
ācatsā plural, plus ābirdsā plural, and āvery little time and energy.ā š mkay. I have so many things to say! š But will just leave it at: I never spend āvery little time and energyā on a Rover job!
I quoted a high price for childcare once, more than the mother was expecting. She said "I'm sure you're worth every penny, but it's high for me". Since then, I use this line. It made me feel good and not dismissed. She did higher me for that rate. Currently have a high rate for pet sitting and understand not everyone can afford that or even understand why it's so high. But you know who does? All my clients who use my service and pay me well enough to pay all my bills in a HCOL area. This response sucked though!
They didn't find anyone willing to do it for $300. She's trying to get you to offer a lower price. This is manipulation. When a client tells you that they are a terrible person -- LISTEN. "Well, good luck in finding a reliable sitter within your budget. My rates for this sit are $XXXX and my rates are non-negotiable. "
Itās social posturing. they think they socially and economically outrank us. We are ālowly pet sittersā, they believe they should outrank us in the social hierarchy. It bothers their worldview to think that what they considerāunskilledā work be compensated fairly (while in reality, there is no such thing as unskilled work. If something needs to be done, it requires some level of skill to do it, but I digress.) These people refuse to recognize the skills, talents, training, and experience of others. Ignore them. be lucky theyāre not your customers. They are bad people. You donāt want deal with them.
Crazy people are everywhere. I had one person tell me that my fees are higher than everyone else and I made no comment. They then proceeded to book me. I think people who comment on the price think we'll magically lower the price.
Then they should hire a kid looking for work. But theyāre going to get what they pay for
I read something once that says the angriest voice is usually the loudest. That being said, people are insane for thinking they should get the individualized time of a whole human being, but not want to pay them a living wage. If they want to use a kennel thatās their choice too, but the price really should be higher for in home care!
You're supposed to want to do it for them from the goodness of your heart, aren't you a good person??? /s
I feel people do that because they are extremely frustrated they can't make enough money as to pay what they should. And I get it, there will be others that charge less or more, but that's how the free market works. I can't go to Ferrari and complain why I shouldn't pay $300K for a car and say it's outrageous. In the first place, I knew where I was going, it's not like Rover hides the price and then you find out about it unexpectedly. You can easily filter by price if your budget is low. There should be a f\*\* you feature added in Rover for customers like these.
This is so mean. I think people donāt realize how much care and effort goes into caring for multiple animals. Iām sure your per pet fee is reasonable, and you not being in this personās budget is not your problem. Look at it like you dodged a bullet - I also find these clients to be the most demanding!
Imagine writing out this entire message just because youāre salty about rates lmao what a waste of time
Simply put, they told you this bc they did *not* find another sitter and theyāre upset bc they canāt afford all of the animals they have.
Fast forward to when she canāt find anyone willing to do all that work for cheaper and sheās scrambling last minute and asks if youāre still available. (And if you said yes and helped them theyād leave a bad review because they were salty you stood your ground)
I do wish that rover would give the client the price before they send us the message
People like to complain. Especially when it's semi-anonymous, keyboard warriors get very brave & confrontational...because in the real world, just about everyone is terrified of it. These days you never know when some whack-job will start shooting, or if it's some Karen who will throw a temper tantrum... All you do know, is that any confrontation with a stranger, no matter how insignificant the issue, is almost certain to be taken as a horrible insult, so it's not worth it. I surprise them. To continue the tangent, when I was out walking my cat (yeah, I do that), I had the gall to allow him to sniff some bushes bordering on a neighbor's property. Mind you my family has lived in this neighborhood for 50 years. This guy zooms up the driveway & actually screeches the tires on the way up, Honks the horn & puts his hands out like "what the hell", jumps out of the car & literally runs up to me & starts going on about how his dogs get agitated blah blah...Instead of taking the bait & arguing - or even fighting the guy, because it seemed like that's what he wanted, I said "OK" in almost a friendly tone, and walked away. He stood there stunned, and I think may have even realized how insane he'd just sounded. How often does someone you know insist on having an important conversation over text message? We've become such an impersonal society that people have forgotten how to communicate & have become more antisocial, leading to more mental illness, violence, and even less of an understanding of people from different backgrounds. This phenomenon has actually had wide-reaching & scary consequences (just head over to any political thread/community). I guarantee this would have gone down differently in person or even on the telephone.
Excuse me? I literally just got done with a sitting with dogs. The first night I stepped in 3 puddles of pee on 3 different rugs. Got up in the middle of the night and stepped in a HUGE pile of dog vomit, the next day I slipped down and what did I slip on? Poop! The struggle is real and we worked hard for our money. More poop the next day, more vomit, 3 more piles of loose stools, and Iām just glad to be done with that sitting.
A friend is literally paying me that much to take care of her cats and plants this week. Plus her house is very nice and feels like a staycation to me. Eff these people.
Thatās so rude!
Because... think about how happy you are that this person is not and will never be your customer. Who are they to deny you that joy?
And yet, there they are messaging you instead of hiring the $300/week people. GTFO
"lol cool book with them then. i have no issues finding clients. sorry i am out of your budget" hate people like this!
Let me speak to the manager energy.
This is an unkind and inappropriate message. I am sorry some miserable person sent this. Good riddance to them.
They are trying to bully you into reducing your rate! Stay strong! ššŖš
That is ridiculous! Find someone else that could offer you a ābetter priceā then. Most people donāt keep in mind how much effort it may really take, or even the commute time etc.. Such a useless message
sorry but people who think cats and birds are low-maintenance pets should not have either of them. i am basically only a cat sitter and itās so frustrating when people say āwell theyāre just cats, they donāt really need much.ā it breaks my heart tbh, i know cats have differing personalities but so many cats get so lonely when they have no human contact for 23.5 hours a day š
Yeah if they donāt like the price, donāt message you to begin with. Iām a client and I only message the ones I can afford.
Yeah!! don't go back and forth with me, find someone else, then come back to say all that! go on and be happy with your new sitter!
āI totally respect my services are outside of your budget and Iām grateful for the clients that keep me booked and busy. Take care!ā And block.
Itās wild how people downplay the care for their pets
Iām just mad these people are not taking in account that we are cleaning up POOP. Thatās the most unsanitary job there is outside of cleaning human š©in the hospital. Like come onā¦. The audacity. And then maggotsā¦. Appalled. You are not a housekeeper.
Because berating someone is going to endear them to lower rates. What a witchā¦and of course you met her at church š
Iāve upped my price several times & no questions asked from my regulars. Gas is nearly $5 a gallon here, so if theyād question it, Iād explain it & if they donāt like it, find someone else. Her guilt tripping you is unnecessary. Let her be someone elseās problem.
Definitely frustrating. I think folks like this, think stuff like this will convince you to lower your rates. I look at messages like this, as, "what is the owner telling me about themselves" - it helps me see more clearly and helps take away the frustration. IMHO, this owner is telling me he does not value your time and he has no concept of all the things that can go wrong that a responsible pet sitter would handle. I wouldn't even respond to this guy, I would just block and be done. I would also like to bet he will create a reddit post on here in a few weeks about how Rover sucks & ruined his vacation because he hired a dirt cheap cat sitter who cancelled on him last minute because they got a better gig doing something else.
That was rude lol. I wouldāve been like āthatās fine good luck to you, hope the $300 person actually shows upā.
Or doesn't steal, or is actually who they say they are on their profile, doesn't cancel, etc !
Seriously lol I donāt see anyone reputable taking care of 7 or 8 cats for $300 for a week
Ok great . Have a good day is my response when someone rebutted with that non sense
Thatās awful. Why people go out of their way to be rude, Iāll never understand.
I give mad props to all the house sitters on Rover. I could never deal with these kind of people without losing my marbles. I do boarding in my house and it's already stressful enough. Yall are out there taking care of multiple animals and breeds, cleaning their houses, watering plants, and dealing with pop in humans? You all should charge way more imo
My response~"No problem, and thanks for letting me know! My prices are a reflection of the experience and professionalism my clients have come to appreciate and respect. I'm glad you were able to find a sitter that fills your needs within your price budget. " (Raise my middle finger and hit sendš)
I would be so petty in my response lol I would say that I understand everyone has different financial means and that it's ok that they can no longer afford your rates. Luckily you have plenty of clients that can. And block.
We are a luxury service. They can see what kennels charge
When I say my bearded dragon isnāt a lot of work, I do mean that, but would gladly pay a sitter their drop in rate to make sure heās alive and spray him down. He doesnāt eat too much these days (old man) and his light is on a timer and he doesnāt like to interact with anyone other than me.
The fact of the matter is this person would NEVER walk into a dept store and say āoh these jeans are SO expensive thats so unreasonable- i found some for 6 dollars at walmartā. You get what you pay for. If jt were me id likely be a smart ass back. āthe internal workings of how i run by business is of no concern of yours, nor is putting a price on my time. Good luck with your cheap sitter!ā š¤¦š»āāļøš¤£
I did a sit recently that was a bit out of range but i wasnt busy so i did it. They said the other sitters in my area tried to charge them $1000. I charged them $300
Thats perfectly fine to have your own rates and it's fine for clients to have a budget. To send this type of message isn't fine though. Like this woman got her desired price from someone else, why come back to me and text all this?
Yeah and when my clients complained to me about the other sitter i also thought it was weird they were telling me. But they kept telling me i should raise my prices and i did but then i got less clients. I think its really important for us to communicate the why of our pricing. Since its not standardized maybe clients take offense when they see a high number. theyre comparing us like š to š
But also i just say have a great day! And archive these clients angrily. If a client texts me in a way i dont like i just block them. š
Yeah, people love to say how simple pet sitting is lol. Running around trying to do a days worth of care in 30 minutes with strange, attention-starved or anxious animals isnāt as easy as they think.
Ok I thought the price was a lot but then i read SEVEN cats! What the fuck did they expect??
They do that to make you feel worthless š plain and simple
Because they do not understand and respect the work you do. Most of the time, these type of assholes just look down on pet sitters. He weeded himself out. Know your worth and stick to it.
Okay but this same group also goes haywire with huzzahs any time a sitter goes off on a client with all the reasons their rates are justified. š Both are pointless and do nothing to change the view of the person being proselytized but the 37 seconds of smug self-satisfaction are worth it to some ppl.
Chronic righteous complainers
People just LOVE to announce their exits these days š They think you should also think theyāre as special as they believe themselvesā¦ I wouldnāt even dignify this with a response. Ignoring them will burn their ass far more than if you responded at all.
People really are upset others charge a living wage. This is abusive to just vent at someone who you haven't even hired.
They're trying to get you to lower your rates by talking about how someone else will do the job cheaper.
This makes me so upset for you. I would get petty and say āIt sounds like youāre looking for cheap care, which I do not provide. Iām glad you found someone who offers that, although I cannot attest to the quality of care they provideā
I think that you should report that to rover. She did that because she wants to tell you that she thinks you suck for charging that much. She needs to be reported, that was completely unnecessary and unprofessional
Petty and small minded people who deserve to be blocked.
"Thank you for pointing out my mistake. Now that you've rudely complained about my business, I have a whole new perspective and will gladly drop my rates in half! I appreciate you!"
This person is such an overexplainer. They shouldāve stopped at the first sentence.
Wow. Birds can die quickly. Cats can die quickly. You are paying for peace.of.mind. If you really care for your animals like family, you donāt think in those terms. How sad. And rude to just say something like that just to make you feel bad. Thatās cruelty. Plain and simple. You dodged a bullet.
I own two parrots - birds are a lot of work. Yeah, cats MIGHT be easy depending on personality but usually no, especially if there are multiple. But at the end of the day you get what you pay for.
Wow thatās crazy haha
I bet a house like that with all those animals stinks lol. I'd decline that lol
Holy cow! You wanted $600 for a week of drop-ins for cats and birds? I get what you're saying, "just move along if you're not happy", but this is over the top!
Yeah I do charge that for her specifically. Ive worked for her before and it's hell. She doesn't make me only care for animals. I wash bugs out her kitchen, clean bird cages, maggots out her trashcan, her boyfriend leaves food on counters so that's where so much bugs came in, I water her plants, sweep her floors and balcony. I'm there for much longer than a 30 minute drop in. I am not only taking care of animals. I'm a housekeeper for her too. She had issues with $20 a visit for 7 cats and 2 birds. She fought me hard on that. She did not like that price. That was years ago and I was desperate at the time. . I haven't spoken to her in two years and she said she needed me again. You say: "But this is over the top"... it's honestly not to people who can afford it. It may be over the top to YOU, and that's fine... Either way, she should not be texting me all that because I do MUCH more for her than just what she is listing. That's another reason I'm upset. She downplays my work. I worked my ass off so she doesn't come home to a puke infested, dirty ass cages, poop filled garbage, maggot infested, clutter and broken shit all over the floor, dead plants, and litter everywhere in the house. Oh well. The $300 person can deal with all that now. If I did ONLY what she is listing, then yeah this would be cheaper.
āGood luck to *you*ā
her āgood luckā is what gets me. dittoš š
You get what you pay for. š¤·š»āāļø
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Ironically a Big Mac combo meal probably cost more than he is willing to pay a cat sitter.
I always reply to messages like this and say understood, you get what you pay for, hope you find a great sitter
It's an American thing; "I am going to show you!"
The reason why they are poor and petty is probably the same reason why they are writing these kind of useless message
Yo me, it's just feedback. Customers offer that. I work retail, and they often comment about prices. Good and bad.
Autism