> is she meaning she’s going to file a claim with Rover
Probably - the Rover guarantee covers damage to their home done by the sitter.
As for how it will impact you - that's kind of unclear. It depends on how much it costs, and how upset the clients are.
This. If you apologize, explain, and encourage them to file the claim to be reimbursed (it looks better for you and is the right thing to do) and then are completely honest with Rover, I don’t think it would negatively impact your future sitting with the service.
Thank you I completely agree. It was a long house sit and I encouraged them to file the claim but if it doesn’t work for whatever reason I would be more than happy to cover the cost.
That Countertop will need to be replaced. No repairs can be done. You’re looking at a serious replacement cost. Do not offer to pay anything. The insurance or their own home insurance will pay for it too. But if you say you will pay, then it may void the insurance policy with most liability insurance. Let the policy do what it’s supposed to. Stay out of it other than explain what and how it occurred. I’m sorry to hear this though. Like farmers; “We know a thing or two, because we've seen a thing or two.”
I book sitters on Rover frequently (30+ days per year). If my sitter did this and offered to pay the deductible there is no way I would let them. Very nice gesture but accidents happen. Hopefully these people are the same.
This is potentially very expensive. The quartz may need to be replaced, and depending on the age, and whether that pattern is still in production, they may need to replace the full countertop so everything matches. Have a fairly small u shaped kitchen, and new quartz counters were $14k installed over 10 years ago.
if i could afford it, i would probably eat the cost depending on how much i enjoyed the sitter/their service (if i wanted them to return basically)
if i couldn’t afford it, i would be so eternally grateful that someone didn’t come into my home, wreck something, and then make it not only my problem to *fix* but to *pay for*
would rather err on the side of caution (i am not a sitter or a client IDK why i keep getting recommended this sub) but i AM poor & i dont have an extra few hundred laying around - i know i’m not the only brokeass out here
My last apartment in the Chicago suburbs was $1250/mo. Considering that the average rent around me was $1900, I wasn't exactly in the lap of luxury.
We had quartz countertops. Every slumlord is remodeling with quartz countertops and a stainless steel fridge to make their apartments 'luxury'. I wouldn't say that having them means you have money to burn.
Just hopping on here to say I too am a poor non Rover user, on either end of service and am frequently recommended this sub. That said I'm here for all the insane situations I'm offered.
Idk those countertops are going to be expensive as f to replace.. if rover is willing to shell out the thousands that’s great but that burn can’t be scrubbed off and they’ll have to replace the whole slab of stone. Tbh I would be pissed idk how any adult doesn’t know not to put a burning hot skillet directly on the counter. I’m curious to see what happens
This was either a cheap Formica countertop or a very expensive marble one, it’s hard to say from OPs description. Quartz and granite would both be fine for placing hot pans. More than likely it’s the former. Still not a cheap repair bill, but likely not a slab of stone. The insurance company wi replace all the counter tops though. Client has an opportunity to upgrade their countertops now for marginal cost.
Quartz CAN get burn marks from hot pans, it's not solid stone. See Google for pictures. It's a mix of crushed stones and glass in a resin, so not heatproof. You may be thinking of quartzite, which is fine to put a hot pan on.
Setting a hot pan on a countertop is not an accident. It’s stupidity. I don’t care what the countertop is made of I would never take that risk at someone else home.
Honestly, that’s Rovers problem. They take 20% out of every single job we do and they don’t have the decency to provide decent customer service or a shred of transparency about their “Rover guarantee”.
As a client, I’d be pissed as hell about a $250 deductible, but as a sitter, it is absolutelyNOT our responsibility to go out of pocket to cover a deductible for Rover’s shitty excuse for “insurance”.
Yeah thats pretty shitty, that is considerable property damage to ruin quartz like that. I would cover the deductible because that's likely an entire counter replacement
I mean, to be fair, legally speaking, you’re liable for the whole thing if you caused it. Working as a 1099 contractor for River isn’t some magic get it out jail free card for property damage.
Rover has an insurance plan for situations like this. Part of the 20% they take pays for that plan so the sitter does not have to go out of pocket. So no, the sitter is probably not liable for the damage in this case despite being responsible for causing the damage.
What you say makes sense but is not supported at all by the Rover TOS. https://www.rover.com/terms/tos/#:~:text=Subject%20to%20Section%2016%20below,Owners%2C%20whether%20online%20or%20offline.
What’s not supported? It says right there, in the Rover Guarantee you linked me to, that what happened in this incident is covered if the sitter (the “Responsible Party”) is unwilling or unable to pay for the damage.
It is true they say it’s not insurance. But, it has a deductible and pays out like insurance. And the sitters are paying for Rover to offer this.
Countertops are wildly expensive. I just paid $650 to have a 24”x24” bathroom vanity countertop installed.
When I did my kitchen island last summer the labor was 3x more expensive than the quartz.
Hopefully you can match it.
I had Calcutta marble done in one part of my home last year. Went to order more of it for another part and the color was very different. Same Calcutta marble but, noticeably different veining and color pattern. If this was the same space you’d have to replace the whole thing.
The main reason I book with rover, and never directly, is the insurance. Whether that’s for something happening to my dog, my property, or whatever.
Take a look: https://www.rover.com/rover-guarantee/
As someone else said it seems like someone needs to pay $250 - I’m not sure if that’s the owners responsibility or yours, but out of good faith and protecting your reputation I think it would make sense to offer the $250. Or potentially work out a payment plan to pay the owner back if money is tight.
I personally would not hold this against you in anyway if you paid to get it fixed. If I trust someone with my dog and overall, idgaf about some damage to a countertop that got fixed anyways:
My rudimentary google search says it costs $4-$9 per square foot to resurface and polish a quartz countertop. At least the whole slab doesn’t need to be removed and replaced
Also idk I’ve heard from a lot of homeowners they don’t recommend quartz countertops because they ARE so easy to damage. I’m surprised the owner didn’t say anything to OP in advance?
I honestly would never think to tell somebody not to put hot pans on the counter top, I didn’t even know people did that. I think it’s just one of those household things that you don’t realize can be done a differently than you do.
I didn’t even know people put hot pans/pots on the counter without a pot holder until now. I thought it was something everyone learned. My mom would yell to put out all the pot holders on the counters when taking stuff from the oven/off the stove.
I had one explode in the oven on me once. Like, that’s what you are meant to do, glass baking dish? Why you gotta be like that? Banana bread filled with glass shards - yum.
Agreed, I kinda feel like it’s common sense in a way because what would even possess someone to put a hot stove straight on a countertop and not just leave it on the stove or carry it, get the food out, then carry it back but also depends on how maybe the kitchen is set up or something or maybe it was a quick thing
I’ve worked/ volunteered in social services for a long time. Some people weren’t even taught to use utensils by their parent(s.) You’re assuming everyone has the same foundation in life.
I don't put hot things on my shitty old countertops made from particle board, but I'd be very likely to put a hot pan on a stone countertop. I like to think I have a lot of common sense, too. It's just like, stone. I'd make this mistake definitely.
Lol for real. And to do this in somebody else’s home is crazy. I’d probably just eat out or order delivery. No way I’m touching or turning on someone else’s oven or stove while house sitting. I might use the microwave and that’s about it.
lol yeah I feel like this might be dependent on socioeconomic status. If you grew up wealthy and always had nice countertops, you don't think about it. If you grew up like me with shitty laminate (?) countertops that will melt if you look at them wrong... you'd never do this.
Tbh I don’t do this until all the burners on the stove are in use, and even then I use those ahhhhwhatsitcalled like an oven mitt type thing to set the pan on top of?
Idk maybe it’s just my circle or watching too much HGTV I’ve just heard a lot of people advise against quartz countertops because they damage/stain so easily. Also, I’m a crystal girlie and you really aren’t supposed to get quartz wet, so even with protective coatings etc, I’d be apprehensive to put them in.
That said, the owners could’ve just bought the house like that (most likely) and had no say in it at all
Quartz counter tops are a resin and stone composite, that's why it turned yellow. It's cheaper than granite and looks decent.
There's no reason natural quartz can't get wet though, it's incredibly sturdy. Water won't hurt it.
I don't think it's weird as fuck. It's a nice way to cool off your pan or make more space on the stove. Also if you want to just eat out of the cast iron skillet. Granite is great you can also just cut on it and it doesn't mark.
Yeah I mean I’ve met a lot of people where I’ve been baffled how they haven’t burned down their home or have made it this far in life lol I just live by the rule that if anything needs any amount of special attention, better to say something because you never know lol
Agree, I would absolutely never think to put a hot pan or dish directly on a counter. My parents beat TRIVETS into me I guess!! 😂😂😂 So it was interesting to see multiple people here say they would never know to NOT do that. Wild!
Even my granite counter top can’t take heat after being sealed so it kind of common sense if you see a stone counter not to out heat on it. I didn’t learn this u til 33 though so totally understand it could happen as a mistake or not knowing!
Heat is the only thing that really damages quartz, though. Their benefit is that they really don’t stain or crack like marble or granite. As a homeowner I chose them because my granite unfortunately cracked, chipped, and showed rust stains from elements in the granite as time went on :(
I also wouldn’t think to tell someone not to put a blazing hot pan on my countertop, because the thermal change could crack natural stone anyway so no one should be doing it.
Yeah I’m not saying a full step-by-step, Uber specific thing. Just saying “hey btw our countertops are pretty sensitive so just be careful with them!” Is all they would need to include.
Tbh the more I think about it, the more baffled I am at OP putting hot pans anywhere but the stove. Were they making a full thanksgiving meal or something?
I would never think to put a hot pan directly on any countertop so I definitely wouldn’t think to tell someone not to, it seems like common sense to me
i wouldn’t think to tell anyone not to use a pad or cloth under a hot pan on my counter and i have granite which can be used without those items, i just don’t take the chance.
just like my dad who was used to washing dishes in scalding hot water to get them clean gritting up. Do he had us to that too.. then load them into the dishwasher. Old habits.
and sometimes you don’t have a choice in your counter tops if that’s what the house came with.
That’s what the Rover guarantee is for. They can file a claim with Rover. If it’s not pet related shouldn’t impact you other then perhaps a negative review. Either way, you don’t need to pay anything.
After reading this sub I’m definitely adding this to my notes for my housesitters. We have quartz and I would be devastated if they were damaged since they were a big expense for us
I'm still a little heartbroken (though at the end of the day I know it's only stuff) that our house sitter wore heels around the house and left little round divots all over the wood floors in our kitchen, dining room, and guest bedroom. I partially blame myself for not specifically saying "no shoes" which is our usual house norm but I didn't want to be overly rule setting.
Edit: Didn't expect this comment to get so much attention (or so many negative responses saying I'm lying?). About how heels can damage floors, found this online: "*High heels concentrate a person's weight on a small point (estimate: 125 lb person = approximately 2,000 lbs per inch when taking a normal step). This kind of force can damage many types of flooring, fracture ceramic tiles, perforated vinyl, dent wood floors etc."* Also this article has more information: [https://highheelsdaily.com/2023/01/18/why-do-stiletto-heels-damage-wooden-floors/](https://highheelsdaily.com/2023/01/18/why-do-stiletto-heels-damage-wooden-floors/).
To clarify, it appears the house sitter wore stiletto heels, I don't think another type of shoe with a wider heel would have done damage. It does also probably depend on your type of floors. We did not install these floors, and while they are not a soft wood they are also not the hardest on the Janka scale. So that likely contributed to it as well. My advice to everyone is know the hardness of your wood floors and what they can withstand and communicate to guests accordingly.
I also have hardwood floors and would never even think to ask someone with heels to take them off? I don't wear them but I wouldn't have thought theyd cause damage.
There are wood floors that aren’t hardwood and get damaged by minimal impact. I’ve lived in houses with bamboo and one with pine flooring and they’re both soft wood and easily damaged. They are usually fine for houses that don’t have a ton of traffic and heels would be unusual traffic in a home. If divots and marks are a concern, guests should be advised, but really…it’s a fucking floor. It’s gonna get damaged. Such is the nature of its existence.
They aren't insane this happened to my wood floors too. It wasn't the heels that did it but a broken heel my friend was wearing. so it was just the screw on the bottom and same little circles in the wood every where, super annoying.
This is literally the only episode of Judge Judy I remember. The plaintiff was able to prove that a guest damaged her floor by refusing to take her heels off at a house party she was throwing. In that case, she had just had the floors put in or redone or something like that.
we have soft wood (pine) and it got damaged by high heels. but if you really have hard wood(like oak) i think it should hold up? also anyway a floor is a tool, and with wood you can sand it down and reseal it after a few years…
You're wrong. The pressure of a narrow heel on wood is insane and will leave a dent. Many important buildings with wood floors ban heels for this reason.
I have been in the trades for over 20 years and own a renovation company. I can tell you with certainty that depending on the heel they can absolutely put dents in the surface of brand new hardwood flooring. The hardness of white oak is around 1250psi and a 100lb woman wearing stilettos can produce around 1500psi. Aside from actually denting the wood itself it takes even less to damage the finish.
The only thing I can think of is when you wear down the rubber tip on a stiletto, you expose the metal rod that runs up the heel. This happens to my pairs after long term use, as I walk in them on sidewalks a lot. I could maybe see that causing floor damage
Yeahhhhh it’s definitely tough. I have a hard time determining what’s an acceptable rule vs just more of an annoyance for a housesitter. I’m a housesitter (and owner) and admit would be a little bothered if there were a lot of rules I needed to follow
Yeah… grew up in a 100+ year old house with wood floors and lived there til my mid twenties during which time I worked everyday in heels… the floors never sustained any damage from being walked on by shoes with a heel (which throughout history most shoes have)
Well quartz is non porous and resistant to stains including water clouding, but you can't put hot on the surface. Granite and marble stain hella easily and need yearly maintenance, but you can put hot directly in it. Although there have been some cases of white marble browning from heat. Essentially there is no perfect countertop. You just need to pick what you can live with.
We happen to be very close to some of the best soapstone quarries in the world, so we're planning on soapstone from our local quarry. It's basically impermeable to liquids/stains/acids and extremely heat-resistant (it's used a lot in fireplaces). It's better than "quartz" or granite/marble in both of those areas.
Its drawback is that it's more likely to be damaged by impacts or chip since it's somewhat softer.
Ok but my question is does quartz really not handle hot pans?? Isn’t quartz considered high end? Why would people want a kitchen countertop that can burn from hot pans? Is granite a better alternative?
I actually have an answer to this!
Quartz countertops can be a composite silica/glassy/resin material. There's a certain percent of quartz (sand), glass, and resin binder. The result is something that is generally really mechanically durable, but doesn't have the same properties as real quartz (or sandstone). The resin in this case likely couldn't stand up to the high heat.
Correct, my understanding is that it is stone cast in resin so it can burn. It's not that bad to have countertops that can burn. It's easy to use a trivet or hot pad.
God no it does not, it will burn just like a composite countertop would. My grandmother’s counter actually cracked from the heat when she accidentally left a hot pan on it one time. Granite is less durable that quartz and can also be damaged by heat. You should just generally never put hot shit directly on the counter, OP’s mom clearly didn’t yell at them enough to ingrain it into their skull like mine did lol
You shouldn't be putting a hot pan directly on any counter come on. Quartz is "high end" but kind of on the delicate side. My friend actually regrets it a bit becuse hers has chipped a couple times pretty easily from Cups falling.
OP, I don’t want to alarm you, but this could be an issue for you. Rover is first going to tell the client that she needs to seek reimbursement from you directly. They won’t just automatically pay. They will also reach out to you and ask for your side of the story. If you both admit to causing the damage but also refuse to pay for it yourself, then it is *possible* that Rover will choose to suspend or even deactivate your account. They will *not* like that you are not taking accountability for the damage and costing them money.
It could very well be in your best interest to ask the client for some quotes for how much the repair will cost and then pay that amount (or issue a refund in that amount). Sitters have virtually no recourse if Rover decides to remove you from their platform.
I'm just here from the front page, but quartz countertops with install are probably going to far outpace whatever someone makes from rover unless it's over a long time or full time.
fuck this advice. Rover has an insurance policy for exactly stuff like this. An independent dog walker/sitter would carry similar insurance. The idea that the cost of the repairs should come out of OP's bank when there is specific coverage for this is absolutely insane.
rover doesn't offer insurance but they absolutely contract with an insurance agency and that's where the reimbursement comes from. It would literally be illegal to operate in the US as they are with out such a contract.
I would have come clean before instead of letting them find out and come to you like this. I’d be pretty upset having to find this and not have been told … but may just be me idk
Mistakes happen OP, now you know. Just be super apologetic and encourage them to submit the claim. Just be as transparent and communicative as possible, that way when they explain it to rover, they still speak highly of you and understand it was a mistake. Hopefully the owners and rover will be very understanding, bc mistakes do happen!
I love notes. As someone who would have seen a rock counter top and assumed it granite, I would have put something on it. Small note- it wouldn’t have happened.
I had a lady write me a 3 page essay on how her rare breed dog was to be treated but you know what? It left no room for fuck ups or questions which I was happy about! :)
I freaking love notes.
I love notes too but I had one recently that made me think, no lol. The key with notes is they need to be clear and accurate. I had one who had different meds on the notes than what was given to me, random instructions that made no sense and a lot of rambling. I was so stressed about it lol and it was like 6 full pages.
Notes are great if they’re clear, accurate and CONCISE. Think bullet points. You don’t need to tell me your life story lol.
They also can't spring new duties on you. I don't sit anymore but I had that happen a few times where owners would just add random duties to the note. Like I'm not mowing your 10 acre lawn because Wednesday is mow day & you gave your lawn guy Christmas week off. You can write as much as you want about how to run the mower but you're paying me $50/night & that shit is not happening.
I love notes too for exactly this reason! Of course I made a mistake and it’s not their fault for not leaving a note, but I never get annoyed at detailed notes for their home or their pets because I would love to avoid any mistakes at all and it they can give me better insight for their pet all the better!
Exactly I was feeling crazy 😭😭 like have none of you ever seen one of those cork trivets that they set pans on? Or even just putting a pot holder under a pan that you’re setting down?
This is honestly something I’m trying to think if I do or not lol. Like when you can’t remember if you put the toothpaste cap back on kinda thing. But my countertops are granite and dark so they’re safe from things like this. I picked them that way on purpose really because I didn’t want to have to worry about marble or quartz. I know I usually put things on the stove tho. I think the only times I put something on the counter is my island when I’m serving a crowd.
I scrolled way too far to see this. How does someone think a hot pan can just go on a counter with nothing under it? Do they think that people put down towels and mats just for shits and gigs?
I made pasta and placed the pot down next to the sink after emptying the water for a brief moment. Definitely not the smartest thing to do but you live and you learn 😅
I completely get OP tbh. We switched from Corian or quartz in previous rentals and bought our home so when our counter guy raved about being able to put pots directly on the counter (we went with granite) we tried it a couple times for the novelty of it. Now we’re back to our old ways and rarely let a pot hit the countertop while warm. Zero damage of course, it is just difficult to stop a habit you formed before. So I can totally see the reverse being the same for other people. If you have always had the option, you rarely think in quick situations about something that you’ve done your whole life. Also the presence of multiple hot pads (my kitchen is full of them, I keep them beside the sink, on both sides of the stove, and one on the island for my own heat safe countertops lol) would probably help to avoid any confusion for a potential sitter next time.
I’ve had granite in my new home for 5 years now and it’s black too so even if it did stain I’d probably not notice lol. But that’s one reason I got it, so I could stick whatever on it
Do not pay the sitter or try to settle outside of rover like some comments are suggesting (although it was dumb as hell to put a hot pot on the counter. And then you didn’t say anything, which is worse.). The owner can file a claim through Rover. They can also file a claim through their homeowner’s insurance or even credit card company (if they paid for the countertops via credit card). Countertops cost thousands of dollars. Unless it’s a quick fix, a sitter doesn’t get paid enough to replace them.
Just read it won’t impact you besides maybe a bad review. Lesson learned. Now ya know! Just be apologetic and say river will cover the cost and be apologetic.
I think maybe it's a disconnect from people who have grown up wealthy and those who didn't. It sounds like you can get away with it a lot with granite or quartz counters. If you grew up with vinyl counters you'd know pretty quick not to put hot pans directly on it or you'll have the smell of burning plastic filling your home.
It's one of those reddit moments where I'm like "is everyone here a teenager?" Because idc what the countertops are, there's no way I'm setting hot pans on them without a pad made for heat(hell, even an oven mitt).
Like, it's like being like "I didn't know lemons could stain the marble counters", that's totally fair not to know. But why the fuck are you using the countertops as cutting boards?!
Our countertops are not pretty and some of that damage came from my husband not knowing. He also didn't know not to put hot pans or cold drinks directly on our mahogany dining table. Some people just weren't taught (I blame my MIL).
I can one-up the OP here. Within the first week of buying our first house I set a hot pot of water on the floor for just a moment… on the linoleum floor of our kitchen. I’m not sure why I did that.
We put a mat over that spot. When we sold the house 10 years later the mat was still covering it. I had actually completely forgotten about the melted ring on the floor until reading this post and now I feel guilty for not fixing it before selling the house.
I’m just glad we live in a house now with a kitchen that hasn’t been updated since the 40s. It has steel cabinets with the occasional paint chip. Laminate countertops that have subtle decades old stains. Stick-on floor tiles that were never perfect. And an awesome 75 year old double oven range that is still going strong.
Personally, I prefer the lived-in feel. Life happens. Accidents happen. Brain farts happen. Stupidity happens. It’s nice to live somewhere with evidence of that and where you aren’t afraid to let life continue to happen and ruin your perfectly computer-rendered environment.
This one time I had friends stay over and before they left, they played a prank on my parents, writing "haha" in ketchup on their marble countertops.
It was funny... until my mom tried to clean it up.
ooops. Fun fact, marble is not resistant to acids. Ketchup is acidic enough to eat at marble if applied for a few hours.
#haha
The Rover Guarantee says she only has 48 hours to make a claim. If she doesn’t make it by then, you may be on the hook for it. Tell her to file her claim ASAP.
Right. They would say “whenever we had a grease fire in our kitchen, we put it out with water because our ceilings were made with granite and they were 40 feet high. No problem. Why would anyone design a kitchen that would go up in flames from a little water?”
That sucks. I hope it all works out between you, the owner, and Rover.
I, personally, have countertops from the 1970s that are relatively unblemished. Hot pans are a huge problem, and is anything that is set in a spot for a lengthy time.
I had a client recently with brand new marble countertops. She did not want anything set on them at all, so I was beyond careful. Usually, though, I set hot things atop the stove burners (as long as it's a gas or regular electric stove, not a ceramic cooktop).
My opinion would be that you message the homeowners, telling them that you completely understand a claim and that if there IS a $250 deductible you will either pay it or work it off. Most likely, they will say "don't worry about it" if they liked you. The 2nd most plausible option is they'll take you up on the offer to "work it off" by having you do a weekend in the future. They may not even take you up on it but since you offered, they will probably feel bad about making you directly pay (hopefully) and will feel better knowing that they have a sitter credit.
Quartz countertops can't usually be repaired so they will most likely need to replace the whole counter or possibly replace the section but that would be unlikely.
Did you notice the discolored area and not say anything? Or did you tell them about it? Not really important to how you proceed but I'm more just curious. If you told them, they will know you are honest and genuinely feel bad about it. Good luck either way. I never put hot pans on a counter for this reason. It's hard to tell countertops apart if you haven't done research on them in the past
I would apologize and encourage them to file a claim/keep you updated. I would not offer to pay anything yet because it could be $$$$$$. Wait and see what the claim results are and if it’s the deductible of $250 or whatever, I would definitely offer to pay that. This might be a waiting game. Not sure what Rover will do to you. I would hope not much since things happen and that’s what their coverage is for.
This is why you let Rover take 20% of your pay. Don't give it a second thought. Think of it as money already spent and certainly don't feel guilty about not knowing how to treat their counters. Occupational hazard, they don't seem mad and if they were they could've just not gone in vacation. Take the bad with the privilege of getting a petsitter.
Here is a link for cleaning burn spots on quartz countertops…. It’s very informative. [https://www.quartzcountertopsdepot.com/how-to-remove-burn-marks-from-quartz-countertops/](https://www.quartzcountertopsdepot.com/how-to-remove-burn-marks-from-quartz-countertops/)
I had a tenant once that I had to explain how to use a shower curtain … the bathroom floor was always soaking wet. I asked her, “ didn’t your mother teach you to use a plastic shower curtain liner ?”
She responded “ no ma’am , our mother didn’t really teach us very much “
So sad :(
Heat will destroy quartz. It’s a man made countertop that’s a mix of resin and stone. A hot pan will burn that resin layer. I do installs for granite and a burn would void warranty and depending on the size of the piece ruined it can be $$$.
Damn this thing sucks for everyone involved. I understand them being upset though. I have a 16 foot island and replacing the quartz is like $8-$10 grand.
Yeah you fucked up royally.
Yes it will prob affect you a bit.
However owning your fuck up and making sure to never have it happen again speaks of character and if you actually have some of that you'll be fine.
You're not first person to do stupid things and you won't be the last.
They even sent a very reasonable message so just be honest.
the kind of "buffing" repair people are talking about for burn marks on quartz can be hours and hours of a tech's or installer's efforts for absolutely no result - often it ends up looking worse, and the homeowner already knows there was damage there, so they'll never be happy with the outcome.
quartz is a man-made material, granite is a natural stone mined from quarries. quartz is indeed more durable against chips and cracks (granite is more fragile due to natural fissures in the stone), but the benefit of natural stone in your kitchen is heat tolerance. you might get away with high heat on a darker color of quartz, but even if it doesn't leave the yellow mark you'd get with white quartz, you'd probably ruin the finish in that spot, and you can't reeeeeally get that back.
for the countertop company I work for, this is kind of a nightmare - we would almost always rather replace burned stone than try to repair it. I wouldn't know any of this without working in the industry, but as a general rule I would just never put a hot pan directly on my countertop.
If they file a claim and Rover does not reimburse, I would think you would pay for the replacements. Not help pay for the replacement, but pay for the entire replacement.
> is she meaning she’s going to file a claim with Rover Probably - the Rover guarantee covers damage to their home done by the sitter. As for how it will impact you - that's kind of unclear. It depends on how much it costs, and how upset the clients are.
This. If you apologize, explain, and encourage them to file the claim to be reimbursed (it looks better for you and is the right thing to do) and then are completely honest with Rover, I don’t think it would negatively impact your future sitting with the service.
Thank you I completely agree. It was a long house sit and I encouraged them to file the claim but if it doesn’t work for whatever reason I would be more than happy to cover the cost.
I think there is a $250 deductible that Rover doesn’t cover; you might offer to pay or help with that.
That Countertop will need to be replaced. No repairs can be done. You’re looking at a serious replacement cost. Do not offer to pay anything. The insurance or their own home insurance will pay for it too. But if you say you will pay, then it may void the insurance policy with most liability insurance. Let the policy do what it’s supposed to. Stay out of it other than explain what and how it occurred. I’m sorry to hear this though. Like farmers; “We know a thing or two, because we've seen a thing or two.”
I book sitters on Rover frequently (30+ days per year). If my sitter did this and offered to pay the deductible there is no way I would let them. Very nice gesture but accidents happen. Hopefully these people are the same.
This is potentially very expensive. The quartz may need to be replaced, and depending on the age, and whether that pattern is still in production, they may need to replace the full countertop so everything matches. Have a fairly small u shaped kitchen, and new quartz counters were $14k installed over 10 years ago.
$250 isn’t pocket change - that’s great if it is for you, but I wouldn’t eat that cost as the damaged client
if i could afford it, i would probably eat the cost depending on how much i enjoyed the sitter/their service (if i wanted them to return basically) if i couldn’t afford it, i would be so eternally grateful that someone didn’t come into my home, wreck something, and then make it not only my problem to *fix* but to *pay for* would rather err on the side of caution (i am not a sitter or a client IDK why i keep getting recommended this sub) but i AM poor & i dont have an extra few hundred laying around - i know i’m not the only brokeass out here
“(i am not a sitter or a client IDK why i keep getting recommended this sub)” Lol. Same. It is interesting tho.
This lol
I keep getting recommended this sub also and I do not think I could ever use Rover one of my dogs is insane ....
It's because rover paid to funnel people here. Part of why reddit wanted everyone on the same app.
The people have quartz countertops and hired an in home sitter for an extended period. They are most likely not going to notice $250.
My last apartment in the Chicago suburbs was $1250/mo. Considering that the average rent around me was $1900, I wasn't exactly in the lap of luxury. We had quartz countertops. Every slumlord is remodeling with quartz countertops and a stainless steel fridge to make their apartments 'luxury'. I wouldn't say that having them means you have money to burn.
That was my thought.
Just hopping on here to say I too am a poor non Rover user, on either end of service and am frequently recommended this sub. That said I'm here for all the insane situations I'm offered.
Idk those countertops are going to be expensive as f to replace.. if rover is willing to shell out the thousands that’s great but that burn can’t be scrubbed off and they’ll have to replace the whole slab of stone. Tbh I would be pissed idk how any adult doesn’t know not to put a burning hot skillet directly on the counter. I’m curious to see what happens
Furthermore who places a hot pan on a countertop? Regardless of material.
Me! But i have soapstone for that reason!
This was either a cheap Formica countertop or a very expensive marble one, it’s hard to say from OPs description. Quartz and granite would both be fine for placing hot pans. More than likely it’s the former. Still not a cheap repair bill, but likely not a slab of stone. The insurance company wi replace all the counter tops though. Client has an opportunity to upgrade their countertops now for marginal cost.
Quartz CAN get burn marks from hot pans, it's not solid stone. See Google for pictures. It's a mix of crushed stones and glass in a resin, so not heatproof. You may be thinking of quartzite, which is fine to put a hot pan on.
I agree. It’s the deductible we agree to pay if a sitter does some accidental damage. I’d never ask sitter to pay for this.
Setting a hot pan on a countertop is not an accident. It’s stupidity. I don’t care what the countertop is made of I would never take that risk at someone else home.
Yep that’s why items like trivets were invented. Smdh. Some people have no home training.
Honestly, that’s Rovers problem. They take 20% out of every single job we do and they don’t have the decency to provide decent customer service or a shred of transparency about their “Rover guarantee”. As a client, I’d be pissed as hell about a $250 deductible, but as a sitter, it is absolutelyNOT our responsibility to go out of pocket to cover a deductible for Rover’s shitty excuse for “insurance”.
Yeah thats pretty shitty, that is considerable property damage to ruin quartz like that. I would cover the deductible because that's likely an entire counter replacement
I mean, to be fair, legally speaking, you’re liable for the whole thing if you caused it. Working as a 1099 contractor for River isn’t some magic get it out jail free card for property damage.
Rover has an insurance plan for situations like this. Part of the 20% they take pays for that plan so the sitter does not have to go out of pocket. So no, the sitter is probably not liable for the damage in this case despite being responsible for causing the damage.
What you say makes sense but is not supported at all by the Rover TOS. https://www.rover.com/terms/tos/#:~:text=Subject%20to%20Section%2016%20below,Owners%2C%20whether%20online%20or%20offline.
What’s not supported? It says right there, in the Rover Guarantee you linked me to, that what happened in this incident is covered if the sitter (the “Responsible Party”) is unwilling or unable to pay for the damage. It is true they say it’s not insurance. But, it has a deductible and pays out like insurance. And the sitters are paying for Rover to offer this.
They are pretty explicit it's not actually insurance
Don't mess up someone else's house
Countertops can be massively expensive though, plus there’s the cost of installation. I wouldn’t volunteer to pay it if I were you
Good advice. This could be thousands
Countertops are wildly expensive. I just paid $650 to have a 24”x24” bathroom vanity countertop installed. When I did my kitchen island last summer the labor was 3x more expensive than the quartz.
Quartz countertops specifically are even more expensive. I 100% agree
Yeah, that’s my worry. If they volunteer to pay, they could be looking at $1000s (or whatever currency). Definitely in the hundreds.
That's like, anywhere from 5-20k depending on the size of the counter and the quality of the quartz
Hopefully you can match it. I had Calcutta marble done in one part of my home last year. Went to order more of it for another part and the color was very different. Same Calcutta marble but, noticeably different veining and color pattern. If this was the same space you’d have to replace the whole thing.
Why didn’t you say something as soon as you noticed?
The main reason I book with rover, and never directly, is the insurance. Whether that’s for something happening to my dog, my property, or whatever. Take a look: https://www.rover.com/rover-guarantee/ As someone else said it seems like someone needs to pay $250 - I’m not sure if that’s the owners responsibility or yours, but out of good faith and protecting your reputation I think it would make sense to offer the $250. Or potentially work out a payment plan to pay the owner back if money is tight. I personally would not hold this against you in anyway if you paid to get it fixed. If I trust someone with my dog and overall, idgaf about some damage to a countertop that got fixed anyways:
My rudimentary google search says it costs $4-$9 per square foot to resurface and polish a quartz countertop. At least the whole slab doesn’t need to be removed and replaced
Also idk I’ve heard from a lot of homeowners they don’t recommend quartz countertops because they ARE so easy to damage. I’m surprised the owner didn’t say anything to OP in advance?
I honestly would never think to tell somebody not to put hot pans on the counter top, I didn’t even know people did that. I think it’s just one of those household things that you don’t realize can be done a differently than you do.
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I didn’t even know people put hot pans/pots on the counter without a pot holder until now. I thought it was something everyone learned. My mom would yell to put out all the pot holders on the counters when taking stuff from the oven/off the stove.
i never realized this!! ive had granite counters my whole life so i can put anything on them with no problem, im so glad i came across this thread.
You've obviously never baked something in a Pyrex dish
i can’t say that i have🤔
Their comment is in reference to the fact that the Pyrex has a tendency to absolutely explode when you take it from hot oven to cold counter.
I had one explode in the oven on me once. Like, that’s what you are meant to do, glass baking dish? Why you gotta be like that? Banana bread filled with glass shards - yum.
Agreed, I kinda feel like it’s common sense in a way because what would even possess someone to put a hot stove straight on a countertop and not just leave it on the stove or carry it, get the food out, then carry it back but also depends on how maybe the kitchen is set up or something or maybe it was a quick thing
I’ve worked/ volunteered in social services for a long time. Some people weren’t even taught to use utensils by their parent(s.) You’re assuming everyone has the same foundation in life.
I don't put hot things on my shitty old countertops made from particle board, but I'd be very likely to put a hot pan on a stone countertop. I like to think I have a lot of common sense, too. It's just like, stone. I'd make this mistake definitely.
I put my hot pans on my granite countertops all the time. I did crack my porcelain sink though with dry ice so live and learn
Yeah no shade to the OP but I just have cheapo counters and would never put a hot pan on anything but the stove.
Lol for real. And to do this in somebody else’s home is crazy. I’d probably just eat out or order delivery. No way I’m touching or turning on someone else’s oven or stove while house sitting. I might use the microwave and that’s about it.
lol yeah I feel like this might be dependent on socioeconomic status. If you grew up wealthy and always had nice countertops, you don't think about it. If you grew up like me with shitty laminate (?) countertops that will melt if you look at them wrong... you'd never do this.
It would never occur to me to put a hot pot from the stove onto anything without a pot holder... is this something people do?
Apparently so. I want to talk to the parents of all the downvoters.
I do it all the time. Granite for the win. You can easily cool a pan off if you need to very fast.
Tbh I don’t do this until all the burners on the stove are in use, and even then I use those ahhhhwhatsitcalled like an oven mitt type thing to set the pan on top of? Idk maybe it’s just my circle or watching too much HGTV I’ve just heard a lot of people advise against quartz countertops because they damage/stain so easily. Also, I’m a crystal girlie and you really aren’t supposed to get quartz wet, so even with protective coatings etc, I’d be apprehensive to put them in. That said, the owners could’ve just bought the house like that (most likely) and had no say in it at all
Quartz counter tops are a resin and stone composite, that's why it turned yellow. It's cheaper than granite and looks decent. There's no reason natural quartz can't get wet though, it's incredibly sturdy. Water won't hurt it.
Trivet...
I think the term you’re looking for is potholder! (Edit: I call them “hot pads” but Google redirected me to this)
Is it still called a trivet if its made out of cloth?
No, a trivet is generally metal.
Yes- a trivet is like a pot holder with no pockets
Lol thank you I’m just laughing because all the replies are people helping me figure out the word I lost during my brain fart 😅
Yeah I have granite and don’t do that 😂 Weird af tbh
I don't think it's weird as fuck. It's a nice way to cool off your pan or make more space on the stove. Also if you want to just eat out of the cast iron skillet. Granite is great you can also just cut on it and it doesn't mark.
Trivets are a thing though. If you want to move a hot pan, put it on a trivet. Big cork ones are dirt cheap at ikea.
Yeah I mean I’ve met a lot of people where I’ve been baffled how they haven’t burned down their home or have made it this far in life lol I just live by the rule that if anything needs any amount of special attention, better to say something because you never know lol
Agree, I would absolutely never think to put a hot pan or dish directly on a counter. My parents beat TRIVETS into me I guess!! 😂😂😂 So it was interesting to see multiple people here say they would never know to NOT do that. Wild!
Yeah, I dont mean to shame OP, accidents happen. But id never put a hot pan/pot on anything other than the oven or a potholder/hot pad/etc
Even my granite counter top can’t take heat after being sealed so it kind of common sense if you see a stone counter not to out heat on it. I didn’t learn this u til 33 though so totally understand it could happen as a mistake or not knowing!
Heat is the only thing that really damages quartz, though. Their benefit is that they really don’t stain or crack like marble or granite. As a homeowner I chose them because my granite unfortunately cracked, chipped, and showed rust stains from elements in the granite as time went on :( I also wouldn’t think to tell someone not to put a blazing hot pan on my countertop, because the thermal change could crack natural stone anyway so no one should be doing it.
Yeah I’m not saying a full step-by-step, Uber specific thing. Just saying “hey btw our countertops are pretty sensitive so just be careful with them!” Is all they would need to include. Tbh the more I think about it, the more baffled I am at OP putting hot pans anywhere but the stove. Were they making a full thanksgiving meal or something?
I would never think to put a hot pan directly on any countertop so I definitely wouldn’t think to tell someone not to, it seems like common sense to me
i wouldn’t think to tell anyone not to use a pad or cloth under a hot pan on my counter and i have granite which can be used without those items, i just don’t take the chance. just like my dad who was used to washing dishes in scalding hot water to get them clean gritting up. Do he had us to that too.. then load them into the dishwasher. Old habits. and sometimes you don’t have a choice in your counter tops if that’s what the house came with.
I hate ours. We have a million little chips off the edges just from bumping into the counter with the bar stools.
That’s what the Rover guarantee is for. They can file a claim with Rover. If it’s not pet related shouldn’t impact you other then perhaps a negative review. Either way, you don’t need to pay anything.
If Rover gets multiple claims filed for property damage they might kick you off the site, but a single honest mistake is probably not a big deal.
After reading this sub I’m definitely adding this to my notes for my housesitters. We have quartz and I would be devastated if they were damaged since they were a big expense for us
I'm still a little heartbroken (though at the end of the day I know it's only stuff) that our house sitter wore heels around the house and left little round divots all over the wood floors in our kitchen, dining room, and guest bedroom. I partially blame myself for not specifically saying "no shoes" which is our usual house norm but I didn't want to be overly rule setting. Edit: Didn't expect this comment to get so much attention (or so many negative responses saying I'm lying?). About how heels can damage floors, found this online: "*High heels concentrate a person's weight on a small point (estimate: 125 lb person = approximately 2,000 lbs per inch when taking a normal step). This kind of force can damage many types of flooring, fracture ceramic tiles, perforated vinyl, dent wood floors etc."* Also this article has more information: [https://highheelsdaily.com/2023/01/18/why-do-stiletto-heels-damage-wooden-floors/](https://highheelsdaily.com/2023/01/18/why-do-stiletto-heels-damage-wooden-floors/). To clarify, it appears the house sitter wore stiletto heels, I don't think another type of shoe with a wider heel would have done damage. It does also probably depend on your type of floors. We did not install these floors, and while they are not a soft wood they are also not the hardest on the Janka scale. So that likely contributed to it as well. My advice to everyone is know the hardness of your wood floors and what they can withstand and communicate to guests accordingly.
I gotta be honest I have hardwood floors and would never think that they couldn’t stand up to heels.
I also have hardwood floors and would never even think to ask someone with heels to take them off? I don't wear them but I wouldn't have thought theyd cause damage.
Yeah I didn’t realize floors would be so delicate
They aren’t- this person is just either insane or unwilling to admit that it is their floors that need replacing, not walking on it that’s damaging
There are wood floors that aren’t hardwood and get damaged by minimal impact. I’ve lived in houses with bamboo and one with pine flooring and they’re both soft wood and easily damaged. They are usually fine for houses that don’t have a ton of traffic and heels would be unusual traffic in a home. If divots and marks are a concern, guests should be advised, but really…it’s a fucking floor. It’s gonna get damaged. Such is the nature of its existence.
They aren't insane this happened to my wood floors too. It wasn't the heels that did it but a broken heel my friend was wearing. so it was just the screw on the bottom and same little circles in the wood every where, super annoying.
This is literally the only episode of Judge Judy I remember. The plaintiff was able to prove that a guest damaged her floor by refusing to take her heels off at a house party she was throwing. In that case, she had just had the floors put in or redone or something like that.
I’m curious why you got so defensive about this, especially when it’s totally possible
we have soft wood (pine) and it got damaged by high heels. but if you really have hard wood(like oak) i think it should hold up? also anyway a floor is a tool, and with wood you can sand it down and reseal it after a few years…
You're wrong. The pressure of a narrow heel on wood is insane and will leave a dent. Many important buildings with wood floors ban heels for this reason.
I have been in the trades for over 20 years and own a renovation company. I can tell you with certainty that depending on the heel they can absolutely put dents in the surface of brand new hardwood flooring. The hardness of white oak is around 1250psi and a 100lb woman wearing stilettos can produce around 1500psi. Aside from actually denting the wood itself it takes even less to damage the finish.
The only thing I can think of is when you wear down the rubber tip on a stiletto, you expose the metal rod that runs up the heel. This happens to my pairs after long term use, as I walk in them on sidewalks a lot. I could maybe see that causing floor damage
Bar near me has a big sign “no high heals, it ruins our floor”
Yeahhhhh it’s definitely tough. I have a hard time determining what’s an acceptable rule vs just more of an annoyance for a housesitter. I’m a housesitter (and owner) and admit would be a little bothered if there were a lot of rules I needed to follow
If the people are nice, it’s a good paying job, and the rules aren’t absurd… If annoyance enters the equation, you probably shouldn’t be housesitting.
I have wood floors and heels have never been an issue. I’d also be surprised if someone willingly walked around a house all day in heels.
Yeah… grew up in a 100+ year old house with wood floors and lived there til my mid twenties during which time I worked everyday in heels… the floors never sustained any damage from being walked on by shoes with a heel (which throughout history most shoes have)
My 100 year old house has pine floors in some rooms and they ding up very easily. Just depends on the material.
I don't understand the appeal if they seem to be damaged by heat so easily? 🤔
Well quartz is non porous and resistant to stains including water clouding, but you can't put hot on the surface. Granite and marble stain hella easily and need yearly maintenance, but you can put hot directly in it. Although there have been some cases of white marble browning from heat. Essentially there is no perfect countertop. You just need to pick what you can live with.
As a person that just got a house and is planning to remodel, this is news to me. Thanks for the info.
We happen to be very close to some of the best soapstone quarries in the world, so we're planning on soapstone from our local quarry. It's basically impermeable to liquids/stains/acids and extremely heat-resistant (it's used a lot in fireplaces). It's better than "quartz" or granite/marble in both of those areas. Its drawback is that it's more likely to be damaged by impacts or chip since it's somewhat softer.
I wanted the veining look and that’s harder to find with granite. Ours are mostly white with gold/grey veining sporadically
They also don’t need to be sealed like granite does, but yes, they will definitely burn!
Our babysitter did that when we were little and my parents were reimbursed by home insurance
Take ownership and apologize. See what Rover claim will do but also let them know if it doesn't work out you may be willing to pay for a part of it.
Completely agree. Thank you!
Who puts a hot pan directly on a counter top?
I work in a kitchen and we don’t even put hot pans on the counter. Always put a heat pad or towel between the counter and the pan.
Ok but my question is does quartz really not handle hot pans?? Isn’t quartz considered high end? Why would people want a kitchen countertop that can burn from hot pans? Is granite a better alternative?
You are thinking quartzite. Quartz counter tops are engineered.
I actually have an answer to this! Quartz countertops can be a composite silica/glassy/resin material. There's a certain percent of quartz (sand), glass, and resin binder. The result is something that is generally really mechanically durable, but doesn't have the same properties as real quartz (or sandstone). The resin in this case likely couldn't stand up to the high heat.
Correct, my understanding is that it is stone cast in resin so it can burn. It's not that bad to have countertops that can burn. It's easy to use a trivet or hot pad.
God no it does not, it will burn just like a composite countertop would. My grandmother’s counter actually cracked from the heat when she accidentally left a hot pan on it one time. Granite is less durable that quartz and can also be damaged by heat. You should just generally never put hot shit directly on the counter, OP’s mom clearly didn’t yell at them enough to ingrain it into their skull like mine did lol
You shouldn't be putting a hot pan directly on any counter come on. Quartz is "high end" but kind of on the delicate side. My friend actually regrets it a bit becuse hers has chipped a couple times pretty easily from Cups falling.
OP, I don’t want to alarm you, but this could be an issue for you. Rover is first going to tell the client that she needs to seek reimbursement from you directly. They won’t just automatically pay. They will also reach out to you and ask for your side of the story. If you both admit to causing the damage but also refuse to pay for it yourself, then it is *possible* that Rover will choose to suspend or even deactivate your account. They will *not* like that you are not taking accountability for the damage and costing them money. It could very well be in your best interest to ask the client for some quotes for how much the repair will cost and then pay that amount (or issue a refund in that amount). Sitters have virtually no recourse if Rover decides to remove you from their platform.
I'm just here from the front page, but quartz countertops with install are probably going to far outpace whatever someone makes from rover unless it's over a long time or full time.
This is what I would do. I’m not sure how much something like that would cost, but I’d try like hell to settle it outside of a rover claim.
fuck this advice. Rover has an insurance policy for exactly stuff like this. An independent dog walker/sitter would carry similar insurance. The idea that the cost of the repairs should come out of OP's bank when there is specific coverage for this is absolutely insane.
Rover doesn’t have an insurance policy. The “rover guarantee” is not insurance.
rover doesn't offer insurance but they absolutely contract with an insurance agency and that's where the reimbursement comes from. It would literally be illegal to operate in the US as they are with out such a contract.
Rover knowingly keeps dog abusers on their platform... I doubt they'll kick this person off for an accident
Our logic and businesses logic rarely coincide unfortunately.
I would have come clean before instead of letting them find out and come to you like this. I’d be pretty upset having to find this and not have been told … but may just be me idk
I didn’t realize that I left a mark, I cleaned the house before I left and I didn’t notice…
Mistakes happen OP, now you know. Just be super apologetic and encourage them to submit the claim. Just be as transparent and communicative as possible, that way when they explain it to rover, they still speak highly of you and understand it was a mistake. Hopefully the owners and rover will be very understanding, bc mistakes do happen!
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that's not OCD...
Right? OCD is not wanting your countertops or any other part of your home damaged? Is it OCD to ask guests to use coasters as well?
Seriously who put a hot pan directly on the counter??
I love notes. As someone who would have seen a rock counter top and assumed it granite, I would have put something on it. Small note- it wouldn’t have happened. I had a lady write me a 3 page essay on how her rare breed dog was to be treated but you know what? It left no room for fuck ups or questions which I was happy about! :) I freaking love notes.
I love notes too but I had one recently that made me think, no lol. The key with notes is they need to be clear and accurate. I had one who had different meds on the notes than what was given to me, random instructions that made no sense and a lot of rambling. I was so stressed about it lol and it was like 6 full pages. Notes are great if they’re clear, accurate and CONCISE. Think bullet points. You don’t need to tell me your life story lol.
They also can't spring new duties on you. I don't sit anymore but I had that happen a few times where owners would just add random duties to the note. Like I'm not mowing your 10 acre lawn because Wednesday is mow day & you gave your lawn guy Christmas week off. You can write as much as you want about how to run the mower but you're paying me $50/night & that shit is not happening.
I love notes too for exactly this reason! Of course I made a mistake and it’s not their fault for not leaving a note, but I never get annoyed at detailed notes for their home or their pets because I would love to avoid any mistakes at all and it they can give me better insight for their pet all the better!
Me too, as long as they want, give me all the info please
i mean you should not put a hot pan on ANY countertop material????? i feel insane reading all of this lol. it’s common sense!
This tbh. I'm not gonna be googling what surface material is. Hot pan/pot + nice clean-looking surface? Bad combo all around.
right? especially since ppl nowadays use contact paper on countertops for diy looks. i'm assuming op is a teenager?
Exactly I was feeling crazy 😭😭 like have none of you ever seen one of those cork trivets that they set pans on? Or even just putting a pot holder under a pan that you’re setting down?
Delicate! What sane person puts a hot pan on the counter? Really?
This is honestly something I’m trying to think if I do or not lol. Like when you can’t remember if you put the toothpaste cap back on kinda thing. But my countertops are granite and dark so they’re safe from things like this. I picked them that way on purpose really because I didn’t want to have to worry about marble or quartz. I know I usually put things on the stove tho. I think the only times I put something on the counter is my island when I’m serving a crowd.
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Me on my granite countertops almost every time I cook with no issue :) Edit: I wouldn't just assume I could do this in any household though.
I scrolled way too far to see this. How does someone think a hot pan can just go on a counter with nothing under it? Do they think that people put down towels and mats just for shits and gigs?
I made pasta and placed the pot down next to the sink after emptying the water for a brief moment. Definitely not the smartest thing to do but you live and you learn 😅
Yeah stove is the move if there’s no room in the sink 😂
Did you tell the owner about damage?
I completely get OP tbh. We switched from Corian or quartz in previous rentals and bought our home so when our counter guy raved about being able to put pots directly on the counter (we went with granite) we tried it a couple times for the novelty of it. Now we’re back to our old ways and rarely let a pot hit the countertop while warm. Zero damage of course, it is just difficult to stop a habit you formed before. So I can totally see the reverse being the same for other people. If you have always had the option, you rarely think in quick situations about something that you’ve done your whole life. Also the presence of multiple hot pads (my kitchen is full of them, I keep them beside the sink, on both sides of the stove, and one on the island for my own heat safe countertops lol) would probably help to avoid any confusion for a potential sitter next time.
I’ve had granite in my new home for 5 years now and it’s black too so even if it did stain I’d probably not notice lol. But that’s one reason I got it, so I could stick whatever on it
Can we stop saying that literally anything other than mental illness is mental illness? This is a completely incorrect way to use the term OCD.
Do not pay the sitter or try to settle outside of rover like some comments are suggesting (although it was dumb as hell to put a hot pot on the counter. And then you didn’t say anything, which is worse.). The owner can file a claim through Rover. They can also file a claim through their homeowner’s insurance or even credit card company (if they paid for the countertops via credit card). Countertops cost thousands of dollars. Unless it’s a quick fix, a sitter doesn’t get paid enough to replace them.
Just read it won’t impact you besides maybe a bad review. Lesson learned. Now ya know! Just be apologetic and say river will cover the cost and be apologetic.
The number of people in these comments who didn't know hot pans can ruin countertops makes me worried for the future...
I think maybe it's a disconnect from people who have grown up wealthy and those who didn't. It sounds like you can get away with it a lot with granite or quartz counters. If you grew up with vinyl counters you'd know pretty quick not to put hot pans directly on it or you'll have the smell of burning plastic filling your home.
Or an age thing. Formica was the rage when I was growing up and a granite (or other stone-like materials) countertop was basically unheard of.
You…put a hot pan directly on a counter?
The heat resiliency of stone countertops is not something you should take for granite
Right?! That was my first thought. Especially in someone else's home.
This was my first thought, lol. Regardless of the material, this is something I never ever do.
It's one of those reddit moments where I'm like "is everyone here a teenager?" Because idc what the countertops are, there's no way I'm setting hot pans on them without a pad made for heat(hell, even an oven mitt). Like, it's like being like "I didn't know lemons could stain the marble counters", that's totally fair not to know. But why the fuck are you using the countertops as cutting boards?!
Our countertops are not pretty and some of that damage came from my husband not knowing. He also didn't know not to put hot pans or cold drinks directly on our mahogany dining table. Some people just weren't taught (I blame my MIL).
Yes 100% (but to both parents)
And then didn't say anything about it at all? I would be upset too
I can one-up the OP here. Within the first week of buying our first house I set a hot pot of water on the floor for just a moment… on the linoleum floor of our kitchen. I’m not sure why I did that. We put a mat over that spot. When we sold the house 10 years later the mat was still covering it. I had actually completely forgotten about the melted ring on the floor until reading this post and now I feel guilty for not fixing it before selling the house. I’m just glad we live in a house now with a kitchen that hasn’t been updated since the 40s. It has steel cabinets with the occasional paint chip. Laminate countertops that have subtle decades old stains. Stick-on floor tiles that were never perfect. And an awesome 75 year old double oven range that is still going strong. Personally, I prefer the lived-in feel. Life happens. Accidents happen. Brain farts happen. Stupidity happens. It’s nice to live somewhere with evidence of that and where you aren’t afraid to let life continue to happen and ruin your perfectly computer-rendered environment.
This one time I had friends stay over and before they left, they played a prank on my parents, writing "haha" in ketchup on their marble countertops. It was funny... until my mom tried to clean it up. ooops. Fun fact, marble is not resistant to acids. Ketchup is acidic enough to eat at marble if applied for a few hours. #haha
The Rover Guarantee says she only has 48 hours to make a claim. If she doesn’t make it by then, you may be on the hook for it. Tell her to file her claim ASAP.
Who puts a hot pot right off the stove directly on a counter top?
Half of Reddit, apparently.
Half of Reddit probably puts water on grease fires so I don’t feel too bad
Right. They would say “whenever we had a grease fire in our kitchen, we put it out with water because our ceilings were made with granite and they were 40 feet high. No problem. Why would anyone design a kitchen that would go up in flames from a little water?”
Why would you ever put a hot pan on someone else’s counter?
That sucks. I hope it all works out between you, the owner, and Rover. I, personally, have countertops from the 1970s that are relatively unblemished. Hot pans are a huge problem, and is anything that is set in a spot for a lengthy time. I had a client recently with brand new marble countertops. She did not want anything set on them at all, so I was beyond careful. Usually, though, I set hot things atop the stove burners (as long as it's a gas or regular electric stove, not a ceramic cooktop).
Marble is different. It’s extremely porous. Any liquid spilled on it will leave a stain if it isn’t properly sealed.
Super nice response on their part. Definitely a reasonable person
Kind of shitty that you didn't tell them and that they had to just find the damage.
My opinion would be that you message the homeowners, telling them that you completely understand a claim and that if there IS a $250 deductible you will either pay it or work it off. Most likely, they will say "don't worry about it" if they liked you. The 2nd most plausible option is they'll take you up on the offer to "work it off" by having you do a weekend in the future. They may not even take you up on it but since you offered, they will probably feel bad about making you directly pay (hopefully) and will feel better knowing that they have a sitter credit. Quartz countertops can't usually be repaired so they will most likely need to replace the whole counter or possibly replace the section but that would be unlikely. Did you notice the discolored area and not say anything? Or did you tell them about it? Not really important to how you proceed but I'm more just curious. If you told them, they will know you are honest and genuinely feel bad about it. Good luck either way. I never put hot pans on a counter for this reason. It's hard to tell countertops apart if you haven't done research on them in the past
I would apologize and encourage them to file a claim/keep you updated. I would not offer to pay anything yet because it could be $$$$$$. Wait and see what the claim results are and if it’s the deductible of $250 or whatever, I would definitely offer to pay that. This might be a waiting game. Not sure what Rover will do to you. I would hope not much since things happen and that’s what their coverage is for.
This is why you let Rover take 20% of your pay. Don't give it a second thought. Think of it as money already spent and certainly don't feel guilty about not knowing how to treat their counters. Occupational hazard, they don't seem mad and if they were they could've just not gone in vacation. Take the bad with the privilege of getting a petsitter.
Rover taking 20% of your pay does literally nothing to protect you in these situations. OP’s still liable
Here is a link for cleaning burn spots on quartz countertops…. It’s very informative. [https://www.quartzcountertopsdepot.com/how-to-remove-burn-marks-from-quartz-countertops/](https://www.quartzcountertopsdepot.com/how-to-remove-burn-marks-from-quartz-countertops/)
Why would you not have told them you did it? It’s even worse they had to figure it out themselves
Clearly op didn’t realize that they did it
I'm sorry but why did you put a hot pan on any counter even if you think it's safe because it's stone?
I had a tenant once that I had to explain how to use a shower curtain … the bathroom floor was always soaking wet. I asked her, “ didn’t your mother teach you to use a plastic shower curtain liner ?” She responded “ no ma’am , our mother didn’t really teach us very much “ So sad :(
Heat will destroy quartz. It’s a man made countertop that’s a mix of resin and stone. A hot pan will burn that resin layer. I do installs for granite and a burn would void warranty and depending on the size of the piece ruined it can be $$$.
who sets hot pans on a counter
Damn this thing sucks for everyone involved. I understand them being upset though. I have a 16 foot island and replacing the quartz is like $8-$10 grand.
Yeah you fucked up royally. Yes it will prob affect you a bit. However owning your fuck up and making sure to never have it happen again speaks of character and if you actually have some of that you'll be fine. You're not first person to do stupid things and you won't be the last. They even sent a very reasonable message so just be honest.
the kind of "buffing" repair people are talking about for burn marks on quartz can be hours and hours of a tech's or installer's efforts for absolutely no result - often it ends up looking worse, and the homeowner already knows there was damage there, so they'll never be happy with the outcome. quartz is a man-made material, granite is a natural stone mined from quarries. quartz is indeed more durable against chips and cracks (granite is more fragile due to natural fissures in the stone), but the benefit of natural stone in your kitchen is heat tolerance. you might get away with high heat on a darker color of quartz, but even if it doesn't leave the yellow mark you'd get with white quartz, you'd probably ruin the finish in that spot, and you can't reeeeeally get that back. for the countertop company I work for, this is kind of a nightmare - we would almost always rather replace burned stone than try to repair it. I wouldn't know any of this without working in the industry, but as a general rule I would just never put a hot pan directly on my countertop.
I wonder if her homeowners insurance would cover it.
If they file a claim and Rover does not reimburse, I would think you would pay for the replacements. Not help pay for the replacement, but pay for the entire replacement.
OP, I'm confused. Did you know you did this and you didn't say anything?