u/mydogisincharge

I periodically have clients ask me to get together socially (grab coffee, go to lunch), and I always fumble for words. I don’t want to, (1) because I want to keep a professional relationship where lines can’t get blurred between “hang out time” and paid services and (2) I am a tired introvert who already has a full social roster.

I don’t think they’re necessarily overstepping and I don’t want to be rude; but I want to give a clear and final answer, which is nope, never.

How do I say “thanks for asking, but I never want to hang out with you” without coming across as rude or as if I don’t like them personally?

I’d love suggestions of specific phrasing to use!

I told one person “it’s against my policies to socialize with clients” but that felt cold and awkward. I’ve used the “I’m busy” excuse and people usually pick up on it, but I have one client who keeps bringing it up.

In the realm of Rover issues this one is pretty small, but I hate when owners tell me their household is shoes-off inside, but don’t have a bench or chair next to the door where I can sit to take my shoes on and off!

If I’m taking a dog out of a crate, I have to take my shoes off to get the dog; put them on to go for the walk; take them back off to put the dog away after the walk; then put them on again when I leave. I tend to wear walking/hiking shoes that need laced, and I swear sometimes 5 minutes of the visit is just shoe changes! Not to mention climbing on and off the floor 4 times :)

Again, there are much worse things to deal with - but this one always irks me.

ETA: This Rover Reddit community is awesome. I came here to whine about a pet peeve, and you guys offered me several practical solutions to help me manage the problem.

And, I got some interesting cultural perspective – thanks to the Canadian Rovers, I now know if I ever make a trip up north I should be prepared to take my shoes off when I enter anyone’s home! 🤣

I received an email from “Louise” from the domain name rocketlends.com. It thanked me for my “recent request” and asked me to click a “Complete the process” button.

I didn’t create an account with this website and I’ve never used it. I looked at it online and I really can’t tell if it’s legitimate or not.

I’m not sure if this email/site is a scam, or if someone use my email address to request a loan underneath my information.

Thank you!

I’ve seen my fair share of discontinued branded gear, silent auction leftovers, and $5 gift cards - but the most memorable so far was being gifted a Wiccan house blessing by my boss for meeting our big fundraising gala’s goals.

What’s your weirdest?

(Note: I am not Wiccan and had never expressed an interest in such things. To add agony to awkwardness, she invited several board members to attend the house blessing).

Are you (as a sitter) penalized for cancellations in advance? Such as being dropped in search rankings, the cancellation rate showing somewhere on your profile, etc.

I know there is a metric under “ insights” for last- minute cancellations within five days of a booking, but I haven’t been able to find anything about cancellations in advance.

I have a booking I recently confirmed for a boarding visit in mid-June. Red flags are starting to fly with the owner communication, and I am thinking it’s not going to be a good fit. (Yes, I did a meet and greet! These are new items that have come up from the owner since then). I’m curious if cancelling would reflect poorly on me in any way on the platform.

Thanks for your insights!

I’ve never worked in a tipping industry before, and I’m unsure what the etiquette is with regards to thanking owners for tips. Do you normally send a thank you message when you receive one?

I typically send them a final message right after the last visit of the booking anyways (something like “Thank you so much for trusting me with fluffy, it was so great getting to know him! Please reach out in the future if you’re headed out of town again, I would love to help out.”) so sending a second “thank you” message feels a little repetitive… But I’m really not sure what the norm is here. I feel like in other jobs it’s not customary to say thank you for the tip, but also obviously there isn’t a messaging platform like Rover has.

Thanks for your thoughts!