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Accountability for Rover's fees & percentage?

Hi all,

I'm a member of Rover who, like many others on here, are grateful for the extra business the platform has brought in. At the same time, I am becoming concerned regarding the gradual and steadily increasing fees being incurred by the company, as well as the continuous rhetoric about maintaining and paying for company costs, with zero information to back that up. Petsitters on here are generally kind and grateful for receiving new clients, but I think the platform is becoming increasingly questionable in its accountability to them.

As one member said in another post, responding to yet another reply from the company in which the representative's logic was basically "everyone does it" so it's okay. (The rep said it's "industry standard," which it's actually not, to the degree that they are doing it.):

"This fee is ridiculous. Combine the fee and the amount withheld from the sitters (15-20%) and on a $250 booking, Rover is taking 27%. Rover gets $68; the sitter gets $200. No company, not Uber, not Lyft, no one takes close to 30%. Ridiculous.."

So, here's my query to Rover:

Rather than telling us about how you're paying for your costs, why don't you show us? Let's see some hard numbers from the company on costs, profits, what it's really costing the company to run, and what is being made off of sitters' pay (and now more recently, owners as well). I am not interested in more of the same rhetoric about how much you're helping sitters and how Rover just has to charge fees to run. I'd like to see actual, verifiable data.

Finally - and this is off topic but perhaps related to the rhetoric at issue - I am somewhat tired of seeing the fakey marketing languaging around "community" and "being a part of the Rover community." It too becomes subtly exploitative of people's tendencies towards belonging while obscuring actuality. Rover is a for-profit company with investors to answer to, one based on monetary exchange and profit- not a non-profit org or a meet-up group. Based on the replies I've read, many of the employees have been fed this rhetoric extensively.

I am wary of for-profits adopting languaging from the non-profit sector while reaping for-profit benefits. At the end of the day, Rover answers to their execs and investors- not petsitters.

Thank you for reading, and I hope eventually the company becomes verifiably transparent in its costs and revenues. If I find additional information, I will post it on here.

3 Answers

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Gabrielle C.

The "if you don't like it go somewhere else" attitude seems significantly intolerant, and an intellectually and emotionally lazy way of dismissing valid points and others' experiences.

These posts also seemed to miss the point, which is accountability to messaging and statements being made to its contractors: They are adopting languaging of, as you described, a coop or otherwise organization that would normally have some degree of accountability to its people, as a marketing technique, without providing data or information to back it up. If you want to raise prices to make more money, then fine. But don't say it's for reasons that it's not. I would prefer the latter response you suggested, as it would at least be honest.

Rover spent 4.5 million on their marketing budget this year, and netted 150 million in revenue in 2016. They've raised in the region of 100 million over the past three years. Their Series E valuation was at $300 million, and are projected to grow at a 200% revenue increase for 2017. (Walt:) They are hardly hurting for cash. Meanwhile, they are steadily increasing fees to sitters and owners and giving whatever reasons they'd like for it, leaving them unverifiable.

And yes, they are not regulated or required to disclose information to its contractors. They are allowed to charge what they wish, use whatever languaging they want, and leave reasons unverified. But that certainly does not mean that it's right or decent.

Also of relevance that this post was a request for honest disclosure by the company themselves, or for individuals with verifiable information, rather than an opportunity for folks to say why they enjoy being charged these fees.

References below.

https://www.geekwire.com/2017/fast-moving-rover-launches-national-ad-campaign-starring-mans-best-friend/ (https://www.geekwire.com/2017/fast-mo...)

https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/09/rover-40-million/ (https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/09/rov...)

https://www.rover.com/blog/press-release/rover-com-raises-65-million-round-funding/ (https://www.rover.com/blog/press-rele...)

https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/dogvacay (https://www.crunchbase.com/organizati...)

Comments

Where did I indicate I enjoy having to pay Rover's fees? That is just the way it is and I have no power to change it, in the same way I have no control over, say, gasoline price increases. Right and decency have no bearing, I give you Martin Shkreli.

Karen R.

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Karen R.

As Walt has stated, Rover is a privately held company. It doesn't need to justify price changes/increases to anyone. Only regulated companies need to do so to their oversight agencies. We are also not "members" of Rover. We are all independent contractors who elect to use Rover's platform to obtain clients. It isn't a co-op or any such type of organization where we have any say in how the entity operates. I'm sure Rover's responses have been mild, trying to explain that they need the additional revenue for whatever reason (like buying up the competition), when in actuality, they could have said, "if you don't like our fees, go somewhere else."

Comments

So essentially Rover doesn’t respect the people that they depend on to be successful/continue as a business. If they did they would answer questions directly and not be shady and just say “that’s how it is and we don’t need to explain further”. All sitters should protest or boycot.. They’d care then

Steph P.

Respect has nothing to do with this issue. Rover sets their fee schedule and either you accept it or start you own business without Rover. Best of luck getting all the sitters to protest

Walt G.

What I don't like is...I see that my client paid $75. to book with me when in fact Rover charged her $80.25 they take $15.00 from me and an extra $5.25 from her.

Susan C.

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Walt G.

Rover is a privately held corporation will never share their books with anyone, why would it? Do you share your finances with everyone? While you and many other sitters feel the fee structure is out-of-line and too high the cost of running a startup is huge, the marketing budget to draw clients in is a major factor. Do you think Rover is making profit hands over fist? I think not!

Comments

I think they are making enough to be able to handout $25 free credits here and there anytime someone has a negative experience.. where does this money come from? The pockets of the sitters who give nothing but positive experiences. The 20% is WAY to high especially when Rover charges the owner also.

Steph P.

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