Rover—Dog Sitters & Walkers

User Experience Report

Week of April 9th, 2025

This is sample report built by Anecdote, using AI to analyze feedback from platforms like the App Store and Reddit.

Highlights trends and insights

Helps you understand what matters most

Unlock all insightsSign in

Join our next webinar, no camera needed

Rover—Dog Sitters & Walkers

Top Insights This Week

Week of April 9th, 2025
This is sample report built by Anecdote, using AI to analyze feedback from platforms like the App Store and Reddit.
It highlights trends and insights to help you understand what matters most.
Right-facing arrow

All Insights

Dashboard mockup

TOP INSIGHTS

A weekly roundup of Rover—Dog Sitters & Walkers's key feedback

1

High Service Fees

Many users are frustrated with the high percentage of fees taken by Rover from sitters' earnings, which can be as much as 20-25%. This issue affects approximately 15% of users, leading some to consider alternative platforms or direct arrangements to avoid these fees.

Rover takes a whopping 20% of my earnings, which feels like an overcharge for a self-service app.

2

Poor Customer Support

Users have reported dissatisfaction with Rover's customer support, citing vague responses and lack of transparency in handling issues, especially account deactivations. This affects around 10% of users, leaving them feeling unsupported and frustrated.

My account was deactivated without explanation, and customer support only provided vague, automated responses.

3

Inflexible Booking System

The app's booking system is criticized for its inflexibility, such as strict cancellation policies and issues with sitter availability updates. Approximately 12% of users find these limitations frustrating, impacting their trust in the platform.

I canceled a booking due to the sitter's unavailability, but missed the refund window by 2 hours and lost my money.

4

Privacy Concerns

There are significant concerns about photo privacy, as photos shared by sitters are automatically posted to profiles without owner consent. This issue affects about 8% of users, who feel their privacy is compromised.

Photos sent by sitters are automatically posted to profiles without my consent, which is a privacy issue.

COMPETITORS ANALYSIS

Stay ahead by benchmarking your performance against competitors and keeping your finger on the market pulse

#1 USERS CHOICE

PetBacker
PetBacker receives high praise for its user-friendly interface and reliable service, with many users appreciating the ease of finding pet sitters and the quality of care provided. However, some users express concerns about high service fees and occasional app glitches.

#2 RUNNER UP

Rover—Dog Sitters & Walkers
Rover is generally well-received for its ease of use and the quality of pet care, with many users finding it a reliable platform for both sitters and pet owners. However, some users report issues with customer support and app glitches, and there are concerns about the high percentage taken from sitters' earnings.

#3 Straggler

Wag!
Wag! faces significant criticism for its app's technical issues, including frequent crashes and poor customer support. Users are also unhappy with the high percentage of earnings taken by the platform, making it less appealing compared to competitors like Rover.
Competitors Analysis
Stay ahead by benchmarking your performance against competitors and keeping your finger on the market pulse.
PetBacker
#1 Users Choice
PetBacker receives high praise for its user-friendly interface and reliable service, with many users appreciating the ease of finding pet sitters and the quality of care provided. However, some users express concerns about high service fees and occasional app glitches.
Rover—Dog Sitters & Walkers
#2 Runner-up
Rover is generally well-received for its ease of use and the quality of pet care, with many users finding it a reliable platform for both sitters and pet owners. However, some users report issues with customer support and app glitches, and there are concerns about the high percentage taken from sitters' earnings.
Wag!
#3 Straggler
Wag! faces significant criticism for its app's technical issues, including frequent crashes and poor customer support. Users are also unhappy with the high percentage of earnings taken by the platform, making it less appealing compared to competitors like Rover.

Start your 14-day free trial

Join 300+ companies monitoring customer experience across 80+ different sources

Learn moreBook a call

Join our next webinar, no camera needed

Nuggets

Major Highlights of the Week

Intrusive Data Collection
Users are frustrated with the app's requirement for extensive personal information, including credit card details and ID verification, before they can even engage with sitters. This invasive data collection process is seen as a barrier to entry and raises privacy concerns.
The app collects information before you realize it, and requests a copy of your ID to delete your account.
High Service Fees
Sitters and pet owners are dissatisfied with the high percentage of fees taken by Rover from each transaction, which they perceive as excessive and unfair. This has led to concerns about the platform's value proposition and potential loss of users to competitors with lower fees.
Rover takes a whopping 20% just for using their buggy app, which is an overcharge.
Poor Customer Support
Users report inadequate customer support, with automated responses and lack of transparency in resolving issues, leading to dissatisfaction and mistrust. This is particularly problematic in cases of account deactivation or emergencies where timely and clear communication is crucial.
My account was suddenly deactivated with no clear explanation, and support provided only vague, automated responses.
Inflexible Cancellation Policies
The app's rigid cancellation policies are causing frustration among users who feel penalized for circumstances beyond their control, such as sitter unavailability or emergencies. This inflexibility can result in financial loss and dissatisfaction with the service.
Rover would not refund my money because I missed the sitter’s cancellation refund time by 2 hours.
Privacy Concerns with Photos
There is a significant privacy issue with photos shared through the app, as they are automatically posted to profiles without owner consent. This lack of control over personal content is a major concern for users who value their privacy.
Photos a sitter sends are automatically posted to profiles, and owners cannot opt out or remove them.
Inaccurate Pricing Display
Users experience glitches in the app that display incorrect pricing for services, leading to confusion and potential mistrust between sitters and clients. This issue undermines the platform's reliability and can damage user relationships.
Sometimes when I get a request, it shows the price incorrectly, making me look like I'm trying to rip them off.
Nuggets

Major Highlights of the Week

Everything you need to know about user experience
Intrusive Data Collection
Users are frustrated with the app's requirement for extensive personal information, including credit card details and ID verification, before they can even engage with sitters. This invasive data collection process is seen as a barrier to entry and raises privacy concerns.
High Service Fees
Sitters and pet owners are dissatisfied with the high percentage of fees taken by Rover from each transaction, which they perceive as excessive and unfair. This has led to concerns about the platform's value proposition and potential loss of users to competitors with lower fees.
Poor Customer Support
Users report inadequate customer support, with automated responses and lack of transparency in resolving issues, leading to dissatisfaction and mistrust. This is particularly problematic in cases of account deactivation or emergencies where timely and clear communication is crucial.
Inflexible Cancellation Policies
The app's rigid cancellation policies are causing frustration among users who feel penalized for circumstances beyond their control, such as sitter unavailability or emergencies. This inflexibility can result in financial loss and dissatisfaction with the service.
Privacy Concerns with Photos
There is a significant privacy issue with photos shared through the app, as they are automatically posted to profiles without owner consent. This lack of control over personal content is a major concern for users who value their privacy.
Inaccurate Pricing Display
Users experience glitches in the app that display incorrect pricing for services, leading to confusion and potential mistrust between sitters and clients. This issue undermines the platform's reliability and can damage user relationships.

Quotes of the week

Hear from some of the most impactful users to drive changes

The app is demanding a long questionnaire before reaching out to a sitter, and it loses my location, making it hard to connect with sitters nearby. This impedes the connection between customers and sitters.
Richardf8
Week of April 9th, 2025
Rover takes a significant percentage from walkers/sitters, which feels unfair. The app's recent updates have made the user experience worse, like having to wait to start a walk even if I arrive early.
Grey’s Thunder
Week of April 9th, 2025
Rover has a serious photo privacy issue where photos sent by sitters are automatically posted to profiles without owner consent. This should be an opt-in feature controlled by the owner.
Kcbear19
Week of April 9th, 2025

Start your 14-day free trial today

Join the 300+ companies monitoring customer experience

Chat to salesGet started

Join our next webinar, no camera needed

Start your 14-day free trial today.

The quotes of the week

Hear from some of the most impactful users to drive changes
The app is demanding a long questionnaire before reaching out to a sitter, and it loses my location, making it hard to connect with sitters nearby. This impedes the connection between customers and sitters.
Candice Wu
App Store
Rover takes a significant percentage from walkers/sitters, which feels unfair. The app's recent updates have made the user experience worse, like having to wait to start a walk even if I arrive early.
Kelly Williams
Google Play
Rover has a serious photo privacy issue where photos sent by sitters are automatically posted to profiles without owner consent. This should be an opt-in feature controlled by the owner.
Koray Okumus
Google Play

Discover Anecdote’s all-in-one customer experience platform

Search through all your feedback, instantly

Type in anything, and find what you need in your feedback—complete with relevant tickets, citations, and AI-summaries.

Search for product issues and validate hypotheses.

Receive an AI summary, relevant tickets, sentiment and more.

Explore

Use AI to automate and prioritize your feedback analysis

Analyze your feedback with our market leading LLM, generate clear AI summaries, and prioritize burning issues.

Transform feedback into actionable trends and categories.

Use AI to turn feedback into impactful business actions.

Explore

Send surveys and analyze them with AI

Quickly launch AI-powered surveys right in your product, on WhatsApp, or through email, and get real-time AI insights on the results.

Whatsapp logo
Gmail logo
SDK

Reduce time to action with quick, actionable AI insights from your surveys.

Analyze all your customer feedback, including surveys, in one place.

Explore

Segment feedback from your company in charts and summaries

Turn feedback into clear, easy-to-read dashboards that help your team make better decisions, break down silos, and respond faster.

Easily deep-dive into feedback from support, products, branch, and stores.

Share feedback dashboards to your team that update in real-time.

Explore

Benchmark your company's feedback against your competitors

Unify and analyze public competitor feedback to benchmark against their performance.

Learn from competitors' strengths and avoid their mistakes.

Create monthly SWOT comparisons.

Explore

Stay on top of your feedback with alerts

Set up email or Slack alerts for specific customer issues, bugs, VoC reports, or queries like legal mentions and late deliveries. Route these to the right team the same day they're reported.

Gmail logo

Improving customer satisfaction with faster response times.

Identify and address emerging risks more swiftly.

Explore

14 day free trial of paid features

⁠Migrate your feedback in one-click