Rover Customer Care: An Expert, Practical Guide

What Rover Customer Care Covers

Rover’s customer care supports both pet parents and sitters/walkers across the full service lifecycle: account access and verification, booking and messaging, cancellations and refunds, payments and payouts, trust and safety incidents, reviews, and policy questions. During an active booking, care is prioritized for time‑sensitive issues like a pet illness, an escape, or access problems at a client’s home.

Support is delivered primarily through the in‑app Help flow and the online Help Center. For active bookings, a 24/7 emergency option is presented inside the booking details. For non‑urgent issues (policy questions, billing clarifications, profile edits), the Help Center offers guided articles and a contact form. Start here: https://support.rover.com/ — use the search bar or the “Contact us” button after opening a relevant article to reach an agent.

How to Contact Rover Customer Care

For fastest handling, contact Rover through the app: open your upcoming booking, tap the help link in the booking details, and select the topic that best matches your situation. If the system detects an active stay or walk, it exposes live options suitable for time‑critical cases. For all other topics, the app routes you to chat or a web form. Rover does not publish a general inbound phone number; phone access appears for users with an active booking and specific circumstances.

On desktop, go to https://support.rover.com/hc/en-us and select the category (Booking, Payments, Trust & Safety, Account). Submitting via the correct category ensures your ticket reaches the specialized queue. Non‑urgent tickets are usually answered within one business day, while urgent, in‑booking issues are triaged around the clock. If you’ve filed a report already, reply on the same thread instead of opening a new case—this preserves context and speeds resolution.

Step-by-Step: Getting Help Fast During an Active Booking

When something goes wrong during a stay or walk, Rover prioritizes speed and documentation. The in‑app path guides you to the right tools, but these steps maximize your outcome and reduce back‑and‑forth with support and the other party.

• Open the Rover app > Inbox > Upcoming > select the booking > tap Need help? or Get help. Choose the closest reason (pet illness, injury, lost pet, access issue, sitter no‑show, owner unreachable). For emergencies, use the Safety option shown on that screen.
• Pause and document: photos, short video if appropriate, timestamps, messages exchanged, door/lock instructions, and any vet estimates if medical care may be required. Keep receipts and itemized invoices.
• Update the other party in the booking thread with facts (what happened, when, what you’ve done). Use concise bullet points and attach media. This thread becomes the official record for Rover’s review.
• For lost pets: notify the owner immediately, secure other animals, confirm collar/tag details, and follow local recovery steps (last known location, safe search radius, do not chase). Use the in‑app Safety contact for live guidance.
• If veterinary care is needed, get the owner’s consent when possible. In true emergencies, seek care first and notify both the owner and Rover support as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Refunds, Cancellations, and the Rover Guarantee

Each sitter selects a cancellation policy (Flexible, Moderate, or Strict). The applicable policy is shown on the sitter’s profile and during checkout, and it governs how much you can recover and when. If you cancel within the policy’s free window, you’ll see the refundable amount before confirming. If a sitter initiates a cancellation, customers are generally entitled to a full refund and help finding a replacement.

Refund timing depends on payment method: card refunds usually appear within 3–10 business days after processing by Rover’s payments partner; Rover credits and gift balances post much faster. Service, booking, or payment processing fees can be nonrefundable in some policy scenarios—check the cancellation summary before confirming. If an issue stems from a policy breach or quality concern, include evidence in your ticket; agents can override standard outcomes when platform policies support it.

The Rover Guarantee is a safety net for qualifying incidents that occur during a booked service. It is not pet insurance and has exclusions and documentation requirements. To start a claim, report the incident promptly through the app or at the Help Center and follow the guided intake. Review the current policy language by searching “Rover Guarantee” at https://support.rover.com/—you’ll see eligibility, coverage scope, required documentation, and timelines for submitting expenses.

Payments, Payouts, and Billing Issues

Pet parents: charges typically occur at booking confirmation, with any adjustments (extensions, add‑ons) processed when applied. You’ll receive an email receipt and can view itemized costs in the booking details. Sales tax, GST/VAT, or local fees may be added based on your location. Tips are optional and can be added in‑app after the service. If a transaction fails, update your payment method under Account > Payments and retry; keep the original booking thread intact to avoid duplicate charges.

Sitters and walkers: payouts are released automatically about two days after a service ends (per service, for multi‑day stays this is after the final day). Transfer speed depends on your payout method—bank transfer commonly arrives in 2–5 business days; PayPal or instant options, if available in your region, can be faster. You can see pending, in‑transit, and completed payouts under Account > Payments. Rover deducts its service fee before payout; the exact percentage and any promotions are visible in your dashboard. For tax season, check the Tax Center in your account for forms and summaries applicable to your jurisdiction.

Safety, Trust, and Incident Handling

Rover’s Trust & Safety team operates 24/7 for active-booking emergencies. In any incident, prioritize pet and human safety, then notify the other party and Rover. Keep your communication inside the booking message thread; this provides an audit trail. When medical care is involved, ask for itemized invoices and discharge notes. For property damage, collect clear photos, purchase dates if known, and repair estimates.

If an owner or sitter is unresponsive, log your attempts (timestamps and screenshots) and use the in‑app escalation. Do not attempt risky home entry or pet transport without consent unless there is imminent risk to the animal’s health. If law enforcement, animal control, or building management becomes involved, record badge names and case numbers so support can coordinate.

Verification, Reviews, and Quality Escalations

Account security and authenticity matter. Pet parents may be asked to verify email, phone, and payment details. Sitters may undergo ID verification and, in some regions, background checks. Automated ID checks can complete within minutes; manual review or background checks can take 1–5 business days, depending on the provider and the completeness of your information. Watch for in‑app prompts and respond quickly to avoid delays.

Reviews should reflect a completed booking and first‑hand experience. If you believe a review violates content guidelines (irrelevant, discriminatory, threatens harm, doxxing), open a ticket from the review screen with specific reasons and evidence. For quality escalations—no‑shows, repeat lateness, or safety concerns—document patterns with dates and screenshots. Rover can issue coaching, refunds, or account actions based on verified evidence and platform policy.

Pricing, Availability, and Setting Expectations

Rover is a marketplace, so sitters set their own rates by service and by pet. As a ballpark in many U.S. metros, 30‑minute dog walks often range from $20–$35, drop‑in visits from $20–$40, and overnight house sitting or boarding from $40–$90 per night for one dog, with add‑on charges for additional pets, puppies, holidays, or special needs. In high‑cost cities, rates can exceed these ranges; in smaller markets, they may be lower.

Before booking, use the profile to align expectations: service area, skills (medication, senior care), home setup, yard, other resident animals, and cancellation policy. Message through Rover to confirm logistics (keys, alarms, feeding routines, vet preferences). Clear written instructions in the Care Info and a meet & greet reduce misunderstandings and make customer care intervention less likely.

What to Prepare Before Contacting Support

Having concise, verifiable information ready saves time and avoids repeat questions. Whether you’re a pet parent or a sitter, gather the following before you open or escalate a case.

• Booking ID, service type, dates/times, and the city/zip of service; screenshots of the booking details help.
• Chronology: what happened, when, who was notified, and actions taken; include message thread screenshots.
• Evidence: photos/videos, vet estimates/invoices, property damage estimates, access instructions, and any third‑party report numbers (e.g., animal control or building management).
• Your desired outcome: refund, rebooking assistance, policy review, safety guidance, or payout adjustment—stating this up front speeds routing to the right team.

Quick links to start: Help Center home at https://support.rover.com/ and the in‑app Help from your booking details. For emergencies during an active booking, open the booking in the app and select the Safety option for 24/7 assistance.

Does Rover use real phone numbers?

Rover is committed to establishing a safe, worry-free environment that protects the privacy of sitters and pet parents alike. For this reason, Rover uses relay numbers, before and after a service has been booked so that your actual phone number remains private.

Is Rover customer service 24/7?

If you need any assistance finding a sitter, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our 24/7 support team at Rover.com/help.

Why did Rover charge me $49?

If you want to offer pet care services on Rover, there is a $49-$79 profile review fee that varies depending on your location. Keep in mind that profile review fees may change over time.

How do I contact someone on Rover?

Rover app

1. Tap Inbox at the bottom of the app.
2. If you sent a request to your sitter or walker but it hasn’t been confirmed, tap Pending at the top.
3. Select the person you’d like to contact from the list of bookings in your inbox.