Buyer beware, economist says after Edmonton dog owner recounts 'nightmare' with sitter
CBC
An economist is warning consumers that the rise in gig-based services such as Rover — an online marketplace for pet-care services — is "immensely risky" for customers and workers alike.
Jim Stanford, director of the Vancouver-based research institute Centre for Future Work, says that while gig-based services are popular and accessible, they present concerns that need to be addressed.
"There's no government regulation, there's no oversight, there's no accountability. So I wouldn't trust those apps as far as I could throw them," Stanford said in an interview.
Edmonton's Jennifer Lind recently had what she calls "a nightmare" experience with Rover.
Lind told CBC News she hired a dog-sitter on Rover for a weekend getaway last month.
She had no concerns about the sitter staying in her home and caring for her German shepherd, Dagger.
"She had really good reviews and had dogs of her own so I was like, 'OK, I'll choose her, I'll hire her,'" Lind said.
She said the sitter agreed to stay at her home for two nights, but her home security camera never captured images of the sitter inside the house.
Although the camera angle doesn't capture the entire home or the entrance, Lind believes the sitter didn't show up.
"I looked [at the camera footage] a few times on Saturday and noticed she was never around. So I texted her Saturday night, 'Are you at my house?'
"And she's like, 'No, I'm doing a movie night with my husband.'"
Lind said sitters commonly send their clients photos of their dogs, but she wasn't sent any photos of Dagger. Lind decided to contact Rover to report the sitter.
"They refunded me for the sitting fee for the weekend," she said. "I'm not really concerned about the money, I'm more concerned about the neglect that my dog had and potential abuse."
Lind said when she returned home from her getaway, she found a urine soaked towel, her bathroom in shambles, and Dagger with a bladder infection.
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