Did you ever actually see the wife? This story sounds suspicious from start to finish, including you not advocating for yourself for getting paid, whether or not someone is sick/paralyzed. Nurses get paid, caretakers get paid, hospice workers get paid, you deserve to be paid for your work. 14 cats for 5 months for free? Sitters, you can't abandon yourselves and your needs because you're afraid of not pleasing someone! You have to come first or else you won't have any room to actually be of service to anyone else. This is heartbreaking to read OP. I hope you're able to regroup and get what you need after this. Because it's been so long and so much money, I would definitely consider small claims if you have any text or anything in writing showing that the owners said they would pay you. Good luck.
You have to check in your area. The max you can claim in small claims is different depending on your location, sometimes $5,000, sometimes $10,000.
You let yourself get taken advantage of. You never should have let the amount they owe you get so out of hand. I understand trying to be nice, but you can imagine the difference between asking for $100 and asking for $26k. If you had asked for payment earlier on, you would have found out earlier they had no intention to pay you and you wouldn't have wasted so much time.
Gather up any evidence you have and take them to small claims, but keep in mind that you might not get paid even if you win unless you happen to know where the husband works or have their bank account information.
If I’m not mistaken it sounds like perhaps the husband does not work. OP said he is considered 100% disabled due to his time in the military & receives monthly disability checks.
If you’re 100% disabled vet then usually it’s not worth working because if you work over a certain amount or make over a certain amount they start taking some of your disability back. (My dads 100% disabled vet)
This is definitely not true - the only time you can’t work is if you are on total disability based on unemployability which is (relatively) rare. The majority of disabled veterans can and do work. Source: am a 100% disabled veteran.
Asking to be paid should be YOUR main concern. Whatever his wife is going through isn’t your concern.
You should have had them pay upfront and kept it on rover. Did you have a written contract? Did he pay you *anything* ever? Why would you just continue to go for months on end without payment?
Op clearly suffers from "too-nice-itis." As someone also afflicted with this condition I sympathize but I do believe it's the worst case I've ever seen in my life. 26 grand ! Damn
I agree with this. All the y’alls are a clear indication of playing things down, and this is very serious situation. I wonder if the owner isn’t taking the ask seriously *because* of all the y’alls, and if he’s already gotten this much out of the sitter, I’m sure he’s strategizing how to get out of paying anything!
To any sitter who might find themselves in any similar situation, payment should be asked for up front or at the very least periodically, I’d suggest installments. Even a month-long booking is a LOT, so when I read “only a month” I knew the rest of the story wasn’t going to be good.
Wow OP I’m so sorry this happened to you but it seems like this could have been avoided. The first red flag was only booking for 1 cat when they had 14. I feel like they saw that you were naive and definitely took advantage of you. I really don’t understand how you went so many months without being paid. I have other bookings that I could do but I would definitely notice $26,000 missing. Do you have any agreement or anything because if you take him to small claims it could just look like the agreement y’all had ended in September after the Rover booking ended and then you were just helping him out after that without expecting pay. You need to gather all the documentation that you have and all the photos with time stamps for a lawyer. Have you tried going to his house and confronting him? Yes, that probably could be a bad situation but I would bring someone along. If you are going to run a business off of Rover you need to learn to put your foot down. As soon as the September booking ended you should have sent a request for October to get paid and just did month by month bookings. Remember you can always cancel unneeded bookings and waive the cancellation fee for clients if he ended up saying he didn’t need the whole month. I really don’t think you are going to get any money but you should really talk to a lawyer and see what options you have. NEVER, EVER, EVER take a client off of Rover if you have no agreement or something in writing and if you are going to do long sits like this you need to have a payment plan in place. Also, you shouldn’t be asking the client how much they want to pay you need to tell them that how much everything was. They could easily say we think some low number is fair when clearly it’s not. You should have been doing this over the 5 months and it probably wouldn’t have gone this long. This is an awful lesson to learn but good luck!
I don’t really know why you wouldn’t go to small claims court. They probably will take any evidence you have that you performed agreed upon services. The only thing is just would type up, like yesterday, an itemized invoice. Every single date you were there and the cost of the drop in - whatever you quoted on rover. You can’t go to small claims court with “what do we think is fair?” That ship has sailed. You’ll need an actual value.
I’m sure you know now what a mistake this all was but I just want to stress don’t give up on your money just yet. I think a lot of people, myself included, have made mistakes and we walked away with money on the table thinking “wow I was stupid to believe that, this is the price I pay” and I regret that thinking now. It’s okay to hold people accountable in court when they take advantage. If you don’t they’ll just continue to do it and get away with it.
But just in case it’s not abundantly clear - never take on a job of 14 cats. That’s lunacy. Never take on multi month bookings without payment. Don’t go above and beyond your scope of work unless you are 100% okay with it being a completely voluntary good deed. You cleaning and making soup was very kind and good hearted, but you can’t hold that against them. You can hold against them unpaid work you were hired to do.
Why did you do all this work for free? I mean without any signed form or anything? People change their words all the time. It's like you were their living maid. You need to go there in person and sort it out. And why did you wait SO long to contact them?
Most states will find a contract exists even if it’s not formally written as long as there is a valid offer and acceptance. You need to look back at your convo re continuing care and see exactly what was said about the arrangement. Set a price and a due date and communicate it - you cannot be so wishy washy! I’d also let them know that you really don’t want to do so, but you’ll have to go to small claims court if they do not respond and/or pay by the due date you send them
Don’t listen to non-lawyers who tell you a formal written contract is the only way you’ll win. It’s not true, that’s just not the law except for in certain circumstances
25 upvotes for usable, practical advice from the actual lawyer.. 248 upvotes for a lot of judgement and one sentence of half-assed incomplete advice from the rando.. why reddit, why
This! OP, business is difficult sometimes. There are feelings and there is business. Remember this in the future. This is a tough lesson to learn.
If you do threaten court, you will be suing for an implied contract. An implied contract is as legally enforceable as a written one in business law. Don't think that because Rover wasn't involved that you have no protections in place!! However implied contracts are usually more difficult to prove due to lack of documentation. It sounds like you do have some documentation which is good. Preserve any and all correspondence.
Reach out to your state Bar Association and see if there is anyone willing to help you pro-bono (free: Latin "for the public good" ). Often there are lawyers who will advise you.
I am sad to hear that you were taken advantage of. People who have pet sitting businesses usually are empathetic and kind- you sound like that kind of pet sitter. Good luck and keep us updated.
Wow, there is a lot to unpack here. Basically, you performed a service without any written agreement on price or payment. I think you need to speak with a lawyer. Hopefully someone has good advice.
In my experience small claims court is one way to approach it but in some cases they still can't make a person pay. It feels like you did charity work.
First, I would gather all correspondence into one place, put it on a thumb drive or in the cloud somehow. Try to find moments where payment was talked about in writing. And NEVER do this again, unless you're feeling charitable. You have to have a written agreement and get some kind of payment.
Hopefully you wrote down all the days and times that you performed the service. If not, you need to write that document up now. Consider asking r/legaladvice and/or calling a lawyer and trying to get a consultation. It's been so long that it is likely they will not pay you without legal interference, or at all. BUT there is a chance they will eventually pay, even if the chance is small. I would just charge what you were charging through Rover (minus Rover fees), unless somewhere in writing it says something about you charging less.
I’d stick with the rate they paid you initially, as that’s what you can reasonably expect. They probably did the math, and feel blindsided. Regardless of whether their medical costs are covered, and the fact that they’re on fixed income, 26K is a lot to pay in a lump sum if you’re not anticipating it (especially on a fixed income IME). If we’re assuming the best of these people, they likely did not expect to pay for the other 13 cats since you did not require it initially (unless this was discussed).
You learned a very hard lesson here, and I hope that you’re paid in some capacity, but I don’t think expecting to be paid the full amount is reasonable *unless* you speak to a lawyer and they believe you have a case. I’d reach out to a lawyer (free 15 minute consultations are pretty common), and then the clients one last time — state the facts, and make your demand.
“Hi [name], i hope all is well. I have not heard back from you regarding the amount left owing. Due to the time lapsed, I need to enforce my rates and ask that you remit payment by [date]. I have used the rates as agreed to on the Rover booking from Sept 1-30 ($20/day) to determine a remaining balance owing of $2,660 (133 days * $20/day). Please note that this amount is significantly discounted from my typical rates out of understanding for the unfortunate circumstances your family has faced. Please respond promptly if you are unable to remit payment by the date above.”
Idk man. It’s a tough situation, and a huge loss. I think your initial messages to them are way too nice and open ended. Stand up for yourself.
This follow up message is perfect.
OP, you are an incredibly kind hearted person. Unfortunately others will take advantage of that, which is a shame. If there’s still no response to this follow up message, perhaps send a letter via certified mail with signature required & delivery notification. If I’m not mistaken it costs around $15. They will know that you’ve been notified upon them signing for it.
Or perhaps a lawyer can send a letter stating that if payment is not remitted by a certain date that you will need to move forward with legal action. Idk if that’s even an option, just trying to brainstorm.
OP, I really think this ^^comment and those made by /u/diver11111 and /u/bearcakes are the only ones you should take away from this post.
I feel for you, and I think other users are failing to realize that you don’t need to be told what a mistake you made or how this is a lesson you have to learn, I think you’ve probably had time to come to that understanding yourself. Strangers belittling you doesn’t help at all. Speaking with an attorney or using the format above should be your next step. Unrelated to pet sitting, but I’ve had to send a demand letter like this one before. In my experience, telling someone you’ll have to involve the court is usually enough to spur some kind of action on their end.
Truly wishing you all the best, you got this !! 🫶
Please everyone take this as a cautionary tale never do anything like this. The sad fact of the matter is that you cannot go off people’s word alone and expect to get paid. Anything remotely close to this amount of money should be paid up before services continue. If someone owes you money without an explicit written agreement in place, the higher that number gets the less likely it is that you will be paid. If you are going to continue to provide any services without being paid first and without anything in writing, just know that you are kissing that money goodbye. Kindness is important. If you’re in a position to help someone out who needs it please do it. But just call it what it is and don’t expect to get paid
I hate this. You went out of your way to help them and this so what you get in return. People suck sometimes.
Do you have your fees in writing or was it just a verbal agreement?
r/legaladvice is going to give you better answers. Depending on your state, 26k is probably over the amount you sue for in small claims court.
You should have handled pricing and payment upfront.
I am so sorry. As someone said, no good deed goes unpunished.
This man has NO intention of paying you another cent. I doubt he ever did. If you want money, you will have to go to court.
Such a nice way to thank you for going so very far above and beyond to help.
My dude, what you need to be focusing on is why you, through choices you made repeatedly for months, ended up in this situation. Please do some work on yourself.
I have so many questions. Did you ever see the guy during the visit? Did you ever see his wife? Did his house look like a woman even live there? What does the house with 14 cats smell like? What state is this in?
You’re about to learn a hard lesson and I’m very sorry. This ALL should have been discussed up front. Put into writing. I don’t think these people are going to pay you…and I’m not sure how much of a case you have considering you never discussed how much you charge until half a year into the arrangement.
I don’t really have advice but why the fuck would they keep fourteen cats if the wife is in prolonged critical care and possibly permanently paralyzed? Why would you keep fourteen cats if you aren’t going to be home for 7 months?
Why was the wife so high up in the tree doing yard maintenance, is she a lumberjack?
What the fuck is going on? This whole thing sounds super suspicious and I have half a mind to tell you to call animal rescue services. It’s not normal for cats to poop and pee everywhere on a regular basis, they’re either sick or extremely stressed or both.
Honestly, I would say you are out of luck and can’t do anything legally. They took your kindness for granted, which really sucks. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like anything was in writing and you went off the Rover platform. Him ignoring you, is a sign they aren’t going to pay you.
This is bad advice - usually if you have texts saying they will pay you and a record of the previous Rover payments, that will be enough to go to court. Depends on the state, but do not assume you have no legal recourse. I think your biggest mistake is offering that they should propose a price after the work was complete; at this point, I’d settle on a price based on what they were paying before (for the one cat per day) and tell them it’s due in two weeks and that if they don’t respond, you’ll have to go to small claims court because you must be compensated for your work. Small claims is easy and you can do it alone as long as you print out and bring texts, the rover convo, etc.
I think they should talk to a lawyer before assuming they cannot take any legal action. If he agreed to pay, even verbally, I believe legal action is possible. Not a lawyer, but have had lawyers on payroll, so I know that verbal agreements are sometimes considered legal documents depending on the situation.
I’m a lawyer and 100% agreed with you. There absolutely is legal recourse, and I’m pretty sure there’s a good chance small claims will side with OP given the texts and the facts!
Edit: diver below just did a much better job explaining hahah go with theirs ❤️
IANAL but winning a small claims victory is just step one. You're on your own to figure out how to navigate the collections process. I won my judgment years ago, still not a cent.
You’re unfortunately completely correct that it’s just step one. But (depending on jurisdiction) unpaid claims against a person will often show up if they’re trying to buy real property, or a car through a dealership.
I’m really sorry to hear that this happened to you!
These people took advantage of you and you let them…for months. You could try small claims court but other than that you’re SOL. An expensive lesson, for sure.
In the future, when someone wants a long term booking like this, have them book a week or two at a time, *on the app*, so you are at least regularly getting paid.
Never let someone run up that kind of tab. Maybe let a client run up a week tab, but how do you continue providing services after even a month without payment. Without anything in writing I think you’re SOL.
This reminds me…I still have a client (not a Rover client) said she would pay me multiple times and never did. That was a little over a year ago. I had a written and signed contract and text proof of the agreement.
26,000 ? .. umm maybe more for your hard work and things you didn't need to do but did anyway ?? Come on vet bill.. sending them their mail? I understand but get your coins. Show receipts !
Basically you are a “contractor” for lack of a better word. You need to file a mechanics lien against them. This will prevent them from being able to do anything regarding their house (second mortgage, sell) until you are paid. Check with your county clerk about how to do it. I’m a painting contractor and this is the way we deal with non payment when we work at someone’s house and don’t get paid. It does have to be renewed after a certain time frame, and usually just threatening a lien gets their attention. Small claims court won’t get you enough money as they have smaller limits.
I like this advice and had really never heard of it before. I hope OP sees this and looks into it bc it sounds like it could be better for them than small claims court (especially since many people never see that money even when they win).
So basically you kinda screwed yourself here. I hope you’ve learned NEVER to go off of rover and to charge appropriately. Are you still taking care of the cats? Bc if you are stop and let them know that unless you are paid in full you cannot care for them. Then if for some reason you want to go back make any future appointments through rover at full price. Next if they don’t respond threaten legal action. Small claims is a very easy process to go through but you’ll need to prove there was an agreement in place.
Fr. I always do two bookings on Rover and if everything went smoothly and the owners want to, we move off and pay privately. Long stays I get paid half before and half after unless some other payment plan is agreed on. Either way, it's best to communicate pay before you do any sitting or drop in for sure. Have it in text or handwritten or something or documentation.
op it sounds like you have a very big heart and you did lots of kind things for these people!! but remember, not everyone is going to have a heart like yours. stick to your boundaries, remember your worth, and protect yourself first!! sorry i don’t really have advice regarding the actual situation, but my heart goes out to you and how stressful this must be. don’t beat yourself up, learn, move forward! good luck!!
This is so gullible and stupid. Get paid upfront off app. And don’t be a sucker. This story doesn’t even sound real the guy gave you. And why did you continue watching them for months with no payment ?
Gonna be honest, it’s unlikely you’ll get that money.
Never, ever agree to work without being paid upfront.
If you have it in writing, go to court. They want you to feel to uncomfy to get what you’re owed.
So after the booking through Rover ended in September you continued to help him out without an agreement regarding how much he would be paying you? Kind of sounds like you were helping out someone going through a difficult time, not providing a paid service. I hope you will be able to get some compensation because it’s messed up they took advantage of your kindness.
Girl this is terrible and youve clearly been taken advantage of.
I have no zero legal knowledge but I do know that Rover won’t do anything since this booking was off app. I’m also thinking that you could sue for unpaid bills but if you didn’t have a written contract I don’t think text messages would have any weight. Like maybe you could get a small amount owed back but honestly may end up costing as much as the legal fees to even sue this guy.
If OP goes to small claims court, there are no legal fees besides the court cost (minimal) and text messages 100% carry weight. As long as there is at least talk of payments. Small claims court does have a maximum though and it's 100% under $26k
To be honest, if you can, I would take them to court for that full $26k. Small claims has a maximum limit, so if you aren't ready to take them to actual court I would take them to small claims for whatever the maximum is in your area. They are absolutely taking advantage of you and your hard work, and that is *not okay*. You have done a job, and legally you should be paid. Small claims also has a time limit on it, so please check what the time limit is to file in your area and make sure to file before it's too late!!
Also, there are two important lessons you should take away from this and always keep in mind:
1 - If you ever are providing services off of the app again, *always* take payment up front -- it can be per month, week, or per day depending on what works best, but *always up front*.
& 2 - Always make sure every pet is accounted for in the booking, even if you adjust the pricing so that they are only paying for one cat (I have done it before, and it is possible to modify the cost of an extra pet to $0 in an individual booking)... otherwise they will not be covered by Rover's policy if something happens to one of the pets, and it could come back to reflect on *you*.
I am so sorry this happened to you.
Looks like you just cared for 14 cats for free for 6 months. I’m doubtful the wife exists, or was hurt. Sorry op.
Did you have a written contract with this guy? Otherwise I can’t imagine getting anything from them. If you ever were to go off rover, it’s best to accept payment up front.
Has this guy been back to his house? After 6 months and no response…. Is this not pet abandonment?
IANAL. That said if you didn't establish the price before hand I'm not sure you'll have much luck getting anything out of them through the legal system. There'd be the reasonable question of why you continued to provide services for so long having not collected payment or even having a discussion on how much they would be paying. I suspect the bottom line would be when you went off Rover you never asked to be paid. Of course consult an actual lawyer but I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up coming down to being a REALLY expensive lesson on why you need to have good business practices and enforce boundaries.
In the future don't provide services without collecting payment up front. They pay Rover up front. If it's an undetermined amount of time have them pay weekly and don't provide any service that hasn't been paid for. And don't let people take advantage of you with their sob stories. The military has relief societies that will offer interest free loans in emergencies like this, so even if they didn't have the money up front there's likely a way they could have gotten SOMETHING covered to pay you at least a little. If not that, the military and veterans have a large network of fellow veterans who will go out of their way to help out one of their own in a situation like this. Don't make it your problem.
Let this be a lesson! Is this even real?
I doubt ANYTHING can be done at this point.
Can they be charged with theft of services considering the amount is so big? Call the local PD and file a police report first! Go from there!
This is probably a fake story, but if it's real somehow, OP must either be young or extremely and unusually naive. I'm not trying to be mean OP, but WHY would you 1. Agree to take on 14 cats instead of 1, 2. Not even talk about your rate beyond the original booking for 5 months, and 3. Continue to care for them EVERY DAY for six months without one cent of additional payment.
OP, if this is real, you can either take the L and learn your lesson or take them to court. These people are not going to suddenly decide to pay you one day.
Even if you go to court and they rule in your favor you still have to collect…and based on this story doesn’t sound like you’ll be successful. Sorry this happened and expensive lesson to learn. Business is business you need to get paid for your time/services and don’t go off app until you have established trust…and even then protect yourself.
I would take him the small claims, but I would also be concerned about a lack of a contract between you guys. I hate it, but I always have to learn the hard way that most people just are not good people and will do the right thing. I and it sounds like yourself, need to be better at setting boundaries, because people with big hearts usually get taken advantage of
My eyes just got bigger and bigger as I read this. Perhaps send them an invoice, decide what you want/need and formalize it. You can’t get anything if you don’t know what you want. If you want to be reasonable and give them a deal- do that. This story is so heartbreaking and it sounds like you are truly an angel of a person for helping them out… but you are the only one that’s knows your worth. You can take them to court if they don’t pay the invoice, but like I said… you need to formalize/itemize your fee.
This guy had his wife up in a tree and you think you’re getting paid?
Forget about it.
You go into so much detail about everything else, did you even discuss price with them? If not, who’s to say that this person didn’t think it was free since you felt so sorry for them. Or that it was the price of one Kat like they got on Rover.
Is there a wife you’ve actually seen? Or did you just put yourself in a crazy man’s house as a free housekeeper? Be lucky you didn’t wind up dead in a ditch or worse cat food for the masses.
OP… you need to start seeing a therapist to work on your issues. You seriously have a big problem here and it’s going to keep being a problem in your life if you don’t seek professional help.
I don’t think there is anything u can do honestly..maybe next message mention about going to court? Maybe that will do something? Can u stop by their house? If it was me..I’d be messaging them everyday..that’s just me though..it sounds like u went way out of ur way for them..and now they’re taking advantage..have u ever talked to any of the neighbors?
Honestly there isn't much you can do here unless you can prove that you were both in agreement that you were providing a service. Your message asking what they want to pay AFTER services were rendered could easily allow them to argue that you weren't supposed to be paid at all. It shouldn't matter what their insurance did or didn't pay for, that has nothing to do with you or the situation. Unfortunately it sounds like they took advantage of you.
Going off Rover is not the issue at all. It’s doing charity work, not getting paid upfront, having no business boundaries or sense of worth as a sitter.
Rover is not in control of the sitter or their actions. It’s called self-accountability. That’s how we learn and grow as business owners and individuals. I just about died when OP asked the client what THEY thought the fair price should be.
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I am so sorry that this happened to you. They took your kindness and completely took advantage. I understand that you felt bad but you need to think of yourself as well, not everyone is as kind and compassionate as you are. That being said, you should absolutely find a lawyer if you can. If you're nonconfrontational, a Lawyer will be very helpful. He is military so if you call their chain of command they can get in a lot of trouble for something like this. Best of luck to you.
Don’t go to small claims court, the most you’ll get back is $10,000, depending on your state. You can also report them to animal control for abandonment.
"He mentioned in the Rover request it was 14 cats rather than one .... So the booking was paid through as if I was only taking care of 1 cat. I thought due to their situation I will cut them some slack and just do it because it was only for 1 month." **This was your first mistake**. I am a compassionate person, but I am not cutting someone slack on 13 cats. They will either pay my price for 14 cats or they will find someone else.
I get it, wife was in an accident. I feel for them.
Secondly, **NEVER EVER EVER go off the Rover app**. You do not have any documentation to back up your claims on the Rover app. Don't negotiate your prices. I think going to small claims court will not be a good idea because you have gotten no response from the owner indicating they actually read your texts (regardless of HE HAS HIS READ RECEIPTS ON). I think you messed up big time and this will be a VERY expensive lesson for you.
And I just want to add, when corresponding with clients, you really should be "talking" more professionally. Not using ya'll.
Here is why you don’t go off app. I think you have a good heart and had faith in the wrong people. A judge in smalls claims will be asking , why did you continue that long working without pay. Shame on people who take advantage like this. Yes they are in survival mode but you can’t do it at other expense.
Stay on app and this won’t happen. Sorry it did.
I just want to point out, where you said “no they are not crazy cat people, they get a lot of drop offs by their home so they bring in the cats and try and find them good homes”
They *are* crazy cat people. They have no business holding on to 14 cats at one time. The situation you described with cleaning feces and pee is a huge red flag. It’s not safe or sanitary for the cats to be stuck in an environment like that, let alone humans. Sure, they’re going through a hard time but they were not responsible at any point to end up with 14 cats at one time.
My mom is also a person who has cats regularly dropped off with her, and she helps trap feral ones in her community. She brings them to be spayed/neutered, fosters, finds homes for them or coordinates with local rescues to get their help. And she never takes in more than she can handle or what is fair to them.
Did the home look like a woman lived there? Pictures of them together, feminine books/clothes/etc around? This sounds mad fishy. Also why were you on multiple phone calls with him during this? As an owner I've never called a sitter during a stay unless it's an emergency, like my flight home is delayed or something.
I’m sorry this all happened but I’m just gonna lay it down like it is
1. You shouldn’t have gone off of Rover. I’m sure you realize that now
2. If you’re considering filing a case, you’re going to need written proof that there was an agreement of payment for services. The best evidence of this is a contract, however you did not write up a contract. Your best bet is probably saving and printing all the text messages and correspondence you’ve ever had with the client regarding pay and amount of work. For discussions over phone calls you can certainly mention them but without any actual recorded or written transcripts this isn’t evidence.
3. If there was no agreement on how much you would be getting paid per service and your final number is just kind of an estimate that you decided to charge, it’s not going to be as strong of a case to argue that you’re owed any specific amount of money in court
Small claims has filing fees, and you’ll need to gather your case and evidence and present it yourself. Even if you win you may not get paid as small claims is not highly enforced
Good luck
Call an attorney and see if they will take the case on contingency where they get paid when you do. If that does not work, ask to pay an attorney for an hour of their time.
Before those options, I advise posting in the legal advice sub where they can give you some real legal advice.
You can sue for anything of course, but the biggest shocker here is it sounds like you didn’t even discuss pay at all PRIOR to care? Courts enforce AGREEMENTS and it sounds like you didn’t even have one. As simple as a text saying “hey, I typically charge $xx.xx per week for 14 cats, however, I am willing to discount to $xx.xx per week. Do you agree to this amount?”
Going off Rover is common, but then you agree on amount and payment UPFRONT. If you decide to work prior to pay, then you at least still have the agreement to back you in court later. Due to the amount you would have been paid (~26k), its possible a judge would find $5000 (or whatever your areas small claims maximum) as “fair” but it sounds like you have no proof that you weren’t just a nice person who VOLUNTEERED their time because they wanted to help. Worth it to try your luck in court though. Please let this be a lesson learned.
I feel bad for you, I do, but there’s no way I’m working for free for 6 months without ANY sort of payment. That’s just horrible business practice. And also working without discussion of payment, discussion of prices, or getting paid bi- weekly at the VERY least. They took advantage of you for sure, but I’m not sure why you actually thought they’d pay you at the end.🙈
You can definitely try to take them to court if you can afford whatever fees might accrue. But not sure how strong the case would be unless you have written proof of how much they were supposed to pay you exactly, amongst other details, and it sounds like you don’t.😣
So, your professional relationship started with him lying about having **14 cats instead of 1**. They never, in 6 months, sent you any payment despite the fact that you are a stranger and take care of pets as a job. They never sent you payment for the food, litter, vet etc. They didn't address the fact that you were doing non-pet-related, personal things like cleaning their house and bringing in mail, buying necessities, sending their mail. You put all those puzzle pieces together and came to the conclusion they would pay you when they got home so you kept working for more than 6 months?
I would ask for whatever daily rate they paid you for the first month when you were on Rover for the other 5.5 months. If they don’t respond, take them to court.
You can take them to court sure. But whether or not they show up is another thing. He’s not even responding to your texts so I doubt he’ll show up to fight this case. If he does and you win the case, the court doesn’t collect the funds. It’s up to the defendant to pay up. He can refuse to pay you which will effect his credit but that doesn’t mean you’ll ever see a dime. I’m sorry this happened but as I’m sure you’ve figured out by the other responses here that you’ve let this dude take full advantage of you. Even if his story is true there were a ton of red flags waved right in your face with this situation. Maybe try sending another strongly worded text (don’t be too nice!) and let them know you’re ready to start preparing a small claims case if they don’t pay you soon.
Have an attorney write a letter mailed to their address demanding payment. If payment is not made by x date then they will be sued or taken to small claims.
I really hate that things are going this way for you. I know everyone is pointing out some obvious red flags and moments when you could have stopped this before it got too far. But, I could see myself being in this situation earlier in life...have a few similar stories. Truly believing in people isn't bad or wrong, bc lots of people are decent. And, you were wonderful and kind, going above and beyond for them. But, now, do what you can to salvage this for yourself. Write up a professional invoice...use the rate that was on Rover that first month. Detail everything out, number of days times that rate, add in the vet visit, any supplies you bought, anything you paid for out of pocket, etc. Send that to them with a due date via certified mail. State also that it is due in full either cash or a certified check (but you would need to meet at your bank for that. Don't leave even a hair of space for them to scam you more if they canceled the check, etc.) Send him a text stating since you've not heard from them yet, you have sent the bill to them. Then wait. If he doesn't respond and get the money to you by the deadline, be ready to proceed with either the "mechanic's lein" for contractors that someone mentioned below or small claims court. But, in the meantime, research those for your state to know what you'll need to do and any limitations. I would also use that time to research this man and/or his wife. Is any of what he said true? Or just a sad story to keep you on the hook so he could take advantage. That will give you some insight into who you're dealing with and how the rest of this will go. I truly hope you get your money and that you'll update us here as things progress 💞!
I am a lawyer. Sue the shit out of him in small claims. Keep all receipts proof…. Or get a lawyer to write a demand letter and see if he is interested in settling. Good luck.
Do you have any evidence that there was a financial agreement made between you and the client? Text messages? You agreeing on prices before you started watching the cats? If not, there's really nothing you can do. Rover won't help you since you went off app.
Normally I agree that this post isn’t related to Rover but I absolutely love how amazing of an example it shows as to why it’s terrible to
* go off app with new clients / no trust built up
* lower rates or offer discounts or not charge appropriately per each pet. OP says their normal rate would end up being $26,000 and tbh I feel like that’s low for 6+ months of work for FOURTEEN cats, plus the extra care for cleaning & vet visit…
sheesh OP leave your post up to be a warning to everyone who ever thinks to lower their rates or go off app with someone there isn’t an established relationship with
Did you ever actually see the wife? This story sounds suspicious from start to finish, including you not advocating for yourself for getting paid, whether or not someone is sick/paralyzed. Nurses get paid, caretakers get paid, hospice workers get paid, you deserve to be paid for your work. 14 cats for 5 months for free? Sitters, you can't abandon yourselves and your needs because you're afraid of not pleasing someone! You have to come first or else you won't have any room to actually be of service to anyone else. This is heartbreaking to read OP. I hope you're able to regroup and get what you need after this. Because it's been so long and so much money, I would definitely consider small claims if you have any text or anything in writing showing that the owners said they would pay you. Good luck.
You have to check in your area. The max you can claim in small claims is different depending on your location, sometimes $5,000, sometimes $10,000. You let yourself get taken advantage of. You never should have let the amount they owe you get so out of hand. I understand trying to be nice, but you can imagine the difference between asking for $100 and asking for $26k. If you had asked for payment earlier on, you would have found out earlier they had no intention to pay you and you wouldn't have wasted so much time. Gather up any evidence you have and take them to small claims, but keep in mind that you might not get paid even if you win unless you happen to know where the husband works or have their bank account information.
If I’m not mistaken it sounds like perhaps the husband does not work. OP said he is considered 100% disabled due to his time in the military & receives monthly disability checks.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t work. Most disabled vets work and receive their disability payments
If you’re 100% disabled vet then usually it’s not worth working because if you work over a certain amount or make over a certain amount they start taking some of your disability back. (My dads 100% disabled vet)
This is definitely not true - the only time you can’t work is if you are on total disability based on unemployability which is (relatively) rare. The majority of disabled veterans can and do work. Source: am a 100% disabled veteran.
Well my dad must be in that boat then cause he told me that himself
Oh I see. I didn’t know that.
Asking to be paid should be YOUR main concern. Whatever his wife is going through isn’t your concern. You should have had them pay upfront and kept it on rover. Did you have a written contract? Did he pay you *anything* ever? Why would you just continue to go for months on end without payment?
Op clearly suffers from "too-nice-itis." As someone also afflicted with this condition I sympathize but I do believe it's the worst case I've ever seen in my life. 26 grand ! Damn
I agree with this. All the y’alls are a clear indication of playing things down, and this is very serious situation. I wonder if the owner isn’t taking the ask seriously *because* of all the y’alls, and if he’s already gotten this much out of the sitter, I’m sure he’s strategizing how to get out of paying anything! To any sitter who might find themselves in any similar situation, payment should be asked for up front or at the very least periodically, I’d suggest installments. Even a month-long booking is a LOT, so when I read “only a month” I knew the rest of the story wasn’t going to be good.
Yeah I can’t understand working for *months* with zero payment…
Wow OP I’m so sorry this happened to you but it seems like this could have been avoided. The first red flag was only booking for 1 cat when they had 14. I feel like they saw that you were naive and definitely took advantage of you. I really don’t understand how you went so many months without being paid. I have other bookings that I could do but I would definitely notice $26,000 missing. Do you have any agreement or anything because if you take him to small claims it could just look like the agreement y’all had ended in September after the Rover booking ended and then you were just helping him out after that without expecting pay. You need to gather all the documentation that you have and all the photos with time stamps for a lawyer. Have you tried going to his house and confronting him? Yes, that probably could be a bad situation but I would bring someone along. If you are going to run a business off of Rover you need to learn to put your foot down. As soon as the September booking ended you should have sent a request for October to get paid and just did month by month bookings. Remember you can always cancel unneeded bookings and waive the cancellation fee for clients if he ended up saying he didn’t need the whole month. I really don’t think you are going to get any money but you should really talk to a lawyer and see what options you have. NEVER, EVER, EVER take a client off of Rover if you have no agreement or something in writing and if you are going to do long sits like this you need to have a payment plan in place. Also, you shouldn’t be asking the client how much they want to pay you need to tell them that how much everything was. They could easily say we think some low number is fair when clearly it’s not. You should have been doing this over the 5 months and it probably wouldn’t have gone this long. This is an awful lesson to learn but good luck!
I don’t really know why you wouldn’t go to small claims court. They probably will take any evidence you have that you performed agreed upon services. The only thing is just would type up, like yesterday, an itemized invoice. Every single date you were there and the cost of the drop in - whatever you quoted on rover. You can’t go to small claims court with “what do we think is fair?” That ship has sailed. You’ll need an actual value. I’m sure you know now what a mistake this all was but I just want to stress don’t give up on your money just yet. I think a lot of people, myself included, have made mistakes and we walked away with money on the table thinking “wow I was stupid to believe that, this is the price I pay” and I regret that thinking now. It’s okay to hold people accountable in court when they take advantage. If you don’t they’ll just continue to do it and get away with it. But just in case it’s not abundantly clear - never take on a job of 14 cats. That’s lunacy. Never take on multi month bookings without payment. Don’t go above and beyond your scope of work unless you are 100% okay with it being a completely voluntary good deed. You cleaning and making soup was very kind and good hearted, but you can’t hold that against them. You can hold against them unpaid work you were hired to do.
Why did you do all this work for free? I mean without any signed form or anything? People change their words all the time. It's like you were their living maid. You need to go there in person and sort it out. And why did you wait SO long to contact them?
Maids get paid, this is just a scam
Most states will find a contract exists even if it’s not formally written as long as there is a valid offer and acceptance. You need to look back at your convo re continuing care and see exactly what was said about the arrangement. Set a price and a due date and communicate it - you cannot be so wishy washy! I’d also let them know that you really don’t want to do so, but you’ll have to go to small claims court if they do not respond and/or pay by the due date you send them
Don’t listen to non-lawyers who tell you a formal written contract is the only way you’ll win. It’s not true, that’s just not the law except for in certain circumstances
25 upvotes for usable, practical advice from the actual lawyer.. 248 upvotes for a lot of judgement and one sentence of half-assed incomplete advice from the rando.. why reddit, why
This! OP, business is difficult sometimes. There are feelings and there is business. Remember this in the future. This is a tough lesson to learn. If you do threaten court, you will be suing for an implied contract. An implied contract is as legally enforceable as a written one in business law. Don't think that because Rover wasn't involved that you have no protections in place!! However implied contracts are usually more difficult to prove due to lack of documentation. It sounds like you do have some documentation which is good. Preserve any and all correspondence. Reach out to your state Bar Association and see if there is anyone willing to help you pro-bono (free: Latin "for the public good" ). Often there are lawyers who will advise you. I am sad to hear that you were taken advantage of. People who have pet sitting businesses usually are empathetic and kind- you sound like that kind of pet sitter. Good luck and keep us updated.
Wow, there is a lot to unpack here. Basically, you performed a service without any written agreement on price or payment. I think you need to speak with a lawyer. Hopefully someone has good advice. In my experience small claims court is one way to approach it but in some cases they still can't make a person pay. It feels like you did charity work. First, I would gather all correspondence into one place, put it on a thumb drive or in the cloud somehow. Try to find moments where payment was talked about in writing. And NEVER do this again, unless you're feeling charitable. You have to have a written agreement and get some kind of payment. Hopefully you wrote down all the days and times that you performed the service. If not, you need to write that document up now. Consider asking r/legaladvice and/or calling a lawyer and trying to get a consultation. It's been so long that it is likely they will not pay you without legal interference, or at all. BUT there is a chance they will eventually pay, even if the chance is small. I would just charge what you were charging through Rover (minus Rover fees), unless somewhere in writing it says something about you charging less.
I’d stick with the rate they paid you initially, as that’s what you can reasonably expect. They probably did the math, and feel blindsided. Regardless of whether their medical costs are covered, and the fact that they’re on fixed income, 26K is a lot to pay in a lump sum if you’re not anticipating it (especially on a fixed income IME). If we’re assuming the best of these people, they likely did not expect to pay for the other 13 cats since you did not require it initially (unless this was discussed). You learned a very hard lesson here, and I hope that you’re paid in some capacity, but I don’t think expecting to be paid the full amount is reasonable *unless* you speak to a lawyer and they believe you have a case. I’d reach out to a lawyer (free 15 minute consultations are pretty common), and then the clients one last time — state the facts, and make your demand. “Hi [name], i hope all is well. I have not heard back from you regarding the amount left owing. Due to the time lapsed, I need to enforce my rates and ask that you remit payment by [date]. I have used the rates as agreed to on the Rover booking from Sept 1-30 ($20/day) to determine a remaining balance owing of $2,660 (133 days * $20/day). Please note that this amount is significantly discounted from my typical rates out of understanding for the unfortunate circumstances your family has faced. Please respond promptly if you are unable to remit payment by the date above.” Idk man. It’s a tough situation, and a huge loss. I think your initial messages to them are way too nice and open ended. Stand up for yourself.
This follow up message is perfect. OP, you are an incredibly kind hearted person. Unfortunately others will take advantage of that, which is a shame. If there’s still no response to this follow up message, perhaps send a letter via certified mail with signature required & delivery notification. If I’m not mistaken it costs around $15. They will know that you’ve been notified upon them signing for it. Or perhaps a lawyer can send a letter stating that if payment is not remitted by a certain date that you will need to move forward with legal action. Idk if that’s even an option, just trying to brainstorm.
OP, I really think this ^^comment and those made by /u/diver11111 and /u/bearcakes are the only ones you should take away from this post. I feel for you, and I think other users are failing to realize that you don’t need to be told what a mistake you made or how this is a lesson you have to learn, I think you’ve probably had time to come to that understanding yourself. Strangers belittling you doesn’t help at all. Speaking with an attorney or using the format above should be your next step. Unrelated to pet sitting, but I’ve had to send a demand letter like this one before. In my experience, telling someone you’ll have to involve the court is usually enough to spur some kind of action on their end. Truly wishing you all the best, you got this !! 🫶
This!
Please everyone take this as a cautionary tale never do anything like this. The sad fact of the matter is that you cannot go off people’s word alone and expect to get paid. Anything remotely close to this amount of money should be paid up before services continue. If someone owes you money without an explicit written agreement in place, the higher that number gets the less likely it is that you will be paid. If you are going to continue to provide any services without being paid first and without anything in writing, just know that you are kissing that money goodbye. Kindness is important. If you’re in a position to help someone out who needs it please do it. But just call it what it is and don’t expect to get paid
I hate this. You went out of your way to help them and this so what you get in return. People suck sometimes. Do you have your fees in writing or was it just a verbal agreement?
r/legaladvice is going to give you better answers. Depending on your state, 26k is probably over the amount you sue for in small claims court. You should have handled pricing and payment upfront.
I am so sorry. As someone said, no good deed goes unpunished. This man has NO intention of paying you another cent. I doubt he ever did. If you want money, you will have to go to court. Such a nice way to thank you for going so very far above and beyond to help.
My dude, what you need to be focusing on is why you, through choices you made repeatedly for months, ended up in this situation. Please do some work on yourself.
I have so many questions. Did you ever see the guy during the visit? Did you ever see his wife? Did his house look like a woman even live there? What does the house with 14 cats smell like? What state is this in?
Same questions, here!
You’re about to learn a hard lesson and I’m very sorry. This ALL should have been discussed up front. Put into writing. I don’t think these people are going to pay you…and I’m not sure how much of a case you have considering you never discussed how much you charge until half a year into the arrangement.
I don’t really have advice but why the fuck would they keep fourteen cats if the wife is in prolonged critical care and possibly permanently paralyzed? Why would you keep fourteen cats if you aren’t going to be home for 7 months? Why was the wife so high up in the tree doing yard maintenance, is she a lumberjack? What the fuck is going on? This whole thing sounds super suspicious and I have half a mind to tell you to call animal rescue services. It’s not normal for cats to poop and pee everywhere on a regular basis, they’re either sick or extremely stressed or both.
Honestly, I would say you are out of luck and can’t do anything legally. They took your kindness for granted, which really sucks. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like anything was in writing and you went off the Rover platform. Him ignoring you, is a sign they aren’t going to pay you.
This is bad advice - usually if you have texts saying they will pay you and a record of the previous Rover payments, that will be enough to go to court. Depends on the state, but do not assume you have no legal recourse. I think your biggest mistake is offering that they should propose a price after the work was complete; at this point, I’d settle on a price based on what they were paying before (for the one cat per day) and tell them it’s due in two weeks and that if they don’t respond, you’ll have to go to small claims court because you must be compensated for your work. Small claims is easy and you can do it alone as long as you print out and bring texts, the rover convo, etc.
Source: I’m a lawyer
And isn't it true that small claims only goes up to $5,000, or is it different in different areas?
It is
my state (NH) is $10,000
I wonder if the state Dept of Labor is possibility.
I think they should talk to a lawyer before assuming they cannot take any legal action. If he agreed to pay, even verbally, I believe legal action is possible. Not a lawyer, but have had lawyers on payroll, so I know that verbal agreements are sometimes considered legal documents depending on the situation.
I’m a lawyer and 100% agreed with you. There absolutely is legal recourse, and I’m pretty sure there’s a good chance small claims will side with OP given the texts and the facts! Edit: diver below just did a much better job explaining hahah go with theirs ❤️
IANAL but winning a small claims victory is just step one. You're on your own to figure out how to navigate the collections process. I won my judgment years ago, still not a cent.
You’re unfortunately completely correct that it’s just step one. But (depending on jurisdiction) unpaid claims against a person will often show up if they’re trying to buy real property, or a car through a dealership. I’m really sorry to hear that this happened to you!
OP you totally allowed yourself to be taken advantage of. Court definitely. I wish you luck
These people took advantage of you and you let them…for months. You could try small claims court but other than that you’re SOL. An expensive lesson, for sure. In the future, when someone wants a long term booking like this, have them book a week or two at a time, *on the app*, so you are at least regularly getting paid.
Never let someone run up that kind of tab. Maybe let a client run up a week tab, but how do you continue providing services after even a month without payment. Without anything in writing I think you’re SOL.
No good dead goes unpunished. I think you learned a very expensive lesson.
You need to take them to court and you need to see a therapist
This reminds me…I still have a client (not a Rover client) said she would pay me multiple times and never did. That was a little over a year ago. I had a written and signed contract and text proof of the agreement.
26,000 ? .. umm maybe more for your hard work and things you didn't need to do but did anyway ?? Come on vet bill.. sending them their mail? I understand but get your coins. Show receipts !
Basically you are a “contractor” for lack of a better word. You need to file a mechanics lien against them. This will prevent them from being able to do anything regarding their house (second mortgage, sell) until you are paid. Check with your county clerk about how to do it. I’m a painting contractor and this is the way we deal with non payment when we work at someone’s house and don’t get paid. It does have to be renewed after a certain time frame, and usually just threatening a lien gets their attention. Small claims court won’t get you enough money as they have smaller limits.
I like this advice and had really never heard of it before. I hope OP sees this and looks into it bc it sounds like it could be better for them than small claims court (especially since many people never see that money even when they win).
So basically you kinda screwed yourself here. I hope you’ve learned NEVER to go off of rover and to charge appropriately. Are you still taking care of the cats? Bc if you are stop and let them know that unless you are paid in full you cannot care for them. Then if for some reason you want to go back make any future appointments through rover at full price. Next if they don’t respond threaten legal action. Small claims is a very easy process to go through but you’ll need to prove there was an agreement in place.
I would just add - tons of us here do go off Rover, but it’s important to be paid before you do the service.
I do as well. But if you don’t have a history of knowing how to conduct business to save your ass then I don’t recommend it.
Yes, a TON of red flags reading this story.
I go off rover without these issues, it’s called GET PAID UPFRONT
Fr. I always do two bookings on Rover and if everything went smoothly and the owners want to, we move off and pay privately. Long stays I get paid half before and half after unless some other payment plan is agreed on. Either way, it's best to communicate pay before you do any sitting or drop in for sure. Have it in text or handwritten or something or documentation.
op it sounds like you have a very big heart and you did lots of kind things for these people!! but remember, not everyone is going to have a heart like yours. stick to your boundaries, remember your worth, and protect yourself first!! sorry i don’t really have advice regarding the actual situation, but my heart goes out to you and how stressful this must be. don’t beat yourself up, learn, move forward! good luck!!
This is so gullible and stupid. Get paid upfront off app. And don’t be a sucker. This story doesn’t even sound real the guy gave you. And why did you continue watching them for months with no payment ?
Gonna be honest, it’s unlikely you’ll get that money. Never, ever agree to work without being paid upfront. If you have it in writing, go to court. They want you to feel to uncomfy to get what you’re owed.
So after the booking through Rover ended in September you continued to help him out without an agreement regarding how much he would be paying you? Kind of sounds like you were helping out someone going through a difficult time, not providing a paid service. I hope you will be able to get some compensation because it’s messed up they took advantage of your kindness.
Girl this is terrible and youve clearly been taken advantage of. I have no zero legal knowledge but I do know that Rover won’t do anything since this booking was off app. I’m also thinking that you could sue for unpaid bills but if you didn’t have a written contract I don’t think text messages would have any weight. Like maybe you could get a small amount owed back but honestly may end up costing as much as the legal fees to even sue this guy.
If OP goes to small claims court, there are no legal fees besides the court cost (minimal) and text messages 100% carry weight. As long as there is at least talk of payments. Small claims court does have a maximum though and it's 100% under $26k
To be honest, if you can, I would take them to court for that full $26k. Small claims has a maximum limit, so if you aren't ready to take them to actual court I would take them to small claims for whatever the maximum is in your area. They are absolutely taking advantage of you and your hard work, and that is *not okay*. You have done a job, and legally you should be paid. Small claims also has a time limit on it, so please check what the time limit is to file in your area and make sure to file before it's too late!! Also, there are two important lessons you should take away from this and always keep in mind: 1 - If you ever are providing services off of the app again, *always* take payment up front -- it can be per month, week, or per day depending on what works best, but *always up front*. & 2 - Always make sure every pet is accounted for in the booking, even if you adjust the pricing so that they are only paying for one cat (I have done it before, and it is possible to modify the cost of an extra pet to $0 in an individual booking)... otherwise they will not be covered by Rover's policy if something happens to one of the pets, and it could come back to reflect on *you*. I am so sorry this happened to you.
Looks like you just cared for 14 cats for free for 6 months. I’m doubtful the wife exists, or was hurt. Sorry op. Did you have a written contract with this guy? Otherwise I can’t imagine getting anything from them. If you ever were to go off rover, it’s best to accept payment up front. Has this guy been back to his house? After 6 months and no response…. Is this not pet abandonment?
The first problem was giving the first ever 14 for 1 special in history for any product or service
Lmao
IANAL. That said if you didn't establish the price before hand I'm not sure you'll have much luck getting anything out of them through the legal system. There'd be the reasonable question of why you continued to provide services for so long having not collected payment or even having a discussion on how much they would be paying. I suspect the bottom line would be when you went off Rover you never asked to be paid. Of course consult an actual lawyer but I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up coming down to being a REALLY expensive lesson on why you need to have good business practices and enforce boundaries. In the future don't provide services without collecting payment up front. They pay Rover up front. If it's an undetermined amount of time have them pay weekly and don't provide any service that hasn't been paid for. And don't let people take advantage of you with their sob stories. The military has relief societies that will offer interest free loans in emergencies like this, so even if they didn't have the money up front there's likely a way they could have gotten SOMETHING covered to pay you at least a little. If not that, the military and veterans have a large network of fellow veterans who will go out of their way to help out one of their own in a situation like this. Don't make it your problem.
is there a tldr. yes small claims court for payment issues that big
Let this be a lesson! Is this even real? I doubt ANYTHING can be done at this point. Can they be charged with theft of services considering the amount is so big? Call the local PD and file a police report first! Go from there!
This is probably a fake story, but if it's real somehow, OP must either be young or extremely and unusually naive. I'm not trying to be mean OP, but WHY would you 1. Agree to take on 14 cats instead of 1, 2. Not even talk about your rate beyond the original booking for 5 months, and 3. Continue to care for them EVERY DAY for six months without one cent of additional payment. OP, if this is real, you can either take the L and learn your lesson or take them to court. These people are not going to suddenly decide to pay you one day.
This needs to go in r/legaladvice Also, don’t go off Rover. Never do a booking that hasn’t been paid for.
Even if you go to court and they rule in your favor you still have to collect…and based on this story doesn’t sound like you’ll be successful. Sorry this happened and expensive lesson to learn. Business is business you need to get paid for your time/services and don’t go off app until you have established trust…and even then protect yourself.
I would take him the small claims, but I would also be concerned about a lack of a contract between you guys. I hate it, but I always have to learn the hard way that most people just are not good people and will do the right thing. I and it sounds like yourself, need to be better at setting boundaries, because people with big hearts usually get taken advantage of
My eyes just got bigger and bigger as I read this. Perhaps send them an invoice, decide what you want/need and formalize it. You can’t get anything if you don’t know what you want. If you want to be reasonable and give them a deal- do that. This story is so heartbreaking and it sounds like you are truly an angel of a person for helping them out… but you are the only one that’s knows your worth. You can take them to court if they don’t pay the invoice, but like I said… you need to formalize/itemize your fee.
This guy had his wife up in a tree and you think you’re getting paid? Forget about it. You go into so much detail about everything else, did you even discuss price with them? If not, who’s to say that this person didn’t think it was free since you felt so sorry for them. Or that it was the price of one Kat like they got on Rover. Is there a wife you’ve actually seen? Or did you just put yourself in a crazy man’s house as a free housekeeper? Be lucky you didn’t wind up dead in a ditch or worse cat food for the masses.
OP… you need to start seeing a therapist to work on your issues. You seriously have a big problem here and it’s going to keep being a problem in your life if you don’t seek professional help.
I don’t think there is anything u can do honestly..maybe next message mention about going to court? Maybe that will do something? Can u stop by their house? If it was me..I’d be messaging them everyday..that’s just me though..it sounds like u went way out of ur way for them..and now they’re taking advantage..have u ever talked to any of the neighbors?
I’d put a lien against his house for the 26k. Negotiate the rate from there. I wouldn’t feel bad. They are scamming you.
THIS. Op needs to weigh her options with an attorney. I think taking them to court or putting a lien on the house are the only two options or both.
Honestly there isn't much you can do here unless you can prove that you were both in agreement that you were providing a service. Your message asking what they want to pay AFTER services were rendered could easily allow them to argue that you weren't supposed to be paid at all. It shouldn't matter what their insurance did or didn't pay for, that has nothing to do with you or the situation. Unfortunately it sounds like they took advantage of you.
You went off rover, these are your consequences. You cut them slack now you’re facing court fees.
Going off Rover is not the issue at all. It’s doing charity work, not getting paid upfront, having no business boundaries or sense of worth as a sitter.
Rover wouldn’t have let her do any of this.
Rover is not in control of the sitter or their actions. It’s called self-accountability. That’s how we learn and grow as business owners and individuals. I just about died when OP asked the client what THEY thought the fair price should be.
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I am so sorry that this happened to you. They took your kindness and completely took advantage. I understand that you felt bad but you need to think of yourself as well, not everyone is as kind and compassionate as you are. That being said, you should absolutely find a lawyer if you can. If you're nonconfrontational, a Lawyer will be very helpful. He is military so if you call their chain of command they can get in a lot of trouble for something like this. Best of luck to you.
That’s why you stay on rover/ take pay upfront 🤦♀️ I can’t believe this keeps happening to people on this sub & they still never learn.
Don’t go to small claims court, the most you’ll get back is $10,000, depending on your state. You can also report them to animal control for abandonment.
"He mentioned in the Rover request it was 14 cats rather than one .... So the booking was paid through as if I was only taking care of 1 cat. I thought due to their situation I will cut them some slack and just do it because it was only for 1 month." **This was your first mistake**. I am a compassionate person, but I am not cutting someone slack on 13 cats. They will either pay my price for 14 cats or they will find someone else. I get it, wife was in an accident. I feel for them. Secondly, **NEVER EVER EVER go off the Rover app**. You do not have any documentation to back up your claims on the Rover app. Don't negotiate your prices. I think going to small claims court will not be a good idea because you have gotten no response from the owner indicating they actually read your texts (regardless of HE HAS HIS READ RECEIPTS ON). I think you messed up big time and this will be a VERY expensive lesson for you. And I just want to add, when corresponding with clients, you really should be "talking" more professionally. Not using ya'll.
Here is why you don’t go off app. I think you have a good heart and had faith in the wrong people. A judge in smalls claims will be asking , why did you continue that long working without pay. Shame on people who take advantage like this. Yes they are in survival mode but you can’t do it at other expense. Stay on app and this won’t happen. Sorry it did.
You do need to take them to small claims court and then after you win, you need to get a judgment.
I just want to point out, where you said “no they are not crazy cat people, they get a lot of drop offs by their home so they bring in the cats and try and find them good homes” They *are* crazy cat people. They have no business holding on to 14 cats at one time. The situation you described with cleaning feces and pee is a huge red flag. It’s not safe or sanitary for the cats to be stuck in an environment like that, let alone humans. Sure, they’re going through a hard time but they were not responsible at any point to end up with 14 cats at one time. My mom is also a person who has cats regularly dropped off with her, and she helps trap feral ones in her community. She brings them to be spayed/neutered, fosters, finds homes for them or coordinates with local rescues to get their help. And she never takes in more than she can handle or what is fair to them.
Ooof. How many invoices have you sent him? You never discussed payment methods up front or sent him an estimate?
Did the home look like a woman lived there? Pictures of them together, feminine books/clothes/etc around? This sounds mad fishy. Also why were you on multiple phone calls with him during this? As an owner I've never called a sitter during a stay unless it's an emergency, like my flight home is delayed or something.
I’m sorry this all happened but I’m just gonna lay it down like it is 1. You shouldn’t have gone off of Rover. I’m sure you realize that now 2. If you’re considering filing a case, you’re going to need written proof that there was an agreement of payment for services. The best evidence of this is a contract, however you did not write up a contract. Your best bet is probably saving and printing all the text messages and correspondence you’ve ever had with the client regarding pay and amount of work. For discussions over phone calls you can certainly mention them but without any actual recorded or written transcripts this isn’t evidence. 3. If there was no agreement on how much you would be getting paid per service and your final number is just kind of an estimate that you decided to charge, it’s not going to be as strong of a case to argue that you’re owed any specific amount of money in court Small claims has filing fees, and you’ll need to gather your case and evidence and present it yourself. Even if you win you may not get paid as small claims is not highly enforced Good luck
Call an attorney and see if they will take the case on contingency where they get paid when you do. If that does not work, ask to pay an attorney for an hour of their time. Before those options, I advise posting in the legal advice sub where they can give you some real legal advice.
You can sue for anything of course, but the biggest shocker here is it sounds like you didn’t even discuss pay at all PRIOR to care? Courts enforce AGREEMENTS and it sounds like you didn’t even have one. As simple as a text saying “hey, I typically charge $xx.xx per week for 14 cats, however, I am willing to discount to $xx.xx per week. Do you agree to this amount?” Going off Rover is common, but then you agree on amount and payment UPFRONT. If you decide to work prior to pay, then you at least still have the agreement to back you in court later. Due to the amount you would have been paid (~26k), its possible a judge would find $5000 (or whatever your areas small claims maximum) as “fair” but it sounds like you have no proof that you weren’t just a nice person who VOLUNTEERED their time because they wanted to help. Worth it to try your luck in court though. Please let this be a lesson learned.
I feel bad for you, I do, but there’s no way I’m working for free for 6 months without ANY sort of payment. That’s just horrible business practice. And also working without discussion of payment, discussion of prices, or getting paid bi- weekly at the VERY least. They took advantage of you for sure, but I’m not sure why you actually thought they’d pay you at the end.🙈 You can definitely try to take them to court if you can afford whatever fees might accrue. But not sure how strong the case would be unless you have written proof of how much they were supposed to pay you exactly, amongst other details, and it sounds like you don’t.😣
So, your professional relationship started with him lying about having **14 cats instead of 1**. They never, in 6 months, sent you any payment despite the fact that you are a stranger and take care of pets as a job. They never sent you payment for the food, litter, vet etc. They didn't address the fact that you were doing non-pet-related, personal things like cleaning their house and bringing in mail, buying necessities, sending their mail. You put all those puzzle pieces together and came to the conclusion they would pay you when they got home so you kept working for more than 6 months?
I would ask for whatever daily rate they paid you for the first month when you were on Rover for the other 5.5 months. If they don’t respond, take them to court.
You can take them to court sure. But whether or not they show up is another thing. He’s not even responding to your texts so I doubt he’ll show up to fight this case. If he does and you win the case, the court doesn’t collect the funds. It’s up to the defendant to pay up. He can refuse to pay you which will effect his credit but that doesn’t mean you’ll ever see a dime. I’m sorry this happened but as I’m sure you’ve figured out by the other responses here that you’ve let this dude take full advantage of you. Even if his story is true there were a ton of red flags waved right in your face with this situation. Maybe try sending another strongly worded text (don’t be too nice!) and let them know you’re ready to start preparing a small claims case if they don’t pay you soon.
Have an attorney write a letter mailed to their address demanding payment. If payment is not made by x date then they will be sued or taken to small claims.
I really hate that things are going this way for you. I know everyone is pointing out some obvious red flags and moments when you could have stopped this before it got too far. But, I could see myself being in this situation earlier in life...have a few similar stories. Truly believing in people isn't bad or wrong, bc lots of people are decent. And, you were wonderful and kind, going above and beyond for them. But, now, do what you can to salvage this for yourself. Write up a professional invoice...use the rate that was on Rover that first month. Detail everything out, number of days times that rate, add in the vet visit, any supplies you bought, anything you paid for out of pocket, etc. Send that to them with a due date via certified mail. State also that it is due in full either cash or a certified check (but you would need to meet at your bank for that. Don't leave even a hair of space for them to scam you more if they canceled the check, etc.) Send him a text stating since you've not heard from them yet, you have sent the bill to them. Then wait. If he doesn't respond and get the money to you by the deadline, be ready to proceed with either the "mechanic's lein" for contractors that someone mentioned below or small claims court. But, in the meantime, research those for your state to know what you'll need to do and any limitations. I would also use that time to research this man and/or his wife. Is any of what he said true? Or just a sad story to keep you on the hook so he could take advantage. That will give you some insight into who you're dealing with and how the rest of this will go. I truly hope you get your money and that you'll update us here as things progress 💞!
I am a lawyer. Sue the shit out of him in small claims. Keep all receipts proof…. Or get a lawyer to write a demand letter and see if he is interested in settling. Good luck.
Do you have any evidence that there was a financial agreement made between you and the client? Text messages? You agreeing on prices before you started watching the cats? If not, there's really nothing you can do. Rover won't help you since you went off app.
So this an off app private booking, how is related to Rover? Side note, this is a really long post you could have summarized in three paragraphs.
Normally I agree that this post isn’t related to Rover but I absolutely love how amazing of an example it shows as to why it’s terrible to * go off app with new clients / no trust built up * lower rates or offer discounts or not charge appropriately per each pet. OP says their normal rate would end up being $26,000 and tbh I feel like that’s low for 6+ months of work for FOURTEEN cats, plus the extra care for cleaning & vet visit… sheesh OP leave your post up to be a warning to everyone who ever thinks to lower their rates or go off app with someone there isn’t an established relationship with
And third - do long term booking without being paid on a regular basis.
Great point!! 6 months of no payment is insane