I'm a pet sitter whose business has been decimated by COVID-19 — here's what I'm doing to protect myself and stay afloat financially
- Sarah Bence is a pet sitter, travel writer, and freelancer based in Michigan, and one of the many gig and hourly dependent workers whose livelihoods are being upended by the coronavirus.
- She had recently accepted a 71-day long cat-sitting gig, but it was cut short due to the owners returning home because of the outbreak, resulting in a $1,180 loss for the sitter.
- The pet-sitting app Bence used initially told her that due to COVID-19, they were also "waiving the cancellation penalty," which protected pet owners from having to pay more — but left sitters empty-handed.
- If you're a gig economy worker who is struggling right now, don't be afraid to advocate for yourself via email and Twitter, and find out if you're eligible for temporary unemployment benefits.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
When I accepted a 71-day long cat-sitting gig, I thought I'd hit the jackpot. For me, professional pet-sitting is more than a lucrative side gig. It's an important financial support alongside freelancing and hourly work that all place me firmly in the gig economy. So, to bag a nearly three-month pet-sitting position, alongside my normal, shorter pet-sitting jobs? I felt more secure than I had in a while. Then, along came COVID-19.
When I accepted this cat-sitting gig — and all my other pet-sitting jobs — we weren't in a pandemic. COVID-19 was dominating the headlines, but it wasn't yet controlling our daily lives. So, three weeks ago, when the cat owners packed their bags for a sabbatical in Germany, leaving me with a cupboard of wet cat food and some instructions, none of us gave it a second thought.
But things changed rapidly. A week ago, the local university shut down, banning all university-related travel. "What's going on with you in Germany?" I messaged the cat owners, who are university employees. No response. Then one evening I get a message: "Because of the virus here and in Europe, we have now returned home to the USA," and the kicker: "This means we will no longer need your services this spring."
Pet owners are frantically returning home from their trips before borders close. New work-from-home policies mean daytime dog walks or drop-in visits are no longer needed. Not to mention social distancing, isolation, and quarantine mean increased wariness about who you let in your house — after all, pets can't contract COVID-19, but their fur can carry it.
While the internet is busy spreading memes about this pandemic being the best thing to ever happen to dogs — who now have their owners home full-time — pet sitters like me are facing the reality of our newly empty schedules… and bank accounts. But at the very least, there are cancellation policies, right?
Not exactly.
I want to be clear that I'm not blaming the cat owners, or any of the other pet owners I provide services to, for canceling their travel plans. It is the responsible thing to do, for the health of our most vulnerable. But I'm not going to lie. It hurt. From a 71-day gig to a 12-day gig, this meant I lost $1,180 overnight. And that's for one single job, not mentioning every single other canceled gig. Luckily for me, though, this was booked through a pet-sitting app, called Rover, which provides protection … or so I thought.
After I amended the booking dates, I checked my account balance, only to find less money than I had expected. I messaged Rover's customer service, asking why I had not received my 'moderate cancellation policy' of 50% of the next seven days of service. For me, this cancellation fee would come to $70 — a drop in the water compared to the thousands I was quickly losing in income. But that's exactly why every bit counts.
What I got in reply was a generic email about COVID-19, and the words: "To help keep all members of our community safe, we are waiving the cancellation penalty that would typically be charged." After further discussion, I found this policy was specifically for bookings in which the owner or sitter had traveled to a country declared non-safe for travel. Of course, it only took a couple weeks for nearly everywhere to be declared non-safe for travel. Domestic travel might even be next.
If you aren't aware, these apps, which take a service charge from all bookings, essentially have two clients: the pet owners and pet sitters. They could not operate without both. But removing cancellation fees is an imbalanced policy that solely benefits the pet owners, and completely discounts the livelihoods of pet sitters like myself, who are the lifeblood of these apps.
I don't think Rover was being malicious in its policy changes that disproportionately benefited pet owners, and punished pet sitters. I think they were trying to help out people who were already stressed about canceling their travel plans. But I also think the decision was deeply, deeply ignorant. Did no one on their board consider the thousands of gig economy workers, many of whom rely on pet-sitting for their entire income?
So what did I do? I advocated for myself, and other pet sitters, who are all struggling right now. Who don't all have families, savings, insurance, or sick leave to fall back on. I didn't give up when I received my first generic reply from Rover, stating their response to COVID-19. I replied, explaining again and again my disappointment in their response, and offering suggestions of how they could handle the situation in a more balanced way.
Eventually, perhaps due to sheer persistence, I was rewarded my cancellation fee, directly from the app: "As a one-time courtesy, we deposited a $70 balance on your account to cover the penalty cost of this booking." In the grand scheme of things, this is nothing compared to the over $1,000 I lost from that singular booking, and the thousands more I lost from other pet-sitting jobs. But it felt, as small as it was, like a win.
Everyone has lost and is going to lose something in the coming days and weeks. My experience is a microcosm of what all pet sitters, and gig economy workers, are experiencing. But you can do something about it. Yes, we are going to struggle, but make people know it. Raise awareness of your burden, because chances are someone wants to help you. Like Rover and other pet sitting apps, most people on the other side of the financial equation aren't trying to be malicious, they just don't understand. So speak up, and advocate for yourself.
What pet sitters and other gig economy workers affected by COVID-19 can do:
- Advocate for yourself via email, customer service, or even better: Twitter. Companies often have a faster response time to public tweets.
- If your cancellation policy is taken away by an app in response to COVID-19, contact them about receiving some of the service charge that the app takes from your booking. You may be able to reach a compromise.
- Gig economy workers may be eligible for unemployment in California, Indiana, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington
- As part of the new $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill, pet sitters and other gig economy workers will temporarily be eligible for unemployment benefits
Sarah Bence is a pet sitter and freelance writer based in Michigan. She has written for Lonely Planet, Fodor's Travel, Roadtrippers Magazine, World Nomads, and more. She also manages a blog called Endless Distances about gluten free and celiac-safe travel. Bence has a bachelor's degree from Kenyon College in English and Creative Writing, and also a MSc in Occupational Therapy from the University of Plymouth in southwest England. Connect with her on Instagram and Twitter.