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Mad Paws
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IVery Satisfied
I would like to Thank Rebecca and Andrew for looking after Winston. They were very warm and caring from the begining and have never seen Winston that happy. They posted photos to let me know Winston was ok. I will definitely use their service again and am going to recommend to family and friends.
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Naleeccia D.South East Queensland, QLD
No show pet-sitter
All though my pet-sitter was a no show and ignored my messages after payment, I appreciate Madpaws attempts to resolve this by issuing a full refund. Hopefully madpaws are able to better vet their sitters in future so other guests’ plans are ruined by no-show sitters.
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Shane S.Metropolitan Adelaide, SA
Convenience
So happy to have found a thoughtful and caring sitter for our boy! He loves his time at day care and is very sociable with all the other dogs! Couldn’t be happier!
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Simple and reliable
Mad Paws is very simple to use. I really like that your payment is held securely by the app and not paid to the sitter until the service is complete. Easy to compare sitters; reviews and prices. And all contact is through Mad Paws so no personal details are given until you're ready. Though I would prefer if all sitters were required to have a police check in order to join.
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No customer service. Horrible dog sitter.
If you think leaving your dog with a dog sitter is better than leaving them at a kennel, think again. I did a meet and greet session with a dog sitter named Kalina from Canberra. She was happy with my dog and said she would have no problem with him staying at her place for three nights. She ended up taking too many dogs in and turned my dog away the night before my trip. On the day we dropped off our dog, she only let him stay for 1.5 hours before texting me to let me know my dog wouldn't calm down and that I would need to pick him up. I came t...Read more
o pick up my dog quietly and politely despite how disappointed I felt. Instead of canceling the booking nicely, Kalina decided to reject the booking on the website and told many lies. I wonder how she got qualified to be a dog sitter in the first place. I will never use Madpaws again. My dog might not get much attention at dog kennels but at least employees there truly care for animals and don't lie. I had noted down all the details in my complaint submitted to Madpaws but I never heard back from them. Please, be really careful if you decide to go ahead with Madpaws.2 comments
Hi there,
I have updated my phone number and email address as I don't want Madpaws to have my details (couldn't find a way to delete my account). Please search in your system for ticket 393208 - 87239... Read more
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Jess
- 2 reviews
Still waiting for a response from the start of December about a dispute
I had a dog sitter that did a poor job and also left earlier than arranged. My dogs were left without drinking water. I disputed the payment with mad paws at the start of December, they have still not responded to me and released the payment anyway. I have sent multiple emails and have also tried contacting them via private message on social media. I left this review unpublished in the hope that it could be reviewed but have still not received any contact from the Mad Paws team. I don’t know what else I can try.
2 comments
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Jess, we're sorry to hear of the issue with your Sitter. We've searched through our records to find your issue, but we haven't been able to find any of your emails. However, if you could give us a ... Read more
call on (02) 8046 6536, we'll be able to resolve this issue for you quickly. Maintaining high standards with our Pet Sitters is a priority for us, so we would be eager to assist you. Kind regards,I will forward them all to you again but I will also give you a call.
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I am traumatised
Do not use this app for pet sitting. I had an extremely bad experience. I hired [Name Removed] in Reservoir on the 16/01/21 for a few days as I needed a pet sitter to look after my dog and her puppies. She seemed professional on the first visit but after that it went down hill.
Originally on the initial meeting [Name Removed] said that she will go home and think about a suitable price and for us to do the same. We called [Name Removed] to tell her our offer and she said that she was happy to meet us at our amount. Before paying for the amount...Read more
we realised that she raised the price by over $150.00. She did not even bother to give us a courtesy call to notify us and when we called her to question her about this, she said she had sent us an email. Which we did not receive. Her inability to notify us and being shocked with the change of the amount upon paying was extremely unprofessional. We were more than happy to pay for it but it was how she went about it. We hired her anyway because we needed someone asap and we had already done the meet and greet with her. It doesn't end there!! On the day we were leaving for our trip i did a thorough hand over with [Name Removed] and explained to her the strict feeding protocols for my German Shepherd who was at the time breast feeding her puppies. There was plenty of food available and it was important that my dog ate that food as it was more higher in calories as well as prescribed by the vet. When we were on our holiday [Name Removed] told us she bought a fresh hot roast chicken as a treat. I thought a once off was fine but then the next few days [Name Removed] messaged me saying that she was down to her last 10 dollars as she had purchased my dog hot roast chickens everyday. I interpreted her message that she was asking for me to send her more money to cover the costs for feeding my dog the food that was never supposed to be eating in every meal in the first place. If [Name Removed] needed money for things she should have asked us and asked for our permission to feed my dog something that was not on my dogs lists of food. It was unacceptable!! We called [Name Removed] on the last day of our holiday to discuss the issue and she said that was feeding her the roast chicken with her normal food which was a lie because when I got home just about all of her normal food was still there. On that same phone call she said that me and my partner were great owners and were doing an amazing job but then complained that we were going to be home at around 10pm. That was the agreed time but she obviously forgot because she had to cancel plans with her friend. We had to get my friend to go to my house earlier to relive her and she told my friend that me and my partner are neglectful owners, thats not even half of what she said. HOW UNPROFESSIONAL! Talking about your clients to your clients friend. I was horrified when I was told and I called her to discuss constructive criticism but she refused to answer my call. When I got back from my holiday my dog wouldn't even eat her normal high calorie puppy food because she was expecting a 5 star roast chicken and at one stage she stopped eating that too. The whole scenario put my puppies at risk of being starved at their most vulnerable stage of their life as my dog stopped producing milk and I was forced to bottle feed each and every single of the 9 puppies every 2 hours. It was a NIGHT MARE!! I was forced to take my dog to the vet and the vet was not happy with my dog sitter and said that my dog may have stopped eating her food because she was anxious but she should have never stopped feeding her the appropriate food because eventually my dog will eat. He said dogs don't starve themselves.2 comments
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Anita,
We're very sorry to hear of this experience, and we're glad you brought it to our attention. The service offered by our Pet Sitters is of paramount importance to us, and we would like to i... Read more
nvestigate this issue further. A member of our Customer Experience Team will be in touch with you ASAP to learn more.Hi Thomas, I'm yet to hear from one of your customer service team. You said you would contact ASAP, this is extremely unprofessional. I have made a serious complaint and need it taken seriously. I wil... Read more
l take this further with the ACCC if this is not addressed. I will await your reply.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
Very Unhappy CustomerHunter Region, NSW
Dog Minder threatened to Dump my Dog in the Pound
Dog minder, Jodi C from Mayfield, appeared very nice upon meeting and our one year old staffy got along well with their bordacollie. We booked her in 6 weeks ahead of our family holiday. I explained to Jodi that my young dog was very active and did bark at night if not let inside plus advised of her chewing shoes and if other things are laying around. She was not concerned and said she would be fine.
On day 7 at 7pm at night we received a txt message from Jodi to say that we had to organize for someone to pick up our dog and that she could not ...Read more
1 comment
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi there, we're very sorry to learn of the trouble you encountered with your Pet Sitter. I've spoken to our Accounts Team, and they actually have processed a refund for the five-day period for which y... Read more
our booking fell short. We apologise for the delay with this. We take situations like these very seriously, which is why we take the time time to fully investigate. As a result, we aren't always able to action a refund immediately.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
No contact from Mad Paws after emergency ticket submitted 11 days ago
My cat was booked in for a two-week stay with a pet sitter. Two days in, the pet sitter was no longer able to care for him and I had to make other arrangements at expense and with difficulty as I was on holiday with limited signal. Mad Paws has not contacted me nor the sitter despite us both submitting emergency tickets 11 days ago. My money has not been refunded nor was any effort made to find a new sitter for my cat. Pointless company as it provides no security or customer service.
1 comment
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Amy,
We're very sorry to hear that you had an issue with your booking. This is something that happens rarely for us, and certainly not an experience we want for our Pet Owners. We also apologise ... Read more
for the delay in responding to you; due to the high number of inquiries we received over the holidays, our Customer Experience Team had overlooked your email. We have now processed your refund, and if you have any more questions, please call us on (02) 8046 6536.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
Rebecca M.
- 2 reviews
- 4 likes
Agreed with previous review: Madpaws needs to be more transparent with 20% fee
Just competed my first job, over 3 days. Was a little miffed to see my payment a lot less than expected. Yes, I NOW know there is a whopping 20% fee taken, in my naivety I presumed the fee was automatically added to my advertised service fee. For example, when I lock my rate in at $23 it shows up on my listing as $25, for this reason one would be forgiven for believing Madpaws had automatically added their service fee on, why else would my rate increase automatically?? There really is no transparency with the 20% fee, it should be deducted stra...Read more
ight up. Yes, I now realise it's in one of your 'fine prints'. I thought I thoroughly read the fine print, mostly it just says Madpaws will take a small fee to cover insurance, liability, et cetera. Realising why my client offered to pay me cash, and I was so sure that Madpaws were only taking $2 per booking so politely declined !!Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
Reine-NakeedaSouth East Queensland, QLD
Pet sitter
I'm a pet sitter and have have 5 ☆ reviews from all but 1 pet owner, he lied in his review and gave me 1 ☆ review because I wasn't happy that his dog was violent and highly untrained. In his review he lied and made it seem like I was incapable of looking after big dogs and posted photos I sent him of what his dog had done making it out like my house is screwed normally.
I was wondering why I hadn't gotten any jobs since and its because madpaws blocked my account, why? That's unfair and completely wrong! Maybe this will get them to unblock my account.
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DavidSydney, NSW
"Estimated total" is a sham
It's not right to advertise that the estimated total to be received by a sitter is a certain amount when MadPaws takes 20% off of this in every case. You should be more transparent about this, as it is misleading and deceptive. It would be more fair if you can show this in the price breakdown of the estimated total to be received. Come on guys.. "Estimated total"? Very greedy of you.
2 comments
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi David,
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. We do advertise our 20% fee during the Pet Sitter sign-up process, which covers: ... Read more
- Premium Public Liability Insurance, which covers every booking -Maintenance and upgrades to the website and app, which connects our Pet Sitters to Pet Owners -Marketing initiatives to attract new clients for our Pet Sitters -Access to our 7-day-a-week Customer Experience Team This fee is standard across the industry, and is common to all Pet Sitting platforms. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at service@madpaws.com.au All the best, Thomas@Mad PawsYou're missing the point. If your company knows that the estimated total is x - 20%, this should be made clear. It's not always easy to work out the value of completing a job and determining if it is ... Read more
worthwhile to accept. Please update this to make things fair and transparent for your pet sitters as it is the right thing to do!!!!!Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
Ezequiel T.Sydney, NSW
Confiscatory Refund Policy
MADPAWS only refunded us 50% of the fee paid in advance when our interstate trip was abruptly cancelled due to Covid border closures before Christmas In short, they kept 50% of our money for a service they never had to deliver or delivered at all. IMO this isn't a business which should be used by anyone. They were arrogant and flippant in their responses and they still believe they are entitled to keep 50% of our money. Legal action against them will follow shortly as a matter of principle. Making money out of #COVID cancellations is the ...Read more
lowest of the low. Very disappointing. I cannot recommend this company to anyone. Any other business gave us a refund or a credit voucher. Not MADPAWS, they just kept 50% of our money for doing nothing. A truly repulsive way of doing business. Stay clear from this small little business which, in my opinion, is not run with a minimum of professionalism.1 comment
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Ezequiel,
We're sorry to hear that your interstate trip needed to be cancelled. In regards to our refund policy, Mad Paws refunds 100% of all fees that we take for COVID-related cancellations. As... Read more
Mad Paws is a Pet Sitting platform, however, our Pet Sitters (who trade as individual entities) have their own cancellation policies. Some allow full cancellations, while others do not grant refunds for cancellations made prior to a booking.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
Avoid avoid avoid
Sitter pulled out at the last minute. Not at all reliable. We will never use this platform again. Extremely disappointing. Refund took far too long to organise. Avoid avoid avoid
1 comment
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Glenn,
We're very sorry to hear that your Sitter needed to cancel at the last minute. In these rare situations, Pet Owners can entrust Mad Paws to look for a last-minute replacement Sitter by calling (02) 8046 6536. ... Read more
If there's anything more we can do to assist, please call us on the above number. All the best, Thomas@Mad PawsSimilar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
KellySouth East Queensland, QLD
- 2 reviews
- 3 likes
Be careful who you pick things can go very wrong remember people do this service to make money
I was an ongoing client using one pet sitter who appeared wonderful deep down l had a niggling feeling things weren’t as glowing as they seemed particularly when my review attracted lots of pet sitting for the pet sitter, there is no real regulation here. It’s like Uber for dogs . My sitter unfortunately did not understand dog health or is just blatantly uncaring because clearly my dog was injured and ill and left my dog for three days not taking him to the vets. Mad paws needs to regulate their sitters vigilantly and make sure their sitters a...Read more
re genuine and educated in what it takes to look after dogs. This sitter took on too many dogs and my dog was attacked by a huge dog and left for three days before l arrived to pick him up and took him straight to the vet. Even then l was told he had a scratch , a lie he was mauled and the sitter was so untransparent not telling me the truth of what had happened that l was in two minds did the little dog do this or was this something else the big dog had slept in my dogs bed and ripped his toys to shreds, so it was when l got home l had to piece it all together and took him to the vet where he was put as priority one in triage and needed major surgery , the facts are if the sitter had of done the right thing and a) Not put little dogs at risk by sitting big dogs and b) taken him to the vet he would not of nearly died from the infection ,this is incredible neglect and deceit . I would like to revoke my review of this sitter, as the property was too small no grass and the Sitter was being charming to lull me into safety when things were out of control when she took on way to many pets at the same time big dogs and little dogs should not be pet sat at the same time . So after a year of being deceived and wishing my pet could have told me the facts. My dog nearly died and now at 3 years of age his health is serverely affected . I will not trust a pet sitting service again. Remember the bottom line generally is people are sitting to make money they are very rarely doing it for the love of animals .The pet sitters are all smiles and charming to get you to book but really do Check them out and ask do they take big dogs and little dogs at the same time .Ask if they would mind if you have a camera to check in, if they have nothing to hide they should not mind that at all, In short l will never risk my dogs well being or life again4 comments
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Kelly,
We're very sorry to hear of this experience. We've checked internally, and we don't seem to have any record of this incident. However, we take these types of situations very seriously. If ... Read more
you could please contact us at service@madpaws.com.au, we would be happy to investigate this matter.Due to the delay in using Mad Paw insurance, the pet sitter chose to use her own insurance and not claim through Mad Paws. I am hoping she honours the payment which we have not to date received for ve... Read more
ts costs. $4000 to date and ongoing. The question is still unanswered ? why do you not verify your sitters to ensure they know how to deliver first aid and must be aware of a dogs health in order to be able to practice as pet sitters?Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Kelly, all of our Sitters are thoroughly vetted before we permit them onto our platform. However, without more information about this issue, we can't investigate what went wrong in this specific ca... Read more
se. If you could email us with details at service@madpaws.com.au, we'd be eager to pursue this matter further.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
Michaela K.Metropolitan Adelaide, SA
- 9 reviews
- 9 likes
PET SITTER NOT IMPRESSED
I have made money for MadPaws being a pet sitter for over a year and work my butt off.
Last week another pet sitter messaged me at 11pm at night accusing me of stealing her MadPaws description.
I did the right thing and emailed MadPaws (I have confirmation of this in my inbox). I didn't hear from them, so I ring up today!!! I got told by some lady answering the phones that they didn't receive it. She can't help me as you didn't get it.
1) I already sent it not my fault you cannot find it.
...Read more
2) you aren't taking this matter seriously enough. Especially when another pet sitter threatens another pet sitter and falsely accuses them of plagiarism. 3) I'm really considering my future with MadPaws at this point. UPDATE: I got a call today from MadPaws, they have seen the screenshots and have been quite helpful. Thank you.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
Dana JSouth East Queensland, QLD
Pet sitter Review
Absolutely no support for their sitters on the platform.
I have previously asked them for support in discussing a matter in which a dog I was looking for was potentially dangerous in which the owner took personally (I was only looking out for my family as it tried to attack another dog in public which merely looked at it and then tried to bite my face and my sister). They offered no support and did not listen to what I was saying. Completely ignored my concerns and made me feel as though I was the "bad guy" when I was just trying to inform th...Read more
2 comments
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Dana,
We're sorry you felt the need to leave us a 1-star review. At Mad Paws, our priority is the happiness and wellbeing of our furry clients. We hear that you were trying to do that to the best... Read more
of your ability, and would be happy to discuss the issue with you on (02) 8046 6536.That’s understandable however, 20% is a bit excessive
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DonrossSydney, NSW
- 2 reviews
- Verified customer
Great communicator
My first experience using this service and Taylor made it a good one. Clear concise communication all the way through the process. Met at a local park in advance to the booking. Very helpful
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Review collected in partnership with Mad Paws
MarieSouth East Queensland, QLD
- Verified customer
Pet owners savior
Taking time out for a short break is very difficult to organise when you have pets. Mad Paws gives you a selection of fabulous sitter's in an area close to you. Prices are very reasonable and for peace of mind that your pet is in the best care and being treated how you would look after them at home is very reassuring. Our pet sitter went above and beyond to make our little moodle feel comfortable and loved with constant daily updates and photos. When you are in a situation and need help for the pets in your family this site offers the very best care sitters to look after them. I highly recommend Mad Paws to match you up with a sitter. Extremely happy customer.
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Review collected in partnership with Mad Paws
- Verified customer
Very useful. Glad I found Mad Paws
The sitter we had was amazing. Very friendly and obviously loves dogs. Nothing was to much trouble. Can not recommend highly enough. Will definitely use this service again and recommend.
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Review collected in partnership with Mad Paws
Questions & Answers
Marianaasked
Can I please get a contact number for a pet sitter in doreen as I'm not on social media & I'd like to book.
THANKYOU
Mariana
[personal details removed]
1 answer
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Mariana,
We'd be happy to help! If you call (02) 8046 6536, our Customer Experience Team will help you find a local Pet Sitter.
All the best,
Thomas from Mad Paws
Susanasked
When will you stop ignoring my repeated calls and help tickets about the app not working on android. It's now been over 2 months, 6 help tickets and 2 phone calls, during which I was told I would receive a call within 48 hours. Absolutely disgraceful service.
1 answer
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Susan,
I’m sorry for the issue you’ve faced with the app. If you could email your ticket details directly to me at thomas.derricott@madpaws.com.au, I’ll chase it up with the Customer Experience Team.
All the best,
Thomas@Mad Paws
Helenasked
if the client paid 115 for three days sitting why did I only receive 92.00?
2 answers
The sitter sets a price and there’s a fee on top for
administration.
Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Helen,
We're glad to have you on board as a Mad Paws Pet Sitter! As we highlight in our T&Cs during the Sitter signup process, Mad Paws takes a small fee from each booking.
This covers:
*Premium Public Liability Insurance to protect all bookings through the Mad Paws platform
*Paid marketing to bring you as many clients as possible
*Maintenance of the Mad Paws website and app for both Pet Sitters and Pet Owners
*Access to our Customer Experience Team for any booking-related issues
If you have any more questions, please feel free to email us at service@madpaws.com.au
All the best,
Thomas@Mad Paws
Details
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Mad P.Mad Paws
Hi Jess, we've been trying to get in contact with you to learn more about this issue. However, the email and phone number you left with us aren't registered to anyone. We've also searched for a record... Read more
of your complaint, but haven't been able to find anything. However, if you could give us a call on (02) 8046 6536, we would be happy to investigate further. Animal welfare is paramount to us, so when a booking doesn't go according to plan, we take it seriously.