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My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

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Re: My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

#211

Post by Dylan16807 »

true_religion wrote: post #188
astura wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is basically a side effect of the "gig economy." One can even just sell their account (and good will) when they decide to quit dog walking. Pretty scary when you really think about it. Also heard of uber drivers hiring illegal immigrants to drive under their uber account, not sure of the credibility of these reports.

Not really. The whole idea of the 'gig economy' relied on independent contractors being independent entities liable for their own issues, and whom reap the rewards for their own work. Part of the reward is a reputable account as a saleable asset. It's just like selling a company or passing it on to your children. If Joe's Handmans or Joes' Dogwalkers no longer includes "Joe" that's not supposed to be a scary situatio…

If someone bought the company for a pittance just for the branding then it is something to worry about. Compare to a seller account on ebay; they're definitely nowhere near an employee but it would still be bad to disconnect reputation from the actual actor that got the reputation.

Re: My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

#212

Post by pdonis »

benatkin wrote: post #166
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Have you considered the dog was at fault? It is never the dog’s fault. We brought the dog into an unnatural environment. It is in our power and thus our responsibility to keep them safe. This is why pet accidents are so devastating.

Dogs have been domesticated for millennia, and because of that, bringing them into an artificial environment is different than causing a wild animal to be in an artificial environment. There's absolutely nothing inappropriate about having a dog in an artificial environment. It's not the artificiality of the accident that's the problem, it's the harm that's the problem. The fault in an accident, be it car and car, car…

> Dogs are never culpable because they lack agency, but considering them to be at fault in an accident for the purposes of determining recourse isn't too far-fetched.

Yes, it is, because "at fault" means "could have chosen to do something else that would have prevented the accident". Since, as you admit, dogs lack agency, they are incapable of choosing to do something else. The human that is guiding them needs to, well, guide them.

Re: My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

#213

Post by Dylan16807 »

thecatspaw wrote: post #193
ravenstine wrote: post #16

I was going to reply with a reply about this being "statistically bound to happen", until I read this: > If we wanted to be compensated we had to agree not to tell anyone what happened, we could not leave any negative reviews, we could not make posts on social media, we could not hold Wag or the walker responsible, and only then would Wag reimburse us for Winnie’s cremation. When we responded that we would not sign t…

Is this legal? They promised to pay for everything, and did not disclose additional terms at that time.

In general you can freely promise to pay someone else's bill and then not do it at all. There's no contract if you're not getting anything in return. It does make you an asshole though.

Re: My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

#214

Post by ninedays »

idontpost wrote: post #7

Incredibly stupid decision to respond this way by Wag. How bad to you have to be at PR to screw this up? It's not hard. Liability in the case of harmed pets is extremely limited, so you just pay it all and apologize profusely. There's no way the bad press will be worth saving a couple thousand maximum. Absolute idiots.

They are using the same tactics than Airbnb when guests have issues with hosts and it is shameful.

Re: My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

#215

Post by JumpCrisscross »

idontpost wrote: post #7

Incredibly stupid decision to respond this way by Wag. How bad to you have to be at PR to screw this up? It's not hard. Liability in the case of harmed pets is extremely limited, so you just pay it all and apologize profusely. There's no way the bad press will be worth saving a couple thousand maximum. Absolute idiots.

> Absolute idiots

Agreed. You do three things in a crisis:

1) Acknowledge the problem.

You killed someone's dog. This hits like losing family. "We're opening an investigation" is a chickenshit message.

2) CEO needs to speak.

Personal call from the top. If a dog is seriously injured or killed while on your watch, the CEO must make the call. This shows seriousness to the customer. It also ensures top brass feels the pain. That pain prevents future mistakes and is a real emotional tool for correcting cultures.

3) Over-correct.

You'll pay for cremation. You'll pay for counseling. You'll refund every Wag bill they ever incurred. If the family decides to get another dog, you'll offer to pay for their shots and food for a year and pet insurance for life.

The message must be we are sorry, this is unacceptable, and we intend on making this about as difficult for us as it is for you.

(Checklist from a video (with unfortunately and unrelated political content) by Scott Gallaway [1].)

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB-AyvgE8Ns

Re: My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

#216

Post by [deleted] »

mial wrote: post #202
usr1987 wrote: post #194

You should never be a dog owner. If you can't be there for them, you do not have them. I feel sorry for the dog, not you!

Yes. Also this > Sara and I will welcoming a new puppy from the same breeder in February—Rory Just go and get one from a shelter instead of encouraging animal breeding which is an unethical practice [0] [0] https://www.peta.org/issues/animal-companion-issues/pet-trad...

[deleted]

Re: My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

#217

Post by JumpCrisscross »

pdonis wrote: post #212
benatkin wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dogs have been domesticated for millennia, and because of that, bringing them into an artificial environment is different than causing a wild animal to be in an artificial environment. There's absolutely nothing inappropriate about having a dog in an artificial environment. It's not the artificiality of the accident that's the problem, it's the harm that's the problem. The fault in an accident, be it car and car, car…

> Dogs are never culpable because they lack agency, but considering them to be at fault in an accident for the purposes of determining recourse isn't too far-fetched. Yes, it is, because "at fault" means "could have chosen to do something else that would have prevented the accident". Since, as you admit, dogs lack agency, they are incapable of choosing to do something else. The human that is guiding them needs to, we…

> Since, as you admit, dogs lack agency, they are incapable of choosing to do something else

To drive this point home, a pigeon dive bombing your windshield in the middle of an intersection could be correctly caused the cause of an accident. The pigeon is a free bird. It has no custodian.

Pets, on the other hand, are always in someone's custody. Custody relationships are complex, but ultimately come down to "you're responsible for this." Anything a dog could do to harm itself or others could have been anticipated, should have been anticipated and is ultimately the custodian's fault.

Re: My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

#218

Post by thaumasiotes »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #215
idontpost wrote: post #7

Incredibly stupid decision to respond this way by Wag. How bad to you have to be at PR to screw this up? It's not hard. Liability in the case of harmed pets is extremely limited, so you just pay it all and apologize profusely. There's no way the bad press will be worth saving a couple thousand maximum. Absolute idiots.

> Absolute idiots Agreed. You do three things in a crisis: 1) Acknowledge the problem. You killed someone's dog. This hits like losing family. "We're opening an investigation" is a chickenshit message. 2) CEO needs to speak. Personal call from the top. If a dog is seriously injured or killed while on your watch, the CEO must make the call. This shows seriousness to the customer. It also ensures top brass feels the pa…

> You killed someone's dog. This hits like losing family.

Spoken like someone who's never lost family.

Re: My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

#219

Post by randycupertino »

damm wrote: post #29

I think this is the problem with social media / networking... it used to be when I was a young kid that if someone wanted t heir dog walked ... you would find someone in your neighborhood that you knew. Now we use online services and trust people blindly... As far as the person who lost their dog; I am sorry. I know I did not cause the harm; but it's the only thing I can say. As a pet owner I would be mortified. I al…

> Now we use online services and trust people blindly...

It's also so shockingly to create a fake profile and hire people off of reddit slavelabour to write you good reviews. And meanwhile the pet owners hiring randos off Wag to walk their dogs feel like they did their due diligence to vet these gig workers by scrolling through the reviews and selecting the highest rated person.

Re: My dog was killed on a walk with a walker ordered through Wag

#220

Post by [deleted] »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #122
chuinard wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really the same comparison. That human will eventually be able to take care of itself and do a lot more for this world than the dog ever will. Pets don't always make sense, and I tend to agree with parent. Or maybe Wag should just connect you one-time with someone reliable in your area. It seems stupid to have strangers all the time with your dog. As the top comment mentioned, people used to just get someone reli…

So don't own a dog unless you can take them for a walk every day without fail for the next 15 years without using a dog sitter / walker.

[deleted]
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