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Why can't Sitters charge travel costs for Meet and Greets that are far away?

I set my Meet and Greet travel radius to 50 miles. 50 miles round trip to do a meet and greet can be costly. Many sitters do not offer boarding especially here in Upstate New York because they rent a house or apartment that does not allow pets, therefore the client can't come to their home because they live in an apartment that does not allow pets. I had many owners ask me to come to meet the dogs up to three times and I had to travel long distances for the Meet and Greets. I wish Rover had an option where sitters could charge a rate for the Meet and Greets if they chose to, or offer it for free within a certain mile radius that sitters specify. Most owners want to have the reassurance that they can trust their sitters, and they ask sitters to come more than once to spend time with their pets, many people want you to come at least two times or more to get to know their pets, build trust and spend time with them. I think there should be some kind of option where people can request additional Meet & Greets, and there should be an option where Sitters or can set their own travel costs. I don’t think it’s a good idea to limit the travel distance, 50 miles is not a very far distance to travel. I think a sitter should be able to travel long distances to help a family with their dogs if the family can't find another sitter, traveling gives sitters a chance to build their networks and does not limit them to a small radius. Thank so much for reading my suggestion.

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Or be able to add on mileage fee for out of area.

2 Answers

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I think it'd be perfectly reasonable for you to list on your profile that for Meet and Greets you charge a nominal fee and to message you for more details and a quote. You can explain why and that you aren't trying to make a profit, just cover your costs. Have them book a walk or drop in visit in place of the M&G. If your rates for these services seem too high/low, you can modify them during the booking process.

As an owner, I think it's more than fair for a sitter that's driving many miles to meet me and my dogs multiple times to be reimbursed for their time. You could either use a set fee or determine your area's mileage reimbursement and explain to clients that you charge per mile (https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals...) based on how far you have to drive.

I think Rover doesn't charge a fee for M&G in order to encourage owners to book with the right sitter - not just the one they paid for a M&G with. Since most of my Meet and Greets are done at my house and only take about 30 minutes, I wouldn't personally want to charge owners anything for them, but understand why in your situation you do.

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I just saw on your profile that you state "Your first Meet & Greet is complimentary. Additional visits can be booked as a Drop-In Visit." I think that wording works! If the cost for is greater than $20, you can explain why and modify the cost individually.

Thank you Carly for your advice, yes I offer the first Meet and Greet Complimentary.

I would never pay for a meet and greet. It's an interview. You either want the business or don't.

Tammy, some owners/clients just book many M&G. That is unfair as a business we can loose a lot of money with travel (gas) and time doing M&G the client never really intends to book. I have not had many- but I have met some like that. I just ask the client are you just at the interviewing stage for m

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You should send your suggestion to support@rover.com

Also, if the distance is an issue, then you should reduce the number of miles of your service area. Also, you can communicate to clients that you only do one M&G at their residence. If they want additional, they have to come to you. If you can't host dogs in your home, suggest a nearby location, like a park.