Client asking for references?
Hi, just had my first meet and greet that lead to a booking! Super excited about that. We had a pretty normal conversation about her expectations, the dog's schedule, etc. What caught me off guard was when she asked for 4 real-life references (obviously outside of Rover because she knew this was my first meet & greet). Off the top of my head I gave her my dad's phone number - he knows best how I helped care for our dog his whole life - and my boyfriend's parents', whose dogs I've watched several times while they were on long vacations. The next day, the client messaged me again and asked for 2 more non-family references... I gave her a previous boss' number, and a former babysitting client's. (Of course I asked them first and they expected this woman's call.)
Is this unheard of for just 2 nights of house sitting? During the meet & greet I casually mentioned that Rover does background checks on all of us sitters. I felt somewhat uncomfortable giving her all these people's phone numbers since it seems like normally that's what the Rover platform is trying to avoid. Like how we communicate through Rover messages instead of our cell phone numbers.
Anyway, just wondering what everyone's experience with this is, and if I should expect this in the future and bring my references' contact info with me all the time.
I had a similar situation when I was new to Rover, and was not comfortable giving personal info of potential references for a stranger. Fortunately the client and I realized we have several mutual acquaintances, and all was well. She has become a good repeat client. Might try that approach.