I've had Rover since January 24th and I haven't had a booking or anything at all but the other day a client requested me for house sitting with two dogs for March 22- April 2 but they don't have pictures of the dogs on their profile or a picture of themselves. The day they requested me was the day they made their account. We are supposed to meet this Wednesday. What should I do and how should I go about it?
I've received requests like this and have started asking owners to fill out their dog's profile prior to the meet and greet so we can avoid redundant questions. Most owners apologize and oblige! Like Moureene said, many owners just don't take the time to complete an entire profile if they're looking for someone right away. Don't let the lack of information be an immediate red flag!
In addition to the silent friend Moureene suggested, for house sitting (or drop-ins or any service in a clients home) many people have a friend or spouse stay in the car out front while they go inside. That gives you (the sitter) an out if you feel uncomfortable or need to end the visit - "I've got to go, my friend is waiting for me in the car". I've also done it where I'll give my boyfriend the name and address of the person I'm meeting, and asked him to call me a set number of minutes into our meeting. That way if I'm uncomfortable I can use the call as an excuse to go.
For boarding I try to have M&Gs when my boyfriend can be home. If he can't be, I again advise him of who/when I'm meeting and to ask him call me if he hasn't heard from me by a set time. I also will leave the front door and windows open (weather permitting!) and close the doors to the bathrooms or bedrooms to make it feel like as 'public' of a space as possible.
Best of luck!
That's actually really smart. I didn't think of those things. I will definitely be doing that! Thank you so much for responding and giving great advice I appreciate it! :)
Congrats!
Sometimes pet owners create their profile right when they need someone for the first time. I've had this happen a few times.
They usually have so much going on with other travel plans that they just do the bare minimum to their profile and then complete it later.
I wouldn't worry too much about it if you do all of your communication through the site because then there is a record of who you met and where.
If you still feel uncomfortable maybe take a silent friend along.
All the best!
Thank you very much! I definitely have reassurance from someone who has experienced this. Could you define a silent friend exactly for me please?
Well, since it's your Business, you wouldn't want an overly gregarious friend who took over and asked tons of questions for you. You need to convey to the pet parents that you are competent, confident in your abilities and the one who will be handling the Stay.
I understand now. Thank you so much for the help I appreciate it very much
Personally I would advise against bringing a friend to the meet and greet... totally fine if they are outside waiting or something like that, but it seems unprofessional to me. I wouldn't bring a friend to an interview, even if they don't talk much.
Paige- normally I would agree but it's a fine line here. It can be very personal and casual to some. That's why I said 'silent' friend. I've had clients ask me about dating and I wish I had someone there to neutralize the situation.
How did it go?