I am new to Rover so im not sure what this whole process is. I had my first customer contact me to watch her dog. I accepted the dates and it says they have _ Hours _ Mins to reply and accept. What happens when that time runs up and they havent said anything? Does it just decline the offer?
Also, any advice for newbies?
When you accept the stay, Rover gives you a time frame for the stay to be booked in, which is 72 hours. If the request expires, it's not a big deal at all, you can re-accept at any time. From sitting for nearly 3 years now, I would advise you hold off from clicking the book it now icon until you have the meet and greet. That allows you to decide if you'd like to host the dog, and once the meet and greet is over, you can give the owner clear next steps which could be something like "It was great meeting you, I will accept the stay on my end, please feel free to submit payment on Rover whenever is convenient for you."
Give support a call if you have any other specific questions!
First of all, Congrats! That's excellent that you're on the way to your first booking. Second, I haven't had the time run completely out yet...but when it starts getting closer, you may choose to contact Rover Support to ask if they can help the process along. Sometimes, new customers need a little help. As for advice, I'd highly recommend meet&greets for all stays, and ask a lot of questions that will help you understand their dog's medical information, routines, habits, and behaviors.
Reset the 72 hour timer: After you click 'Book it Now' the client gets the 72 hour notice. After a couple of days and I see the time running low, I then go to 'Modify this Stay'. (From here you can make changes to their request...pricing, other services, etc.) If you don't make any changes but click Modify anyway, it resets the timer back to 72 hours for them.
First off, I'd send them a message saying that the request is about to expire and remind them that the stay isn't booked until paid for. If you still don't hear anything back from them, assume that they have changed their minds. I've had that happen a few times. After about 2 reminder messages to the owner, I just archive it and move on. That frees me up to make other plans or book other stays.
The above responder is correct that it's no big deal for time to run out. When they do accept it, they will have to pay Rover right then within the 72 hours. Rover holds onto the money until the stay is over, so you will not see the money until after the pet parents return home. So I wait until right before they are about leave town so they don't have to pay too far ahead (and you won't see it any earlier anyway). I would also Highly recommend a Meet & Greet to make sure everyone gets along and is on the same page. Best of luck and have fun! Sue
when the customer contacts you is there a picture of the person. i want to meet in public not there house.