Two full days but only paid for one night? [closed]
Is this common?
Closed for the following reason question is not relevant or outdated by Kyla C.
2 Answers
Hi, there!
Overnight bookings are booked similar to hotel stays, as a 'nightly rate'. A nightly rate covers 24 hours of care for the dog in question. So if you arrive at the house sitting booking at 9am, that nightly charge would cover until 9am the next day. Most sitters require the ability to come and go from house sitting bookings like they would their own homes, as many of us take drop-in clients or walks throughout the day. When clients require full-time care in their home, many sitters will charge an hourly rate, as opposed to a nightly charge.
It's really important to discuss expectations for the amount of time you'll need to be there, arrival/departure times, etc. before accepting. It sounds like these things may have come up after the booking was already confirmed. You have a couple of options:
Honestly communicate with the client that you don't think the overnight booking is meeting the needs of what she wants, and offer an hourly rate or maybe a daycare rate to cover the dog. If you aren't allowed to leave at all during those 11 hours, I definitely think you should be charging hourly. Then, if she agrees, you're all set. Rover isn't going to penalize you for changing the booking if the client and you are both in agreement.
Honestly communicate, and if the client doesn't agree...you can cancel the booking. It is possible that Rover will suspend your account. Generally, it's a two week suspension during which you cannot accept new bookings (but previously booked reservations will still be allowed).
Bite the bullet and learn from the experience. Learning what questions to ask, when to ask them, and how to appropriately price your services takes some time to figure out. Chalk this up to a learning experience and just provide the best possible service to the client. She might even leave a great review.
Personally, I don't think your client is intentionally scamming the system. Many clients don't understand the difference between different types of bookings, and in her defense, Rover doesn't have an option to book hourly in-home care currently. She, like you, is likely new to Rover and trying to figure it all out also.
I find that the "24 hours of care" that an overnight refers to often ends up being more in practice based on the owner's departure and return times. I'll calculate how much actual time a booking will be for if the owner gives timeframes in their initial message and explain accordingly, or ask them if they don't provide that information. It's not exact, but if it seems like there will be an extra half day in the stay I'll explain the 24 hours of care and mention that I need to modify their request to add on the additional half day. Nobody has ever objected, because they can do the math themselves as well when I explain how I'm calculating. If the extra time isn't significant I likely won't worry about it though, especially if it's a repeat client.