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| answered a question | pending profile; Advice? Honestly, I don't remember how long it took, but I believe that Rover indicated a range to expect when I did it. You can always contact Rover support to ask them as well. Regarding advice: * make a list of questions you want to ask the owners at the meet and greet * despite if the owners say their dog is perfect and never marks, shows aggression, etc, never immediately trust the dog(s)...during meet and greets I don't let them take the leashes off their dogs. After dog(s) are dropped off, I take them out to the yard and walk them around right away, even if the owner did this on the way in, then I give each dog a trial in the house...I first walk them around while leashed to see their reactions to where other dogs have been and even marked and to see their reactions to the cats and litter boxes. Some dogs will be given immediate freedom while others will remain tethered to me until I trust them. The dogs who follow me around and are scared of the cats rarely have to be tethered inside but the dogs who take off and ignore being called do have to be tethered or given a blocked off area so I always know where they are. * despite if the owners say their dog is okay when left alone, don't assume that they'll be okay at your place...it's a new environment...I purchased an xxl crate for when a dog comes without a crate and I ask the owners if they mind that I crate their dog(s) while I'm gone - it's for the safety of the dog(s) as well as your property. * lastly, I always give honest feedback so that the owners know what to expect when their dog(s) stays at a stranger's place and so that they aren't misled at all...I think that's a favor to other Rover sitters who may encounter the dogs also...some sitters will not give any negative feedback about the dogs in fear of a negative review...I've never had a negative review as a result of being honest, not to say that it won't happen some day, but any owner who does that is not one I would be willing to help again. ** set a guideline now for stays that go beyond the 24 hour time frame - for example, those who are dropped off in the morning but picked up in the evening - Rover does not have a way to account for the exact times on the dates, so I always ask at the meet and greet and I go in and add extra $$ to the stay for that extra day - Of course, I tell the owners about that first...if the owner asks me my preference I ask that they pick-up around the same time they dropped off or earlier and convey... |
| answered a question | extended stay From what I understand you can't make a rate change for certain days when they book, it's the same per night for the whole stay...I discount for stays 10 nights or longer and it's calculated for all nights, not just those for later...my suggestion would be to either just have a different rate for all nights for the longer stays, or for stays that are requested, go in and edit their nightly rate as an average before they book it. The only time this has been to my disadvantage is when someone shortened their stay and got a refund...they should have been charge my regular rate, but some things are worth squabbling over... |
| answered a question | What if a Pet's Owner leaves a VERY MISLEADING review? Which could be bad for your 'business'. While it's unfortunate that the review is misleading I would still reply to it in a positive way for clarification. Also, I would not mislead dog owners about their dog's behavior though as someone else suggested. They need to know how their dog behaves in a stranger's home. If the dog marks, shows aggression, chews, etc, then they should know that...if they don't know it and they book with another sitter they will convey that all is good and that their dog is perfect in a stranger's home. I let my owners know in advance that I'm going to let them know all about their dog's behavior so they know. A couple owners have been flat out surprised by the feedback, other owners have been 100% accurate in their description of their dog, and those in between just take it in stride and can sometimes offer suggestions...some dogs do behave differently in a new environment and the owner should know that. I don't think letting them know would cause them to give a bad review. And if it does then they are not someone I would want to service. |
| answered a question | Not booked - Waiting for Meet & Greet Question I'm not entirely certain that it does block because I still get requests with overlapping dates. And, I get requests for dates that I'm already booked which I don't mind at all because there have been times I've been able to make accomodations for overlapping dates despite technically being over my dog limit that I set with Rover. With the word "may" in the message I think they're saying that it MIGHT filter you out for other searches but that's not a definite. |
| answered a question | Meet and greet safety I have asked for pictures if they don't have any posted. And, talking on the phone is a good idea too. |