We get lots of calls from people who have been let down by their local Pet Sitter and yesterday we had another one of those calls. Their Pet Sitter cancelled their visits without warning.
A customer called to say she was travelling away in 2 days and her local Pet Sitter just called to say they couldn’t make it. Imagine that – you are all set to go away and someone calls at the last minute and cancels on you. Even worse you are already on holiday and they cancelled on you.
That is why when you travel away and use the services of a Pet Sitter you need to make sure that they have a Back Up Plan. What happens if they can’t do the visits? Who takes care of your pets?
How To Make Sure Your Pets Always Get Their Pet Sitting Visit.
There should always be a back up in place
A reputable Pet Sitting company should have some sort of plan in place to make sure that if they get sick or cannot carry out your visits there is another member of their team that can.
People do get sick, emergencies happen and accidents occur, so it’s vital that there is a plan in place to deal with this. And that doesn’t mean that their friend will do it in their place, it means that someone in the company will cover that task.
Make sure there is a contact person other than the Pet Sitter that is coming to take care of your pets.
You need to know you can contact someone in the case of an emergency. What if they Pet Sitter doesn’t answer your calls? Who will you ring next?
When there is only one person in the company then who do you talk to if you can’t get hold of them? It’s not enough to have one phone number and have no other way of contacting them.
Have you checked the Pet Sitters Business out before you leave.
Does the Pet Sitter have a website? Do they engage with their customers on facebook? Are they actually in business – or just doing this for a few extra euro a month?
Make sure you do your homework on them. You are leaving a member of your family in their care and so you want to know that the person is a legitimate business owner that has your pets best interest at heart.
Find out if this is their Full Time Occupation.
You want to know that they are fully committed to their business and you as a client. That is really important. Someone who has another job has other commitments, and if their boss asks them to work late or travel for work they will have to go.
Someone who works their Pet Sitting business full time is fully committed to you and your pets needs. This is their bread and butter, it’s what pays their bills and puts food on their table.
If you are considering using the services of a Pet Sitter we would recommend you read our Checklist for Hiring a Professional Pet Sitter and make sure you are confident that they meet all the criteria.
