1. What do you base your pricing on?
3. Why do you have a New Client Cancellation Fee? How would I incur this fee?
4. What does "licensed, bonded and insured" mean?
6. What exactly is it that you do?
7. Do you provide care for special needs animals? Can you administer shots and give pills to cats?
8. Do you provide pet sitting services for crated dogs?
1. What do you base your pricing on?
Our pricing is based on a) setting a base wage that attracts and retains top-notch employees (see Staff Bios), b) covering our non-variable expenses, and c) a profit margin that allows us to cover our variable expenses. For more information on what sets us apart from other pet care providers in the area, and why our fees may be higher, please see How We're Different. Also, please refer to the latest Rate & Wage Matrix.
2. Why do you charge an additional "per minute" fee for excess travel? Why not charge "per mile" like everyone else? How do you determine the Excess Travel Fee?
Prior to 9/1/2007, we accepted the long-held model of charging an extra fee for any mile over 10 miles, one-way, from the pet sitter's home to the client's home. (This is a very typical way of handling extra mileage for pet sitters.)
However, during the course of our first year, we realized that the base fee for any visit, even when combined with the additional per-mile travel fee (when applicable), was simply not adequately compensating our staff members for both the significant amount of time spent in transit and the related expenses (like gasoline).
On average, a pet sitter will spend 20-30 minutes driving (round-trip) for each pet sitting or dog walking job. That means, for example, for a 30-minute job the pet sitter actually works 60 minutes and burns about one gallon of gasoline.
For even part-time pet sitters, it is not uncommon to spend an hour or more in the car every day, with daily business miles ranging between 15 to 120 miles per day.
Therefore, starting 9/1/2007, we decided to modify our rates and our compensation plan so that both take into account the time (vs. the miles) spent going to and from a client's home.
Staff members are paid by the hour -- for both on-site work and travel time. Paying by the hour allows us to accurately calculate what we need to pay the State of Washington for worker's compensation.
The per minute rate is based, in part, on the Washington State minimum wage. Therefore, when the minimum wage goes up, our Excess Travel Fee increases, too.
However, to control the cost for our customers, we provide the customer with a "cap" or maximum possible excess travel fee. Google Maps is used for determining a customer's "cap." Google Maps' "Get Directions" feature includes a travel time calculator with two values: "about XX minutes" corresponds to an approximate travel time. There is a second (and always higher) "in traffic" estimated value. We use the first/lower value for the customer's "cap."
3. Why do you have a New Client Cancellation Fee? How would I incur this fee?
As a new or potential client, you will be charged a New Client Cancellation Fee only if you accept the estimate for requested pet care sent to you, submit a completed New Client Questionnaire, and then cancel service without re-scheduling.
The Placid Pet typically spends a minimum of 1 hour preparing job materials on behalf of a new client, including but not limited to pet care schedule(s), a detailed pet care checklist, a client detail report, and invoice(s). The pet care provider spends time scheduling (and sometimes rescheduling) the Meet & Greet as well as pet care. By the time we arrive at your house for the Meet & Greet we have already made a significant commitment of time and energy into being as prepared as possible to provide outstanding care for your pets.
Unfortunately, we have been “burned” in the past -- potential clients have approved estimates and schedules, submitted questionnaires, and then cancelled service at the last minute. By the time they cancelled, we had spent hours preparing the necessary paperwork and fitting them into our busy schedules. In some cases, we may have even turned down other work.
In order to protect ourselves against lost time and effort, we will not begin working on job materials, or schedule the Meet & Greet for a new client, until a completed New Client Questionnaire is received.
4. What does "licensed, bonded and insured" mean?
"Licensed" means that The Placid Pet is registered and licensed with the State of Washington as a "Domestic Profit Corporation." We have a Unified Business ID# and an Employer Identification Number (EIN). We are registered to pay state and federal taxes, industrial insurance and unemployment insurance.
"Licensed" also means that The Placid Pet purchases annual business licenses for each city in which we do business.
"Bonded" means that The Placid Pet annually purchases a business services bond. This bond protects our customers from loss as a result of theft committed by an employee. To say to a client "we are bonded" demonstrates the confidence we have in our staff. By purchasing a bond, The Placid Pet is essentially buying a "credential" that we hope will help our clients and potential clients feel more comfortable about allowing a pet sitter into their home to provide care for the pets.
"Insured" means that The Placid Pet purchases an annual liability insurance policy. Coverage includes (but is not limited to) damage to property in our care, custody and control (including pets and home), as well as coverage for lost keys.
To view scanned copies of our latest licenses, bond and/or insurance policy, please see Licenses and Insurance.
5. I was recently a victim of identity theft, and I'm a little nervous about giving a pet sitter I don't know very well access to my home when I'm out of town. How can I trust you?
The Placid Pet proactively addresses this issue in several ways:
We invest time, money and energy in recruiting and retaining top notch employees (see Staff Bios).
Criminal background checks and driving record checks are performed on every employee before an offer of employment is extended. The Placid Pet has contracted with EasyBackgrounds.com to perform in-depth custom searches of county, state and federal criminal databases on each potential employee, specifically to cast a wide enough net to catch identity theft related crimes.
Also, the Meet & Greet gives you the opportunity to meet the prospective pet sitter, and decide whether or not you are comfortable with them.
6. What exactly is it that you do?
We provide expert care for your pets, in your home, when you aren't able to do so.
We provide peace of mind.
Please refer to Pet Sitting, Dog Walking and Pet Taxi for details.
7. Do you provide care for special needs animals? Can you administer shots and give pills to cats?
Yes. We are experienced in caring for pets -- young and old -- who are blind, deaf, diabetic, epileptic, and/or have serious thyroid problems. We have also cared for pets who have recently undergone surgery and/or are in a cast. Some of our clients have needed to go out of town when one of their pets was seriously ill and the pet required multiple medications, multiple times a day -- we administered those medications. We give shots, intravenous fluids, oral medications (pills and liquid), eye drops, ear medicine, and can bottle feed newborns. We're also comfortable learning new techniques -- anything that is part of a pet's routine.
8. Do you provide pet sitting services for crated dogs?
The Placid Pet can provide care for dogs who are crated, but with stipulations. (If we can't properly care for a dog, and feel good about that care, then we will pass on the job.) Clients should meet the basic expectations outlined in A Pet Owner's Guide to the Crated Dog.
If the crate size is too small, we will kindly ask permission to bring a larger crate to the client's home for use while we are caring for the dog.
If the bedding in the crate is not clean, then we may ask permission to put clean bedding (such as old towels) in the crate.
If the owner wants the dog crated in between visits, and the owner is going to be gone for several days, we will insist on more than the mimimum 3-visit structure for indoor dogs. Four (4) visits (AM, mid-day, PM and Late PM) is standard for crated dogs, and the AM, mid-day and PM visits should be longer than 30 minutes if at all possible.
Depending on the staff member's schedule, they may also seek permission, in advance, to be in the client's home past the allotted time (at no extra charge to the client). For example, there is a professional writer on staff who might be available to work on her laptop for an hour, in the client's home, while providing the dog with extra time out of the crate.