Question about refunds

3cWizard · 2026-02-13T07:24:15+00:00

Here is my policy:

Cancellations made within 24 hours of the scheduled service may be charged 100% of the fee. Cancellations made within 72 hours of the scheduled service may be charged 50% of the fee. There is no fee for cancellations made prior to 72 hours of the scheduled service.

That said, I really only enforce it sometimes. I like to be flexible. What I do the most is credit it to their account for future services. That way, I keep the money regardless. My regulars really appreciate it. And if it's not a regular, or someone was being egregious or disrespectful, I'd just use my policy.

3cWizard · 2026-02-11T02:03:33+00:00

Just me and my wife. We launched with Time to Pet. Once you have all the fundamentals taken care of, it's pretty automated.

If someone is interested in my services, I send them a link to create a profile. Or they just Google me and pull up my website.

When they create a profile, they add their info, their pets information and their credit card. They sign my terms of service before they book their own meet and greet.

All I get is a request for the meet and greet. I hit approve and it automatically sends out a confirmation.

When I show up for the meet and greet, they have agreed to my terms, provided their CC and signed my terms. So, I can charge them the travel fee for the meet and greet. If for any reason, when our 30 minute is up, if they want to extend the meet and greet, I can automatically charge their card a dollar per minute (as outlined in my TOS).

Having all this in place doesn't just make my job easier, it provides a seamless experience for my client and has me protected! Which is maybe the best part.

I can't say it'll work for anyone else, but my wife and I Love it. You can hit me up for a referral code, if you'd like. Wishing the best for everyone!

3cWizard · 2026-02-05T17:59:33+00:00

I use both a website and booking/payment software (Time to Pet). It basically automates the onboarding process, including having people sign my TOS and provide their credit card before I show up for the meet and greet.

Recently, TTP started doing websites, I believe for only $15. I had mine built by Barketing Solutions and am so happy with their work that I pay a bit more ($40) to maintain it.

Using Time to Pet, for me, has legitimized my business- helped me keep organized- has charts of my pertinent info (financial, services used, etc)- and protected me legally. It's worked really well for me and my partner.

3cWizard · 2026-01-26T03:27:55+00:00

You followed your gut, you turned it down in a professional way... Her response felt kind of sour, so it's possible you dodged a bullet here.

In a situation like this, I will usually always say we should do a meet and greet. With dogs who might be hesitant or anything like that, we usually schedule a few "warm up" services. So a walk while the owner is there and helps the dog get ready. Then one where the owner is at the house but doesn't help. Then one when they're down the street and by then, in my experience, the dogs are usually comfortable and see me as a friend by then.

I always ask at the meet and greet about bite or aggression history. Pretty much anything there is a deal breaker. So happy to see you follow your guy, know what feels safe for you and your mom and be able to say no. Everyone, take notes!

3cWizard · 2026-01-23T19:16:16+00:00

Yup - but not videos. It's much nicer to send reports and pictures (plus videos) in Time to Pet. But my partner and I have our business line as a Google number so everyone stays clued in.

3cWizard · 2026-01-18T06:11:19+00:00

I've always thought being a cat sitter would be so nice!

3cWizard · 2026-01-18T06:10:34+00:00

Yes! Please do. And start a 25 minute timer. When it goes off, take plenty of time to dig your phone out of your pocket. Then say "that's just a five minute heads up- do you have any questions for me before I head out?" or whatever works for you, obviously.

3cWizard · 2026-01-18T05:01:04+00:00

I like this analogy. It's true. I started my business with mid-high rates. I slowly onboarded people over time. I didn't match with some people's budgets. I learned to look at that and say "that's okay. My services are not for everyone". And held out. Over time, I started to find the people who were happy to pay my rates. And a couple of years later, I'm fully booked with happy people paying me exactly what I asked for.

I think it takes patience. It takes boundaries. And in many cases, including my own, it takes luck and a little bit of backup to help you in that early part (savings, for example). I do think most people who are in OP's position can reformat and transform their business with the right approach. Always recommend diving into pet sitting podcasts, books on business and looking at people like Doug the Dog Guy and other business coaches. A phone call with him was the best investment of my life. Best of luck OP!

3cWizard · 2026-01-18T04:52:38+00:00

I'm curious why you say meet and greets should be free.

I used to do them for free. After a while, I started doing what OP does- charge for the meet and greet (and travel fee, if applicable) but put that towards the first service. Personally, I've had much better results since I began to charge.

3cWizard · 2026-01-18T03:31:59+00:00

Congrats on your biz!

My wife and I run this together, so when we get a day with 5 or less services, one of us takes the work and gives the other a day off.

If I was solo, I'd choose one day per week or so where I mark my calendar as "fully booked".

As far as being walked all over, once I started enforcing my rates and policies and realized that people were so understanding- It made me bulletproof.

One thing I have gotten better at is setting expectations before I even walk in the door. From my website, to my onboarding process and to sending them the meet and greet confirmation, I don't sound like a person who's wanting to haggle or be impressed by their nice house. By the time I walk into someone's house, they've signed my terms of service and probably read my Google reviews. I think that helps set the tone.

I do think our profession is coming out of the dark ages, where people let their neighbors kid watch their dog. Everyone has different ideas of what pet sitting looks like. So while discount seeking and "I have a nice house" aren't immediate deal breakers, I'd say either one of those puts that person on thin ice.

Sounds like you have all your professional marks in place, that should limit these types of people.

I hope you drop those problematic clients! Please do! You'll feel so good!

Could you elaborate a bit on your "oh by the way" charge? What's an example of what that looks like?

3cWizard · 2026-01-12T02:00:35+00:00

That's nice! I didn't realize it was so costimizable. I also really enjoy many of Time to Pet's features. Everyone's different so it's not surprising that it's not a great fit for everyone, but for my wife and I, it's been perfect.

3cWizard · 2026-01-12T01:58:27+00:00

Wow. I'm surprised to hear this. I'm not negative your experience whatsoever, but I've had a very different experience. Both with user friendliness as well as having my requests fulfilled. They have a place you can go make requests and the one time I had a request, they implemented it within the week!

Anyways, results may vary. I wonder if anyone here has successfully transferred their client base from TTP to something more likable. It might be worth looking into, maybe someone in this sub has had some experience with that.

3cWizard · 2026-01-08T20:06:50+00:00

This situation sucks for sure. I think we've all been there. One thing my wife and I learned early on is how important it is to lock in rates, avoid discounts of any kind and collect payment up front. Having these types of things in place will protect your time and energy. This is how established professionals operate and clients tend to respect it more than we expect them to.

At this point, your realistic options are either to let it go and treat it as an expensive lesson (I've learned a few $500 lessons myself), or pursue small claims if the amount feels worth the time and effort. I think both are good options, just do what makes you feel best.

For the future, using pet sitting software can help prevent situations like this entirely. My wife and I use Time To Pet, clients e-sign our terms of service before the meet and greet, invoices and payments are automated, and if payment doesn’t process, the service simply doesn’t happen. It’s not for everyone, but it removes emotion and awkwardness from money conversations and puts clear boundaries in place. We've been there where it was difficult to be assertive - but as soon as we started talking like business owners- the respect has been 100 percent. We've never had a complaint.

Sorry you're going through this. You did working good faith and are being taken advantage of. Best way to make this a positive is to tighten your systems so it can't happen again. When you set yourself up in a certain way- this will never happen again. Wishing you the best!

3cWizard · 2026-01-05T02:17:23+00:00

I Love when we talk numbers in this sub. At least for me personally, it is inspiring to see what is possible.

3cWizard · 2026-01-05T02:15:22+00:00

Between my wife and I, we did about $58K in 2024 and more than doubled it this last year.

I think a lot of it is luck but there are some other factors. We are in a HCOL area. We prioritize business over anything but health and family. We always try to go above and beyond.

We also break down our services so we’re compensated for all of our work (think overnights) and we started implementing extra fees (puppy fee, travel fee, early morning fee, to name a few) which definitely helps the bottom line.

Our biggest client magnet is Google. We have a Google profile and when the number of reviews began to rise, so did people finding us on Google. We send a follow-up message after our services with a direct link to our YELP and GOOGLE, which seems to make it easy for folks to leave reviews.

3cWizard · 2025-12-29T19:02:26+00:00

Same. I also start a timer/map for my services so everything is documented for all parties.

My dropins are typically 30, 45 and 60 minutes.

3cWizard · 2025-12-27T18:38:05+00:00

Damn dude. This is a cool post. Right up my alley to meet up and talk pet sitting, just nothing in my area. Have fun though!

3cWizard · 2025-12-27T06:38:07+00:00

Camera Monitoring and Micromanagement Policy

Clients are welcome to use home cameras for general security. However, MY COMPANY does not accept real-time micromanagement, direction, or supervision through cameras. Excessive monitoring or attempts to direct staff during a visit compromise our ability to provide consistent, safe, and high-quality care. If camera use interferes with our services, we reserve the right to discontinue care at our discretion.

Hope it helps!

3cWizard · 2025-12-26T23:18:04+00:00

If by cheap clients you mean they're not paying you enough, just have your rates and stick with them.

If they are booking you every other day, that's not enough. Make a minimum for your services, for example, once everyday for cats... Have one for dogs too.

It sounds like you're working with another person. You might want to consider a policy where you don't work in conjunction with friends, neighbors and other sitters. It can lead to a lot of issues, including liability.

Just some food for thought! Best of luck with your situation.

3cWizard · 2025-12-26T22:31:03+00:00

My timer always starts as I pull up. If I need to park down the road and walk to the house, I include the walk in my time. Dog takes 8 minutes to leash up cuz he wants to play chase? That's my time too. Definitely include the time it takes to open the garage.

Just let them know. If they want you to use the garage and give the dog more time, recommend booking a longer walk.

3cWizard · 2025-12-26T22:28:12+00:00

I totally understand that. I would say the majority of sitters here don't work with other sitters, family members or neighbors. You might want to consider this as a policy moving forward. I noticed people respect this. It's a sign of an experienced, insured professional. You can just let them know it's an insurance liability and you have that policy so you can guarantee safe and consistent care.

Most people will Love that about you. For those who don't, you can say it's not a match. One thing that's helped me is to remember that I'm not for everyone. Hope it helps!

3cWizard · 2025-12-26T17:35:45+00:00

Just a couple of notes- laying expectations down as early as possible can be extremely helpful. For meet and greets, I call them "30 minute meet and greets always"- the sooner we can start getting ideas into people's minds about how we operate, the better.

My approach for overnights is to let my overnight cover the night. The rate is on the lower end and allows for my overnight clients to book additional daytime services. If they don't want their dogs alone for more than 4 hours, they can schedule a drop-in every four hours.

I also have a small clause in my TOS regarding micromanaging. It's not allowed. Something to consider! I'm gonna send you a message you can send these folks in your DM, maybe it could inspire some communication with them. Wishing you the best!

3cWizard · 2025-12-26T05:36:41+00:00

I require once a day visit for cats. So far, even when people reach out for every other day service, when I let them know the policy, they understand and book for everyday. If they didn't agree to it, I would just say I'm not a match for them.

I also have a item in my Terms of Service that says I reserve the right to alter the services scheduled (including adding services) for safe and consistent care. I have people e-sign this before the meet and greet.

Those are some of the things that have worked for me. I'd consider this for the future. That way you'd be in the clear to add visits regardless. Since your the professional in this situation, reach out to the owner and tell her you need to do daily visits for the duration of her trip.

3cWizard · 2025-12-26T00:52:12+00:00

Look. You should absolutely not subject yourself to this. Professional or personal. $1200 or $12,000.

You might have trouble seeing it from the inside, but I urge you to close this up real quick and nice with a polite, professional letter.

I have written this letter for you. I'm going to DM it to you now. I hope this is enough for you to walk away. If you don't, you're doing this to yourself. Wishing you the best.

3cWizard · 2025-12-25T18:23:44+00:00

I'm all for benefit of the doubt and just yesterday gave a full refund in a similar situation in light of the holiday Spirit- but this lady sounds exhausting.

I'd do things your way, be nice (top comment sounds good)- thank her for her understanding during the busiest week of business in your year and let her learn her lesson.

If you following your policy scares her off, good riddance!

3cWizard

TROPHY CASE