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FAQ for Babysitters
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Why should I become a member of Big Sky Nanny’s Pet Sitting/Drop-In House-Sitting Program?We only work with the most experienced and highly qualified pet sitters and house sitters in the area. We have personally met and interviewed every sitter on our team and pre-screened each one to ensure they will offer superior care to our members. We run thorough background checks on each sitter prior to welcoming them to our team. Additionally, each pet sitter has been tested and approved by a cranky corgi, a wild mutt and a very judgmental cat to ensure our pet sitters are ready for your fur babies.
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What rates will I need to pay the pet-sitter/drop-in house sitter/overnight sitter?The standard drop-in rates due to the sitter are as follows: 15 minutes - $15 30 minutes - $25 60 minutes - $40 Overnight rate for house-sitting with pets is $50 per night Overnight rate for house-sitting only-no pets is $35 per night. Please review the Big Sky Nanny Policies and Fee Schedule for more information on our rates.
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When will I be charged the monthly renewal fee for my membership package?Your membership will renew on the same day of each month following the month that you enrolled for the membership. (For example, if you purchase your membership on July 14th, it will renew on the 14th of each month following your purchase until you cancel or change your membership package)
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How do I cancel my membership?You may cancel your membership any time by emailing us at care@bigkskynanny.com
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What happens to my remaining requests if I cancel my membership?You will be able to use any remaining pet-sitting/drop-in house-sitting requests available on your account for the current billing month.
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Will Big Sky Nanny ever cancel my membership?We reserve the right to cancel a membership if our policies are not being followed by a member. Please be sure to review all of our policies and contact Big Sky Nanny with any questions. Examples of reasons a membership may be canceled include, but are not limited to: failure to pay a sitter the amount due at the time of service, complaints made by sitters that make us uncomfortable sending other sitters for future requests, and contacting sitters directly to request pet sitting/house-sitting without going through our online request system.
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What if I want to upgrade or downgrade my membership package?You can change your membership package or add one-time requests at any time. If you upgrade or downgrade your membership with requests remaining in your current package, those requests will not roll over to the new package. Your membership will renew at the new package rate the following month on the date you upgraded or downgraded your membership.
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If I don’t use all of my available requests, will they roll over to the next month?No, members are not refunded any unused sitting requests and will not be able to use remaining requests from a previous month after their monthly renewal date.
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As a member, what happens if I cancel a request that has already been accepted by a sitter?You may cancel your request within 24 hours of acceptance and receive a refund credit of the membership request as long as the booking date & time are more than 24 hours away. If you cancel a request with less than 24 hours’ notice from the booking date & time, the request will not be credited to your account and you will be required to pay half of the sitter’s rate.
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If I submit a one-time request that is accepted by a pet-sitter/drop-in house-sitter, what happens if I need to cancel it?If you cancel within 24 hours of the request being accepted by a sitter, you will be refunded the one-time booking fee. If you cancel the request after 24 hours from the time your request is accepted, you will not be refunded your one-time request fee. If you cancel within 24 hours of the requested date and time, you will be responsible for paying the sitter for half of the requested rate and your booking fee will not be refunded.
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Can I request a sitter to come on a holiday?Yes! Just like any request, we do no guarantee that your request will be accepted, but we will always do our best to fill every request! Our sitters must be paid $5.00 per request in addition to the standard rate required for the service. For a list of the holidays that result in the holiday pay rate, please review our Big Sky Nanny policies.
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What happens if I need a sitter with less than 24 hours’ notice?Requests made with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged a short-notice fee of $10 for members and $15 for non-members. As with all of our requests, we cannot guarantee your request will be accepted but will do our best to fill all requests.
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Can I request a sitter to provide care outside of Missoula?Yes! Requests for pet sitters/house-sitters needed outside of Missoula must be made by contacting Big Sky Nanny directly. There will be an additional fee to cover the sitter’s travel expenses depending on the distance from town.
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When and how do I pay the pet sitter/house-sitter?You must pay your sitter at each shift by cash, check, or Venmo payment. Because of the nature of pet-sitting/house sitting, we recommend you leave cash or check payment for the sitter. This ensures they will be paid. If you have requested the same sitter for multiple jobs, you must provide payment for each job before the sitter goes home. If you are unsure what you owe, please review the confirmation email or text we send you or contact Big Sky Nanny for more information.
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Can I tip my sitter?Absolutely – In fact we encourage it! If you feel your pet sitter has gone above and beyond your expectations and requests, please feel free to leave a financial tip, give high ratings, or specifically request that sitter for your next request. Please contact Big Sky Nanny directly to request specific sitters.
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Can I contact a pet sitter/house-sitter directly if I found one that I love?No. All pet sitting/house-sitting requests must be made through our online request system or by contacting Big Sky Nanny directly. Contacting one of our sitters to inquire about availability or to request her/him directly will result in termination of your membership and the sitters’ ability to continue working with BSN. If you have found a pet sitter/house-sitter that works great with your family, please contact Big Sky Nanny directly to request a specific sitter. We will reach out to them to see if they are available before sharing your request with our other sitters.
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Why should I join the Big Sky Nanny Pet sitting/House-Sitting team?We understand the effort it takes to be an amazing pet sitter and want to help match pet sitters that go above and beyond what is expected of them with families needing animal care. We want to make it easy for our sitters to receive, review, and accept pet sitting positions directly from their phones or computers. Big Sky Nanny is here to answer questions and offer support anytime you need it!
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What if I’m really busy some weeks and can’t accept any jobs?No problem! We understand that life can get crazy sometimes! We make it easy for you to accept jobs when you have extra time but there is never any pressure if you aren’t available. That’s one of the perks of pet sitting – you can make it work around any schedule!
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What requirements are you looking for in a pet sitter?Our sitters must have at least 3 years of animal experience with references for us to contact. We require all of our sitters to allow us to run background checks and meet with our pets to see how they do with animals. We are looking for sitters who have a genuine love for animals and can be relied on to be responsible!
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What qualities are important to have?Our sitters are professional, reliable, honest, and friendly! We look for sitters that will show up to jobs on time, looking and acting professional, with a positive attitude and ready to have fun! Our sitters will happily go above and beyond what is expected of them to provide the best care possible to the families they work with.
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Does Big Sky Nanny take a cut of my pay from a pet sitting/house-sitting job?Absolutely not! You earned every penny – it’s all yours! We encourage families to pay as much as they feel comfortable with because we know our sitters will exceed their expectations. We know pet sitting is work and want you to be proud of what you do and be compensated for it!
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Does Big Sky Nanny offer any perks or incentives?YES!! We want to show our sitters how much we appreciate them and everything they do! We will offer cash bonuses and incentives for a variety of things to keep the program fun and rewarding. Things like accepting pet sitting jobs regularly, getting 5-star ratings and amazing reviews from our families, and referring other sitters and families to our program are some of the things you can do to be rewarded in our program!
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Can a family contact me directly after I work for them to ask me to pet sit again?No. All of our members and people requesting a one-time sitter are notified that they may not contact any of our sitters for any reason after the pet-sitting request is fulfilled. If a family contacts you directly to ask about your availability or to request you for a future placement, you must tell them to contact Big Sky Nanny to request you. Acceptance of a position without going through our request system will terminate your position as part of our Big Sky Nanny team and will result in the family’s membership being canceled.
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