WWYD? Re: Pet sitter

[LisaR]

Long post.

I hired a new pet sitter (16 y/o that lives in the neighborhood that I didn't know). I view it as a complete disaster.

Had her over three weeks ago so I could meet her, she could meet the dogs, and I could explain exactly what I would need done for some up coming trips.

Emailed her a few days later and offered her her first job. In the email I explained the four times she would need to come over for a short trip and exactly what she would need to do.

Had her over on Thursday to see the dogs again, do a quick recap of what needed to be done, and to give her the key. I also went over the schedule with her and had it written down on a note on my table. I also left notes taped around the house for reminders (blue bowl for one dog, green for the other, poop bags in here, etc).

Her job:
Friday: Between 5- 6pm feed and walk both dogs
Friday Between 10 - 11pm let the dogs out in the yard for a quick pee
Saturday (today) - 8am Feed and walk both dogs
Saturday 1pm - Walk dogs

What she didn't know is that we have security cameras.

Here's what she did:
Friday @ 5:30: Arrived at the correct time and did exactly what she was supposed to do!
I sent her a text and asked how it went and she said "Everything went great. The dogs were really good!" Excellent!

Friday between 10-11pm: Based on my security cameras, she never showed up.
I didn't sleep well. I wasn't sure if it was a glitch in the system or she didn't come over.

Saturday: Didn't show up at the scheduled 8am. At 8:30, I sent her a text. This was our conversation:
Me: How are the dogs doing this morning?
Her: Good!!
Me: How'd they do last night when you came by to let them out in the yard?
Her: Great! They both went.

So now I am thinking maybe my security cameras simply weren't working properly. They worked because I could get live feeds, but I wasn't getting any alerts that she had come over. I was able to relax a little until...

9:30am: I receive an alert. She is just arriving to feed and walk the dogs. I am pissed! She lied this morning about the dogs being fine. She hadn't even been to my house.

Her last scheduled visit was supposed to be at 1pm. Instead, she showed up at 12:15. Since she came late this morning and early this afternoon, instead of five hours between visits it was less than three hours.

In addition, there is some other girl with her on the video! I made it very clear that the dogs needed to be walked individually, but the new girl took one dog while the pet sitter took the other dog and they went out together. My dogs are very well behave, but they feed off one another if another dog is out. You need to know how to control them so that is why I always have pet sitters walk them separately.

We got home at 6pm. In addition to all of the above, the first thing I notice is that she didn't throw any of the poop out where it belonged. She picked it up and threw the bags in a pile in our yard instead of the community receptacle that I showed her.

The obvious is that we will never, ever use this girl again.

Curious what you would do?

Husband: Let it go. Pay her, don't say anything because she lives in our neighborhood, and move on.

My kids (21 and 19): Do not pay her a single red cent! Tell her everything she did and tell her she doesn't deserve a penny.


What I did: I sent her a text that I was home and to bring back the key and I'll pay her.
When she arrived, it went something like this:
Me: I need you to be honest with me about a couple things. When I sent you a text at 8:30am asking how my dogs were doing this morning and you responded with "good," you didn't actually know they were good because you hadn't been over to my house yet, right?

Her: Um....I...well, I think I....

Me: I have security cameras.

Her: Oh. I think I got here at 9.

Me: No, you got here at 9:30. I hired you to be here at 8am.

Her: Oh.

Me: You had no business telling me that my dogs were good if you hadn't even been here yet. And then you came back at 12:15. They really didn't need to go out that soon since you got here so late this morning. But the part that bugs me the most is that you brought someone with you.

Her: Oh, that was my....

Me: I don't care who it was. It doesn't matter if it was your sister, your mom, or your best friend. You let a stranger into my home. I didn't hire that person to walk my dogs, I hired you and only you. You had no right to allow someone else into my home. I specifically told you I wanted the dogs walked separately and you ignored that by having someone I didn't know walk my dogs.

Her: Sorry.

Me: One more question. I didn't see any proof that you came by last night to let them out for a quick pee.

Her: I did. I swear. I went to the football game and came over as soon as it was done.

Me: Strange that my cameras glitched at that exact time. Anyway, I am not remotely happy with the job you did and I will not be using you in the future. Here is your money (handed her the full amount and showed her out).

 

[sonnyjane]

Long post.

I hired a new pet sitter (16 y/o that lives in the neighborhood that I didn't know). I view it as a complete disaster.

Had her over three weeks ago so I could meet her, she could meet the dogs, and I could explain exactly what I would need done for some up coming trips.

Emailed her a few days later and offered her her first job. In the email I explained the four times she would need to come over for a short trip and exactly what she would need to do.

Had her over on Thursday to see the dogs again, do a quick recap of what needed to be done, and to give her the key. I also went over the schedule with her and had it written down on a note on my table. I also left notes taped around the house for reminders (blue bowl for one dog, green for the other, poop bags in here, etc).

Her job:
Friday: Between 5- 6pm feed and walk both dogs
Friday Between 10 - 11pm let the dogs out in the yard for a quick pee
Saturday (today) - 8am Feed and walk both dogs
Saturday 1pm - Walk dogs

What she didn't know is that we have security cameras.

Here's what she did:
Friday @ 5:30: Arrived at the correct time and did exactly what she was supposed to do!
I sent her a text and asked how it went and she said "Everything went great. The dogs were really good!" Excellent!

Friday between 10-11pm: Based on my security cameras, she never showed up.
I didn't sleep well. I wasn't sure if it was a glitch in the system or she didn't come over.

Saturday: Didn't show up at the scheduled 8am. At 8:30, I sent her a text. This was our conversation:
Me: How are the dogs doing this morning?
Her: Good!!
Me: How'd they do last night when you came by to let them out in the yard?
Her: Great! They both went.

So now I am thinking maybe my security cameras simply weren't working properly. They worked because I could get live feeds, but I wasn't getting any alerts that she had come over. I was able to relax a little until...

9:30am: I receive an alert. She is just arriving to feed and walk the dogs. I am pissed! She lied this morning about the dogs being fine. She hadn't even been to my house.

Her last scheduled visit was supposed to be at 1pm. Instead, she showed up at 12:15. Since she came late this morning and early this afternoon, instead of five hours between visits it was less than three hours.

In addition, there is some other girl with her on the video! I made it very clear that the dogs needed to be walked individually, but the new girl took one dog while the pet sitter took the other dog and they went out together. My dogs are very well behave, but they feed off one another if another dog is out. You need to know how to control them so that is why I always have pet sitters walk them separately.

We got home at 6pm. In addition to all of the above, the first thing I notice is that she didn't throw any of the poop out where it belonged. She picked it up and threw the bags in a pile in our yard instead of the community receptacle that I showed her.

The obvious is that we will never, ever use this girl again.

Curious what you would do?

Husband: Let it go. Pay her, don't say anything because she lives in our neighborhood, and move on.

My kids (21 and 19): Do not pay her a single red cent! Tell her everything she did and tell her she doesn't deserve a penny.


What I did: I sent her a text that I was home and to bring back the key and I'll pay her.
When she arrived, it went something like this:
Me: I need you to be honest with me about a couple things. When I sent you a text at 8:30am asking how my dogs were doing this morning and you responded with "good," you didn't actually know they were good because you hadn't been over to my house yet, right?

Her: Um....I...well, I think I....

Me: I have security cameras.

Her: Oh. I think I got here at 9.

Me: No, you got here at 9:30. I hired you to be here at 8am.

Her: Oh.

Me: You had no business telling me that my dogs were good if you hadn't even been here yet. And then you came back at 12:15. They really didn't need to go out that soon since you got here so late this morning. But the part that bugs me the most is that you brought someone with you.

Her: Oh, that was my....

Me: I don't care who it was. It doesn't matter if it was your sister, your mom, or your best friend. You let a stranger into my home. I didn't hire that person to walk my dogs, I hired you and only you. You had no right to allow someone else into my home. I specifically told you I wanted the dogs walked separately and you ignored that by having someone I didn't know walk my dogs.

Her: Sorry.

Me: One more question. I didn't see any proof that you came by last night to let them out for a quick pee.

Her: I did. I swear. I went to the football game and came over as soon as it was done.

Me: Strange that my cameras glitched at that exact time. Anyway, I am not remotely happy with the job you did and I will not be using you in the future. Here is your money (handed her the full amount and showed her out).

I would have probably paid half then never used her again.

I had something similar happen with a landscaper for our vacation house. He said he was going every week and was even sending pictures. Well one time, I noticed he had been sending the exact same photo (a leaf on the ground hadn't moved in weeks!) Because of the situation, he knew that our house was sitting empty, so I didn't make as much of a stink as I normally would have. After I noticed I told him that I caught him but I sent final payment and just said I didn't need his services anymore because I was afraid of him breaking into our house or something.

In the future, only use a real, qualified pet-sitter. I find mine through my vet.

 

[scottmel]

I would have paid her half as well. She did a half *** job. My DD17 runs a neighborhood pet sitting business and has cared for many a dog. She goes above and beyond but honestly it is because I trained her early on to do so. I am so paranoid about leaving my dog with anyone but a reputable sitter where she stays the night. Fetch dot com is a good place to find a good siter! that or rover maybe try that next time?

 

[wilkeliza]

You handled it probably the same way I would. Just wondering was the sitter aware you had security cameras that you can turn on and check or get notifications on?

 

[kimblebee]

IMO, you were very preachy with her and the interrogation. I would have said thanks, paid her, and not used her again. She did what you wanted, just not at the times you specified. I doubt the dogs really suffered. At least she showed up..

 

[LisaR]

I would have probably paid half then never used her again.

I had something similar happen with a landscaper for our vacation house. He said he was going every week and was even sending pictures. Well one time, I noticed he had been sending the exact same photo (a leaf on the ground hadn't moved in weeks!) Because of the situation, he knew that our house was sitting empty, so I didn't make as much of a stink as I normally would have. After I noticed I told him that I caught him but I sent final payment and just said I didn't need his services anymore because I was afraid of him breaking into our house or something.

In the future, only use a real, qualified pet-sitter. I find mine through my vet.

I've only used teens in the past and never had a single issue. However, they were always either a friend of my DD or DS or a friend of a friend. Unfortunately, given their ages, they are all away at college now. We have a FB page just for those living in our community. The mom of this girl posted that her daughter was available for house sitting and/or pet sitting. Lesson learned.

 

[LisaR]

You handled it probably the same way I would. Just wondering was the sitter aware you had security cameras that you can turn on and check or get notifications on?

I didn't point them out to her or tell her we have a security system, however, the cameras are in plain sight and we have security signs including a "Smile, You're being recorded" sign at the door she came in and out of.

IMO, you were very preachy with her and the interrogation. I would have said thanks, paid her, and not used her again. She did what you wanted, just not at the times you specified. I doubt the dogs really suffered. At least she showed up..

Yep, probably preachy. I don't agree with you that she did what I wanted. I am pretty sure she skipped one time completely and she brought someone into my home without my approval, walked the dogs together when I specifically told her not to, and didn't dispose of the waste like I asked. Not sure whether the dogs suffered or not. My one dog is coming up on 15. If he had to hold it from 5:30pm until 9:30am, I'd say he did suffer a bit. As a matter of fact, the camera shows her open the front door and our dog takes one step out the door and peed right there on absolutely nothing; just lifted his leg and started peeing before he was even off the porch. He had to go that bad! He has never done that.

 

[loves to dive]

I probably would have paid her and just told her I wasn't using her again because I had cameras in the house and knew she hadn't done what I'd asked. She did walk and feed the dogs so they were taken care of even though she did a half *** job she did do the job. Kind of like anywhere else you get a service and they don't do it as well as you would have liked. My cleaning lady started out doing a bang up job, she picked up the couch and cleaned under it, cleaned the baseboards, etc. which was actually above and beyond what I asked. Now I will get texts asking me if she can come another day and when she comes she brings her young grandson, who she normally sits in the floor of the bedroom while she cleans. This wouldn't be too much of a problem except my honey works from home and it can be a little difficult for him to talk to clients with a crying baby in the background. We keep her because it's real hard to find someone in our area, she has a key to our house and we do know we can trust her with it.

 

[EveDallas]

IMO, you were very preachy with her and the interrogation. I would have said thanks, paid her, and not used her again. She did what you wanted, just not at the times you specified. I doubt the dogs really suffered. At least she showed up..

Seriously. There was no need for the third degree. It looks like it was less than 24 hours. I would have just said you weren't happy with her service and wouldn't use her again.

 

[wilkeliza]

Thinking about it a little more I probably wouldn't have beaten around the bush like you did. I would have simply said We won't be needing your services any more because you broke many of the required parts of the job. Paid her and left it at that. No need to catch the kid in the lie you know they are telling.

 

[dotfurio]

I think she needed to know you were aware she didn't do the job as asked.

I think I would've been in contact with her sooner to ask her where she was since I hadn't seen her on the security camera (letting her know I was watching for her). I wouldn't give her the opportunity to lie by just asking her how the dogs were. Maybe if she had known she'd have done a better job caring for your dogs, which was the ultimate goal.

 

[wishesuponastar]

IMO, you were very preachy with her and the interrogation. I would have said thanks, paid her, and not used her again. She did what you wanted, just not at the times you specified. I doubt the dogs really suffered. At least she showed up..

Ditto. I would have just paid her and not used her again. I would have told her she didnt show up on the times you discussed with her but By you interrogating her She måy just spread the word amongst her friends and any future teen walkers.

 

[LisaR]

Seriously. There was no need for the third degree. It looks like it was less than 24 hours. I would have just said you weren't happy with her service and wouldn't use her again.

Ditto. I would have just paid her and not used her again. I would have told her she didnt show up on the times you discussed with her but By you interrogating her She måy just spread the word amongst her friends and any future teen walkers.

The "interrogation" and "third degree" involved a minutes worth of conversation. Seriously, I wasn't standing there for twenty minutes! But I'll admit that maybe I should have just handed her the money and let it go. Hence the WWYD. However, if it was my kids at that age, I absolutely would have wanted them to find out that the homeowner wasn't happy. Had she responded to my text this morning with, "I'm not sure how the dogs are. I haven't been over there yet. Plan on going over in the next hour or so" I wouldn't have been as mad, but making it sound like she was there when she wasn't definitely ticked me off. Oh well. Like I said, lesson learned. If it isn't someone I know personally, I'll hire a professional company.

 

[nkereina]

Would have paid her and left it alone. She did come (albeit not when you wanted her to, I know) and the dogs were fine, so no lasting consequences. Lesson learned to not use her again.

Respectfully, it sounds like you have very explicit, detailed instructions and are micromanaging via your security cameras. Have you considered boarding your dogs with their groomer or vet if its offered? Or even boarding with a trusted/reputable place in your town? We love our vet and are more than comfortable boarding our dog there while we are gone. They know what and when to feed him, walk him every hour, and even play with him which is better than him sitting in the house alone. You wouldn't have to leave post its around the house, worry about a stranger coming in, and then spend your time out of town watching security cameras to make sure its getting done. Just a thought!

 

[Momto2minniemice]

This is my take..... I would have paid her because she did feed and walk the animals. Was it at the exact time, no but they were taken care of. I would expect a teen to bring someone with them to be honest. And both dogs were cared for. Also I do not think it is far to speak to a person the way you did. You have no idea of what they might have had going on. And with open communication the teen could learn from this experience.

 

[diznygirl]

I also would not have interrogated the teen. I would just have explained that I have security cameras and know she didn't do what she was hired to do, I'm not happy about it, and I wouldn't be using here again. Here is payment, thank you and good bye.

You might think it was just a minutes's worth of conversation, but it was also completely unnecessary.

 

[Wendy31]

I'm sorry, but I would have been upset too - mostly w/ the lying.

Thankfully, your dogs were fine, & she did come by & feed & walk them. However, she did not do what you wanted her to do, did not do what she said she would do, & then lied about it. Had you not questioned her & told her you had the security cameras, you never would have known.

Since when did we start giving kids such a free pass on things & expecting so little from them?

Had it been my kids, I would have wanted them to know why someone wasn't happy/pleased w/ the job they had done as well.

I might have been more lenient w/ a dog sitter - For example, I probably wouldn't have cared had she brought a friend. However, if you don't really know her, you don't really know her friend either, & do you really want someone you don't anything about in your home, knowing you're out of town?

And, at any rate, it doesn't matter whether or not you were strict w/ your requests. If she said she would do it as you instructed, then that's what she should have done.

 

[EveDallas]

The "interrogation" and "third degree" involved a minutes worth of conversation. Seriously, I wasn't standing there for twenty minutes! But I'll admit that maybe I should have just handed her the money and let it go. Hence the WWYD. However, if it was my kids at that age, I absolutely would have wanted them to find out that the homeowner wasn't happy. Had she responded to my text this morning with, "I'm not sure how the dogs are. I haven't been over there yet. Plan on going over in the next hour or so" I wouldn't have been as mad, but making it sound like she was there when she wasn't definitely ticked me off. Oh well. Like I said, lesson learned. If it isn't someone I know personally, I'll hire a professional company.

The way you told it originally made it sound a lot longer. So yeah, a few minutes probably wasn't anything. The problem with the bolded is that if she half ***d the job and then lied to you about it, I doubt anything you said made an impact. If anything, she probably left rolling her eyes and thinking about the witchy lady. Just my opinion.

 

[LisaR]

Would have paid her and left it alone. She did come (albeit not when you wanted her to, I know) and the dogs were fine, so no lasting consequences. Lesson learned to not use her again.

Respectfully, it sounds like you have very explicit, detailed instructions and are micromanaging via your security cameras. Have you considered boarding your dogs with their groomer or vet if its offered? Or even boarding with a trusted/reputable place in your town? We love our vet and are more than comfortable boarding our dog there while we are gone. They know what and when to feed him, walk him every hour, and even play with him which is better than him sitting in the house alone. You wouldn't have to leave post its around the house, worry about a stranger coming in, and then spend your time out of town watching security cameras to make sure its getting done. Just a thought!

I really don't think it was micromanaged in the slightest. The cameras are always on. They weren't on for specifically for her. It's simply the way the system works. I get an alert if a door or window is open. I got an alert while we were at dinner the first night. No clue why because I wasn't even slightly aware of the time. I was happy to see that it was her. I never thought twice about her or the dogs until we got in that night around 1:30am and I realized there wasn't an alert. Admittedly, I had a "feeling" but I did manage to let it go. When I confirmed with her in the morning that everything was good, I was fine until I realized she lied. I have owned dogs for my entire adult life and have only used pet sitters who come into my home. This is the very first time I have ever had a problem.

 

[ronandannette]

IMO, you were very preachy with her and the interrogation. I would have said thanks, paid her, and not used her again. She did what you wanted, just not at the times you specified. I doubt the dogs really suffered. At least she showed up..

Completely disagree with this approach. What the OP did is tough and likely made the kid feel terrible - BUT - if she'll let it, it could be one of the most positive growth opportunities she ever has. There are many young people in the workplace that simply have never been called to account for their inadequate performance and when they finally are, they often lie, rationalize or completely defy the authority of their superiors. It makes them very difficult to manage and limits their opportunities. The sooner they learn to face the music in a mature way, the better. Not to mention that being untrustworthy is a very, very poor character trait.

Thinking about it a little more I probably wouldn't have beaten around the bush like you did. I would have simply said We won't be needing your services any more because you broke many of the required parts of the job. Paid her and left it at that. No need to catch the kid in the lie you know they are telling.

Yes, there is. It is no kindness to allow somebody to think that lies, evasion and excuses are acceptable and getting them by when they actually are not.