Frequently Asked Questions

We go over everything we will be responsible for.

We have a specific checklist that includes items like:

• Food/water dish location
• Extra food location
• Meal prep instructions
• Medical concerns & medication instructions
• Favorite toys
• Where to put scooped litter
• Where to dispose of poop bags (if you request Waste Cleanup)
• Mailbox/package instructions
• Going over your pet’s usual routine
• Any other details concerning your visits

Yes we do but please be aware that major holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, and 4th of July book very quickly. It’s best to schedule your holiday visits in advance.

HOLIDAY SERVICE

An additional $10 is added to EACH VISIT on holidays.

*Holidays that incur our additional $10 charge per visit are at the sole discretion of Whisker Watchers.

At times we may charge holiday rates on the days leading up to and after the holiday. This additional charge is used to pay our team and ensure we have the availability to offer our services 365 days per year.

The earlier, the better! Especially around the holidays and busy travel seasons like summer.

All cancellations are REQUIRED to be submitted via login to the Whisker Watchers secure online system here.

After you log in, select the appropriate dates on the home screen, and press “Cancel” on the services needing cancellation.

Services are NOT canceled until you receive notice via email that your services have been canceled as requested.

Our cancellation policies always apply regardless of COVID or any other unpredictable event.

These fees are the minimum amount required for us to reserve your space in our schedule.

CANCELLATION POLICY

For any visit canceled with less than a complete 48 hours notice from the start of the visit time window, payment in full is required. This is in addition to any short notice booking fees.

SNOW AND INCLEMENT WEATHER CANCELLATION POLICY

When Yavapai County schools are closed due to bad weather, cancellation fees will be waived when the cancellation is submitted via login AT LEAST six (6) hours prior to the scheduled time window.

Weekend services cancellation fees will be waived in the event of extreme weather only and at the discretion of Whisker Watchers management. Cancellations must be received via login six (6) hours prior to the start of the visit time window to be eligible for a waiver.

HOLIDAY SERVICE

An additional $10 is added to EACH VISIT on holidays.

*Holidays that incur our additional $10 charge per visit are at the sole discretion of Whisker Watchers.

At times we may charge holiday rates on the days leading up to and after the holiday. This additional charge is used to pay our team and ensure we have the availability to offer our services 365 days per year.

Why is the Cancellation Policy important for Clients and Staff of Whisker Watchers?

At Whisker Watchers it is very important that we take great care of our clients and also our valuable employee/independent contractor sitters. The cancellation policies ensure fairness to all involved.

We absolutely hate to turn away any of our excellent clients because we are fully booked, but from time to time this does occur. The cancellation policies help to keep space available in our schedule for those who really need it because we are only booking services with those that are certain they need us and know that cancellation policies apply should they need to cancel.

We would hate to turn away a client because we are full, only to have someone cancel on short notice whose space we could have given to someone who really needed it. This occurs often around holidays and school vacation weeks – our schedule fills up, then many clients wait until the last moment to cancel, which makes it impossible for us to service the clients we had turned away.

In addition to this, our excellent employee/independent contractor pet sitters set aside time in their busy schedules to service our clients. We believe that our sitters deserve to be paid when their work is canceled on short notice. Imagine a job where the work you depended on could be canceled at any moment with no pay.

The cancellation of one or two visits does not seem like a big deal but please consider that there are times when several clients may cancel a few visits during the same week. We want to keep all of our top-notch pet sitters employed with Whisker Watchers for a very long time so we choose to pay them for services on their schedule that are canceled on short notice.

Our cancellation policies are put in place so that Whisker Watchers can serve our pets and clients in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

If you return earlier than planned, you will be given a credit for visits paid for but not made.

Whisker Watchers will make every effort to accommodate last-minute new clients, depending on the resources and time available.

 NEW CLIENT MEETINGS (MEET AND GREET): New clients receive one FREE 30-minute meeting with their primary pet sitter. Free meetings must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance.

If the new client meeting is scheduled with less than 48 hours’ notice, payment of $30 is required.

Additional meetings will be at the cost of $30 per 30-minute meeting with a pet sitter. All key pick-up and drop-off meetings are 15 minutes and will be at the cost of $20 per key pick-up or drop-off.

Due to the high demand for our services, we can not make any exceptions to our payment policies.

Whisker Watchers accepts all major credit cards.

FOR NEW CLIENTS: PAYMENT IN FULL is required at the time of booking your first service.

FOR EXISTING CLIENTS: Your preferred payment method will be charged AUTOMATICALLY seven (7) days prior to the start of your services. Please make sure that funds are available.

All clients of Whisker Watchers are REQUIRED to have a credit or debit card set up for automatic payment. You may save a card in your online client account.

Services are NOT booked and availability CAN NOT be guaranteed until we receive payment IN FULL in accordance with our policies.

SHORT NOTICE BOOKINGS: A $10 per-visit short notice fee will be applied to ALL visits requested with less than 48 hours’ notice.

ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS: If you make a cancellation after your payment has been processed, you will receive a credit to your Whisker Watchers account AFTER SUBTRACTING ANY CANCELLATION FEES THAT APPLY. Your credit is good for as long as we are in business and will not expire. ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS OF ANY KIND.

CANCELLATION SURCHARGE: Clients will incur a cancellation surcharge of 25% of their total service cost.

We charge a reasonable cancellation fee of 25% because we spend a significant amount of time and resources scheduling all clients.

Be aware that this cancellation surcharge will be deducted from the amount that you paid on the service that you canceled. This means you will have a BALANCE OWED upon scheduling your next service. See example below.

EXAMPLE:

If you paid $1,000 for a service but had to cancel, our cancellation surcharge is 25%.

In this case, we will subtract $250 from your payment (25%), and apply the balance of $750 to your next service.

This will mean that on your next scheduled service, you will owe an outstanding balance of $250 in addition to the cost of the service.

In this case, if your next scheduled service is $800, you will owe $1,050.

Yes. We send you a “Pawgress Report” on every visit to your home which includes:

• Photo updates of your pet
• First and last days include a brief overview of how the visit(s) went
• Issues or concerns (if any)
• GPS location record of your sitter while at your home
• Date/time/time length record of the visit
• Medicine admin status (if needed)

You also have 24-hour messaging access to your sitter via our app.

Our report is sent via our mobile app to your phone, text message, or email.

Client confidentiality is extremely important to us. We do not share client information. In addition, all keys are labeled with your pet’s name and a code that only we know internally so that they cannot be traced back to your residence in the unlikely event that your keys are stolen or lost.

We don’t currently offer overnight or 24-hour sitting as all of our pet sitters have pet sits throughout the day to perform. However, in special instances, we can discuss this on a case-by-case basis. Whisker Watcher is also insured for house sitting.

Yes. Our initial consultation is complimentary and lasts about 30 minutes. Please have working house keys available for us at the time in preparation for the first visit.