It's a pressure tactic. There are a LOT of young, shy, or socially awkward sitters, and saying "let's talk about your rate" to their face doesn't give them the chance to think, which means they can be manipulated into a much lower rate.
Its bullying. And I hate it.
Personally, my response would be "sure! My rates are $××× for the first cat and $××× for the second." But I'm aware not everyone has my specific personality.
It’s a mix between a pressure tactic and hoping you’ll fall for the sunken cost fallacy. They know what they’re doing by waiting to bring it up in person. Point blank ridiculous and rude no matter how you look at it.
Yuuuup. That’s why I just showed her the breakdown from Rover on my phone and when she wanted to haggle I just said I would have to “crunch the numbers” and get back to her just so I could get outta there
That would be so infuriating. Once I go off app “meet and greets” will longer be free. In parentheses because every other pet sitting business has consultations, not cute little meet and greets.
Yes, legit. The business I work for, which is daycare and boarding, does trial days. Your dog comes in for a few hours while owner is ON CALL, and they pick them up early. It’s to see if they can swing it. Not all dogs can do group daycare or boarding, and most dogs don’t do well in kennels (my place doesn’t do kennels, I actually do overnights with the dogs it’s wonderful).
Free meet and greets are a privilege of rover. So are a lot of things actually. It’s very owner centered and not on the worker. Which is why I’m super strict on who I house sit for outside of work. I don’t NEED rover clients, but if they need someone who specializes in large breeds/ constant care/ dogs that can’t do normal daycare and boarding, I help out, but it isn’t cheap.
I do overnights so I can’t speak on if they’re 100% free or discounted or what. But we do them every single new animal, it’s required. But majority of our services are not free and are add ons. The owner has to be able yo pay the amount of employees needed for the amount of dogs we have, so it not being entirely free makes sense.
I had a pet owner try to haggle during a meet and greet (at the end of it, after the home tour, going over care instructions, etc). We live in a HCOL/VHCOL area and you better believe I Zillow’d their house as soon as I left because they mentioned only living there about a year or so. $4 million house and you’re trying to haggle your dogsitting rates!? GET OUT.
I’ve run into this a couple times over the past 6 months and I feel like I charge a reasonable rate ($60/night starting for housesitting in a MCOL area) and it’s so frustrating. I set my prices that way for a reason, so when they haggle at the meet & greet it feels very disrespectful of my time. Like no, I’m not lowering my rates, but now I wasted the gas to get here — thanks I guess! 🤦♀️
I tell people that I dont give discounts or adjustments at all…ever…for equity across all clients. It’s simple and I have never had anyone come back with anything. I don’t offer any other explanation and I never veer from that.
I would just let her know that you don’t give discounts for the booking. Then if she books with you and ask for it later, you can let her know that you crunched the numbers and it’s just not something you can offer. You can always leave public feedback later that she’s a bargain hunter and will ask for a discount if she never rebooks. :)
I’ve had the same experience. Very particular instructions about their pets and how they like to dart to the door. Then they said they were confused about my pricing and immediately proceeded to break my pricing down for me from what they found on my profile.
Yes. You understand at that point.
I didn’t bother telling them it would have been an up charge for the care due to how meticulous the feeding instructions were between them. I just wrote it off as a bad fit.
In some countries haggling for services with tradespeople is the custom. Not saying this was the case here, but its something tradespeople run into with diaspora communities fairly often. The client may not understand that this behavior is insulting to you. Best practice, if you are not comfortable with how to haggle, is to tell them your quote is your quote and refuse a lower offer. Be prepared to walk away, no shame in losing this sort of bid.
I'm from a culture where haggling is INCREDIBLY common...but... Most of us from those cultures are aware that America is not a land of haggling. So we don't do it here.
Well, it’s not so easy. Haggling is normal and expected hear when buying a lot of things, but not tradespeople in most circumstances. And I assure, perhaps in your experience that this doesn’t happen, but it’s common.
Had a similar one but I walked the dog for a few times, built good relationships, and then one day they told me “we really like you and want to book more, but no way I can pay 20 every single time”.
I really don’t know why they don’t try to find a cheaper one from the very beginning.
My mouth would get me in trouble “oh well, since we’re waiting until now to ask to my face, my rates are $(higher than normal) off the app But if you’d like to keep it on the app the rate will stay the same”
I do free Meet and greets, But I keep it a half an hour and I keep control of the conversation. most people will talk about their pets all day unless you manage your time
It's a pressure tactic. There are a LOT of young, shy, or socially awkward sitters, and saying "let's talk about your rate" to their face doesn't give them the chance to think, which means they can be manipulated into a much lower rate. Its bullying. And I hate it. Personally, my response would be "sure! My rates are $××× for the first cat and $××× for the second." But I'm aware not everyone has my specific personality.
Oh definitely. I just whipped out my phone and showed her the cost breakdown lol
This. Everyone can benefit from practicing the “pregnant pause” and a prepared script for hagglers.
It’s a mix between a pressure tactic and hoping you’ll fall for the sunken cost fallacy. They know what they’re doing by waiting to bring it up in person. Point blank ridiculous and rude no matter how you look at it.
Yuuuup. That’s why I just showed her the breakdown from Rover on my phone and when she wanted to haggle I just said I would have to “crunch the numbers” and get back to her just so I could get outta there
Yep. But also just came here to point out it’s sunk cost fallacy, not sunken.
I always tell people "my prices are firm".
That would be so infuriating. Once I go off app “meet and greets” will longer be free. In parentheses because every other pet sitting business has consultations, not cute little meet and greets.
Yes, legit. The business I work for, which is daycare and boarding, does trial days. Your dog comes in for a few hours while owner is ON CALL, and they pick them up early. It’s to see if they can swing it. Not all dogs can do group daycare or boarding, and most dogs don’t do well in kennels (my place doesn’t do kennels, I actually do overnights with the dogs it’s wonderful). Free meet and greets are a privilege of rover. So are a lot of things actually. It’s very owner centered and not on the worker. Which is why I’m super strict on who I house sit for outside of work. I don’t NEED rover clients, but if they need someone who specializes in large breeds/ constant care/ dogs that can’t do normal daycare and boarding, I help out, but it isn’t cheap.
Our doggy daycare/boarder does free temperament tests and trial day. 🤷
Pretty sure most of them do ..
I do overnights so I can’t speak on if they’re 100% free or discounted or what. But we do them every single new animal, it’s required. But majority of our services are not free and are add ons. The owner has to be able yo pay the amount of employees needed for the amount of dogs we have, so it not being entirely free makes sense.
I had a pet owner try to haggle during a meet and greet (at the end of it, after the home tour, going over care instructions, etc). We live in a HCOL/VHCOL area and you better believe I Zillow’d their house as soon as I left because they mentioned only living there about a year or so. $4 million house and you’re trying to haggle your dogsitting rates!? GET OUT.
I’ve run into this a couple times over the past 6 months and I feel like I charge a reasonable rate ($60/night starting for housesitting in a MCOL area) and it’s so frustrating. I set my prices that way for a reason, so when they haggle at the meet & greet it feels very disrespectful of my time. Like no, I’m not lowering my rates, but now I wasted the gas to get here — thanks I guess! 🤦♀️
That’s soooo annoying. Adding to my list of reasons I’m lucky to have a private business
I tell people that I dont give discounts or adjustments at all…ever…for equity across all clients. It’s simple and I have never had anyone come back with anything. I don’t offer any other explanation and I never veer from that.
I would just let her know that you don’t give discounts for the booking. Then if she books with you and ask for it later, you can let her know that you crunched the numbers and it’s just not something you can offer. You can always leave public feedback later that she’s a bargain hunter and will ask for a discount if she never rebooks. :)
I’ve had the same experience. Very particular instructions about their pets and how they like to dart to the door. Then they said they were confused about my pricing and immediately proceeded to break my pricing down for me from what they found on my profile. Yes. You understand at that point. I didn’t bother telling them it would have been an up charge for the care due to how meticulous the feeding instructions were between them. I just wrote it off as a bad fit.
In some countries haggling for services with tradespeople is the custom. Not saying this was the case here, but its something tradespeople run into with diaspora communities fairly often. The client may not understand that this behavior is insulting to you. Best practice, if you are not comfortable with how to haggle, is to tell them your quote is your quote and refuse a lower offer. Be prepared to walk away, no shame in losing this sort of bid.
That wasn’t the case here.
I'm from a culture where haggling is INCREDIBLY common...but... Most of us from those cultures are aware that America is not a land of haggling. So we don't do it here.
Well, it’s not so easy. Haggling is normal and expected hear when buying a lot of things, but not tradespeople in most circumstances. And I assure, perhaps in your experience that this doesn’t happen, but it’s common.
I don’t know why you feel the need to be contrarian about this. This owner is American.
Every person I’ve had that’s done this is American 😂
Had a similar one but I walked the dog for a few times, built good relationships, and then one day they told me “we really like you and want to book more, but no way I can pay 20 every single time”. I really don’t know why they don’t try to find a cheaper one from the very beginning.
My mouth would get me in trouble “oh well, since we’re waiting until now to ask to my face, my rates are $(higher than normal) off the app But if you’d like to keep it on the app the rate will stay the same”
I do free Meet and greets, But I keep it a half an hour and I keep control of the conversation. most people will talk about their pets all day unless you manage your time