Advice request

In article , Pat
wrote:

"Howard C. Berkowitz" wrote

I'm reminded, a bit, of the statistics on doctors that
wind up in the least malpractice problems. The best group are proactive
in telling people the problems. The second group is much like your
catsitter -- when something is brought up, take responsibility and
offer to correct the problem in some way. The third group gets sued.

Historically in China all doctors had to hang a sign outside their offices
disclosing how many of their patients had died. Too bad that practice is not
standard all over the world, today.

I remember a resident's autobiography, early in the age of organ
transplants. He was working on a holiday weekend, and decided he needed
senior surgeon backup for what seemed more than a standard
appendectomy. As it turned out, the on-call surgeon was the head of
the transplantation service, and the resident was embarrassed to call
this dignitary.

The transplantation surgeon told him not to worry, and that he was
actually glad to help out in a procedure where he would be sure the
patient would survive, commenting that most of his patients died.

Death rates don't mean much until you look at relative death rates for
the specialty, and indeed the supporting services at hospitals, when
involved.

Cheryl wrote:
refund, but the option is there for that. She didn't provide what she
said she'd provide, but the cats were fed, watered, boxes presumably
cleaned, and chances are she won't do it again. It's always risky to

Exactly. We're thinking of asking her to refund only those visits in
which she spent less than 10 minutes.

leave our guys in the care of someone else. Even those who make a
living from our love of the furry ones. Find one you like for 5 years
so far, and you're way ahead of many.

I know. I spent a part of the morning searching pet sitters in town and
I'm not happy with all those I've seen.
She is honest for sure, we've never had any problems of any kind. She's
even given Basho his meds when he was sick.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

mlbriggs wrote:
I have a question: When your water was turned off, how did she provide
fresh water for your pets?

Good question, I'm not sure. We have a pet fountain that holds enough
water for several days.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

Gracecat wrote:
Question: Is there absolutely NO WAY she can alter the alarm system or
tamper with the times in the future?

None at all. It's accessed through a secure website to which only I have
the password.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

Victor Martinez wrote:

What do you guys think I should do? She has worked for us for over 5
years and we've never had anything to complain about. When we went to
Paris and our hot water pipes broke, she called the city and had the
water service turned off, which saved our house from significant damage.
I've been looking at other pet services in town and they all seem to be
very impersonal.

I say give her another chance. She wrote what sounds like to me a very
heartfelt apology. And the fact that she has gone beyond the call of duty
in the past shows that she is responsible and trustworthy, as well as
having a personal relationship with you, which as you note, is not easy
to find.

You might want to discuss with her what you can expect from her in the
future, should she have another busy period and be pressed for time. It
sounds like she genuinely wants to keep working for you and to give you
your money's worth, but at the same time, she did justify spending less
time with your cats because she was busy. So it sounds like you should
tell her that's not acceptable, and then see what she says. Find out if
she's willing to commit to a minimum of 30 minutes per visit no matter
what else is going on in her schedule. I think that if she can't do that,
then she's overbooking herself and selling all of her clients short.

Joyce

Victor Martinez wrote:

Cheryl wrote:

refund, but the option is there for that. She didn't provide what she
said she'd provide, but the cats were fed, watered, boxes presumably
cleaned, and chances are she won't do it again. It's always risky to


Exactly. We're thinking of asking her to refund only those visits in
which she spent less than 10 minutes.


I guess one thing that would nag me is how many times in the past has
this happened? Has been busy all along and you just didn't find out
since there was no way to track her visits? I would be tempted to at
least ask if she normally stayed 30 minutes in the past.

At least you have a way to track it now, so that part of it wouldn't be
an issue.

Rhonda

Cheryl wrote:

I read both posts; the rant one, and this one. I'd give her another
chance. Her reply was sincere. I'm not sure I'd take a partial
refund, but the option is there for that. She didn't provide what she
said she'd provide, but the cats were fed, watered, boxes presumably
cleaned, and chances are she won't do it again. It's always risky to
leave our guys in the care of someone else. Even those who make a
living from our love of the furry ones. Find one you like for 5 years
so far, and you're way ahead of many.

No kidding. I have been lucky in all of the places I have lived, so
far touch wood. While I know my pets get cared for I am also afraid
of what else a person might do - maybe not rob you blind but tell their
friends what you have in the home so *they* can rob you blind....that
kind of thing.

I am in the process of trying to hire a babysitter for the evenings so
DH and I can "date" again and my current pet sitter has stepped up to
the plate. I like her so much I will trust her with my kid!

-L.

Pat wrote:
"Howard C. Berkowitz" wrote

I'm reminded, a bit, of the statistics on doctors that
wind up in the least malpractice problems. The best group are
proactive in telling people the problems. The second group is much
like your catsitter -- when something is brought up, take
responsibility and
offer to correct the problem in some way. The third group gets sued.

Historically in China all doctors had to hang a sign outside their
offices disclosing how many of their patients had died. Too bad that
practice is not standard all over the world, today.

Can the doctor say if they all died of old age? ;o)
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera)
A House is not a home, without a cat.
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

On 2006-01-02, mlbriggs penned:

Also there is a difference between "an average time" and "a
minimum time". You should have a clear, written understanding of
your agreement


That's a good point. I don't know about having a contract, but
averaging half an hour every visit may mean that she'll be there less
than half an hour sometimes.

I liked Victor's letter to her, and her response. I think a lot of us
tend to overcommit during the holidays (parties, shopping for
presents, visiting people, etc), and it must be even worse for those
whose business increases during that time. I'd give her another
chance. Don't know what I'd do about the refund offer.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

What do you guys think I should do? She has worked for us for over 5
years and we've never had anything to complain about. When we went to
Paris and our hot water pipes broke, she called the city and had the
water service turned off, which saved our house from significant
damage. I've been looking at other pet services in town and they all
seem to be very impersonal.

Take the refund and use her again.

I agree. If she's been trustworthy and dependable for 5 years, it's
not worth the bother of trying to find someone else. It's entirely
possible that she really did have an overly busy holiday season.

Jane
- owned and operated by Princess Rita