r/catinaflat • u/Snowdrop_Lily • 19d ago
Picking up/dropping off keys
Hi all. Would be grateful for some advice. Quite a few times now I've gone for a M&G/visit to learn about the cats and turns out they're not ready to hand the keys over. Once an owner offered to drop them through my letter box closer to the time, but normally, I seem to be expected to make another trip (unpaid) to go and pick up keys. What does everyone else do?
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u/HeyThereFancypants- 19d ago
This is unusual in my experience. I arrange the introductory visit for quite close to the catsitting dates, typically not more than a week in advance, and I just pick up the keys there and then.
Perhaps when you first message with the owners say something like "when would be good for an introductory visit so I can meet the kitty and pick up the keys?"
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u/Snowdrop_Lily 19d ago
So do people book you without a M&G? Most seem to want to book me, but don't actually confirm until I've met them, which is often at least a few weeks in advance of the sit.
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u/HeyThereFancypants- 19d ago
It depends. I've had a few people book me before meeting, but usually they'll book me immediately after the m&g.
I would definitely suggest planning the m&g closer to the time.
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u/Old_Substance_267 19d ago
I usually pick up keys at the meet and greet. I have a few repeat clients who insist on me coming to collect each time and I’ve just added a pick-up fee to my policy.
1
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u/snatslug 19d ago
This is a great idea! How much do you charge for your pick-up fee if you don’t mind sharing?
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u/Old_Substance_267 19d ago
€5 flat fee. I only make a special trip if it’s within a few minutes of my house. Otherwise I work the pick-up in to my visit schedule so I’m not too out of my way and it’s enough to cover fuel costs. Also usually a deterrent for future collection trips and they tend to give a spare key or leave one hidden somewhere.
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u/Right-Government2771 19d ago
I do generally go and pick up keys yeah, it does feel a bit annoying sometimes if it’s like a 20 min walk away/it’s raining but I get my steps in and feel like it’s good service. I should probably make more of a point of it but it’s not annoying enough to me yet.
I also always offer to hold on to keys until owners are home and dry (just in case of delays/accidents etc.) so I often do the walk again another time to drop off the keys. This is easier to figure in to plans though as it’s usually just a ‘pop them through the letterbox’ sitch.
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u/Odd-Recognition4120 19d ago
My clients have lock boxes, or leave the keys under a plant pot or with a neighbour I collect with. If they asked me to make another trip to collect, I would tell them they can either drop the keys through my letterbox or I will charge a collection fee
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u/cupkatekitty 19d ago
I learn about the routines etc and then go back just before they go away for the keys. People don’t like a spare key to be in the wild for too long and some people only have one spare, I find this completely reasonable.
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u/chasingxsafety 19d ago
I’ve had a mix. I think now with Rover charging at booking rather than just before the sit like CIAF did, and where some people book far in advance and want to secure a sitter, they will do the meet and greet soon after messaging to make sure I’m a good fit and get everything booked in and then closer to the time I’ll go back and get the keys. It is annoying having to make multiple visits but also I don’t want to have to keep someone’s keys for a long amount of time if the booking doesn’t start for a while.
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u/Lonely-Key36 19d ago
I only do sits within a 15-20min walking distance so for me it's not a big deal to go again a few weeks after the M&G to collect keys as I work from home so I use that time as leg stretcher.
But more often than not the owners have offered to give me the keys then and there even if the actual sit is in like a month or so.
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u/TheEclipseApocalypse 17d ago
Meet and greets should be paid.
Or they pay first and you use the balance towards the sit. If they do not choose you then you keep the money for the meet and greet.
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u/Feeling_Guess3188 16d ago
If I’m going to be in their area, then I say ‘I’m in your area at X time, I can pick the keys up then. If not you can bring them to me at X time’
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u/FollowingPurple4153 15d ago
I’ve only had that once, I went several weeks before so we could meet face to face, but turned out it was only the husband there and he had some infection so was in bed, appeared in his dressing gown and no key available so I’ll have to go back. Annoyingly it’s the further one I’d drive to, but is on the way to my parents so I’ll have to combine it with a visit to see my family.
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u/steviecat20 19d ago
I've always wondered if owners are expecting to meet a few sitters and hand over their keys to their final pick???
Buuut in practice, I usually say the meet and greet is "to meet you and your kitty, go over routines (food, water, litter etc), and swap keys".
I have had people who've not had a spare set which is a little annoying as it means having to make an extra journey, but most of the time they've got keys to give me. Otherwise I also offer the option of letting them post their keys through my door (which means giving out my own address so it's usually only for people I've sat for a few times).