Sitter FAQ's
Select one of the topics below to jump to that question.
Q: Once I have sent in my registration information,
what is the process?
A: Once
we have received your registration form and membership fee, we
will mail your client number to you. When you need a sitter,
call SalemSitters at 659-7806. If your reach our voicemail, please
leave your name, client number, date of sit, and the beginning
and ending times for your sit. You may also e-mail your sit request
to us at info@salemsitters.com.
Please include all the information listed above. Most sitters
like to know how long the sits are as some sitters do more than
one sit a day. back
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Q: How
much notice do you require to find a sitter? When do you confirm
the sitter?
A: Giving us advanced notice increases your chances of getting a sitter. We do experience high activity periods where all sitters are on assignment. We will let you know if that is the case when we receive your request. We do fill many same day and day before sit requests. We will generally confirm that you have a sitter 1-2 days prior to your sit request even if you give 1-3 weeks notice. If you need to know sooner, please let us know, but no news is good news. If we think we are going to have a problem with your time, we will call and ask if your sit is flexible. back
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Q: What
is an Inquiry Fee?
A: The inquiry fee is a fee that is charged to clients who request one or two specific sitters and will not allow any other Salem sitter to come to their home and care for their children causing the company to lose revenue although time was spent tracking down one or two sitters to see if they are available to do the assignment. This fee is only charged if the requested sitter(s) are not available and the client refuses to accept another Salem sitter and cancels the request after work is done on their behalf. back
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Q: What
is on-call sitting?
A: SalemSitters has instituted this on-call policy to fill sitting requests received from clients on a last minute basis. The on-call sitting policy is in effect when a client calls SalemSitters after business hours (after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays) during the week or on the weekends to request a sitter to come to their home on the same day or sometime during that same weekend. Some examples include, calling to request a sitter on a weekday at 5:05 p.m. to come and sit at 7:30 p.m. that same evening or calling after 5:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon to request a sitter any time that same weekend. On-call hours start at 5:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday during the week and begin at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and continue the entire weekend, ending on Sunday at 12:00 a.m. On-Call sitting rates are $20.00 for the placement fee and $15.00 per hour to the sitter. You will be invoiced for the $20.00 placement fee. Please be prepared to pay the sitter their hourly rate at the end of the sitting assignment. back
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 Q: What
is your Cancellation Policy?
A. Beginning July 1, 2006 the policy will be as follows:
| * The client will be charged $3.00 in addition to the full placement fee for cancelling a sitting appointment WITHOUT sitter Confirmation. |
| * The client will be charged $5.00 in addition to the full placement fee WITH sitter confirmation |
| *The client will be charged $5.00 in addition to the full placement fee and one hour of the babysitters rate if the cancellation occurs within 3 hours of a scheduled sitting assignment. |
Q: What
is your policy on sharing sitters?
A. For legal and insurance reasons, we cannot allow any of our sitters to sit for families that have not signed up with the service in some form. Anyone who is not a client who wants to use the service for sharing purposes has two options. They can pay the $45.00 sign up fee and join the service. The second option is to pay the $15.00 one time usage fee. This fee will not be credited towards the $45.00 registration fee if the family should decide to join the service anytime in the future. We will only accept credit card payment from any family choosing the one time usage fee option. The one time usage fee is great when you have out of town guests who don't live in the area. Please note that both client families are required to pay the placement fee. Both families are required to pay the placement fees as the SalemSitters should not lose revenue because families decide to share a sitter. We reserve the right to prohibit sharing of sitters if doing so would result in one sitter watching a large/unmanageable number of children that would not allow for adequate supervision or would compromise the safety of any child/children. back
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Q: If
I am on the waiting list what are my chances of getting a sitter?
A. When we put you on a waiting list it is so that you are aware that we are busier than normal. We are usually able to fill most or all of the sits on the waiting list, and we will let you know as soon as we fill your sit. You can avoid the waiting list by contacting us 2 to 4 days before you need a sitter. back
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Q: Why
is our client # so important?
A. With
several families, we have many similar last names in our data
base. We also have families where the parents have different
last names. Your client number is best way to identify you.
If you don’t know your
client number, call us. You can locate it on your billing
statement as well. back
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Q: Can
you provide us with the same sitter every week?
A. We
have many families who use a regular sitter on a weekly basis.
If you would like to find 1 sitter, please let us know your days
and times. We highly suggest trying a few different sitters
first before you settle on one sitter. Remember 90% of our sitters
are college and graduate students and their school schedules
change quarterly. The only service we cannot provide is Monday
through Friday 9:00 a.m until 5:00 p.m. nanny positions. back
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Q: How
do you find your sitters and what is your hiring process?
A: Almost 95% of our new sitters are referrals from our current sitters. We interview each potential sitter personally and perform extensive background checks, contact references and review previous employment records. Our sitters also go through a detailed orientation and training process. back
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Q: Can
I request a specific sitter?
A: Yes! If you find a sitter you really like, please let us know when you are requesting your sit that you would like us to check with a certain sitter. We can’t guarantee she’ll be available, but we will always start with your request. back to
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Q: If
I return home earlier than my requested time for I have to
pay for the whole time.
A: Yes,
you are required to pay the sitter for the full time you booked
the sit with SalemSitters. If you book a sit for 6:00pm-12:00pm
and come home at 10:00pm, the sitter is to be paid for the full
6 hours that the original sitting appointment was booked for.
Many sitters take assignments based on the length of the job,
and they need to be compensated for the full time booked. back
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Q: Should
I tip the sitter?
A: That
is up to the individual client. We suggest that if you really
like the sitter and she did a good job that you tip her. Lets’ face
it; you tip waiters and hairdressers, why wouldn’t you
tip a sitter who has taken good care of your children? back
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Q: Can
I contact the sitters directly?
A: No,
all sitting appointments must be scheduled through the SalemSitters
office. Additionally, you are required to call our office if
you need to cancel a sitting appointment or change any details
such as day, date or time of a specific appointment. If you attempt
to schedule a sit directly with the sitter you will be charged
a $50 fee. We are open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. until
5:00 p.m. and we check e-mail periodically on Saturday and Sunday.
You can contact sitters if they have your child (ren) out on
a sit or in reference to a sitting question pertaining to a past
sit. All scheduling issues and questions must come through our
business office. back
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**** All families who want to use SalemSitters to schedule a sitter must be registered clients. The only exception is if you are having out of town guests and you take responsibility. If you share a sitter with another registered client, please see the applicable rates.****
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