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 Frequently Asked Questions
We are always available to help, especially if your questions have not been answered here. We'd love to hear from you and answer your questions, concerns or to hear your suggestions!
Just click the CONTACT US button.
| Q: What if none of myPETZnet™ members respond? |
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We will contact your top 3 PETZnet™ members using their primary contact information. If you KNOW one of them is out of town, or not available, add another myPETZnet™ member then place them in your top 3. This will help insure at least one is able to respond. And remember, there are several layers of back up so we try to making sure that your pet(s) are being cared for:
- If they don’t show up, your pet care provider is reminded of their obligation to care for your pets. 90% of the time, the pet sitter has simply forgotten.
- Pet sitter has option of accepting responsibility, agreeing to provide care for your pet(s) (and remember, they still have to checkIN).
- If we do not receive a response from your pet sitter or they have elected not to accept responsibility for your pet(s) our system will activate your back up plan- myPETZnet™ members- for help.
- You as the pet parent will be notified of who accepted responsibility. PETZnetTM members do not have to checkIN so they will not have a checkIN time listed, but you will know WHO helped.
- IF NO ONE can help, we’ll contact you using all 3 of your contact methods, to make sure YOU are aware of the situation.
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| Q: If I change myPETZnet contact methods, how long will it take for this change to take effect? |
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The change will be effective immediately. Every time you change contact information for myPETZnetTM will send an e-mail to your member informing them of the change, just to make sure you didn’t make a typo, but the change will be effective right away. This is why it's important to add both their primary communication method PLUS their e-mail address.
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| Q: Do I have to tell myPETZnet™ about this website? |
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Yes! Because you are asking them to play a potentially active role for your animals, it is best they understand the function of the site, the role they play and the potential responsibility.
We will be sending out an e-mail to them with information about the site and how a myPETZnet™ membership works. We welcome them to check out the web site and learn more. |
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| Q: Why are there only 3 people called from myPETZnet™? |
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This number of PETZnet™ members provides a substantial back up plan if a problem arises with your pet sitter AND it keeps our costs low so that we can keep the service cost effective for you! Remember, you can list MANY people in myPETZnet™ to make sure it’s easy to select those who are available; you just need to move the available folks into the top 3, as these are the ones who will be contacted.
If one of your members is out of town, or busy for a period of time, you can temporarily inactivate them by clicking ‘edit’ next to their name and checking ‘inactive’. |
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| Q: Is there a limit on the number of people in my myPETZnet™? |
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Short answer: NO. There is no limit on the number of people in myPETZnet™. We recommend you have at least 3 people as this is the number we will call, and it maximizes the odds that someone will ALWAYS be available to attend to your pets. |
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| Q: If I remove a person from myPETZnet™, could they still be contacted accidently? |
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No, once you remove someone from myPETZnet™ they will no longer be contacted! We value your privacy, security and safety AND theirs too!
Now remember, if you inactivate a myPETZnet™ member because they are out of town or unavailable for a period of time, they will not be called until they are reactivated. |
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| Q: Why would I give you vital information about my home and animals in ePETZid™? |
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We honestly are consumed with safety and security. We have taken substantial precautions to ensure that our site is safe and protected. We understand that your information is sacred and we treat it with the utmost respect, attempting to protect it at every turn.
We need your help in this endeavor too. Be sure to choose a very unusual (and uncommon for you) password so that no one can ‘guess’ it. Don’t forget to take all normal safety precautions you do when purchasing anything online.
You might want to remember to record your user name and password in a safe location in case your memory fails…maybe a password protected file. |
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| Q: How do I know my credit card numbers are secure? |
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We do not store credit card information and therefore it is not at risk via our site. The only information we need for the auto refill function is the last 4 digits of the card, coupled with your name. This is the only account information we store; the rest of the data is stored in the Merchant Account vault, the processing company. AND again, your safety and security is important and we take all necessary precautions to protect it! |
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| Q: What guarantees do you offer? |
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We will do everything possible to ensure that our system is up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week but our attorney’s tell us that we cannot offer any guarantees, and you know how they are! |
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| Q: How secure is your site? Will my information be safe? |
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Our site is protected by the latest and greatest security precautions that the ‘geeks’ can create! We are VERY serious about the safety and security of your information about your pet(s) and are taking every precaution to protect it! Our data center is SAS 70 Type II compliant. |
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| Q: Are your employees able to view mySchedule? |
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Employees will not have access. Only you can view it, and only YOU can change it. The principals of the company will have a password to enable them access ONLY in case of a dire emergency and a law enforcement or subscriber request.
Remember, only you have access to your password and user name. Guard these, and make sure they are secure. These are key’s to keeping your information secure. We recommend you change your password at regular intervals (OH, and don’t forget, your user name cannot be changed so make sure you can remember it).
There is no calling center involved in the functionality of this service, therefore your information is secure and confidential! People in calling centers, necessarily have access to your information and we didn’t want to subject you to that… AND many calling centers are outsourced functions (meaning not directly controlled by the company). In that case, the company has NO control over WHO sees your information. We are very concerned about that fact and therefore have created a system that can work well without the potential for humans to steal, or otherwise misuse, information.
We do have a subscriber support center but as mentioned, they do not have access to your password, or your information! |
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| Q: What if I move? Can I take my subscription with me? |
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Of course! You can indeed take your subscription anywhere within the United States. Unfortunately we are not yet able to offer this service to people with international (non U.S.) phone numbers. |
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| Q: Can the subscription be transferred overseas? |
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This service is only available in the United States at this time. Please contact our subscriber support group if this issue arises. |
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| Q: Do I need special equipment for this to work? |
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It's so cool because no special equipment is required so the only fees associated with the site are the credits :-) |
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| Q: Do I need to download any software? |
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You do not need to download any software onto your computer in order to use PETZcheckIN™, nor will any of your pet care providers. In fact, they do not have to be computer literate because all they are doing is using the phone! |
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| Q: Will you sell our e-mail address, or other contact information? |
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NO! Absolutely not! Please read our information policy if you have any questions about how we handle your information. If you follow a link to an advertiser, you will be subject to THEIR terms- we don’t have any control over their site(s) so just be careful. |
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| Q: How quickly can I start using the system after I sign-up? |
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Once you have completed the sign up process your information will go into effect within a couple of minutes. As an active account holder you will have to add your pet care providers then you can start scheduling your pet sitter reminder calls and checkIN™ calls right away. You also SHOULD set up myPETZnetTM , but this isn't required for the site to work. |
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| Q: Is there a geographical limit to this service? |
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For now the subscription is only available for U.S. phone numbers. Hopefully in the near future we’ll be able to offer it everywhere! |
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| Q: Can I have an account only to ePETZid™? (Emergency PETZ information) |
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You must be an active subscriber to have access to the ePETZid™ form. This form is generated to help your pet sitter with care instructions and emergency information if your pet care provider needs it. |
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| Q: Can I pay by cash or check? What if I don’t have a credit card? |
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We will gladly accept credit card payment on-line but understand that sometimes this is out of your comfort zone so please feel free to call customer service to help you through the process. Really, on-line use of credit cards is actually safer than giving a card to a wait person at a restaurant.
One other option to consider is using a prepaid credit card that you can purchase from any local bank; this will protect your financial information and substantially limit your risk.
We have worked hard to build a safe site and don’t want to jeopardize you or your information in any way! Heck, I use the site and don’t want my info jeopardized either! |
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| Q: If I change my contact information, how long will it take for this change to take effect? |
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Any change to your information will automatically be written to our database (once you press 'SAVE') and will be effective immediately! Oh the speed of technology! |
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| Q: How do I really know the pet care person arrived? |
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The best way for our system to know that your pet sitter has arrived is for you to request they use a landline phone (or VOiP*) at your home. Our system has the capability of coordinating the caller ID with your account and the event you have registered. As a subscriber you have the option of designating your landline phone as the only method of checkingIN™.
If you select the option for the pet sitter to use an alternative phone such as a cell phone the pet sitter must enter both your phone number and a code that cross references to your account.
One cool thing about landline phones coupled with an old fashioned corded phone, is the fact they generally WORK even if there is a disaster in the area. Your cell phone can run out of juice, and the same with your cordless landline phones. VOiP phones are great, but don’t work if your internet goes down, or your electricity doesn’t work…
*VOiP- literally Voice Over Internet Protocol or using your internet service to supply your phone service. Examples include Vonage and T-mobile @ Home.
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| Q: What if I don’t have a landline phone? |
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Landline phones are the most reliable method BUT you can use ANY phone, including the pet sitter’s cell phone to checkIN. You just select this method in myPreferences, enter your own code and share it with your pet care person. The pet sitter will call into our system and enter your special number. |
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| Q: What is the difference between a checkIN call and a checkOUT call? |
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There is more than one difference, in fact there are a few big differences between the two:
- checkIN calls are the way we KNOW your pet sitter came to your home and if the pet sitter does not come, escalation will begin.
- checkIN calls can occur anytime during the pet sitter’s visit at your home if you don’t want a checkOUT call. If you do have checkOUT call requested, you should instruct the pet sitter to checkIN when they arrive, and checkOUT when they are ready to leave.
- checkOUT calls, if missed, will not prompt escalation to myPETZnet™ members.
- checkOUT calls will allow you to know how long the pet care provider was at your home.
- You cannot have a checkOUT call without a checkIN call.
And remember, reminder calls don’t have to be coupled with an event…you can use them to remind anyone to care for your animals…even if you don’t require a checkIN call! |
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| Q: If the dog walker checks IN when they are leaving, is this a checkOUT call? |
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No, if you have only requested a checkIN call, we will note that the dog walker arrived and the time the dog walker called in. All this information is recorded on your schedule.
Of course, the sitter must checkIN during your window of tolerance- the late/early checkIN window you select. |
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| Q: How often can PETZcheckIN™ receive checkIN™ calls from my pet sitter? |
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You can schedule as many checkIN’s as needed per day, each checkIN™ is a one credit event. It’s cool because you have the choice of a checkIN call, a checkOUT call and reminder calls.
If you have a cat sitter, a dog sitter and a horse sitter (don't laugh..I do!), you can have each one checkIN independent of the others. Just log one event for each sitter. Our system is smart enough to sort out for which event a person is checkingIN! Plus, each sitter could have multiple events per day (my horses are tended 3-4 times per day). |
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| Q: I have two pet care providers. Can I have each of them checkIN, even if the time overlaps? |
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Yes, we encourage it! Use it for EVERYONE that will be caring for your animals. Even if it’s a friend of yours, they’ll appreciate the fact that we will remind them to care for your animals.
We will ask the pet sitter for which event they are checking in so you’ll know exactly who showed up to care for your animals and when! And if only one checks in, we’ll still escalate to myPETZnet™ for the other care tasks!
You can use it for dog, cat, horse, exotic animal pet sitters PLUS animal trainers, groomers that come to your house, and anyone else that gives you a hand while you are not around. |
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| Q: Can I use PETZcheckIN for business trips too? |
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Absolutely ANYTIME you need someone to care for your pet(s) you should use PETZcheckINtm, including business trips, out to dinner for the evening, at a festival for the day, overnight trips and leisure trips too.
Don’t you fret or worry, and don’t let your animals suffer because someone forgot to let them out, put them in their stalls, or feed them.
It doesn't even need to be used with professional dog sitters...heck, I use it when I have a dinner date and have asked my Mom or Dad to feed for me AND they LIKE IT! They sometimes forget about their obligations because they are busy people too. |
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| Q: Does PETZcheckIN™ work for ALL animals? |
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You know, it does work for any animal that requires, or could benefit from, home pet care! This includes senior animals for which you have a person coming in to give medicines, a horse care person, someone that feeds your snakes, birds or fish.
Your dog walker and pet sitter both will appreciate the ease of communicating with you without any extra steps in their day. |
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| Q: What if my phone is out of service? |
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When scheduling you have allocated a window of time that your petsitter can checkIN™. This time frame will hopefully allow sufficient time so this doesn’t becoming an issue. If by chance the system moves into an escalation, the system will contact your pet sitter or pet care provider and at this time they will be able to accept responsibility for the pet(s) and all escalation will cease. They will still need to checkIN, but again, hopefully the time limit is sufficient. The only caveat to this is that the call record will show an escalation but good communication will allow this to be an isolated issue. |
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| Q: Can my ex- and I use the same account and credits? |
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We understand that at times pet(s) are shared by more than one person but we need to have separate accounts for each residence. It is recommended that the pet sitter checkIN™ via a land line phone, and if the sitter is trying to checkIN™ at a different location (such as your ex’s residence) the system will advise the sitter that this is not the proper checkIN™ location. |
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