Case Study - Homesitters’ back up plan saves the day

Posted on 23 February, 2016

Mrs Dance with Bonnie

Vivien and Tony Dance, from the west coast of Scotland, have been clients of Homesitters Ltd for 18 months since they contacted the company to find someone to look after their cat Bonnie while they went away.

Originally, the couple had two cats - Bonnie and Clyde, and previously, when they went on holiday their neighbours used to feed the cats, which were happy to be left. Around 18 months ago they sadly lost Clyde.

When Vivien and Tony went away over New Year they made the usual arrangement with the neighbours to come in and feed Bonnie, but when they returned Bonnie was extremely distressed.

Vivien said, “It took some time to restore the balance after our trip. It didn’t seem to matter that food had been put down twice a day while we were away, Bonnie obviously missed human companionship. I think she was worried she’d been left permanently.”

“We couldn’t go away and leave Bonnie alone again and didn’t want to put her in a cattery, she is a rescue cat and it would have been distressing for her.”

“I remembered that good friends of ours used to work for Homesitters. They loved it and we used to meet up with them if they were on assignment nearby. That was about 25 years ago now. I looked them up and was delighted they were still going strong - we approached them to arrange a homesit.”

“The couple who came to stay were wonderful and Bonnie was happy so we booked them again for a summer holiday. It gave us such peace of mind to know Bonnie was happy.”

The following New Year Vivien and Tony arranged to stay with friends in London. They booked and met the homesitter for a pre-visit and all got on famously.

The homesitter planned to arrive on 30th December in the afternoon enabling the Dances time to catch the sleeper train to London. However, there was flooding across the country and despite her best efforts to reach them, she got stuck with roads closing all around her due to the flooding. Vivien told the sitter not to put herself at risk and head back home, which she reluctantly agreed to do.

Vivien was relieved the homesitter was heading safely home but wondered if they would be able to make it down to London that evening, and how to break the news to friends they had spent every New Year with.

Homesitters called Vivien and said they were working on Plan B.

The company had been made aware of the situation by the homesitter and were trying to find a solution. They have a standby list of people who go anywhere at short notice.

The couple hadn’t expected a back up plan particularly because it was New Year, the weather was dreadful and they live quite remotely in Scotland.

Within the hour, Homesitters called to say that Roger Noon from Lancashire would come. The couple were extremely impressed! Roger was very experienced and could easily adapt to the assignment at short notice.

Roger had volunteered as an emergency homesitter over the Christmas and New Year period as he thrives on new challenges and loves the excitement of receiving a phone call asking him to go off on assignment at short notice.

Despite the weather, Roger’s journey to Scotland was straightforward and the assignment was well worth the long drive.

Roger explained, “When I arrived Vivien and Tony had a hot meal ready which we ate together before they headed off to catch the train. Their property is beautiful with huge picture windows overlooking the Loch and I thoroughly enjoyed it my stay. Who knows, I may well volunteer to be an emergency homesitter again next year!”

Vivien said, “Homesitters took away all our stress and worry. Roger kept in touch while we were away to reassure us that all was well. When we returned a few days later it was as if we hadn’t been away. The house was fine and Bonnie was perfectly happy.”

“I cannot recommend Homesitters highly enough. They give us total peace of mind to go away without worrying about Bonnie. We were so impressed they had a contingency plan that enabled us to continue with our plans, it is a very professional organisation,” she concluded.

If you're interested in having a homesitter care for your home and pets while you're away, please click here to complete a reservation form.

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