Pet sitter has lost pet - pay or not

[ClaphamGT3]

Hi all. Travelling back from holiday and just got a message from the 17 year-old girl looking after our daughters Hamster. Basically, she has lost it. Annoying thing is that this, it transpires, was yesterday morning and she only told us this morning and we had builders in and out of the house yesterday.

So, she has 'looked after' a hamster and a rabbit for a week but lost the beloved pet of our 10 year-old daughter. Hamster may or not turn up.

Do we pay her for the weeks looking after or not?

[SantaBarbara]

The Hamster may turn up soon?

[parabolica]

There are a few variables here; (did the sitter know the builders would be in, therefore the risk of losing the pet be higher? How did they actually lose it? is the sitter a family friend or a proper pet-sitting professional with insurances for this kind of thing?)

Assuming it's a family friend or similar, and depending on how sorry she is, I would probably go the route of paying 1/2 of what was agreed. If she's totally oblivious to the upset she's ultimately caused then be more harsh. But it depends on the above variables.

[blearyeyedboy]

Doesn't need to be binary. 50%, if the rabbit is OK, other 50% payable if the hamster turns up?

[Your Dad]

SantaBarbara, this is not the Hamster you are looking for.

[SantaBarbara]

Your Dad said:

SantaBarbara, this is not the Hamster you are looking for.

Who is that funny character?

[grumbledoak]

Pay her half, shirley?

Do smile while doing it, I imagine she is mortified.

[vsonix]

If I was petsitting and lost it I wouldn't accept payment :/

[bitchstewie]

How do you lose a hamster in a cage?

[Einion Yrth]

vsonix said:

If I was petsitting and lost it I wouldn't accept payment :/

This. She had one job...

[citizensm1th]

I to bet the poor girl is gutted

and to be honest i would not have told you and just replaced said rodent with a doppelganger


at least she is honest ......pay the girl

[zarjaz1991]

Hmm. This may seem harsh, but life's like that and it'll be a good lesson. Don't pay her, she was paid to look after your pets and had an epic fail.

I'm sure she's mortified but so she should be. Don't take the job on if you're not up to it.

In my day, had them up chimneys, etc.

[ShampooEfficient]

Was the hamster MIA before or after the builders started coming and going?

[Taita]

.... Surely if builders are coming and going any normal person would put it back in the cage?

Zero pay, life lesson for the sitter!

[bazza white]

We had a Russian dwarf hamster and it was a pita for going missing. It could escape its cage and if it run from your hands it would take take ages to find him. As he got older we always used to find him in the tv cabinet draw.

I wouldn't make her pay but payment to her would depend on the circumstances. If she left the cage open maybe not pay her.

Hamsters are a pita for disappearing though.

[Funkycoldribena]

How much money we talking?

[davhill]

Said sitter must be able to pick Snookums from a line-up. Get her to acquire Snookums 2 and all keep quiet. Should Snookums 1 reappear, claim long lost twin or very large baby.

[gooner1]

Pay her, or the Rabbit gets it.

[egor110]

Why exactly did you employ this 17 year old girl ?

Was it because she has a wealth of pet sitting experience , or had good references or was it because she was cheaper than the other pet sitting companies ?

[Venturist]

zarjaz1991 said:

Hmm. This may seem harsh, but life's like that and it'll be a good lesson. Don't pay her, she was paid to look after your pets and had an epic fail.

I'm sure she's mortified but so she should be. Don't take the job on if you're not up to it.

In my day, had them up chimneys, etc.

Agreed with this one. You’re not being cruel, and certainly be nice and polite when you explain it, she had a job to do and did not successfully complete the job.
If you pay her anyway you’re being nice RIGHT NOW but also denying her a valuable life experience. One day she will be a grown up in a position where she doesn’t do a job and thus doesn’t get paid and she will be in a lot more of a predicament then than she is now.