Response from Green Paws Chicago LLC
Thank you, [Removed member name], for the high marks! I'm sorry we don't get an "A" grade on pricing. Admittedly, we are not the cheapest provider in town. The reason for that is that we have much higher costs than most competitors. E.g., we are 100% W-2 based (no 1099s) and have worker's comp, liability insurance, surety bonds, etc. Unlike almost everyone else in the industry, we run federal, state and local background checks on every employee before they are hired, which adds cost, but we wouldn't feel right not doing that -- I wouldn't want someone in my home who hadn't been thoroughly checked first. We also have an extensive screening, interview and training process. All of our applicants first submit a written application, then go through a phone interview followed by an office interview. About 6% of applicants are then put out on a full-day peer interview in the field where they are evaluated for personality, petcare skills, and biking stamina. Of that 6%, about half receive a job offer. On top of this, Green Paws has four full-time office staff who are focused on customer service; continuous monitoring and training of the petcare specialists out in the field; routing, scheduling and dispatching; and other back-office functions. So while I agree with you that we're not the least expensive, I do think we are the best value for the money. Again, many thanks for giving us high marks. All the best, Robb (co-owner).