MeowtelReviews 

664
TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.7

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 40 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company, frequently praising the staff for their thoughtful and caring approach to pet sitting. Customers consistently highlight the excellent communication skills of the sitters, who often provide pictures and updates, offering peace of mind. The service is described as reliable and professional, with many appreciating the ease of finding and booking sitters, as well as the thorough background checks and insurance provided. The user experience, including the ability to meet sitters beforehand and the platform's functionality for scheduling and communication, is also highly valued. However, some customers mentioned issues with the organization, feeling that they were not treated fairly regarding booking and communication with clients.

What people talk about most

Staff

Clients share positive opinions on staff, consistently praising their attentiveness, reliability, and... See more

Service

Users describe positive interactions with service, highlighting the careful and responsible care provided for... See more

User experience

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of user experience, consistently finding the platform easy to use for... See more

Booking process

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about the booking process, with many finding it very easy to make... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I was out of state on vacation when my pet sitter got sick and canceled. I reached out to Meowtel and Amanda stepped up to help. She was extremely thoughtful and helpful plus she took great care of my... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Carol is very careful to take care of all the main needs of my 2 cats while I'm gone, and leaves me pix and any other comments re my cats' behavior while I'm away. She's very responsible and careful a... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Company provides Cat and Dog sitters for people who are planning trips. They do background checks, provide insurance and are very thorough in having documentation signed and ready for emergency trips... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Meowtel paired us with an excellent sitter who is clearly knowledgeable and who loves cats. I appreciated that we could read bios of sitters and meet them in person prior to making a commitment, that... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Pet Sitter
  2. Pet Store

Written by the company

We help cat parents book a trusted & insured sitter near them. It's free to search for a loving cat sitter near you!


Contact info

4.7

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

664 reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

No history of asking for reviews

This company hasn't invited their customers, so reviews may not be representative

Replied to 100% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 24 hours

How this company uses Trustpilot

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4.7

All reviews

(664)

40 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent first experience!

Excellent first experience with Meowtel. The cat sitter was prompt to reply to my messages, sent daily texts and photos and was great with the cats. Even the shy one, who usually hides, came out to meet her during the "meet & greet". Very reassuring to know the cats were in good hands. Will definitely use Meowtel again when needed.

July 21, 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Hi there, Connie! Thank mew so much for the review! We are purrleased to be of service and look forward to caring for your kitties soon!

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Meowtel does not pay their cat…

Meowtel does not pay their cat sitters. They charge the clients, pocket the money and then do not pay the sitter. Maybe they refund the cat owner so they are getting free labor but I suspect the clients are getting screwed too.

But they give the sitter no explanation other than they were not able to show proof that they were actually there and of course the usual BS about "violating their terms of service" and adding some cute cat lingo that isn't so cute after they exploit your labor.

I was told after the sit I was going to have to show date and timestamps to get paid anything at all. If this is a requirement then they need to have a punch in time clock on their app. But who the hell is going to tolerate that?

I took pictures of the cat on a regular basis and was texting with the owner. The owner had a camera set up in their house but it was the owner's option I guess to never share the footage which would have certainly proved I was there.

I don't see how this business is going to survive when they treat people the way they do.

March 2, 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Hi Laura! We have a set of terms and guidelines in place to ensure all Meowtel clients receive purrfect hospitality. We sent you an email on July 28th regarding your account’s status sharing which Terms of Service were not met by you. Please reference that email should you have any questions or concerns about your Terms violation. Looking forward to your feedback and iterations!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Security For Pets

I have never left the care of my kitties with anyone other than family members. Some think it is crazy to worry about pets when you have to be way a day or a week. I am there for them everyday and they have things they count on from us everyday. Meowtel hires trustworthy pet lovers you can count on to ensure your pets are cared for as if you were there.

July 21, 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Hi there, Marci! Thank mew so much for the review! We are purrleased to be of service and look forward to caring for your kitties soon!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Their customer service is HORRIBLE

Their customer service is HORRIBLE. I had to cancel our request to have a sitter watch our cat while on vacation. Meowtel charged my credit card SIX WEEKS before the service was even needed, and then they didn’t refund my credit card when I canceled the request. I’ve never heard of taking a payment WEEKS before the service was completed.

We were planning to go on vacation on July 27th, and Meowtel had already charged my credit card for the service on June 16th!

I had to file a dispute with my credit. card company to get my refund. My credit card company said Meowtel wasn’t even in the process of sending the refund.

I’ll never use them again. Pro tip, get a cat feeder instead of using Meowtel, it will save you a TON!

July 14, 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Hi Shawnda; as a friendly reminder, during the checkout process you're being told that when your sitter accepts the reservation request you sent them, your card will be charged.

When you canceled your reservation, you had the ability to request a refund back to your original payment method from your "Transactions" screen, however, you skipped that step and disputed the charge instead.

Feel free to reach out to us whenever you have questions about how the system works, and our Customer Service Team will be more than happy to assist you. We hope you continue having a great week!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Site does not stand behind the customers wheen it comes to disputes

I've never had a sitter that was paid for a 44 minute visit stay for 45 minutes. I travel a lot and work crazy hours while away 20-40 hour days. I'm often not able to review the footage until after their "agreement" window and had to pay for services not rendered. Have also had negative reviews rejected. The site does not seem to stand behind their customers and their pets as much as their sitters... i wish there was a better site

May 13, 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Hi Erin, we have a strict policy of requiring all sitters to show up for the full amount of time that they've been booked for, and we understand that you're frustrated, but we believe that the evidence you've provided does not support your claims. There are some specific conditions that must be met in order for the insurance to be valid, and you can read more about that on the website. We're always open to feedback, and we're always looking for ways to improve our service. If you have any further concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us.

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Ron, A Trusted Cat Sitter…

Ron of Sebastian pet sat our three felines for five days and did an outstanding job. He sent pictures of our trio, Jerry, Lexi, and Dungaree playing with him. He arrived in the morning to feed and clean up before 10:00 AM.
Ron is a cat lover and recommend him highly to care for your felines.

May 12, 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Meow there, Ron! Thank you for taking the time to share your purrific experience with us. We are purrleased to be of service and look forward to caring for your kitties soon!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Emoplees are wonderful! Administration needs work.

My wife works for meowtel and she loves the clients she has and they love her. Meowtel as a whole though has huge strides to make, there is 0 vetting process for the customers, anybody can make a profile and put fake pictures and address and have these meowtel employees (usually women) go to these addresses and anything could happen. Also a client can book you with days notice regardless if u have another client booked for the same day, and if u cancel and apologize the same day they try to book in order to give them plenty enough time to book another cat sitter, meowtel gives an automatic 1 or 2 star review to your account basically calling you irresponsible which drops your ratings even with all 5 stars. The employees that work for this place are wonderful, the administration has a lot of work to do to take care of them.

May 10, 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Thank you for sharing your review.

Your wife is welcomed to reach out to us at bellhop@meowtel.com. It’s important to note that we can only discuss the specifics of a sitter’s account with the actual sitter, so the email would need to come from her.

In the meantime, we did want to address some of your general concerns:

We care deeply about our sitter community and their safety, which is why customers need to book a reservation before scheduling a Meet & Greet with their chosen sitter. We encourage clients to fully complete their profile (including providing a profile photo). If a sitter ever feels uncomfortable before, during or after the Meet & Greet, we are here to help. We’re happy to run a background check, reach out to the client for more information, and/or cancel the reservation. Clients are subject to Meowtel’s terms of service just as sitters are, and any client who displays rude or inappropriate behavior towards sitters faces removal of their account from the platform.

It’s important to note that Meowtel sitters are independent contractors, not employees — Though many of the employees who work at Meowtel HQ are sitters as well. As independent contractors Meowtel does not control or direct the amount of work a sitter wishes to take on, and most sitters prefer to do multiple drop in visits per day to increase their earnings. Also, sitters are free to decline a reservation request if they don’t feel they could complete the requested visits without receiving a systematic review. While we understand that it may be disheartening to receive a systematic review for cancelling on a client, we always recommend that sitters keep their calendars up to date and only accept the reservations they intend to complete in order to avoid this.

Please rest assured that our team appreciates sitter feedback, and we’re always reviewing our policies to ensure they balance the interests of all parties. If your wife has any further concerns, we are always happy to speak with sitters via phone, text, or email.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

My Fears Were Put to Rest Quickly

I was very nervous about hiring a stranger to come in my home while I'm out and take care of my two fur babies.

My sitter put me at ease quickly. She sent me videos of her visits which were so reassuring. It was clear they were being well cared for.

I have absolutely zero concerns about trusting my sitter again when I take my next trip. I honestly feel I have struck gold.

March 5, 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Meow there, Lora! Thank you for taking the time to share your purrific experience with us. We are purrleased to be of service and look forward to caring for your kitties soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Cat care made easy

Meowtel connected me to a great cat sitter and made everything very easy, from the booking to payment. I'm already a repeat customer!

January 20, 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Meow Jonathan, Thanks for the review! We are purrleased things went smoothly and you found a great sitter. We can't wait to sit for your kitties again very soon.

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Terrible refund policies

Edit: even worse, Meowtel is lying saying my flight was canceled 12/23 for weather related reasons when it was canceled 12/25 for staffing issues. I highly recommend avoiding if you want to use a service that is not sketchy. Do not trust this company.

Terrible refund policies. I canceled 48 hours in advance (the evening of 12/25 the second my flight was canceled) and my first booking was for the evening of 12/27. Meowtel said that the 48 hours starts at midnight if the day of the first night and applies to ALL nights on the same reservation (even days 72, 100+ hours out). If you used Meowtel, I hope you have travel insurance because they certainly will not help you.

December 25, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Hi Rob and Jess,

Thanks so much for voicing your concerns, we can understand your frustration with the airlines and trips being canceled, which is out of all of our control.

As the intermediary between sitters and customers, we also have to keep in mind that cat sitters who commit to sitting during busy holiday periods are typically foregoing seeing their own families, and they also rely on this income the moment they confirm the reservation request.

Flight cancellations and travel issues began occurring on December 23rd, so you had about two full days to take action and cancel without a penalty in case you were to be impacted as well.

Neither you nor Noah should be penalized when you're both indirectly impacted by other factors, and we feel that Noah was very kind to offer the 50% refund of $34.59 out of the total you paid of $69.18, which makes the situation fair to both parties. I'm sorry if you don't view Noah's decision to override the Cancellation Policy as holiday spirit or understanding and we sure hope you don't treat other service providers this way.

I hope you have a wonderful rest of your pawliday week!

Purrs,
Michelle

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Jody is a great sitter.

Jody was wonderful with my fur babies. I felt very comfortable leaving them in her care. The communication is great.

November 23, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Hi Barbara! Thank you so much for sharing this feedback! We're so happy that you and your kitties had a purrfect experience with Jody. We hope to see you again soon! :)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

OUR NEW CAT SITTER! LAUREN

LAUREN WAS OUR FUR-BABIES SITTER FOR A WEEK (1ST TIME THEY HAVE BEEN WITHOUT US). SHE WAS EXCEPTIONAL! SHE KEPT US APPRISED OF THEIR EATING AND BATHROOM HABITS. SHE SAT AND WAITED TO SEE IF THEY WOULD "VISIT" WITH HER. SHE KEPT THEIR FOOD AND POTTY AREAS CLEAN AND APPEALING FOR THEIR USE. WHEN WE GOT HOME, BOBBIE LYNN AND WINSTON WERE EVERY BIT AS NORMAL AS WHEN WE LEFT-IF NOT BETTER. IT IS WONDERFUL TO KNOW THAT WE CAN TRAVEL AND OUR BABIES BE IN EXCELLENT CARE-WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO SO FOR YEARS. GRATEFULLY AND THANKFUL, LARRY AND KATHY

November 19, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Meow Kathy and Larry! Thank you so much for the review! We are so happy to hear Lauren exceeded you expectations. We are purrleased to be of service and look forward to caring for your kitties soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Ruth was amazing

Ruth was amazing, she stayed in consistent contact with us while we were gone and sent pictures every day. She cared for our 4 cats like they were her own. Couldn’t recommend your company and more importantly Ruth more to anyone looking for help with their cats while on vacation.

November 9, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Hi Tim! Thank you so much for sharing this feedback! We're so happy that you and your kitties had a purrfect experience with Ruth. We hope to see you again soon! :)

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommend Meowtel

I have had 3 different Meowtel sitters and each experience has been phenomenal. Everyone I engaged with has had great communication; and taken FABULOUS care of my cat (and even plants when asked). Cannot recommend the service enough. When I got COVID while on a trip they happily continued caring for my cat until my quarantine was over and I could get back home. When I have had to cancel or change plans Meowtel has made it easy. Both the service and the cat caregivers are top notch. I am able to relax and enjoy my time away from home knowing everything is in good hands!

November 12, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Meow Whitney! Thank you so much for the review! We are so happy to hear all the sitters you've used and Meowtel support have exceeded you expectations. We are purrleased to be of service and look forward to caring for your kitties soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Easy platform for selecting a cat…

Easy platform for selecting a cat sitter. Opportunity to see the reviews of others. Sign up easy. Process for setting up the engagement is smooth. Prices are reasonable. Sitters do a great job!

November 1, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Meow MNmom! Thank you so much for the review! We are purrleased that you find using Meowtel to be easy, that the prices are reasonable, and best of all, the service was great. We look forward to caring for your kitties soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great way to find cat sitters who are…

Great way to find cat sitters who are very reliable, and helps set you up for a great cat sitting experience.

October 19, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Meow Marya! Thank you so much for the review! We are purrleased to be of service and look forward to caring for your kitties soon!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Sitter canceled last minute. Not dependable.

We paid and scheduled for three days of cat sitting and the sitter canceled with less than a week’s notice because she was “moving.” Like she didn’t know that she’s be unavailable? Our first experience with Meowtel will be our last.

Update, October 30: meowtel was very fast with their refund and offered to help find someone else, but by that point that damage was done.

October 22, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Sean, We appreciate your feedback. We are so sorry to hear that your experience with your Meowtel sitter didn't meet your expectations. Whenever a sitter has to cancel at the last minute, in addition to taking the proper actions with their account, we immediately try to find an alternate sitter as soon as possible for the cat parent. Since we're unable to locate your account, could you please reach out to us at bellhop@meowtel.com ?

We understand this is not the experience you were hoping for, Sean, we remain attentive, and hope you will give us another chance to make things right for you. We remain cordially at your service.

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Don't bother submitting for a profile

Don't bother submitting for a profile. I'm a cat expert with glowing reviews from clients and I was rejected with no explanation, and then told I can re-submit after an entire year. My confidence in this company went down to a 1 after that, because if a cat mom of a healthy & active 15 year old cat with no criminal history, perfect driving record, extremely satisfied clients isn't qualified to sit for this company, than I can't imagine who's running this operation.

You'd be better off using a service like "Petbacker" or even Rover over this poorly managed start up. I won't even consider booking a cat sitter from here for my own cat, and I will be discouraging any cat parents I know from this shabby start up.

October 15, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Meow there, Suzanne!

We’re sorry that you weren’t selected to join our sitter community. Expressing your dissatisfaction with our decision across multiple review sites including Yelp, Reviews.io, and Trustpilot reinforces why we have our thorough vetting process in place to begin with.

As we mention on our website, we accept less than 10% of our applicants and our vetting process takes many factors into account which we outlined for you in our email. Not all sitters are a purrfect fit for every platform, and we wish you all the best with your future cat endeavors!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Meowtel made it easy for me to find a…

Meowtel made it easy for me to find a great cat sitter. My sitter communicated well and helped me relax and have a great vacation.

August 13, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Hi there, Marie! Thank mew so much for the review! We are purrleased to be of service and look forward to caring for your kitties soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Emily was extremely responsive and…

Emily was extremely responsive and wonderful!

August 7, 2022
Unprompted review
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Reply from Meowtel

Hi there, Pamela! We're puuurrleased to learn that your sitter, Emily, was ameowzing! We look forward to caring for your kitties soon!

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