Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Chester, in one place.
For Providers
Under 5 minutes. Create your account, add your services and pricing, and you're ready to accept bookings. No demo call required.
Yes. Chester supports dog walking, pet sitting, training, grooming, and boarding. Each service type gets its own booking settings, report card templates, cancellation policies, and pay rates.
They can, but they don't have to do it themselves. Clients can create a free account to request bookings, message you, and pay invoices, and there's no cost or subscription for them. You can also set the account up on their behalf, so a client who isn't comfortable signing up is never a blocker. Once they do have their own account, they get the full picture: report cards, health records, and messaging in one place.
Chester uses Stripe Connect. You complete a quick onboarding (takes about 2 minutes), then clients can pay invoices with one tap. Funds are deposited directly to your bank account.
Chester adds a flat 5% service fee to online card payments, and you decide who covers it. By default your client pays it on top of your price, so you receive the full amount you billed. You can also absorb it yourself, or split it up to a cap you set. The fee only applies when a client pays by card: bill by cash, e-transfer, or cheque and there's no Chester fee at all. There's no per-booking charge and no hidden fees. The fee is what funds Chester: secure payments, platform infrastructure, and support.
Set a free cancellation window (e.g., 24 hours before), a late cancellation fee (fixed or percentage), and a no-show fee. When a client cancels late or no-shows, Chester automatically generates a fee invoice. You can also waive fees with a reason on a case-by-case basis.
Report cards are the summary you send a client after each visit, and they are the thing clients talk about. Each one carries per-pet observations for mood, energy, appetite, and potty, a personal note from you, a highlight moment that leads the push notification, and photos and videos. You can add internal notes only you can see. Grooming visits can record coat condition and products used; training visits can record session progress and homework. Templates are configurable per service type. They build trust, and they give clients something worth sharing.
When you start a walk, Chester tracks your route in real-time using your phone's GPS. Distance is computed automatically, and the route is attached to the report card when you finish. Weather context is captured at the start. Pet parents can see exactly where you went.
Yes. The Team plan adds staff and contractor management for $12/month per additional member. Assign roles with granular permissions, distribute bookings, and manage your team from one dashboard.
Yes. If a staff member can't make a booking, you can reassign it to another team member with handoff notes so they have full context. The booking history tracks the reassignment.
Yes. On the Team plan, you can generate pay reports for any date range. Reports show per-booking itemization with date, service type, client, duration, rate, and pay amount. Export to CSV for your accounting or payroll software.
Create agreement templates for your business. When a client signs up, they review and e-sign the agreement from their phone or computer. Chester tracks the signature timestamp and version. Agreements can expire and be re-signed as needed.
For Pet Owners
There's no subscription or app charge for pet owners: booking, messaging, and report cards are all free. A service fee is added only if you pay an invoice by card, and your provider chooses whether to pass it on, absorb it, or split it. Your total is always shown before you pay, and if your provider accepts cash, e-transfer, or cheque, there's no fee at all.
Yes. Add as many pets as you need. Each pet gets its own profile with medical notes, behavior information, vaccination tracking, vet info, visit history, and more.
Yes. Upload proof of vaccination documents directly from your phone or computer. Your provider can review and approve them. Chester tracks due dates so you never miss a renewal.
Your provider sends report cards after each visit with photos, mood/energy/appetite observations, and notes.
Yes. If your provider uses GPS tracking during walks, you'll see the route, distance, and weather conditions attached to the report card. You can see exactly where they went.
Yes. Chester includes real-time messaging so you can communicate with your provider anytime. You'll also get push notifications for new messages and report cards.
When your provider sends an invoice, you'll see it in the Payments section. Tap 'Pay Now' and complete the checkout securely through Stripe. It takes about 10 seconds. Not every provider takes card only: if yours also accepts cash, e-transfer, or cheque, you can settle up directly and they'll mark the invoice as paid in Chester.
General
Yes, on both, and it was built for the phone first rather than squeezed onto one later. Chester is a real native app on iOS and Android, because that is where this work actually happens: between visits, in the car, standing on a sidewalk with a leash in one hand. Starting a walk, writing a report card, and sending an invoice are all designed to be finished on a phone in about a minute. The web app is there for the desk work, not the other way around.
Chester uses Supabase with enterprise-grade encryption, Row Level Security (RLS) on every table, and regular backups. Your data is protected with the same standards used by major tech companies.
Yes. There are no contracts or cancellation fees. You can downgrade to the Free plan or cancel your subscription at any time. Your data is yours.
Every plan includes email support. Feel free to reach us anytime at support@chester.pet.
Still Have Questions?
Browse step-by-step guides in the Help Center, or reach out and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.