Vip Babysitting Solutions

I debated posting this review since the woman who schedules the appointments was so apologetic and horrified by our experience, but decided if I were a parent considering this service I would want to know.
We were in town for a dinner, and hired Beverly from VIP babysitting. We had her come over an hour before we left so we could spend time with her and the baby. Our baby was crying when we left the room, but typically calms down after we leave. We walked by outside the room 20 min later just to see if she was still upset before we left for dinner, and overhead Beverly talking on her cell phone while our baby was screaming. She made some negative comments about us (e.g. how we didn’t have proper food for the baby, how dare we ask if it was ok if were late beyond the scheduled time, and how she was going to be so bored in our room, etc). And here’s the kicker– then she asked the person if THEY WERE STILL COMING OVER TO OUR ROOM, and gave out our room number.
At no point during the time before we left did she ask or mention that someone was coming by. We are not comfortable with this at all. We also did not appreciate that she was on her phone while our baby was screaming, talking badly about us. When we walked in, the baby was screaming on the floor with a cracker in her mouth. When we told her what we had heard, she denied it, and then said that her daughter was bringing her food. At this point, we decided that we were no longer comfortable with her given the lie and that someone else was coming to our hotel room. It’s not that she was talking badly about us (unprofessional as it was), it was the fact that she lied about it and didn’t tell us that someone else would be coming by.
While I am so thankful we heard what was going on and were able to step in, but she completely ruined our evening. We drove 3 hours to make this dinner, and I ended up spending it in the hotel room with the baby.
The woman I spoke with at the agency was very apologetic and agreed that the behavior was completely unacceptable… but our babysitter has been with them for nine years. This is what you get from a «veteran» employee… We are clearly not the only ones on Unilocal who have questioned the safety of our child while under the care of this service.

We used VIP to provide babysitting services for our wedding in Carmel, which turned out to be the worst mistake we could’ve made.
After our wedding, I had each set of parents approach me separately to tell me (as gently and as politely as they could) that they felt unsafe trusting their children to VIP’s sitters. We paid for the sitters ourselves, and did not pass the cost onto the parents. It was awkward for the parents to approach us about this, but they were concerned about the safety and well being of future children who may be cared for by this company.
To call out a few things that happened:
1. An infant soiled her clothing while under the «care» of one of the sitters. The sitter took her soiled onesie and, without washing, put them IN THE DRYER before storing them back where clean clothes are normally kept.
2. When the parents arrived back at home, the sitter asked the parents for a tip. The parents inquired if tip was included in the invoice (again, we had paid for the services). The sitter informed the parents that there was a mandatory 20% tip that hadn’t been paid. Needless to say, this was untrue and the parents were deceived into giving a generous tip for a terrible experience.
3. VIP charged us more than we had authorized on our credit card authorization form. Beware — check your card statements! We disputed the charge through our credit card company and were reimbursed.
4. The sitters rifled through our personal belongings while they were caring for the children. One of the children captured this on video.
5. If you’re looking for sitters who will play games and bring activities for the children, don’t be fooled. The sitters spent the entire time on their phones and barely talked to the children. They never learned the names of the kids, and in their correspondence with me afterwards, it turns out they also never knew how old the children were. There were only 5 children … shouldn’t have been a stretch to learn names and ages of 5 children you’re spending an entire day with.
6. A child broke two things in the home, which we were never informed about until a week after the fact. The infant girl cried the entire time she was being looked after. The sitters reported that everything «was great!» and that the girl «hadn’t cried at all!» when they left.
7. Before the event, we asked for references for the sitters we’d been assigned. The owner of the company rebuffed us and said «We never had this kind of request in last 11 years.» I find this unlikely and, in hindsight, suspicious. Looking back, we should’ve gone with our gut and found another provider, but sadly we didn’t get any kind of confirmation from VIP until 5 days before our wedding, and there were a million other things to take care of.
Please, please reconsider if you find yourself looking at VIP. Save yourself the money (this company is NOT cheap), the headache, and the embarrassment. Children’s safety and security should always be priority #1. I will be apologizing to the parents of these kids for years to come.

If you have a party or an event to attend at Mission Ranch and you’re staying at the hotel, aaaand you have kids and need a sitter. I would highly consider hiring VIP Babysitting Solutions.
Our party was only a few hundred yards away and came back and forth to visit my lil baby and son a few times through the night.
My daughter was non too pleased with me leaving her. She cried most of the time. I give our babysitter high praises because I could tell she wasn’t phased. She was an experienced grandma and I trusted her with my baby whole heartedly.
She fed her, she changed her she made sure our daughter was as comfortable as possible. Even if she was screaming and crying most of the time.
The paying process is simple and easy and all you have to do is sign the form at the end when the babysitting is over.
I never thought I would hire an unknown sitter for something but I’m glad we went with VIP.

I genuinely feel that the health and well being of my children was at risk while they were under the care of VIP Babysitting Service. I needed a sitter to watch my twin daughters during a wedding, I was on site and just a few hundred feet away. It was brought to my attention by another babysitter who was on site as well (watching my Brother’s kids) that the nanny left both of my girls strapped into their stroller for over an hour. She wasn’t walking with them, they were strapped in and placed in the middle of the room just so she would not have to engage, play with or entertain them. They were wide awake! In the time that she had my girls, from 2pm — 7pm she did not change their diapers once. Also, she left one of my 14 month old girls alone while she took the other twin outside to play. She left my child unattended!!! Yes, there were other adults in the room with my child but we hired HER to watch our children and she just left one! When we got wind of what was happening, we rushed over early to get our girls. The nanny was sitting at a table eating a plate of food I had sent in for (1 for her and 1 for the kids and she was cleaning off their plate of food) the babies were strapped back in the stroller with soaked through diapers full of poop and peep. Please do not use this service.

We used VIP when we were down for a family golf gathering. Our sitter was Victoria and she was phenomenal. She arrived early to meet us at the museum and not only watched our children but assisted with 2 other babysitters my sister-​in-​law had arranged previously for the other 4 children. The kids were with her for 6 hours at a museum and a park and when we got back that evening everyone (including Victoria) was in a great mood. She was professional and courteous. I also like that VIP uses the bright orange shirts so the sitter can be found by anyone quickly.

We had a conference in Monterey and stayed at the Marriott. There were two dinner events to attend and we did not have anyone to watch our precious children (5 and 6 yo). Needless to say we were worried and concerned about having a complete stranger watch them. However, after reading reviews about this place, I felt more comfortable having someone from this agency babysit. We were not disappointed. Jane was a sweet grandmother (great grandmother, actually) who watched the children 2 nights in a row. She came well prepared with activities, had a caring and sweet way about her, yet was firm when she needed to be. She even left two note cards for the children to read the next morning.
Making the reservation was smooth and efficient. We will definitely use this service again.

I work for a program at Stanford University and we used VIP for a weekend long event. I can not say enough how great they were. The management and baby sitters are very professional, so nice and problem solvers. Our event included three locations, infants to teens, evening and day time care. They were just amazing. If it had not been for VIP I would have had a real headache on my hands, instead I had happy parents and happy kids.

I have used VIP services number of times, both at their drop off facility in Monterey and also called their sitters number of times at my hotel while I am on business.
The place is full of activities for the kiddies to play for hours at a time. If you want to go out with your spouse, or have a kid-​free shopping experience across the street, or just need to run errands, this place is a freakin’ godsend.
We have been going there off and on for years now. We have had nothing but positive experiences there. The staff are all friendly and I do feel it is a safe environment for the kids. They are all, of course, certified, background checked and CPR trained (okay i took that from their website). But this is huge if you have ever gone through the process of checking on a nanny/​babysitter. Its time consuming and costs money. There are also multiple people on duty at anyone time which adds a little more sense of security and makes it easier to go enjoy yourself.
The kids come out tired so I know they are not just glued to a TV, but running and playing.
The facility is very clean,. Their staff is always smiling and always ready to answer all questions/​concerns. I’m more than satisfied with this facility, and I will definitely use it again in the future,

Would give negative stars if possible.
My client used VIP babysitting service for their 9 month old baby in Pebble Beach. I don’t think I even need to say this, but the service was WAY overpriced. Like others have said, if the price is that high, it should be better or at least match other babysitting services in terms of quality.
Okay, but that’s not even the problem at this point. The problem is, my client wasn’t really happy about the service and felt they shouldn’t give the babysitter any tip (she was getting paid by the hour anyway). They were to be charged 135 dollars and the babysitter gave them their copy of the receipt, which showed that there was NO TIP authorized. A week later, they look at their credit card bill, and it showed 170 dollars instead of the 130 that was on the receipt.
Frustrated, my client emailed me to let me know what was going on and told me to take care of it. It took 2 weeks to settle this, they don’t pick up their phone when you call, they don’t call back when you leave a message. Finally on the third day of calling them, they FINALLY picked up. After I told them the situation, they said that the babysitter that went out for them that night is one of their best sitters and that they have never had a problem with her.
Turns out, the babysitter wrote down the tip herself for 35 dollars. After having some back and forth with VIP through email, they sent me a copy of my client’s receipt they had on file. It showed in scribbled writing 35 dollars in the gratuity section. I told them that my client did not authorize that, but they didn’t believe me. They said they need proof. So I told my client about what had happened, and he said that he did have the receipt, and sent it over to me. I looked it over, and what do you know, no tip written in (it was one of those carbon copy receipts).
So basically, don’t use this service, unless you want to risk your babysitter writing down her own tip and going through HORRIBLE customer service.
VIP Babysitting? I think not…

I have used this service a couple of times and different babysitters came to watch my 2 children.
The prices are much higher than San Francisco services, so I expected equal or better service.
The last time we used the service the girl was late. We gave her instructions (for example: brush teeth, bedtime and showed her around and where the items are located).
During our date the babysitter started texting asking for our password so she could log-​in and such. I had to leave the concert to reply because it is rude to text during a show to help this babysitter enjoy her evening at my expense. I think for the first impression I would have done without and let the parents enjoy their date night. We did pay with tip $ 150 for 4 hours (2 kids in the local Carmel area). Sure kids were asleep and she could be bored reading, texting, watching TV, but she needs to remember we are paying for a service.
I returned home and all the toys were strung about (nothing put away). My 3 year old was not under the covers, rather on top of her bed.
I am disappointed the company never called me on either occasion to ask how the service was. Maybe they have enough business and do not care what customers think.
On the positive, the admin side is very helpful and returns calls quickly. If you need a sitter same day this place can and has delivered. I am happy this service is in our area. I do think more training is needed.
If I write another review, for the other sitter we had it will be a 4 star review. She is a true professional. This last sitter I give 2 stars.

I am one of the people who had a good experience with VIP.
My daughter’s wedding at Holly Farm was very complicated — four days of activities. all of them requiring babysitting. Varying numbers of children — on one day 6 children, on the next day 13! of all ages. VIP wasn’t cheap, but they were professional. They showed up on time every day (well, except for one day when there was a major water main break and traffic was backed up for hours, but ¾ of the guests were late too, so it wasn’t a big deal)
The sitters came with activities and DVDs. The kids loved them. One night I went to the babysitting area and found nine children, all in their jammies, watching «The Bee Story». They were all ages and races — they looked like a Benetton ad. They looked so cozy that I sat down with them, my two little nieces jumped in my lap and we all kind of half-​snoozed together. It was much more fun than the carousing that was going on outside.
I would hire VIP again in a heartbeat.

Not thrilled. My family regularly visits Monterey and will need to continue our search for a «regular» sitting service.
Submitted an online reservation form, and had to follow up with a phone call after one week to find out whether it had been received. Anna left a voicemail indicating that I was all set, and would receive the paperwork over the weekend. I did — indeed — receive the paperwork but noted that — unlike similar services in Napa and San Francisco — there wasn’t a SINGLE question about my child: age, routine, likes/​dislikes etc. No official paperwork with contact information, doctor information etc.
Nonetheless, I sent in credit card information, and — noting that I was looking to establish a long term relationship — asked whether, if the sitter on Friday night didn’t work out, we’d be able to have a different one on Saturday night.
The answer was basically «no, we’re fully booked» — ok there were a few more words than that but you get the idea.
A far more reassuring response would have been «Unfortunately, we’re fully booked this weekend, and at this time it’s not possible for me to confirm the availability of a second sitter for Saturday night. That said, I want to let you know that the sitter assigned to your son has been carefully picked for you. [NAME] has [X] years of experience, [X] of those with VIP Babysitting, and always receives rave reviews from those she sits for. I’d be more than happy to supply phone numbers of previous clients if that would be helpful. I completely understand your concern since it’s the first time you’ve used us, and I want to do whatever I can to put you at ease.»
Get the idea? If you’re desperate for a sitter in Monterey, this is pretty much it. I didn’t use them, so can’t speak to the actual service of the actual sitter, but the customer relations part was painfully lacking and caused me to promptly cancel my two nights of planned sitting.

Had a fabulous experience with one of their sitters, Paula. We had her watching our 2 children (ages 5 and 4) as well as our friends 2 children (ages 5 and 2). The kids took to her immediately and said they wanted her to come back again. Couldn’t ask for more!

This was the first time I’ve used a service like this and first time to leave our daughter (4) during a hotel stay. The Lodge at Pebble Beach recommended them and boy am I glad we gave it a try. We had a very experienced sitter/​mom named Beverly and my daughter adored her! She kept my daughter entertained in the room all evening with creative arts and crafts she brought with her. I could hear my daughter giggling with joy upon our return to the room as they were «hiding» from maids in the room. I also appreciated that last minute reservation!

The headline for this is that we had a rough patch with our sitter, but the owner and other management clearly were willing to own their employee’s mistakes.
Basically, we had a sitter who showed up late and who started grubbing for a tip before we’d even left for dinner. She took fine care of our daughter (who is an easygoing toddler, it’s not hard), but we were weirded out, especially given these positive reviews about sitters who show up armed with books and toys to keep the kiddos entertained. Again, I stress, the actual child care was fine, this is about our emotional reaction to a particular sitter.
So, I sent an email the next AM to the owner, explaining our situation. Got a call from the staff within the hour, and from the Man Himself within the day (on a weekend). He immediately refunded half the fee without my even having to ask (and that was exactly what I wanted him to do to make things right). I felt that spoke to a high level of commitment to professional customer service. That’s why I’d use them again; even if some of the line employees need some help, the folks at the top seem to have their heads screwed on tight.

My family had a wonderful experience with Beverley at VIP Babysitting while we were on a family vacation. I would highly recommend using her for any help you need and you will really know that your child is being very well taken care of while you are away. It was our first time using a babysitter and we were very appreciative for her promptness and professionalism. Highly recommend!

We signed up to have VIP Babysitting solutions take care of our two-​year-​old because we were coming into town for my brother’s wedding on June 29. We signed up for the service before the ⁶⁄₂₄ review was posted – if we had seen that review, we probably would have used a different service.
Anyway, we got a call about three hours before the babysitter was supposed to show up. We were told that our assigned babysitter sprained her ankle, was at the emergency ward with her phone turned off, and might not be able to make it. An hour later, we got another call saying that the situation had not changed, and they could not provide a backup.
As you might imagine, three hours did not give us enough time to find any babysitter in San Francisco on a Friday night, let alone one we felt we could trust. As a result, we wasted an hour right before the wedding trying to figure out what to do, and my wife ended up missing 90% of the event that we flew into San Francisco for.
I do not doubt that the assigned babysitter had an accident. And the reservation manager did offer to provide us with four hours of free babysitting in compensation for the no-​show sitter. But even if we lived in the SF area and were able to take advantage of this offer (and even if we were willing to trust the company to provide a babysitter the second time), it could not compensate for what we missed.
Unexpected surprises happen, and not every business can prepare for every unexpected surprise. Just be aware that, if you use VIP Babysitting services, they do not have a reliable backup system for surprises like the one they experienced last weekend.
As you may know, VIP Babysitting services is not cheap – we were going to be charged $ 170 for six hours (including the travel charge). They also charge $ 50 for cancellation within 14 days, and they take the full fee if you suddenly find you don’t need them and cancel within 24 hours. I expected that a company with that kind of fee arrangement would be ready to move heaven and earth if they suddenly find that one of their babysitters is not available to make an engagement that was made weeks in advance. I was wrong and we really paid for it.

Booked a baby sitter earlier in the week. Our sitter was a no show and we were in the area for a friend’s wedding. Suffice to say we were late for the wedding and more than bit miffed with the service. Would not recommend.

I used VIP babysitting service last weekend during a trip to Monterey. I was able to schedule a babysitter with just a few day’s notice to stay at our hotel with my 13-​month old son while we went to dinner.
Everything seemed professional: VIP was prompt in responding to me and making arrangements. The babysitter was punctual, arrived in VIP t-​shirt and had official forms that collected key information. I was also reassured by the fact that VIP conducts background checks and all sitters are CPR/​first-​aid certified.
I was immediately at ease and felt comfortable leaving my son with her for the evening.
The price is a little bit on the expensive end, but it covers the background checks and training, which gave me peace of mind that my son was safe. I’ll definitely use VIP again.

I used this serivce while recently on a trip to Pebble Beach. I have to tell you, I was so impressed and it really made our family trip so enjoyable. Jane, a lovely woman came to our hotel room and took care of my 10 month old son for two days while we played golf. I have never seen him happier after babysitting! When you consider the service and the fact that they will come to where ever you are, the price is absolutely a steal. Not much more than we would have paid our own babysitter at home! Thanks so much to this company that enabled us to take a family trip much sooner than we thought possible — and thanks especially to Jane who was so wonderful.