Frequently Asked Questions

Under 5 minutes. Create your account, add your services and pricing, and you're ready to accept bookings. No demo call required.

Clients create a free account to book services, message you, and pay invoices. There's no cost or subscription for them — ever.

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 charges a 5% platform fee on payments processed through the app. Stripe's standard processing fees (2.9% + 30¢ per transaction) also apply. There are no hidden fees or surprise charges.

Yes. The Professional plan supports up to 3 team members, and the Business plan supports unlimited. Assign roles, distribute bookings, and manage your team from one dashboard.

Report cards are detailed summaries you send to clients after each visit. They include per-pet observations (mood, energy, appetite), photos, and notes. Clients love them — they build trust and keep people coming back.

Chester automatically analyzes report card data over time to detect trends in each pet's mood, energy, and appetite. If a dog's energy has been declining over the past few visits, you'll see it highlighted — helping you provide better care and communicate proactively with owners.

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.

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.

You configure cancellation policies per service type. 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 include per-pet observations for mood, energy, appetite, and potty, plus a personal provider note, a highlight moment (used in push notifications), photos and videos, and optional internal notes only you can see. Grooming visits can include coat condition and products used. Training visits can include session progress and homework. Templates are configurable per service type.

Yes. On Professional and Business plans, 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 QuickBooks or Gusto.

Create agreement templates per service type. When a client signs up, they review and e-sign the agreement from their phone. Chester tracks the signature timestamp and version. Agreements can expire and be re-signed as needed.

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.

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. Chester is a cross-platform mobile app available on both iOS and Android. It's built with modern technology to feel native on both platforms.

Starter plan users get email support. Professional and Business plan users get priority support with faster response times. You can reach us at support@chester.pet.

Yes. There are no contracts or cancellation fees. You can downgrade to the free Starter plan or cancel your subscription at any time. Your data is yours.