As someone who doesn't trust strangers with my children, I really appreciate the thoroughness and intentionality of Sitting Made Simple and how they make it easy to take care of childcare needs. read more

We have recently been in search of additional options for sitting our children. We have a good regular sitter, but it's nice to have a backup plan when she is not available. I think it's fair that we are picky when it comes to who watches our children- they are the most important people in our world! So we signed up for the service, which in my opinion is worth the fee considering the abundance of available sitters they have on their roster- it's nice to have a sure thing. However, the one benefit you won't have here is that you will not get to meet the sitter ahead of time. Being that we're picky with our sitters, that was hard to get over, but understandable. When you book your "appointment", you can view profiles (which are very detailed and helpful!) to request a sitter. I wish you were able to select an alternate, because there were several great-sounding sitters, but it only lets you select one. If she declines the job, Sitting Made Simple picks one for you. I'd like the option to request a few sitters that we like (I assume as we keep using the service that we'll come across a few that we like). Also, we live out in Johnstown OH, which they do provide service for, but there is a $10 additional mileage fee we have to pay the sitter. That's understandable since we're outside the city, but it would have been nice to know that before we signed up for the service. Onto the good stuff: Booking the appointment online, looking through the profiles to make our sitter selection, and receiving communication by email that our appointment was confirmed- all a very good experience. We weren't sure what to expect when our sitter showed up, except what we read on her profile. We were VERY impressed by our sitter. Not one single complaint here. She was very friendly, made a good first impression, and was very personable, yet professional at the same time. Our kids warmed up to her immediately and it made it very easy to walk out the door for a few hours, leaving our children with someone we had never met. This made me think that they must have a great screening process in order to secure such great sitters! I really enjoyed the notes that the sitter left us at the end of the night- Sitting Made Simple provides a form for them to fill out. Our sitter gave us a full verbal report, it sounds like they had an excellent time, and the notes were helpful! We will use this service again. We'd love to have the same sitter come back again, but I am now confident that there are probably several great sitters available. Hopefully we get just as lucky next time! read more

I still stand by my previous review. Unfortunately no one can leave 0 stars lol. I wrote a review on their Facebook page a few months ago to make people aware, (That's now deleted as well as the first review I left, There are some reviews on their fb page like mine, All the owner did was confirm what I said by blaming the clients, not taking responsibility for her lack of communication and being nasty towards them) The owner got very defensive and threatened to sue me for false accusations and lying (Its not my problem she doesn't like the truth) She laughed at my statement explaining my horrible experience, Saying she never met with me years ago when I actually met with her twice. After I recognized her I turned around and walked out. Regardless of my experience years ago I wanted to update my review so that others may be aware of mine along with others experiences. read more

Our experiences with Amanda and her service were initially very good. We had great experiences with several of her babysitters. When it came time for us to look for a new nanny, we went with Amanda's service. As opposed to other nanny services and websites, Amanda assesses your needs and suggests a nanny based on which of her nannies may be the best fit. The kicker is you only get to interview a single nanny at a time rather than several over a few days. If you are a dual income family with young kids, this can be a bit of an issue because you can't be without a nanny for very long or you don't want a long, drawn out process to set up your child care. Thus, you're inclined (and encouraged) to hire the first candidate you meet. We agreed to hire one of her nanny candidates. Initially things were fine, but it quickly became obvious that the nanny was not a good fit for our family. Should this happen to you, be aware that you (the customer) are not correct. Amanda will side with her staff regardless of where the fault lies. We were informed that her service would not be able to find another nanny for us and that her babysitters had complained about our kids' behavior (not true, we saved all the notes the Sitting Made Simple babysitters left for us and the sitters always enjoyed our kids). Well, $1700 down the drain, I guess. So it can be a solid service, just remember that with Sitting Made Simple the customer is not always right, you're playing by the owner's rules and she may decide she no longer wants your business. read more

For someone who prides themselves on positive communication, the first time I actually spoke with the owner, I was appalled at the rudeness of the conversation. She continued to interrupt and speak over me - poor listening skills in my opinion, and went on a rant that she as a small business owner chooses her customers. A Facebook reviewer mentioned that her contract was terminated for poor communication, that she was treated poorly by Amanda and her sitting appointments were cancelled leaving her high and dry without a sitter. At the time, I wondered what level of communication would cause someone to be treated this way, and I found out! Apparently, feedback is only welcome when it's positive or if you suck up to the owner. I think the best way to describe the owner is that she's a bully. There's a pro to the service: access to a large number of pre-screened babysitters. The cons: the many rules are very company and service provider friendly, but do not leave the customer with many options, the website is not very user friendly and the owner's verbal communication lacks in professionalism. Other facebook reviews/comments indicate the same, but they mysteriously disappear. It's an interesting way to shape your company's rating. However, since this is her business practice, I decided to post on yelp - an independent feedback system that can't be manipulated by the owner. read more

If you are a college student looking for a job that works around your schedule THIS IS IT!! SMS is so flexible. You are able to create your own work calendar, meet amazing local families & earn CASH. 100% recommend!! read more

This company seems great at first glance, but as a sitter I was treated poorly by the company. The owners are very rude and not understanding of your situations what so ever. If you text them at the wrong time you get sent a nasty text but they will blow up your phone at any hour of the day and expect you to answer. At orientation they go over "rules and expectations" but leave out so much and then yell at you for making a mistake that they never told you about. I feared asking them questions because of how mean they could be. I will never work for this company again. read more

I have been a sitter for over a year and while the company itself is a great idea and the families you meet are amazing, the CEO is extremely rude to sitters and unprofessional to put it nicely. I received a phone call from her where she screamed at me and told me she does not care about my personal problems and that i am ruining her business because i called off due to family issues. The way she spoke to me was the most disrespect I've ever been treated with and everything she said contradicted what i was taught at the 30 minute informal, slightly unreliable orientation. I recommend sitting for them because it is good cash and the sitters are all amazing girls but avoid contact with the owner at all cost. read more

Used this company when our kids were very young and we didn't have access to babysitters that we already knew. Haven't used them since 2015. Noticed today in Sept of 2019 that they hit my credit card with a $41 dollar charge. When I called to question it, the CEO, Amanda was extremely rude and unproffessional. She was quick to reverse the fee but told me that this was an annual fee and that they mailed out plenty of notices. When I tried to politely explain that I haven't used Sitting Made Simple since 2015 and have not been charged an annual fee until now and have also not received any notices....she interrupted me and stated very rudely.."I'M REFUNDING THE FEE!!!!" and then hung up on me. I'll need to check my credit card to see if she actually refunds the fee. If she doesn't I'll simply dispute the charge on my credit card. I would also caution anyone from trusting this service to watch thier children. They claim that all the sitters receive a background check but if you go to Glassdoor.com (which is a website that existing and former employees can write reviews regarding their employer) several of the former employees claim they never had background checks ran on them. I've pasted one of the Glassdoor employee reviews below. Pros flexible schedule & high pay Cons I have never encountered someone, especially in a manager/CEO position, as unprofessional as the owner (Amanda) of SMS. The company advertises that they interview and background check their sitters. I worked there for a year and was never background checked; neither were around 10 of my friends that worked there. There is no interview- Amanda simply lists all of SMS's rules, tells everyone no less than 3 times how she runs a huge "multi-million dollar company" without a college degree, and cusses throughout the entire encounter. There is no resume collection or any questions asked of the new sitters. Amanda spends an extraordinary amount of time demanding her sitters follow her rules and yells at her sitters for breaking them; however her partner texted me multiple times requesting I do things that would have broken all of these rules; ie texting families outside of sits. I would suggest any other sitting company, as many other options exist and function on a value-based system with personable and professional managers. Here is the link to reviews for Sitting Made Simple at Glassdoor.com (cut and paste if the link doesn't pull up the site). https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Sitting-Made-Simple-Reviews-E1266618.htm read more

I have worked with this company for 4 years now. I have never had a problem. Amanda has high expectations for her sitters and you see that when her sitters walk in the door. I have never had a bad experience and recommend them often!!! read more

The sitters were great. The convenience was great. My kids got attached. All of this was overshadowed by my interaction with the owner. Amanda Knapp is rude and condescending. Do everything through website with this business... or not at all, totally your choice. New families should read all policies before signing up. Understand the fee structure, understand cancellation policies. Do this ahead of time because once you are a customer you are less valuable to the owner. Do not say "oh I'll read those later" and move on thinking you'll be fine. She can and will cancel your membership and sits for any reason she wants- it's in the policy. Reason can include "communication style" which is very subjective. This means if you are not submissive and complacent she can cancel you. My lesson learned from this small business experience - Avoid business where the policies are all one sided and where the polices never include a guarantee of service (with terms of course, like any quality business would do). Know your place before entering into business with SMS before taking the plunge. read more

I have had very good experiences with SMS. The sitters are always very nice and my daughter has always told me they are very interactive with her, playing and crafting. We have been very fortunate with the service and glad it is available. read more

We used SMS a month ago when we came from out of town for a concert. Our sitter was great. But the company certainly does not make anything simple. There was confusion at the end of the night over the rate. What we were quoted was different than what the nanny had on her paperwork, which was different than what was on the website. Also, I was charged $25, which I thought was a discounted membership fee because we were out of town. There was no paperwork accompanying the fee. I was later told that it was a one time scheduling fee. We had planned to use SMS again but now they want to charge us another $50 to join and a $9 fee. Attempts to work our a situation were unsuccessful. SMS says they don't make any exceptions to their policy. I can respect that but am trying to figure out how and when that policy was communicated to me before I paid them. It wasn't! So while our sitter was good, the 2 stars is because it seems to be a new company that is disorganized about rates and charges and does not communicate those to families before charging them. read more

My kids have always been happy and safe. They have liked all their sitters. The business is very professional, and I greatly appreciate the background check that all sitters undergo. read more

Owner, Amanda, is less than courteous when initially explaining her company concept. For most parents to hire a babysitter that they have never met and be ok with that is a tough concept to swallow. Rather than understanding how that could be an issue, Amanda was extremely rude and flip about it and rushed through the entire conversation. I have hired tons and tons of sitters in my life, and as a parent, wouldn't you want to meet someone before they meet your kids? So the answer was - sure you can meet them - just set up an hour before they get there and you pay for it. Well what if you don't like them??? Her response was "you will - I have reviewed all of them and that should be enough for you." So I decided to just get on the website and try it and give it a chance. So, I type in at least 4 different days I need a sitter. NONE of the days had availability. I found myself laughing out loud...for a business owner to be so self assured that she runs an amazing business that has tons of availability, I was turned off IMMEDIATELY. read more

I have used SMS for over 2 years and was very happy with their service for nearly all of it until some corporate policy changes a few weeks ago. I have been lucky with most of our sitters and my kids have been happy with them. My problem is not with the quality of sitters, but with the organization and communication throughout the service. Families are no longer permitted to contact their sitter outside of their sitting hours. Instead, we must email the SMS who will communicate the message(s). If I would like to talk to the sitter before they start a semester at my house, I have to pay a full sit ($33) in order to talk with her for 15 min. I am not permitted to call her ahead of time to have this conversation. If I need to change a time, such as to have the sitter come 15 min later or 30 min later, I have to change the "time change" on the website and get charged for this. I have always been extremely flexible with my sitters and allowed them to come earlier or later or leave early. I never ever payed them less for coming late or leaving early. This level of micro management from corporate is not a good fit for a busy working family that needs to communicate plan changes, as this is very common with 3 kids, 3 sports and summer activities always popping up. I am sad to say, but I can no longer recommend this service to my friends (In the past, I have recommended at least 5 families). I find SMS to be polite, professional, but rigid and inflexible. read more

As a college student trying to find flexible hours in the midst of my busy schedule, I would NOT recommend working for sitting made simple. In the beginning it seemed as though this company would be the perfect fit for me, as I could pick my own hours, but shortly after meeting with the head of the company I knew I was in for a bumpy ride. Amanda had a group of girls, including myself, come in for "training" and to meet with the SMS staff. The first words out of her mouth were rude and threatening, saying that she "wouldn't hesitate to sue us if we fuck up" a sitting job. I'm not joking, that's actually what she said. She went on to explain that we are basically disposable, and that she isn't there to play around. Not the warmest environment to walk into before you've even began your first day. The company treats their workers as if they are"the help" and have nothing going on with their lives other than working for SMS. I received text messages and emails daily about how inconsistent the sitting staff was, and how we all needed to "step up" and take more shifts in order to be deemed as taking our job seriously. It is also clear that this company only cares about pleasing their customers (parents), while treating their employees like garbage. Not to mention that there are only background checks ran on the babysitters and not the adults whose homes the sitters are going into. This makes it actually dangerous for sitters to be going to some sits in the first place. When I signed up for this job I was under the impression that this would be a friendly, caring and laid back company that would be understanding of a busy college student's schedule, but that just wasn't the case. These women are rude, condescending, and honestly do not care about their sitters. If you're looking for a job where you wanted to be treated with respect, keep looking. read more