Here are the
answers to our most commonly asked questions. If you still need help
or have a question, please email us at support@babysitterexchange.com.
Known Problems
- Hotmail Users: If you are trying to
login after clicking a link from your hotmail email account,
it will return you back to the login page. To solve
this problem, simply launch Internet Explorer independently
of hotmail and go to www.babysitterexchange.com
and login at that point.
How the Service Works
Starting & Joining a Group. Deciding Who
Watches My Children
Earning & Spending Credits.
Privacy
How the Service Works
Question: Can you tell me briefly how your service
works?
Answer:
Yes. When you enroll with Babysitter Exchange, you start or join a
group of trusted friends and parents you already know. The system is
based on credits: you receive 40 credits when you enroll; you earn
credits when you babysit; and you spend credits when someone
babysits for you.
When you need a
sitter, make the request via the web at www.babysitterexchange.com.
We send an email with this request to everyone in your group. Other
group members respond if they can babysit. You choose which
babysitter you want to watch your kids. Likewise, you only agree to
babysit the children with whom you feel comfortable. Babysitter
Exchange keeps track of all the credits earned and spent, maintains
the online calendar and facilitates the communication and
maintenance of groups and members. For more details, please see the
How
it Works section of the web site. [top]
Why does it seem that events I create or changes are not
appearing after I submit?
Answer:
Your browser is mostly likely not set to refresh properly. This
means that your browser is remembering what the screen looked like
prior to the submit and is not reloading the proper data.
To
correct this, simply go to the "Tools" menu item on Internet
Explorer and click on "Internet Options". In the second box called
"Temporary Internet Files" click on the "Settings" button. Make sure
the radio button that is marked is "Every visit to the page" If you
are still having problems after making this change, please email us
for further assistance.[top]
Starting & Joining a Group. Deciding Who
Watches My Children.
Question: Can I start my own group in my
neighborhood?
Answer:
Absolutely. Babysitter Exchange encourages you to start your own
group or join an existing one already in your neighborhood. Go to
the "Groups" tab option. On the left-hand menu, click "Start a
Group". The important thing is to either establish or join a group
of trusted friends and parents. [top]
Question: Can I belong to more than one
group?
Answer:
Yes. You can belong to or start as many groups as you want. To join
an existing group, you must first be nominated by an existing group
member, and then approved by the owner of the group and one other
member. When you start a group, you will be identified as that
group's owner. [top]
Question: How do I invite others to join my
group?
Answer:
Go to the Groups tab option. On the left-hand menu, click
"Invitations". Before a person is actually sent an invitation to
join the group, they must first be nominated by an existing group
member and then approved by the group owner and 1 other group
member. If it is the owner that submits the nomination, then 2 other
group members must approve the nomination. Once the nomiation is
approved, then the invitee will be sent an invitation. The invitee
will then have the opportunity to accept the invitation and join the
group.[top]
I received an invitation by email to join, but after
signing up I don't see the invitation waiting for me. What has
happened?
Answer:
More than likely you signed up using a different email address than
the email address that was used for the invitation. It is the email
address that allows the system to match the member with the
invitation. Please check the email address from your invitation and
verify whether or not it matches the email address you used for your
membership. If it does not match, simply send an email to support@babysitterexchange.com
with both email addresses (the invitation email address and your
member email address) as well as the name of the group and we will
change the invitation so that it will be visible to you. If both
email addresses do in fact match, please contact support@babysitterexchange.com,
and we will research the problem.
Another possiblility is
that the owner of the group sent out invitations from their own
email system and did not enter your email address into Babysitter
Exchange. You can determine if this is the case by looking at who
sent you the invitation. If you receive the invitation directly from
the owner and not from fay@babysitterexchange, Babysitter Exchange
does not have your email addresses on file. To solve this problem,
simply send an email to the person that invited you and ask them to
enter your email into Babysitter Exchange via the "Invitation"
function. [top]
Question: Can I ever quit a group?
Answer:
Yes. You can unsubscribe from any group at any time. From your group
summary, there is a link called "Leave Group" in each group row. By
clicking on this link you will immediately be removed from the group
roster.[top]
Question: Can the group owner quit a
group?
Answer:
Yes. However, the owner needs to find a member within the group that
is willing to take over the owner role. Once agreed upon, the
existing owner should send an email to support@babysitterexchange.com
and request the change. Babysitter Exchange will confirm the request
with the member assuming the role, and make the change. Remember
that the only obligation an owner has is to approve every member
that joins the group. [top]
Question: Can I choose which group member(s) can watch my
children?
Answer:
Yes. After you've submitted a babysitting request, other parents in
your groups will indicate their availability. You can then choose
from the list of available parents, by going to your personal
calendar, and selecting the "Choose" option. [top]
Question: Can I choose which children I will
babysit?
Answer:
Yes. Only accept a babysitting assignment from a parent whose
children you would like to watch. There is no awkward refusal when
babysitting is arranged through our service. [top]
Question: What if I can't find a group I like, or parents
to join my group?
Answer:
We understand that there are many group dynamics that come together
to make for a successful and effective group. While we do have a search feature for groups in your area,
most groups are PRIVATE groups and do not participate in the search function. We suggest starting small, even
with one other family, and you will be amazed at how fast you can find people to join your group. [top]
Earning & Spending Credits.
Question: How do I earn credits?
Answer:
Upon enrollment you are given 40 credits which you can begin using
at any time. Each credit is worth 15 minutes per child. To earn
additional credits, you must babysit for someone in your group.
Again, for every 15 minutes of babysitting time for each child, you
earn 1 credit. [top]
Question: How do I spend credits?
Answer:
You spend credits when another parent babysits for you. You spend
credits at the same rate they are earned. 1 credit equals 15 minutes
per child, so you are using 4 credits per child for every hour a
parent babysits for you. [top]
Question: What happens if I submit a claim for the wrong
number of credits?
Answer:
If the claim has not yet been accepted by the other parent, you can
simply ask the parent to reject the claim, and you can submit a new
claim for the correct number of credits. If the claim has already
been accepted by the other parent, then the parent that is owed the
credits can simply submit a "fake" claim for the number of credit
owed. [top]
Question: What if I run out of credits and I need a
babysitter?
Answer:
Since there are no fees to use Babysitter Exchange, we eliminated
the ability to purchase extra credits. If you need more credits, you
will need to babysit for someone in your group, or convince someone
to give you credits in your group by simply submitting a claim for
credits to the parent that is willing to give you some of their
credits.[top]
Question: Are there any fees to join or use the Babysitter Exchange service?
Answer:
The service is completely FREE. There are no fees what-so-ever. [top]
Privacy & Security
Question: What happens to my information on your
site?
Answer: For information regarding privacy,
please see our Privacy Policy. [top]
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