This is one of the most frequently asked questions when Careseekers create an account on line with Keep Safe Care Direct. Note, we do not charge your credit card when you put it on file. Securely loading your credit card information signals us that you are ready to proceed and are serious about hiring a Caregiver. We are trying to create a long-term relationship with you, the Careseeker, with a novel approach of matching Caregivers and helping you hire a reliable, dependable individual, and at the same time save a substantial amount of money over what private duty agencies cost. While there is a nice, concise answer to this question in our FAQs, I felt a more detailed explanation should be offered in order to allay any fears you might have doing business with Keep Safe Care Direct.
First, it took us over four (4) years to perfect this process of sourcing, matching, and offering Caregivers to those needing care and wanting to hire a Caregiver themselves. Along the way, it was discovered the most efficient and equitable way to protect all the parties involved, was to accept only credit cards as settlement for services rendered. As such, Keep Safe Care Direct ONLY takes credit card payments for the caregiving provided through our site and we do this to protect both parties: those who are needing and paying for care, and those who are giving care. Again, Keep Safe Care Direct does not charge your credit card when you put it on file. Charges are only made when you authorize AND approve them through the payroll process.
We at Keep Safe Care Direct want to make sure that when a Caregiver works for you, or anybody, that he or she will indeed get paid for their services. In order to do this conveniently and with as little upset as possible, we created a billing and payroll system which requires a credit card be on file in order for you to be able to connect, contact, interview and hopefully hire a Caregiver.
In order to insure payment of a Caregiver you have hired, Keep Safe Care Direct runs a pre-authorization of that card in an amount based on the weekly work schedule of care you have requested. As an example, if you have 20 hours of care in the upcoming week at $15 per hour, you will see a “hold” charge on your online statement from Keep Safe Care Direct for $300 (20hr x $15/hr). This is not a charge, but a set aside (pre-authorization) for future payments. This is no different than when using your credit card when checking into a hotel or renting a car. When the Caregiver has worked their weekly schedule, and has submitted a time sheet for your approval, and you have approved the time sheet for payment, we will then make a “capture” against that pre-authorization for payroll.
We also protect you! Under no circumstance should you ever pay your Caregiver cash or check outside the system. If they say they need money and ask for cash, please contact your Keep Safe Care Direct immediately. In addition, the Company will never charge your card unless you have authorized it, and to do so you have to first hire a Caregiver, schedule care, have the Caregiver deliver care and send you a time sheet, and then you approve that time sheet. One additional safety mechanism for you is any charge that has been made can be disputed via your credit card company if you did not authorize it or if you made an error in approving a time sheet.
Your personal identity and safety are important to us as well. ANY and ALL payment information collected is secured and encrypted with our payment processor (Stripe.com) and we do NOT store any payment information on our site or servers. If you have hired a Caregiver and your credit card is removed, or declined, you will get a notice indicating that access to Caregivers has been suspended and a valid credit card needs to be on file.
Finally, we also require a credit card to protect ourselves from individuals who may just want to poach Caregivers from our site. We expend a great deal of effort, time, and money to collect and curate Caregivers and believe it or not, there are companies and individuals who would love to have access to this vast pool of individuals for free. Sadly, sometimes people do unscrupulous things, and we are just making it so they can do things above board.
I hope this sheds some light on the subject of having a credit card on file when you want to hire a Caregiver. Hopefully, we can earn your trust and you will realize we are here to help you keep a loved one safe at home with reliable, affordable care. Ultimately, you will save tens of thousands of dollars and get reliable care, Caregivers earn more money and are happy because they chose their employer, and Keep Safe Care Direct can make a little bit in facilitating the process. Ultimately, everyone wins.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Fry
CEO & President