Recently I applied for a sit and the pet owner responded and we set up a time to speak via cell phone. I canceled an appointment to be able to receive the call. The owner never called. I received a message a day or so later stating they apologized but their trip had to be canceled. About a week later I noticed the same situation was reposted. So I applied again…stating I was still available and would love the opportunity. My message sat “unread” for atleast a week of not more. Finally it was”read” but they have not replied. We never spoke, they initially were very interested in me and now I being ghosted. I am not sure what happened. I would like to reach out to them and ask if there was a problem with my profile…though that seems unlikely since they did initially were interested. Should I inquire? I am new to TRUSTEDHOUSESITTERS…so far I have not had very good luck.
You dodged a potentially bad situation. They have already shown their poor communication skills. They disrespected your time.
It doesn’t matter why they didn’t choose you b/c their reasons aren’t universal and don’t apply to other owners. For your own sanity move on because you deserve better. There are better owners to work with.
Thank you!
Very disrespectful owners and huge red flag. Give them a miss and move on, plenty of respectful owners here.
Do you have any reviews from THS yet? If you don’t they may have received some applicants with reviews. Never chase after a host. You are showing them that you allow bad treatment with no respect. This will continue on the sit and they are not thoughtful and will not review you favorably. You may want to post your profile here if you think it can use improvement.
Hi Thank you! I did tell them upfront that they would be my first “TH” sit but that I did have a review from a sit I did off site. That didn’t seem to concern them because they still wanted to “meet” /chat the very next day…which we scheduled and then they never called. And you guys are right…I need to move on and see this as a red flag and dodging a bad situation. Thank you everyone!
I would suggest just going after sits close to home just to build up reviews. Once you have good reviews you can be picky. Even if you see one 10 miles from you for a short few days. You may want to offer to drive there and do a meet and greet in person since you have no reviews from this platform. Be sure to read the reviews they left for other sitters along with the reviews they received. If they mark down sitters for reasons like just being human, stay away. Good luck
Hi @Mel2,
Welcome to the forum!
You have already got good advice. Basically, stay away from disrespectful owners and try to get a few reviews in THS to improve your chances. Local sits it’s a great idea. Also, last minute and low application sits are easier to get.
Please don’t accept a sit if you feel there are red flags. It will only get worse and it will not only spoil the experience but it could risk future opportunities if they give you s bad review.
Good luck!
Hi thank you for your advice. It was a local “sit” only about an hour and a half from me in the same state…and I noticed they posted several other sits for the next following weekends. They must be weekend travelers. I didn’t bother applying for any of the other dates because clearly they are t interested in me. Just very strange! Thank you! This has all been very helpful!
The host wanted a sitter with more reviews, and rather then being honest and telling you that they ghosted you. So wrong.
I suggest you forget about it and move forwards, there are plenty more sits to apply for…
And I wouldn’t cancel any appointments in order to schedule a chat. Your time and other commitments are every bit as important as the hosts’. A mutually convenient time for a chat has to be found.
Pass on this sit. There’s lots of HO’s out there who will treat you so much better. If they are treating you terrible now, just think what it would be like if you got their sit. I’m a HO and would never treat a sitter this way. This is unacceptable.
Yup. Happened to me too. It was because she wanted to do some stuff that wasn’t in line with the rules of THS and I disagree.
I’m sorry to hear about your experience. I can relate, I had this sort of thing happen when I started out. Best approach is to forget about these sort of people, be grateful you dodged sitting for them. Before I gained some positive reviews I had to apply to at least 20 sits just to get one. I recommend applying to sits in less popular areas, also if you haven’t already, personalise your initial message to hosts, make them feel you’ve really made an effort. Many people I’ve sat for have said they appreciated that I sent a longer message, not just “Hi I would like to sit for you” that apparently is frequently sent. It will get much easier, best of luck!
The OP doesn’t say whether she is near or far to the sit. It could be around the corner.
I agree with others: as hard as it is, brush it off and move on. Your next experience will be amazing!