This site gives you hundreds of sitters to choose from who actually are not available. If sitters do not update their calendars, dont answer invitations, or reply to sits with NOT Available when their calendar says they are they should be removed. This makes using the site so difficult. It makes a nonsense of your filters when searching for a sitter.
Non response should be seen as hostile. Calendars with no dates blocked out should be questioned immediately as very unlikely and just time wasters.
Unlike some other platforms , on THS itâs the sitters who choose you ( the hosts)
Sitters are not employees of THS, we are not paid. Sitters PAY a fee for being members of THS . THS is about mutual exchange .
You ( the host) make a listing showing what your home and location offers the sitter in return for them taking care of your pet . If your listing appeals to a sitter and they are available they will apply for your sit.
Most sitters donât use the calendar as itâs very awkward and not user friendly. Invites rarely work anyway, better to just post your sit, and wait for applications.
Goodness! Please take a deep breath then educate yourself on how things work (and can work well) on THS, which is based primarily on friendliness and trust. Currently, you seem to have things upside-down! Sitters are not employees, but are doing this on a voluntary basis, so are not available for HOs to âchoose fromâ. Post your sit listing, making it as attractive as possible and detailing why sitters should choose to contact you, and wait for applications from sitters who are interested (and a word of advice - change the attitude or donât be surprised when nobody applies!).
Yep mostly sitters arenât available!! Youâve got this upside down. Itâs not your fault though as itâs confusing for many new Honey/pet owners.
You advertise to ATTRACT sitters who just might be interested or looking in your locationâŚ.. if theyâre interested theyâll open up a discussion with you as to whether youâre a MATCH. Itâs your job to ATTRACT a sitter.
From all the sitters on the site, itâs impossible to know who would be interested in sitting for you, so sending out random invitations will always have a high failure rate.
The correct way to use the site is to create a listing to tempt sitters who are actively looking.
In your listing, be sure to use a friendly tone of writing. Give plenty of relevant information about your pets, home and location, and be sure to add good, clear photographs.
Then sit back and wait for sitters who are interested and available to send you their applications.
As others have said generally it works the other way around. Sending invites to sitters rarely works. If you are sending invites to sitters who are local to you itâs unlikely that they will be interested because most people prefer to travel somewhere new.
Sitters actively look for sits that are going to suit them and then apply. It might be worth your while taking some time to thoroughly read through all the information about the process and familiarise yourself with the guidelines as well. In particular read up on how to decline unsuitable applicants and to un-pause your listing because it will automatically pause after five applicants.
It can be quite confusing but once you have got the hang of it things should work more smoothly for you. The sitters calendar is ridiculously awkward for us to complete and even if we do complete it we still get invites for the dates that we are not available so I imagine that most sitters just ignore the calendar.
Sitterâs can only show THS sits on a calendar, not other platforms or travels or life so itâs useless to both us and hosts. Sitterâs also arenât âavailableâ to hosts, they pay membership fees as you do and select sits they like the look of in a destination they wish to visit on dates they choose. You canât ban people for not answering an invite they didnât ask for and donât want!! Create a decent listing for the dates you need and then wait for great people to apply. Pics, info, responsibilities, welcoming tone all essential components. #differenttack
As @Cuttlefish said, the calendar only shows THS sits. For example, weâre currently on a sit, then going to stay with friends for a week, then have another sit booked. Our calendar will show that weâre âavailable â during the week weâre visiting friends, but weâre not.
@NitaM Wow!!! You joined in the last 24 hours with absolutely no understanding of how this site works, no experience of having had a sitter from here, and yet you criticise sitters who have a life outwith pet sitting on the days their calendar shows them as Available.
Wake up call.
The Calendar is not a compulsory part of the site. It only shows dates when sitters are already booked.
As others have told you, you must create a listing which is attractive to potential sitters, then wait for applications, this is an equal exchange. You might also want to lose that attitude.
If sitters do not update their calendars, dont answer invitations, or reply to sits with NOT Available when their calendar says they are they should be removed
following along with your rationale, perhaps members without a photo or Avatar on here should be removed? Just a thoughtâŚ
@NitaM despite my words below, we do welcome you to the forum. But first we need to explain a little about how things work and also donât work:-
âNon response should be seen as hostileâ.
Ummm, who is the one sounding hostile here
As a new member on the forum, I would have thought you could ask this question in a more NON hostile manner and you would have received a much better welcome and responses. As others have suggested, do a search with spyglass for similar topics regarding the calendar and you might glean a little bit of an education as to WHY the calendar is so user unfriendly. Sitters and homeowners alike have been asking forever and a day to fix the calendar issue without a resolution or response from THS so it has just been forgotten about. I understand your frustrations because you are not aware of the drama behind the user unfriendliness of the calendar but I would suggest that going forward you ask in a more friendly manner and you will get heaps of assistance about your queries. Your post comes across very entitled, we sit free of charge and I do believe we deserve a little more respect than what you have offered.
I hope you find a suitable sitter but remember, we are not the hired help or paid sitters, and we respect homeowners as much as we expect the same in return.
@NitaM You very much need to sort through the promotional language being used. Itâs a feature mostly serving marketing purposes, or perhaps those who actually breach the terms and require payment.
Calendar and availability tools give the illusion of professional services being delivered and reviewed - like booking a hairdresser.
In reality, the equivalent would be my stylist flying out to colour and cut my hair for free, all at her own expenseâŚwould be nice though
looking for the honey listing flower 
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