I just had this happen.
Very well stated.
I agree. I love it when a “pet parent” is excited I’ve applied and vice versa, and I am looking forward to taking care of their pet and home…because they’re cool people and pets.
This reasoning only works if you want the sit. You don’t lose anything when you get rid of things you don’t want.
The point is: if you sit for fun and believe in equal exchange, you lose interest when you start feeling it may not be fun at all and it’s not fun for me when the other party feels the decision making is all theirs.
Why do you think that just because a host doesn’t reply within a week they feel the decision is all theirs? They could be busy, or just the type of person who doesn’t get stuff done right away or think it’s not important to reply immediately especially if their holiday is several months away.
As far as “equal exchange” goes I suspect that is rarely the case. The person who has the decision making power is always going to be the one with more options, either a host with a desirable sit who fills up the queue within an hour of listing dates, or a sitter applying to a listing where the host has only the one application and their trip is the following week.
No need to guess at motivations or intent. As long as you don’t like how X affects you, there’s no need to (further) pursue a sit or a sitter. Your standards are yours to decide. No explanation owed to anyone else.
May I remind you that you were replying to @Lovepets post?
So no need to guess other scenarios which I was not referring to.
I personally don’t match with this kind of host as I like to get this all sorted right away , hence I would also be a sitter who withdraws my application .
There are other sitters who are quite relaxed about this , maybe they have more flexibility with their schedule and time than I do or are just more laid back in their attitude. They will be a good match and I don’t feel I’ve missed an opportunity when another sitter gets this type of sit because they are better match .
It wouldn’t work for me so I rule myself out by withdrawing my application.
Similarly, it’s easy for me to move on, since sitting is optional and I’ve ended up sitting less and less out of choice. There are so many sits available and, if you don’t need to sit, why bother trying to partner with hosts you’re not compatible with, for whatever reasons?
I practice this approach even with non-THS sits. Like I’ve been asked from my personal network for sits in Europe and the U.S. and I’ve quickly cut off potential hosts who are slow to reply. To me, if their sit isn’t a priority to them, why should I care?
If the host is too busy to respond to your application or further communications how is it going to be when you are on the sit? How can you have confidence the host will respond in a timely matter if something urgent comes up? You can’t and therefore your trust in the host is diminished.
Indeed transparency on both sides is key.
Absolutely! I applied for a sit recently that I was really interested in and was the only applicant. After 3 days I contacted her to see what was happening (I was that interested), and she said she was waiting for other applications so she could have a choice. So I withdrew, as she clearly hoped for someone better than me, despite my 100+ 5 star sits. She now has no applications.
@Debbie what they don’t realise is that an “interview” is a two way process and that there are generally more sits than sitters.
@Newpetlover if a host doesn’t respond relatively quickly it shows a lack of respect for the sitter. If they placed their ad they should be prepared to select a sitter fairly quickly. To place an ad and then be too busy to respond to applicants indicates bad planning on their part.
Wow! Was she new? It still surprises me when I hear this. I have never had anyone with 100 sits apply for my listing. If I did I would snap them up!
@avidtraveler she has a couple of previous reviews but probably doesn’t realise how competitive it can be, especially over Christmas.
I totally agree with you.
One question: did tell them why you’d withdrawn?
I don’t automatically withdraw our application after a certain time, but rather let it sit till I confirm an alternative.
I always give hosts space for a family emergency or similar. Life happens. Especially if they seem genuinly apologetic and give good reasons. But then once they reach out the communication needs to run smoothly. At least till now this worked out for us.
Right before withdrawing, I always send a message along these lines: “As I have not received a response to my application, I am withdrawing it. Thank you for your time, and best wishes with your search.”
In 9 out of 10 cases, I get an apologetic message instantly… which only proves (to me) the hosts are pretty much aware of all incoming messages but, for whatever reason, choose not to respond.
Yes we did! After the offer, we explained (kindly) that they’d changed the energy of the whole conversation by turning it from what was an exchange into what felt like a job application and we were in a queue of applicants. And then wished them all the best…#truthhurts