You’re not obligated at all, and in this case I think I might actually prefer not recieving a respond
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As a sitter, I don’t expect a long explanation, but I do really appreciate at least a short personal note rather than the THS auto-decline. If I’ve taken the time to read your listing, learn about your pets and their routine, and write a thoughtful application, an impersonal decline makes me feel like my effort wasn’t valued and I’d be unlikely to apply to that listing again.
Also, things happen — sitters cancel sometimes. Homeowners who keep a good rapport with their declined applicants usually have a much easier time finding a backup. We’ve had homeowners come back to us regretful they hadn’t picked us initially and try to invite us for a last minute sit, but by then we were fully booked.
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We send a message to every applicant when we wish to be courteous. That has so far been all of them. How many applicants do you sort through a year that has you wondering if you need to bother? It seems like a trivial investment to me.
As a host, I can’t see what the auto-decline message looks like and, for that reason alone, we prefer sending a personal message. It’s not hard. We have a document with every variation of thanks-but-no-thanks notes we’ve used in the past. Writing a short note is usually a copy and paste job. And there’s rarely more than 4 applicants to decline. Usually fewer. And we send them immediately after formally inviting an applicant which usually means they get our note before the auto-decline message. Thank you notes for declined applicants is a tiny portion of the effort we invest in finding and booking a sitter.
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I receive many invitations to sit from HOs. When declining, I include a brief message to set a tone of appreciation before clicking the decline button.
The exception was the third invite from an HO who uses the invitation to list her demands and explain how she will use the review system for any violations. After politely declining the first two, I just clicked the decline button for #3.
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Would this sit happen to be in South Carolina?
That happened to me too. Stuff happens. Members on both sides of the equation should give each other some grace.
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I respond to every applicant even if just to say “Thanks for your interest in my sit but I’ll be choosing another sitter this time. Safe travels to you!” …then I archive the conversation and decline the application.
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Absolutely this.
You need to ask yourself how you would feel if the shoe was on the other foot. You read a sitter’s profile and you really liked the sound of them as they looked to be a good fit to take care of your pets and home, you wrote a detailed and thoughtful private invitation to the sitter and you merely received a “declined” in reply, with no message.
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Not obligated but, as there is a maximum of only 5, why wouldn’t you?
It’s nice to be nice.
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As a sitter I agree with you that you don’t have to respond to every applicant. It gives a clear message to that person that they are not a fit and they can move on. A PP just commented here that they answer everyone and say, thanks for applying but we have chosen someone else this time. That message sounds confusing. Now the sitter has to become a mind reader. Does this time mean that I should apply again next time? I appreciate clear messages not BS messages. The only problem I see to not answering is that TH takes a long time to automatically send their messages that the sitter was not chosen. That is why some sitters withdraw their applications if they don’t hear from the PP in a timely manner. I would rather the PP decline immediately. I also agree that sometimes there is more than one applicant you are interested and yes you let that other person know that and to apply again in the future. The sitter that abused you is very immature and sounds like she has no experience in the business world. Boomers like myself were out in the world and learned how to communicate with people and to navigate . Some younger people have only worked online and behind a computer. Different perspective on how you now see things IMHO.
@TracyH I’ve got a perspective as to how to look at this. I am a sitter and agree fully with the people who suggested that while not required, it is a common courtesy to at least acknowledge the fact that an applicant has spent the time to apply. While the person applying was a complete jerk to you, it appears that they actually did you a favor, although went about it in an inappropriate way.
In a prior life when I was in the restaurant business, I used to teach the restaurant managers that the customer that complains is doing you a favor. Without them informing you of an issue, you may never know of it and not be able to change or correct it. Those who don’t complain simply don’t come back. Although they were snarky, they informed you of an issue you weren’t aware of, you brought the issue to the forum, many people gave you feedback, and you seemingly took it under advisement and are changing how you approach the subject.
If there is a specific reason you feel an applicant wouldn’t fit, let them know and they should know not to apply again. If they seemed a good fit but you simply went with another sitter, let them know that you would be open to them in the future. I’ve actually had a couple times where it worked out that I wasn’t the first choice but later the first choice bailed and they contacted me. Had I simply gotten the automated rejection, I wouldn’t have responded to them.
Dan
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There really isn’t a “maximum” of five. If you have a desirable listing either due to location or amenities or types of pets then you can likely get more than 5 interested sitters, and you can decline as many people as you want and just open up the listing by unpausing. Often there may be lots of unsuitable sitters who didn’t read the listing applying for such sits. Again, not saying not to reply, but sitters – especially new ones who aren’t reading this forum – need to read listings before they apply.
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If they said your communication was terrible, then it probably was. Learn from this.
But to be fair, if they wanted to bring their dog along, then their own reading and comprehension skills were equally rogue.
I have more than once replied to a HO who has not acknowledged my application after 3 or 4 days, let them know this was inexcusable, then withdrawn my offer. It’s the only way they will learn not to take sitters for granted.
“Today I received……”
“for A sit earlier this month….”
So how long did you keep them hanging on? 2 weeks? 3 weeks?
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I think it’s polite to reply, as they have put effort into applying. I also wouldnt sit for someone if they hadn’t replied to me previous. I wouldn’t send a message saying so though, I’d just be pleased I wasn’t accepted. If a host can’t reply to all applicants they are certainly not a fit for me.
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I’m confused; I thought THS paused applications once you had 5 or so. As a HO I have so far paused it at 4 (I’m a relative newbie), and briefly replied to every applicant, firstly to tell them I’m talking to someone else but will let them know (and the timescale), and then to tell them when we’ve selected someone else.
I don’t understand people who don’t acknowledge applications, or ghost applicants after starting to interact with them - whether for jobs or for THS sits. If you get so many, pause them before it become a burden, but really it takes only a few minutes to exercise some common courtesy.
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From what everyone has shared here, I agree that it’s polite to send a quick note thanking a sitter for their interest, letting them know you’ve chosen someone else, and wishing them all the best.
Recently, I posted a sit that quickly received five applications. I didn’t have time to review them all that same day, so I sent each sitter a message explaining that I’d go through the applications the following day and get back to them — but also understood if they accepted another sit in the meantime. I felt it was important to at least acknowledge and thank them, especially since each had written detailed, thoughtful messages and clearly taken the time to look through my listing.
I did have an unusual experience recently where, after declining an application (and sending a message first to explain why), the sitter replied with several messages trying to convince me to reconsider. I found this a bit unsettling and would love to hear what others think.
The reason I declined was due to some concerning reviews. One, in particular, stood out: the host had been very clear that their cat was strictly indoors, but the sitter allowed the cat outside. In their reply to the review, the sitter explained that they “communicate with animals” and felt the cat was unhappy indoors, so they let it out. This was a huge red flag for me, as I would be absolutely devastated if my indoor kittens were allowed outside and something happened — whether they went missing, ran into the street, or were hurt by another animal.
Thanks all for your responses. From now on, I will send a note, even if it’s brief to thank them for applying, to all applicants.
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All you have to say is (if you reply, which you’re not obligated to), thanks, but we’re going with a sitter who’s a better fit. And then ignore any other pleading or argumentative replies. And if they cross the line, report them to THS (say if they become aggressive or rude).
These kind of people — who try to argue, plead, etc., — are why for example many companies no longer reply to job candidates with explanations of why they weren’t hired. Normal people would just appreciate feedback and potentially use it, but there are freaks and others who cross lines.
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It was a rude response, but yes you should give a brief reply to those who took the time to apply. It’s not required but it is courteous.
Also it may help to pause your listing if you have a top 2 identified. Another help would be to put any showstoppers right in your listing, e.g. ‘we can’t accommodate sitters travelling with their own pets’. Then if you do get an applicant with dogs just decline and refer them to your original listing.
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Ugh, I can’t believe the sitter thought letting an indoor cat outside was okay! Did you actually tell them that was your reason for declining? If not, you could be really clear that you found that unacceptable, then maybe they could learn from it. If you already mentioned it I’d just block them and move on. Some people will never listen to reason and aren’t worth your time.
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