It looks like THS allows sitters to book… consecutive sits?
Background: Last month, my sitter had a hard time pilling my cat - the cat hid from her to avoid being pilled. I find my cat very easy to pill, as do others who’ve cared for her, but I think sitter was nervous and maybe that made the cat uneasy.
The sitter reached out & asked, a day or two before the sit ended, if I could pill the cat on her last day, in the afternoon when I got home, rather than her pilling the cat in the morning, and I agreed, since exact 24-hour timing wasn’t crucial and I knew she was struggling with the pilling.
I also told the sitter that she could leave anytime after feeding kitties that last morning, so she was gone before I returned. I got home that afternoon and pilled the cat and all was fine.
Out of curiosity, I looked at that sitters profile a few weeks later, and noticed that she had another review after mine, and that the sit after mine started the day before I returned.
Does the THS system allow for that? It must. And that makes me wonder if my sitter maybe actually left my home a day early…
I wouldn’t necessarily assume that. I’m currently on a sit the dates of which where adjusted (happily agreed to) after the posting. The HO is new to THS, and was wary about changing them on the website. We both knew, were in fairly close contact, so it didn’t matter. I’ve adjusted days for other HO’s as well. That may be the case here.
I see I answered a slightly different point than the one you brought up — yes, I would think that the THS software would have flagged and prevented a “double booking.” Maybe a staffer will weigh in on that.
I agree with both @Edith and @JackieX. We had numerous sits where the actual sitting dates ended up being slightly different to the listed sitting dates, and honestly, we don’t care about having the owners correct it on the portal, what’s the point, really?
Also, as a couple, it has happened on a few occasions that we split up for the last few days of one sit, so that one person can end one sit, and the other person starts the new sit. This provides continuity and prevents having to book hotel nights. It also helps, should the owner’s return journey be unexpectedly delayed, so that the sitter can extend for a few hours/days.
We often overlap our sits by a day or two then split up to avoid having voids which can become expensive for us. So, in answer to your question. yes - the THS system will allow an overlapping of booking dates
Thanks, everyone, this was a single person, not a couple, and the other sit was not close enough to be doing both concurrently. But, I understand that maybe the sitter didn’t actually start the sit on the date listed - maybe they actually started a day later. Thank you.
Hi @GardenCat
Please do always reach out to membership services - support@trustedhousesitters.com if there is something that just doesn’t feel right. They will investigate this on your behalf.
Best wishes
Therese
My last sitter has just been suspended by THS for lying about concurrent sits. She was a solo sitter who claims to have slept in both houses, despite clear evidence that she did not live in my house. I spoke to the other HO who says there is no doubt that the sitter stayed in her house.
I have cats, the other HO has a dog. I would have been OK if the sitter had admitted that she stayed in the other house and just visited mine, even though that is against THS rules. However, the sitter’s dishonesty about her arrangements cause me to wonder what else was concealed. Did she comply with my cat feeding regimen, for example, or just visit to feed the cats once a day?
I assume that she did concurrent sits to amass good reviews. Big mistake…
Yeah. The truth is, unless I contact the other homeowner, I have no real way of knowing whether the Housesitter stayed at my place that last night. I am suspicious that she asked me if I would medicate my cat when I got home that afternoon, rather than the sitter doing it in the morning, as is the normal medication schedule.
And I agree that THS system should not allow for that.
I’m fairly new to THS and have currently booked 5 sits for different homeowners for my family of five and wanted to know if it’s okay to overlap pet/house sits. Basically either myself or my husband could drive or fly separately for the new sit before the old one would be over. Is this a no no or smart planning? I feel like this would be smarter than getting hotels or AirBnb’s in between but wanted to know the rules. I wasn’t even sure if this system would even allow overlapping sits.
My 2 cents:
Your concern is very valid. I wish you had clarity, because:
it is sensible that a Host knows exactly how their fur family is cared for, in every detail,
and
also that Sitter does not do anything that would violate the precious Trust we are working to uphold.
If they did leave early, they may have been new and did not know how else to handle it, and did not feel good asking; awkward. (I do not feel there is any excuse to leave without notice, or better, ASKING FIRST, for mutual respect, I am, just trying to imagine what is going on here.)
They may not have left early.
The Mystery is straining my heart + mind, mildly.
Maybe you could ask the solo sitter, and breathe more easily. You deserve to know.
Just a thought. I would breathe easier for you.
