I don’t know if this has its own thread yet.
We have had 2 experiences where we apply for a sit but instead of a reply and a conversation or an appointment for a live chat (video or voice), we are simply approved for the sit!
This was shocking to us.
I feel as if some HO’s do not understand that we are not just expecting to be interviewed, but want to interview then as well!
There are precious few posts that answer ALL the questions a sitter may have and since we CANNOT ask questions without first applying (an issue I dislike about THS - I feel strongly we should be able to send a note BEFORE applying especially since the limit is 5 now!!).
Have others had this experience? In one case we declined and the HO’s were offended.
“why did you apply if you weren’t going to accept?”
This is so odd to me. We are coming to LIVE in your home, sleep in your beds, care for your animals…we should at LEAST have a conversation “do you have any questions” - I can’t imagine anyone not having SOME kind of quetions!
Somewhere I wish it was more obvious that sitters would like to interview owners as well!
@carpediem16 yes we have had the same thing happen where we have been accepted straight away. We just write back and ask if we can set up a video call, FaceTime or simply a telephone call if they dislike a video call. This has never been refused so far and as you say it is good for the sitters to ask questions and see if they are the right fit as well as for the homeowners.
I’ve also had this happen just once and quite honestly - I was delighted! I did email the homeowner immediately and asked to have a phone chat. Everything worked out great on the sit. I personally really like homeowners that make quick decisions and are so trusting
The few times it has happened to me, it seems like it usually occurs with a brand new homeowner on THS. I wonder if they think that’s the order in which things should be done – confirm and then talk. I get back to them and explain that it’s best for both sides to have a conversation before officially confirming and that has never been refused. It may be part of the learning curve for a new homeowner.
Its happened a few times for us too. Sometimes the host wants to secure you quickly (before you get snapped up elsewhere!) and chat later when they have more time. If the review/feedback history is good and the sit is one we really want we go ahead and confirm and have the chat later. If we have questions that would determine if the sit is really for us we say we’d like a chat first before confirming officially. @carpediem16 I’m not surprised the hosts were confused when you declined! They obviously thought you were a good match! Next time you could just say you like to meet over a call first. No need to panic if someone chooses you instantly-take it as a compliment! No one should avoid a call if requested and if they do then I’d be suspicious & probably withdraw! Sometime we ‘apply’ saying this is not a proper application yet- we have some questions first and based on your answers we might well apply formally! At the same time we also invite them to check out our profile and reviews. Sometimes that leads to answered Qs and an invitation to sit and saves on the construction of a lengthy application! We still usually have a chat too but not always. We’ve done a few short sits, mostly weekends, where we’ve not even had a chat but all worked out fine. For a longer sit I think a chat or a video call is good idea. Having said all that we flew long haul to a long international sit last year after a great video call where we all felt very comfortable together. Unfortunately the reality, on meeting, was very different. It turned into a disaster sit and we had to extricate ourselves a few weeks early. All very stressful. At the end of the day you have to trust your gut!
It’s happened to us twice. Both times the pet owner pressed the wrong button (first time users). We got it all sorted out with a video call, lots of questions and a laugh at the mistakes we all have made at the beginning of our journeys.
I think it’s first time nerves or excitement at reading such a fantastic profile. I’m living in hope it’s the latter.
It has happened to me a few times and I never accepted. I tried to arrange a call but when people weren’t available or didn’t respond, I declined the sit.
We did ask for a time to chat and they did reply in written form and answered a couple of questions but took a few days to reply each time we communicated - My last question had been asking them to confirm it was a non smoking house and 5 days later still no reply…this made us uncomfortable because we wanted to find a sit that was a good match sooner than later. We then declined and received a very unhappy message from them afterwards.
Wow. We have not had a disaster yet - and am bracing myself for the possibility one day. I can’t imagine having to leave a sit - were there no reviews left after that one? How did you resolve that?
Really hard to understand this…
If I don’t get any real communication from HO I’d definitely not sit for them, no matter how much I might like the idea of the pets or the location.
You did the right thing to decline. Effective communication is essential. If its already like that before the sit even starts its not a good sign! Its their loss and perhaps they’ll learn by that experience!
Re- our situation. It was a long sit booked from overseas. I.e we flew in especially. So we most definitely did not drop out on a whim! I can’t go into too many details or this post will get ‘moderated’! Short version is- communication broke down almost from the start- many stressful events occured. We did our absolute best to manage the situation and stuck it out as long as we could- for the animals- all gorgeous & innocent- but eventually we had to get THS to mediate. When it finally got too much we gave 2 weeks notice & even offered to do a handover to new sitters. (Which they did not take us up on) We left after 6 weeks and agreed no reviews either way as we did not want our profile damaged. We’d have happily written a killer feedback for them to warn others but they were mean people and it would have backfired spectacularly. Unfortunately we know they’ve had sitters for 2 more long sits since ours and there were no reviews/feedback either way so it looks like history may have repeated itself… These hosts should have been kicked off the site… but THS did not take it further…
I completely understand where you’re coming from on this. I remember when I was still fairly new to this, I applied for a last minute sit and was accepted by the owner within twenty minutes. I saw a fair number of positive reviews on their profile so I felt fairly confident that all would be ok. It was during the Skype chat after the sit confirmation that all my alarm bells went off but I was already locked in with flights booked etc for the following day. I had to just make the best of it. For me now, it’s absolutely imperative to have that initial chat just to assess if we’re mutually a good fit. You are right in that the initial interview really needs to be a two way process.
Interesting - We are looking for pet/home sitters and have had the opposite issue. We have had 2 separate people apply and when I ask a few questions back (such as what about our ad appealed to you and do you need transportation - as we have a car available), neither have replied. Both read the questions almost immediately and a week later, crickets. I would never approve a pet sitter without speaking to them first.
@REH14 Likewise- as a sitter I would not accept a sit I’ve applied for without at least a message exchange, though its usually a phone/videocall. Occasionally, after applying, we do get an immediate request to sit - without a message-which is actually a turn off as it feels too transactional. As if the host is only interested in securing our ‘services’ without any personal interest in us as people. In such cases we would always request further contact before proceeding.
Personally I would welcome your show of interest.
