I have had a sitter booked for several weeks now for two sits in April and May. Last night she sent a message to cancel both. I am really upset as there is little time now to find someone else. Her excuses were strange to say the least. She said she was fed up of being treated like an ‘unpaid employee’, amongst other things.
My 2 boys (dogs) are 14 and 16 and no trouble to look after. I can’t bear the thought of putting them in kennels. This holiday was postponed from 2020 and we would lose all our money if we cancelled now.
This is the first time in a few years with THS that I have been let down. Sitters, please make sure you can commit to your agreed sits as last minute cancelling is not good.
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@judif We are so sorry to hear that your sitter cancelled. I see you have relisted and already had some applications.
If I could suggest that you put up a lot more lovely photos of your home, both inside and outside. Sitters do appreciate seeing exactly where they will be staying.
I will be emailing you directly from membership services as well.
Kind regards
Therese
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And good riddance to her. What an attitude!
Most of us sit because we love animals and use the opportunity to look after them as a way to explore different regions and countries. To me, it’s a win win situation.
Don’t despair. I’m sure you will find your ideal sitter and get away on a stress free break. Good luck.
Elsie
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@judif - Please do not let the actions of one bad apple cloud your opinion of the vast majority of us sitters that would never do such a thing.
Most sitters in that situation would have done the right thing - stopped taking any more bookings and completed all sits they have already committed to.
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Thanks for your advice. I realised my personal information was a bit sparse! I have added a few photos and tried to make our location more obvious. Having said that this has never been a problem with other sitters. I was obviously unlucky choosing this one who sounded absolutely perfect!
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Hi @judif I suggest you also add a link into your forum profile, so that forum members can view your listing. Here are the instructions:
If for some reason you’d prefer not to do that, you might want to post your exact dates and location (city/country) on the forum, so that others can easily find your listing. Therese was able to view it as she has staff access.
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Was that in reaction to any communication between you? Or was she upset after a related experience for another sit?
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It was nothing I’d said. We had a very friendly WhatsApp video call and she seemed lovely. The problem seems to be more about our location. We are in central Cornwall, 20 minutes from the coast and 20 minutes to Truro. For some reason she apparently needs to be further south. I don’t really understand her reasoning. We altered our travel plans to fit in with her. We have always treated our sitters like friends and have met some lovely people.
I totally agree. I know from the new Evident checks that it has put off some sitters and some have been threatening not to renew their membership as a result, but you would expect sitters to do as you suggest if they’re disgruntled
I’m so sorry. That is awful. I could never do that and leave someone in the lurch. I’m new to sitting and I am on my first sit. I hope you get another sitter and soon.
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Thank you. Yes I really hope someone applies soon.
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I’ve had this happen a few times, though the excuses have been plausible (one person was suspect but I can’t know if my suspicions were justified). Good luck.
Hello. If you still have not confirmed a sitter, I would encourage you to at least add your exact date range and location (as shown on your listing) here, so that forum members can view your listing. Someone here may be available. Also members may give constructive feedback to help you tweak your listing. There are many ways this community can help, but being able to locate your listing is the starting point.
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Thank you Snowbird, I will have a go at doing that.
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Thank you Vicki64Vito20, It has never happened to us before, I suppose we’ve been lucky. I am checking my messages daily. Cornwall in April or May is not too bad a place to spend a few days! 
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Understandable to be upset and although this can and does happen, I think it is a risk both the home/pet owners and sitters take in using a service such as this. We (pet sitters) have had over 100 sits at this point and even in a couple dire situations… have never cancelled (although it did come at quite an extra expense to us). On the other side of things, we’ve had around 10 cancellations come from pet/home owners. All were for very good reasons, but it can really put a sitter in a bind if they have a planned itinerary (which we always do). So I guess my point is… there is a high level of trust and faith happening on both ends. The odds of having another such experience (at least any time soon) are very slim. Good luck and hopefully things all work out for you and your fur family.
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I agree it seems quite rude BUT you dont know the history that has made them react this way.
It is possible they may have had bad experiences to make them feel this way.
I love pet sitting too but each persons experience is different.
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Hi Judif,
So sorry to hear you have been let down at the last minute.
We have been sitting since 2015 and can count on one hand the number of sits we have had to cancel, mainly through illness of family members.
On the other side we have had a few homeowners canxel on us, never very nice as it means at last minute you have to look for other sits which is never easy, or if you are full time as we are, book accommodation.
Sure you will have no problems finding replacements, as the whole world seems to want to house sit at the moment!!
Yes Gina you may be right. However, being totally selfish, it has also given me a bad experience. I face having to put my elderly boys in kennels or cancelling our much needed holiday. Both options are upsetting and expensive.
We even changed our travel arrangements to fit in with this sitter.
Hi Judif,
What a huge disappointment indeed! She should have completed your sit and cancelled her membership. Period. But as an experienced TrustedHousesitter, I have to say that I have had some horrendous experiences that almost made me quit TrustedHousesitters but would never cancel at the last minute like that. It was unfortunate that she was so reactionary even if she had a terrible experience.
Best wishes,
Allison