Hello,
I posted dates for the Christmas break over a month ago and got a lot of interest. I accepted a sitter however, they then cancelled on me a few days ago. I re-opened my dates and ‘boosted’ the listing but I am getting very little interest this time around. This very unusual for me. I live in a popular location, always have more applicants than I know what to do with and have lots of people who have saved my listing!
I’m not sure how the THS algorithm works… do sitters only get notified the first time a sit is listed? Should I cancel my listing entirely and start fresh?
I only seem to get a notification when a face posts new dates, not when they make some other edit. Consider deleting your dates and reposting.
There are a lot of posts recently about not finding sitters for Christmas. I’m very sorry yours cancelled, I hope they had a good reason! Best of luck.
The OP wants to have users see their existing dates — not new ones. If you had them favorited previously and saw them post those dates already, you wouldn’t want to see them posted and flagged again. I mention this to avoid various folks needlessly deleting and reposting the same sit dates.
Welcome @HilaryAnn and firstly if the cancellation wasn’t for a valid reason report it to Membership Services so they can monitor the sitter to see if it is a trend.
I am not sure where you are based but in the UK alone there are 688 listings accepting applications for the Christmas period.
You mentioned your listing is usually popular so perhaps take the opportunity to check the listing. Update any photos and list any events happening in your area during that period.
The heading and first image will grab the attention of a sitter.
I have sat every Xmas/New Year for the last ten years but not this year. It is certainly a great opportunity for all those new sitters out there to get their first experience and review.
This is very frustrating, I’m sorry you’re experiencing this right before your holiday, especially if you don’t have a Plan B. We can’t always rely on THS to find a sitter/HO or that the situation will work out in the way we expect it to.
I hope you find a sitter, and I’m sure you will, even if it’s last minute. It might be that a lot of people have already made xmas plans.
Something to consider in the future:
I see THS as one option, and expect both sitter and HO to have a Plan B in place, just in case.
I don’t accept a sit unless the HO have confirmed they have a Plan B, because anything can happen including accidents and emergencies during the sit.
A Plan B might be friends, family or neighbours who could do animal care, or a paid sitting service.
IF you have THS insurance, this would help cover the cost of the paid sitting when cancelation is last minute.
As a sitter I always have a Plan B in case the HO cancels. I use the site for holiday accommodation, so my dates & destination happen whether I book accomm on THS or not — I always have my eye on an alternative accomm on airnb or booking(dot)com.
There’s a chance either party can cancel, so both need a solid Plan B in place.
Sending you lots of luck for your Xmas sit,
Stephanie
@HilaryAnn I’m sorry to hear your sitter cancelled with short notice- that’s stressful. What I would do first, in your shoes, is to first contact all your previous applicants to see if any are still available. Their interest/availability for you might depend on whether you made personal contact with them at the time of declining them/choosing your first sitter. If a host had sent me a polite decline beforehand and I was still available I might well be interested. If I had only received the auto decline from THS chances are I’d just feel like 2nd best and not be interested! Unless it was a spectacular sit- then I might be more amenable!!
Next- do not assume that any sitter who’s favourited you will receive notification if you relist. So don’t wait for them- be proactive and send an invitation, with a personal message, to any/all who favourited you. But do also check their calender first otherwise its a waste of time.
Today we received an invitation for 3 weeks over Christmas but we are fully booked till mid Feb! The host obviously didn’t check our calender and they didn’t bother with a private message either. Not cool. But I’m always polite and reply to every invitation.
Anyway…!
Good luck! I hope you find your ideal sitters xx
@HilaryAnn , You’ve received good advice from @Lokstar . If you make an edit to your listing, such as one suggested by @Twitcher , it will move your listing to the front of the search results. And/or if you remove and repost your listing, it should trigger notifications to all of the sitters who have favorited your listing.
I also suggest adding your listing to your forum profile: How to add your listing or profile to your forum profile By doing this, you’ll reach forum readers who may be interested in applying and you’ll be able to receive helpful feedback on the listing itself.
