I have an upcoming sit starting in 2 weeks . I had lots of applicants and finally made a decision for a sitter . The problem is that since I have confirmed the sit 3 weeks ago, communication with them has been very scarce. I still don’t know their travel plans.
I have sent them a WhatsApp message on Saturday and they still haven’t read it… it makes me fear the worst in terms of communication during the actual sit , especially as it’s my first time on THS and my cat being very old, I would like regular updates. I have sort of bad impression/ feeling about this sitter now and would like to maybe unconfirm and go back to sitters who were interested and with whom I also had video calls , but am I even allowed to do that ? What course of action would you recommend ? Thanks for reading !
Technically, you should only cancel in case of emergency, but I understand your concern. Since tech is not always reliable (and in case you need “evidence” for your cancellation), I’d send a message via the THS platform and WhatApp saying you’d like to confirm details and that if you don’t hear back within 24hrs you’ll have to cancel. You should also try calling them. They may have a good reason for not getting back to you, like not getting your message, or maybe they’ve got something else going on. It’s fair to give them the opportunity to respond before cancelling, but don’t leave it open ended. You can also ask Member Services to reach out if the sitter just doesn’t respond. Please let us know what happens.
As @Shafofo has suggested contact member services since they have alternate contact numbers/ e-mails to contact sitters .
If the sitter still doesn’t respond after member services contact them then you have a record with THS that you tried to contact them will no response and therefore a valid reason why you are cancelling/ un-confirming the sit . Then it won’t count against you for cancelling the sit.
Just a thought, but have the definitely got whatsapp? Also, have you taken into account any time difference between where they currently are and where you are.
I presume by that they are coming from farther away or overseas, so I would try ringing them to clarify things.
What communication were you expecting and what had you discussed with them? Once I have accepted a sit there really isn’t anything more I need to discuss with the owner unless something has been agreed such as that I will tell them what flight I’m on or what time I am arriving if I haven’t already told them.
Had you discussed getting their travel plans when you spoke to them before offering them the sit? If not they may not be expecting any communication and not looking out for messages.
I have sent them a WhatsApp message on Saturday and they still haven’t read it
If they haven’t read it then that would be a good reason why they have not responded. They may not be regular WhatsApp users or may have ton of messages and missed yours or may have simply done other things over the weekend not involving their phone.
Please call them the old-fashioned way.
If you want regular updates during the sit have you discussed that with them already? If so they may not be expecting that to include regular updates before the sit starts so that does not mean they are not regular communicators during the sit
Often reviews mention how often a sitter communicates during a sit. What do their reviews say?