Cancellation by sitters

Owner Questions, Advice & Chat
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It is not possible for a sitter to cancel a sit that has not yet been confirmed.

It seems that both these sitters did some due diligence then decided, before confirming, that the sit was not a good fit for them which is entirely the correct thing to do.

Unfortunately, since the new 5 maximum application rule came out sitters now have to check fine details after applying. If they take their time checking for the price of flights etc before applying ( as we used to do) they will probably not get the chance to apply anyway.

In your example, I would be annoyed at THS, not the sitters

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23

This topic is beginning to change direction from cancellation to pausing. We will be moving those topics from now one

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I am finding it is an issue everywhere, with every job, every walk of life, especially in the younger generation. People taking jobs, then quitting after 2 weeks, or after orientation, or changing their mind and thinking nothing of commitment. It would seem there are more and more jobs available, everybody is “hiring” and possibly more people looking for sitters, so I believe these type folks think the next opportunity is right around the corner anyway so why commit long term? Not sure how to resolve, other than to expect and prepare for the possibility?

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25

I’ve found it even applies to friendships! We moved to a new state 2 years ago, and I’ve had the hardest time making new friends because people are such flakes! Someone cancelled a meet-up at a coffee shop because it was RAINING, for Pete’s sake! And of course, no mention of rescheduling. I just don’t have it in me to beg people to be my friends or to chase people around and get them to commit to a simple coffee, so I only have three local friends. Ugh. I call it the TikTokification of society; everyone has the attention span of a gnat these days.

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26

2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Conclusion Of Pausing Application Test - Updated Post

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4 posts were merged into an existing topic: Conclusion Of Pausing Application Test - Updated Post

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I doubt that my contribution here will be in any way welcomed, but by moving posts to the pausing thread, it’s made the conversation quite difficult to follow. I can see some posts that have been moved, but because they’re now missing their context, it’s rather tricky to understand what the issues are.

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29

Ok I have a better understanding of “cancellation”. I put the link to our THS sit. Welcome constructive criticism.

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30

@FJLOVER - Your link has not quite worked - @Therese may be able to help you

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@Colin Thank you for noticing that. Therese is currently offline, so I have updated the link for @FJLOVER any issues please let me know.
All the best Carla

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32

I have had a lot of home owners reach out to me this year due to cancellations from confirmed sitters. One couple also had four cancellations. We had one cancel on us but she was ill and offered to still come if we couldn’t find anyone. I knew I wouldn’t have a problem so didn’t fret about it.

My partner had a family emergency in the states while we were pet sitting in Europe. I gave the home owners of our next sit the opportunity to find another couple since it was a lot of animals and a home off the grid requiring more labor. We had sat for them previously so I knew the amount of work involved. They were nervous but wanted me to still come solo.

Once my partners family member stabilized, he flew back to Europe to do the sit with me. It was very expensive for us but we honor our commitments even when it costs us a lot to do it. Our first sit with them was also costly because of a canceled flight. We ended up having to pay for two Ryan Air connecting flights and a night in a hotel. Trust me, I wanted to cancel when it cost us more to work hard than just stay in Barcelona in our hotel for five more days. However, it was not an option to cancel.

Life does happen and we understand sometimes cancellations on either side can’t be avoided. We purchased the premium membership for this reason.

I admit since the 5 application limit, I have jumped to apply for sits I normally would check airfares, etc… I had two owners respond quickly wanting to set up virtual meets. I scheduled the meets before having an opportunity to do thorough research. I did end up telling the owners I was not interested. I felt bad but this new system forces the quick applications.

I applied to one the other day without even reading the listing because it was in a very popular city and I knew it would be gone quickly. I knew this was a great opportunity just from the caption. I wrote a quick and not up to my standard cover letter. I do not cut and paste. I write an individualized cover letter for every pet sit.

I really feel the 5 person cap is a disservice to both sides. As a home owner, my best applications always came much later in the process. As a pet sitter, I don’t feel I have time to write a thoughtful and personalized cover letter let alone check on flights etc…
We are pretty much just doing repeat pet sits now because I can’t live on my app.

We had an amazing pet sit in Paris in Oct. They had 60 applications in an hour. I wasn’t close to responding at the front of the pack. We were the best fit and today these pet owners would never see our profile based on the new system. I do not know the reason for the change but I hope THS is planning on a survey or some way to measure customer satisfaction.

I would not join today based on the new system. I use to enjoy reading through pet sits and applied for many because something was appealing about them not because it was someplace on my travel wish list. Now by the time I see a notification from my saved search, the home owners are typically already reviewing the 5 applications.

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33

Yes a lot less pleasure and a lot more stress trying to find the perfect match.

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34

Let’s all please try to stay on topic of the original post.

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Thank you for that. Has anyone looked at it and are things we could be doing differently? I worked on it some yesterday trying to make it more attractive.

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  1. Myers-Briggs has repeatedly been debunked as junk psychology with no scientific basis, so why use it?
  1. whatever the sitter’s combination of letters, how does this affect their ability to do pet-sits?

Sounds a bit discriminatory.

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38

Do I like the look of this pet sit? Is the house clean?
Does this sitter seem kind enough? Did they write anything weird in their application?

Myers Briggs aside, we’re all discriminating based on our personal criteria. :blush:

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39

@FJLOVER I had a look at your listing and the photos are great showing each room the sitter will be using clearly. Along with a detailed and informative write-up. I might add the type of car available and if it is automatic or stick (just so please know if they are comfortable driving it) I would also add how long Jazz can be left - for example, if people need to go shopping or pop out for dinner.
You also have some great previous sitter feedback.
I hope that you get some more applications soon.
Best wishes to you and Jazz. Carla

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40

I was FJLover’s last year’s sitter along with my husband. This was a great sit! Jazz is so intelligent she almost reads minds. She is loving and cuddly and wants to do her best to follow your wishes. The one long run was around beautiful cranberry bogs with no other dogs around. She knows the way and the walk is flat with clear paths along red cranberry beds with trees and birds and ponds. The house is warm, comfortable, and lived-in, and the HO’s have thought of everything to make it a pleasurable sit. We took Jazz to beaches and towns on Cape Cod, in New Bedford, and the town of Plymouth. She is so well-behaved that she’s great company wherever we took her. I know that this forum has only a fraction of the sitters on THS, but I wanted to put in a word for this sit because the HOs and Jazz deserve a great sitter.

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41

Thank you so much for those words of praise! Jazz thanks you too

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42

good thoughts! I will implement those changes. Question? Since I have had 5 applicants and none worked out, will I continue to receive new ones? I’m hoping that I’m not cut off at 5 unsuccessful :grimacing:

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