Hi! I’m after some advice - we are eager to book in some sits but our travel plans are not set in stone and we will kind of be making it up as we go. We’ve applied for a sit and it has been approved, would it look bad for future sits and leave a bad review on our profile if we were to then change our mind and not be able to fulfill the sit?
Has anyone had an experience with this? Surely we can’t be the only ones to book a sit in quite some advance and then have to turn down closer to the time?
TIA!
If you accept a sit it’s a firm commitment. It’s up to you to manage how that fits into your schedule. The more you do this the more familiar you become with juggling sits. Imagine the stress you put HOs through agreeing to a sit then changing your mind!
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What is the reason to cancel? Have you already confirmed?
If anyone cancels after confirming from both sides without an urgent reason, I think he/ she is a
“Not-to-be Trusted Housesitter”
The House Owners are counting on you.
The same way as you would count on the House Owners not to cancel the sit without a very legimate reason.
Consider if this platform is the right place for you.
If it is just because you’re Traveling schedule is changed, or you have found a better place, you maybe better book an AirB&B or a hotel with free cancellation policy.
That gives you more freedom.
(FYI: I am a housesitter)
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Consider: How about you book a sit, spend money on airfare, plan vacation time away from work, etc., and the other party cancels on you just because they changed their minds?
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So the HO has approved your application, have you confirmed it @Anonymous ? If not, then it’s still ok to withdraw. But if you have confirmed the sit, then it’s like everyone here is saying: just changing you plans or your mind is not good enough reason to cancel. Please, think carefully, if you’re willing and able to do the sits you are applying for.
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Welcome @Anonymous
You don’t have to accept the sit that you have applied for . However If you have already accepted the sit then according to the T&Cs you can only cancel because of extraordinary circumstances not because you’ve changed you mind.
If you applied , were confirmed by the host , but you haven’t yet clicked the “accept “ button the sit will still be in the applications part of your dashboard and you can withdraw your application yourself whilst sending a message of explanation to the host.
If it’s a confirmed sit that shows in “your sits” section , you cannot cancel . You have to ask the host to cancel and they may choose to report your cancellation to member services as it’s against the T&Cs .
Going forward, if you are unsure about committing to a sit don’t click accept , and advise the hosts that you haven’t made firm plans yet (or that you are awaiting some information about flights etc )
They may choose to go with another sitter who is ready to commit or if they really like your profile they may be willing to wait a few days for you to firm up your plans.
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You need to plan your travel arrangements around the sit if you have accepted. This is a firm commitment so both sides can make their plans. It’s not a holiday company where you can just change on a whim. Please don’t accept anything you know you are not going to do. It will cause a lot of upset and distress to the pet owners
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As lots of other members have said @Anonymous once you accept a sit on the THS site and system then you are committed to doing it. We’ve just done 7 months around SE Asia through 6 countries and were on sits for 5 months of the 7. We built our Asia itinerary around the sits and travelled in gaps. If you want to make house sitting part of your adventures then it has to take priority once you’ve said “yes”! Owners will book flights and holidays around you at considerable expense. If that doesn’t sound right for you then wait until you’re on your travels and then post on local FB sites and see if you get any takers that way.
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Canceling close to the time is just not done, unless it is really impossible for you to keep your commitment.
If it is still quite some time in advance and if your circumstances have changed you could of course contact the HO and explain the problem you have on your side. It might be quite easy for them to list the dates again and find a different sitter.
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If the sit is cancelled (assuming you have actually accepted it) I don’t think there will be any review but be aware that sitters can’t just cancel - it has to be done via the owner or in certain circumstances through THS membership. However this site isn’t designed for people to change their plans once a commitment has been made. Imagine if the HO messaged a sitter a few weeks before a sit saying they’d changed their mind? That sitter would be right to feel very aggrieved as would owners in the situation you describe. Don’t commit to sits if you think there is a chance you won’t be able to fulfil them is, I think, the best way to approach this to help maintain the integrity of the THS experience.
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Thanks everyone!
We haven’t cancelled any sits and have only applied for ones we can do- just wanted to know for future applications!
I commended you at @Anonymous for checking in with the forum for feedback.
That’s a sign of someone who wants to be true to the spirit of THS.
Keep posting. The forum is a helpful resource!
And read up on the many links THS has on the process like @Silversitters provided. They help you know what is expected on behalf of the HO & the THsitter.
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The HO could report you if your reason is “changed my mind.” Sits are only supposed to be cancelled by either party due to an extraordinary reason. If you are reported, you probably won’t be booted off the site if you give some reason, but you’re account may be watched. This could potentially happen without your knowing you were reported. THS has been way to slow to deal with cancellations so there is a good chance you won’t face consequences immediately. Basically, it’s a really not a nice thing to do to a HO.
That said if the sit is more than a month away, there’s probably a good chance they’d find someone else. If it’s less than 14 days, and they have Premium they might be able to get a paid sitter if they don’t find anyone, but this would definitely mean THS would know about the cancellation.
If you are trying to build up a reputation on the site and get great sits in great locations, then you really should just take the sit and do the best job you can for a great review. If you feel that the sit is too challenging for you and you could damage a house or hurt a pet through improper care, plase cancel and don’t commit to anything in the future that is outside of your comfort zone. A confirmation is a commitment. Someone who breaks their commitments is not trustworthy.
We’re sitters. THS is about being committed to what you say. You’d never get another sit based on what you are saying, and THS could kick you out for breach of their T&C’s. If you can’t commit to the dates then don’t apply, wait until you are firm on your own dates before applying for anything. And don’t be so eager, there are plenty of good last minute sits too. I think you are getting too excited about pretty house pictures, locations, and cute pets, calm down, they will be plenty of pick from when you know what dates you need.