Conclusion Of Pausing Application Test - Updated Post

THS News & Feedback
1097

Of course there is always a workaround! I can be the fastest to pull the trigger on “apply” but I’d rather be able to read a whole positing, navigate away to a map, check transit links, look at where the dates fall in the week, etc. before I have to do that.

But if I can’t toggle between a few open sits (because they disappear so quickly, or are being reposted again by savvy owners) without worrying they’ll immediately close, then I have to take up a valuable slot to “hold” my position without doing due diligence. This wastes everyone’s time and is unfair to other sitters who may be interested in the same region or dates. I want to provide the best care I can for the animals, not spend my time competing with other sitters to be the first through the gate.

Plus, now I can’t even see the dates of sits I’ve already applied to any more without going into my inbox and opening up the message thread. So now I have to have 4-6 windows open to compare 2 sits on my laptop – forget about mobile! Or more than that!

Other people may not have this issue, but I’m finding it a real challenge. I have some flexibility with dates and regions, but others may have more limitations on their time.

9 Likes
1098

Hi @Crookie - my sentiments exactly.
The cap is described by THS as a ‘benefit’ for members. Quite how limiting choice for hosts and sitters can be of benefit is beyond me.
Well the cap is a done deal so the sooner an email is sent to all members explaining their new ‘benefit’ the better for all concerned.
The other 90% of members who don’t avail themselves of the forum are paying members and are entitled to know about this important change.

6 Likes
1099

I was thinking about what you said here and remembering back to where Ben mentioned one of the reasons that they’ve implemented this new policy is because a small group of sitters do a large number of the sits.

Last week he said:

2 Likes
1100

This is a great idea and makes it smoother for sitters. I sit mainly in London, applying for very popular sits, where 1 good sit had at least 15 applicants , and by end of the day owners didnt decide for anyone. So it was extremely time consuming to apply, many good sitters got fed up, and this new thing is fair to anyone. The sitters doing a free help after all and writing applications takes effort and should be taken seriously.

1 Like
1101

Your subscribers have been very annoyed and upset by this experiment. Not sure if you can read their grievances here: Pet + House Sitting, Travel and Digital Nomads | Facebook

I myself do NOT welcome this change at all. I am not able to apply for any popular sits because they stop accepting applications in two hours or less after they are listed.

Nobody is able to check the THS app 24/7 and what about users in other time zones?

At least set the maximum to 10. Five is an absurdly low limit.

5 Likes
1102

Weird lack of information for potential new members

As both an owner and a sitter i think about subscribing, so i went on THS web site and clicked on the link « how do I search for a sitter” which explained the process :

(…) you would want to register under our Owner Membership - there is an annual subscription and this gives you unlimited access to the site meaning you can post as many dates as you like to look for a sitter.

(…) Once you have joined the community, you can start your search for your perfect sitter:

1.) The first step is creating your home listing. (…)

2.) Then once your listing has been approved by us, it will go live on the site for sitters to start applying directly to you via your inbox on the site.

3.) You can then get to know different sitters via phone/video call to find out if it is the right fit for you both.

NO INFORMATION IS GIVEN AT THIS STEP about the amount of applications an owner may receive

I’m curious so I wanted to know more, i clicked on a second link

2. Alternatively you can use the ‘Find A House Sitter’ tool on your Dashboard, to filter and search for sitters that match your requirements, and reach out to them directly!

All communication is done via your online inbox on the site, for your convenience.

Has this resolved your problem? »

NOWHERE any indication is given on the 5 applicants limit and the pause system

I’ve looked at the forum, as I was invited to by THS, and discovered the new rules (pausing system)

I found in another section on the web site the explanation about the pausing system, but it’s not indicated at all for new owners who would like to subscribe ! Why ?

Last but not least, 3 days ago I had seen more than 1000 posts on thiss thread, to day they are "only "979, so more than 30 have been deleted ? By whom ??

4 Likes
1103

Good points. Also, the THS landing page is misleading: “Sit as often as you like, wherever you like.” Umm - not really.

2 Likes
1104

I consider this absurd, drastic and mandatory change a violation of the terms and conditions that we signed up for when we paid for the membership. We should be entitled for an immediate refund as we didn’t consent to the changes made to the original T&C.

5 Likes
1105

Great points - never considered new members.
So that is all new members and 90% of existing members are unaware of this change.
THS continually state COMMUNICATION is the key to successful housesits. Perhaps they should apply it to their website.
The change is apparently to help new sitters but we all had to start somewhere. We are not all after the same sits, what appeals to one person would be someone else’s nightmare. There is something for everybody if we all have choice.

8 Likes
1106

I too noticed the posts had apparently reduced. Perhaps they are trying to keep it below 1000.

1 Like
1107

it’s one of the thread which had got an extraordinary amount of replies, in a very short time.
2 friends of mine had suggested I could join THS, I went on the forum first and obviously they dont ( or don’t anymore) participate : none of them has been informed they were limited in their search of sitters.
One told me this is why I received a weird application telling me “full application will follow later on” but none has folllowed.

1 Like
1108

I have no objection to a company trying to increase profitability and agree fulltime and more frequent sitters have built their reputation taking different levels of sits.
This change has not been communicated to their customer base and is deliberately under the wire. I think we can conclude based on this forum that a big percentage of the uninformed members would be upset by this change in their terms and conditions.
We can work around it but not if we are prevented from even seeing the sit because of time zone issues. This can’t be discounted, it is a major problem for many of us.
This will not be the only change we see this is just the beginning .

4 Likes
1109

Your conclusion makes no sense. As I previously said, there is a type of person who joins forums. We do not know how the 90%+ are reacting to this change. We don’t even know if it has filtered through to the majority. I’m on the site everyday as a full time sitter. I am aware of people only use it once or twice a year. It really depends on how you use the site whether this change will have a huge impact on you.

This is not the first major change in THS to increase profits. They have already implemented the tiered membership for both pet owners and sitters. There were as many against that but it is still a part of the company.
In the words of my beloved late grandmother “suck it up buttercup”

1 Like
1110

The posts were 1001 before the weekend shutdown. When it reopened, there were 953

1 Like
1111

Totally agree with this. Some people are impacted a lot, others not at all. For us, if we stick with the UK as we’ve done in the past 4 years, I don’t think we will have any trouble finding sits. But if we focus on France and Italy in 2023 as we had planned, we will be impacted.

1 Like
1112

@expat I too noticed the posts had apparently reduced. Perhaps they are trying to keep it below 1000.

I wonder if someone leaves the forum, do their posts disappear? I have noticed that some people have posted multiple comments in this thread - 10,20, 30 and even 60+ comments in one case - so that could explain the reduction

1113

Harder but not impossible. We are trying to acquire sits in South America for the winter. You can imagine how popular these sits are. I used my
“hi I’m ****, I really want to apply for your sit but can’t at the moment. I’ll write out my proper application in about an hour. “ I did all my research, decided to apply, had a video call yesterday and we are going to Costa Rica for four weeks. Yes, I’d rather do it slowly with think and discussion time but things have to adapt with changes. We have lost the ability to apply to some because of this change but my philosophy is it wasn’t meant to be.
Good luck. Italy is a fantastic country. The food is to die for and the ice cream??? Don’t miss out Sissily.

3 Likes
1114

Yep, that’s our plan. However, so far, we missed the five that have been posted because they come up overnight and when I click on the notification, they are already reviewing applications. I’m taking a screenshot of every one so I can keep track. I’d love the opportunity to even apply for one tbh.

2 Likes
1115

Ones just come up in Luca, Italy. Hurry, hurry,hurry

1 Like
1116

@Kelownagurl I just joined a House Sit Italy FB page. My membership is pending approval, but it might be worth a look for you.

1 Like