Please consider removing the 5 application limit TH! It seems that this has caused incredible frustration and disappointment for a majority of owners and sitters. Some other important points to note are:
No survey was sent to members about the test or change.
No email was sent out to explain the new change once implemented.
If there has been a community-wide communication since this thread was started it is not very visible. @Ben-ProductManager can you pin a post to the front of the forum, or send an email out to all members, to address this problem?
I totally agree with you. I worked as an operations manager for many years. Since we worked with Unions it was imperative to communicate any changes thoroughly. First by mail and email and then finally a newsletter once the changes had been implemented. I see on TrustPilot many negative reviews already from both sitters and HO. If I can no longer get any sits I will use another platform that doesn’t have this nonsense of application limits.
we joined housecarers in 2008 and still support them. Elsewhere I have posted the other sites we are members of (I believe there is a thread of ‘other housesitting sites’.) We have been happy with all of them. As I posted elsewhere the only 2 sits we have been disappointed in over 14 years came from THS and MindMyHouse, although have also had great sits from them as well
I have been ‘testing’ the placeholder application reply. It will not take me 6-8 weeks to figure out it is flawed as an application process.
I applied for a sit 20 minutes by train from where I’ll be, and the reply came back “We are looking for someone closer”.
It would appear that they took a look and saw I was from Canada, and perhaps didn’t read the part of my message saying that I was very close already. Not their fault at all, it’s just what we have been reduced to.
So I’m off to see if there is a way to have my profile show where I am, not where I am from.
Cheers,
Ken
P.S. This post is related to the 5 app pause
We are temporarily closing this topic due to the fact that it is increasingly moving away from its main purpose which is to allow members to comment, ask questions and give constructive feedback on the Pausing Applications functionality.
If you do have any questions on this subject please do message our Membership Services Team as they will be more than happy to assist .
On 09/26 or 09/27 (can’t see the date in the post), Ben-ProductManager said about the 5 application pause test:
“We will further share this new process in our owner member newsletter later this month” so we should get a newsletter by end of today, 09/30.
He also said:
“We will also update SOME of our KEY owner and sitter emails with the new process.” (emphasis added) Since more people probably read their email than the newsletter, that’s good.
Except, that raises a couple of questions:
First, WHO are those KEY owners and sitters? Logic would say they are the sitters and owners doing the most sits but at the same time from what Ben says they are the problem.
Second, why would THS only send emails about the 5 application pause to SOME members?! It’s not like they are going to print them on paper and put them in envelopes with stamps! Send the emails to ALL members!
Admin Notice: Closure Of Conclusion Of Pausing Applications
We are permanently closing this thread and thank everyone for their feedback.
We realise that some members do have concerns and are unhappy about this change and we will continue to work on the improvements that were announced. The purpose of this change is to benefit all of our members.
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An important point of fact; when we have closed this topic engagement across the platform bounces back, new conversations open and an overall feeling of positivity returns.
Additionally we have had members communicating by Direct Message to admins requesting this topic be closed sighting repetition, becoming a place for personal rants and no longer adding value to the forum … which I’m sure many of you will agree is not providing the right environment for inspired and positive interaction, which we all can learn from.
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Great question! As a sitter only (just hit my 100th!)), I always sent a very personal, thought out, tailored to their needs/animals note that also included a bit about me and why I thought I would be a good choice… But this new thing about HO’s only to see and respond to FIVE applications at a time has changed all that. It has rushed us all and forced a new change in my own applications. There is no longer time to consider. I now send a quick note saying I am very interested, more info to follow. And then as fast as possible send my more personal note geared specifically to that sit. Hopefully I can manage that quickly. Sadly there will be sits I miss entirely because they are posted while I am traveling between sits/sleeping/out playing with pets. It has forced a complete change in how we all apply. So my advice is if you are interested, send a quick note saying why you are interested and then follow up with a more personal application.
Hi @selma2202
I realise your question was addressed to homeowners and I do hope they respond with their findings and preferences.
As a sitter I previously followed your strategy of giving careful thought before applying for a sit. This involved reading and digesting the whole listing, discussing it with my husband and reading any previous feedback from sitters.
If it was an overseas listing I would investigate the location, nearest airport etc.
Unfortunately since the 5 applications cap that strategy no longer works for popular sits.
I imagine this results in many sitters trying to get in a quick one liner application to hold a place. I don’t have an issue with that and needs must! Surely it will result in sitters withdrawing their interest if the logistics don’t work. That can’t be a good outcome for anyone.
In response to your question as to whether homeowners accept sitters on a first come first served basis. I would think this highly unlikely unless they feel it is a perfect fit. Hopefully they realise they don’t have to make a choice from the first five applicants either.
I do hope we hear from homeowners about their experiences
I applied for a sitting to be told that she had already accepted her first applicant but then regretted it as she preferred us.
An observation is that some HOs have mistakenly got mixed up with the order that the applications come in and accept the last one thinking it was the first one.
Wow, ! Congratulations, @peach !
That’s a great idea, to start with a quick note to show you’re interested and then expand on that in a quick follow up. I will try that too!
@Itchyfeet we had the same experience the other day. We were the second applicants and the host wrote saying we sounded perfect but that ‘very sadly’ she had confirmed the first sitter that morning. And hoping we’d be available another time. So it sounded like she’d have preferred us and had been too quick to confirm the others.
Our attitude is- What is meant to be will be! The other sitter was meant for that sit and we just move on!
THS new rule of only showing the home owner the first 5 applications puts many of us who are in a different time zone or need some time to research the advertised area, at a big disadvantage. I have been house sitting full time for 4 years. I recently applied for a house sit for which I could see many connections, experience with the breed of dog etc. I applied at soon as I checked my early morning emails. Obviously the ad was posted the evening before. I was surprised and disappointed to see my reply was unopened even though only 7 replies were registered.
Now why on earth would THS update members on a change that adversely affects many members but will be universally criticized?? That’s not their MO, unfortunately . Keep it under the radar and hope that most people don’t realize why their THS experience is worse than before. If the investors are happy, who cares about the customers…
! Congratulations, 
. Keep it under the radar and hope that most people don’t realize why their THS experience is worse than before. If the investors are happy, who cares about the customers…