Hello, i’ve posted a housesit and have declined the same person five times now (for the same housesit). I don’t know if it’s a glitch in the system or if this person is just being ridiculous.Has anyone else experienced multiple applications from the same person with an a very small amount of time. Don’t know if he’s trying to be a jerk or if there’s some weird computer glitch with the platform. It’s problematic because he’s the fifth person and it keeps pausing the applicants.
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@Lpatterson hmmm. Sounds like it could be one of those auto/bot applications discussed in another thread. It keeps seeing your listing as open to applications and automatically applies. No one has been able to confirm this is happening, but other than being a glutton for punishment, I can’t see why anyone would manually do this.
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@Lpatterson when you decline are you sending a message ?
Such as “thank you for your application we have carefully considered it . We do not feel that you will be a good fit ( provide reasons if you want to ) so we have declined your application, please do not re-apply as your application will be declined again.”
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When you decline how soon after the decline or how soon after you unpause the listing does the repeat application come in. I suspect if it is very quick it may be an automated process they have setup (or maybe a glitch)
You could report this to THS - support@trustedhousesitters.com or use the chatbot and ask for a human - as repeated application when they’ve been declined for the same dates is harrassment. If you don’t get a satisfactory response look up the formal complaints process.
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This can only be caused (imho) by either a bug in the app or a bot sending the application to the available sit at the targeted location. (Most probably the latter) As you see, I totally eliminated members playing pranks.
To troubleshoot, don’t decline this particular member and see what happens. Or decline someone else. Depending on the outcome, you will know whether it is a bug or a bot.
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@Lpatterson that must be annoying .
As soon as you accept one of the other four applicants the sit will no longer be listed . If the four others are also not suitable you can decline them all .
Are you able to view the profile to see if there are reviews and such? If there are previous reviews one can assume it’s a legitimate profile not a bot. Maybe they keep applying in hopes you’ll eventually say yes.
Another giveaway of bot activity would be identical text in those applications, probably not mentioning names etc from the listing.
No. They just use a bot to get in their application first.
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Oh, interesting…that seems like something THS should be preventing.
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I bet they wish they could. But they can´t which makes me glad.
Yes. One standard way would be a Captcha (where the criterium for humanity is being able to spot the buses etc).
A better way would be to impose a minimum duration before one could press the “send application” button. Five minutes or longer. Humans would use that time to read the listing carefully, look at transportation, compose a nice application.
@anon47943759, you’re glad THS can’t prevent robotic replies that take up the one-of-five slots with canned messages? Why’s that?
Yes, I am. These “robotic replies” are in response to THS’s 5-limit rule. (Sitters are not to blame)
But neither are homeowners to blame. And this hurts both homeowners and other sitters, and the reason is to make a point with THS? Seems like there’s a lot of collateral damage with this strategy.
@Lpatterson, I would consider this harassment and report it.
Right, and nor are the sitters. Pet owners are inconvenienced with the burden of unpausing their listings and receiving less appropriate applications, while sitters are challenged with applying for sits. And when they cannot apply at all for the sits they are interested in while they pay membership fee, they begin to look for alternative ways.
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Well, I think someone doing this is being kind of a jerk, and I certainly wouldn’t trust them to sit for me as I’d expect they might game me again throughout the process. And worse, it’s probably taking the worst advantage of inexperienced and less-savvy HOs who don’t recognize canned applications unless something like this happens. That’s bad for all sitters.
I think it was a glitch. I wrote to the person and explained what was happening. I asked them to stop applying if that’s what they were doing….and also to to please withdraw or cancel application if it was a glitch. Problem is solved.
Thank you
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You played it well. Had you jumped in with both feet and jumped to conclusions, you’d be feeling pretty silly now.
Time can be a great healer 
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I do not see how that could be a glitch.
What was the content of the applications? Had they addressed you by your name at all? Or was it very generic?