No, we wouldn’t withdraw after confirming unless for an emergency, but usually the poor communication tends to reveal itself beforehand and we don’t accept sits if the communication seems to be (considerably) lacking.
I think people here are talking about withdrawing after a video chat not after confirming a sit.
Yes, but smallbear had a question about withdrawing after a confirmation.
Yes, sorry to stray off topic. I have not cancelled any confirmed sits; there have been times the video call was fine and didn’t seem like there is a comm issue but then it’s hard to get ahold of them later with a follow up question. Maybe in future I can practice a friendly way of saying “I usually respond within x hours… and what is your average response time?” Maybe that will help set expectations better 
I am not a fan of them either however I did one on Thursday night and felt very much at ease with the home owners and enjoyed the chat.
Other sits, I have just sent a detailed application which has been approved, either met the HO beforehand or met them on the day of them leaving but normally it is leaving the access to the house in a safe place.
Yeah it looked like i was confirmed for a sit, even organised bedding planning with the home owner but then they never got back to me. The sit wasn’t confirmed but if there was lack of communication, I don’t want to sit for someone’s pet if they leave messages read . What if there was an emergency while we were sitting and I needed immediate communication?
My apologies- didn’t notice that
We have done a video chat on every single house sit but the caveat being, they’re never less than 10 days and about 70% have been overseas. As a sitter, I wouldn’t commit without one as you can see the pets and the home and get a feel for the energy of the HOs
We always do a video call, or meet face to face.
We turned only one sit down from a video call as the owner talked AT us for an hour… just didn’t get a good feeling. She seemed very demanding and non appreciative.
We know our value and do like to feel appreciated.
A video call for us is the way to go.
A way to gain trust from both sides.
In answer to your question I have turned down a house-sit after a video chat and I have also been rejected by the other party after a video chat. The first one I felt personality-wise it wasn’t a good match and also a winter sit with only a log fire for warmth.
The second time we were expected to drive a 20 mile round trip each day to walk the dogs so in retrospect it was probably a good thing we were turned down.
My very first house-sit was in the days before Zoom etc and the HO and I did everything by email. As the correspondence progressed (novelette proportions) more and more duties were revealed to me and also that the 2 horses had chronic health problems in the summer months. Sweet itch, and laminitis. One was virtually impossible to catch, and personality wise they were not a good match together which made caring for them difficult.
I wish we had had a video chat beforehand and I would have sussed out the owner much better and probably declined. But who knows for sure, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Experience has taught me that the most information you can garner about the sit through all media available make you better able to make the right choice.
I so agree with this! And, as mentioned in previous responses, the body language is SO important!! Not so mention the animal’s behavior. Someone mentioned in their response about the dog jumping all over the HO…No way. Or the 20 page contract!?! Isn’t that what THS is all about? LeaAnn
If a sitter didn’t want to do a video chat, I would move on to the next prospective sitter.
I think video chats are a great way for both parties to see if they are a good fit. I find it extremely beneficial on the condition that everyone is being honest and transparent about their wants and needs. There’s something more personal about a video chat vs a phone call or email.
I like to say my video chats are “discovery calls” lol.
There is also nothing wrong with anyone declining a sit/sitter after a video chat. Everyone needs to do what’s best for them. If a sit/sitter doesn’t feel like a good fit, best to move on instead of forcing it
Yes, and a video chat goes both ways. The sitter may asks questions and find the answers not convenient for him/her. After all, we do not know each others and want to make it a good experience for all.
We’ve just turned down a sit after a video call; How do you say no to a HO who then doesn’t take the first thanks but no thanks from the sitter?
We had a good rapport with HO on video call, home lovely but after getting precise location we decided it wasn’t quite right for us.
We messaged HO to explain our reasons and they clarified a bit more about our concerns etc. We replied and they still came back with details on why our reasons for not moving forward we’re invalid. How do you politely end the conversation without repeating yourself?!
I’d be firm, but polite and go with something like “Thanks, so much for your time, but we have quite specific criteria for location. You’ve done nothing wrong and there’s nothing that you can fix, it just means that we’re not the right sitters for you. We wish you the very best of luck in your search for someone perfect.”
@TheNomads I would just clearly state to the HO that this sit not longer works for you following the video call and I’m assuming they sent you a confirmation to sit? If so you can respond to this with a decline but otherwise I would make it very clear that this sit is a “no” for you.
@Samox24 video call was left that we would send over some dates/times to go visit in person but after getting a precise location and doing a street view we felt wasn’t right for us so we messaged to explain xyz and so we were no longer interested. HO replied saying xyz not an issue for them etc and it went back and forth. I just felt a bit awkward in the end as how many times can you say thanks but no thanks?!
Sit wasn’t at formal ‘offer’ stage but we did withdraw our application
@TheNomads you have done the right thing in withdrawing your application. If you are still concerned you could just send one very last message saying it is a definite “no” from you for this particular sit because of the reasons you previously stated.
After this you have done all that you can do. Hope this helps. 
@Samox24 thanks
I guess I just need to learn to be a bit firmer and not worry about being such a people pleaser or feel guilty for saying no!
@TheNomads you are very welcome
Yes but I think we are all guilty of this! 
