Hello my name is Heidi and I’m a returning pet owner. I was a member a few years ago. I didn’t continue my membership as I was let down last minute on two separate occasions with sits. I had to rely heavily on family and friends to cover both sits and felt so let down and stressed by the situations.
I’m giving the app another go but with premium membership. I have a sit in June and had secured a sitter. They have literally just cancelled and my faith in this app is disappearing quickly. How on earth do you trust that your sitter will come and how do you feel secure that you can book a holiday and not be let down. I’m feeling so worried that I have booked to go away and will be let down once again. Any advice?
Sorry to hear about these negative experiences. To be honest, from everything I’ve read & my own experiences, this is usually the exception rather than the rule.
There are a lot of experienced folks here with great advice to offer, but with so little information it can be difficult to diagnose why you may be having trouble with your booked sits. Couple questions:
Have you had any successfully completed sits, or they’ve all cancelled?
Would you be willing to link your listing profile in your Forum signature, so folks here could have a look to see if they spot anything that might be problematic, or could help improve your outcomes?
I know if THS would put on the sitters profile the date they confirmed the sit and the date they canceled, you would see cancellations go down 90%. I am a sitter and would like to see that on the homeowners profile as well. I feel for you and sorry it happened. I hope you find a good reliable sitter for your trip.
I can say I’ve had good luck but my sits are usually a week or longer, and sitters are typically travelling to it or the area.
One of the reasons I don’t usually bother posting short sits is because it’s easy for a sitter to book and then cancel (no plane/train/bus fare at risk). So maybe something to think about.
For shorter sits we use a local paid sitter or fancy boarding kennel, if those are options for you.
The only time we were let down was when we had secured a sitter 5 months in advance. This was when we had just joined and it was our first time hosting. Luckily it wasnt very last minute so we were able to get somebody else. After chatting to the Sitter who we did get, we were told by him that he always looks for sits about 8 weeks in advance so we tend to do that now and seem to have had much more luck. This sitter also showed me how the app works from his experience as a sitter ie how many hosts are in our area etc which was really helpful.
Timing when to list your sit can be tricky. Is it over a holiday? Is it Long? Short? Do you have a desirable area that is highly coveted? Do you have only a cat or two (also highly coveted?). Is the weather great in June? So many things!! Can you link your profile and tell us the length of the sit t hand? This will help you get very specific feedback. Sorry this is happening to you. You have three months to get this backfilled so I have great confidence you will be ok. Also our level of concern for cancellations varies for me (I am a Homeowner) depending on do we have flights to catch? Are we driving? How much flexibility do we have should something go downhill? Do we have a backup plan? (you should always have some sort of backup plan esp for trips with flights). When we needed a sitter for a week at Christmas, we were flying out for our trip. We picked sitters who were going to be already in our country a short flight away (we are US citizens with a house in Mexico by the sea). We had their flight confirmations well in advance (ask sitters for this).
On our second sit the HO quizzed us carefully regarding how committed we were to the sit as they had been let down before. Personally we would only apply if we had full intent to follow through if we matched. It never occurred to us HO’s might cancel! I do wonder how many sits never get filled though. You do have plenty of time to lock in a solid sitter.
I’ve been pondering this issue of cancelling. We know from govt stats that there’s an average 6% absenteeism from work due to illness so if 6% of HOs are ill they might cancel a sit (or a sitter might cancel if ill). If we look at GP appointments in the UK in the past 40% of people didn’t turn up and didn’t even cancel! With hair and dental appointments there used to be a problem until a cover charge was introduced or having to pay in advance. Restaurants also suffer from last minute no shows.
So to expect 100% from either side is unrealistic, everyone needs a contingency plan.
For June you have plenty of time to find another sitter .
It does seems very unfortunate and not the norm to have had 3 confirmed sitters cancel . Did any of these sitters give a reason for cancelling?
Did these sitters have lots of good reviews ( not just references) ?
Did you have a conversation ( video call , phone call ) with the sitters to discuss things and see if they had any questions before you confirmed them ?
I’m afraid that’s just one opinion, not a fact. My commitment has nothing to do with money. Once I commit to something, only force majeure will prevent me from doing it. My word is more valuable to me than money.
There’s another way to look at this. If a service has been monetized, that means it is transferable, so I wouldn’t be so worried about cancelling, meaning, if I don’t get that money, another person will and the service will still be offered. Paid workers are more readily available than volunteers. If one truly believes in community, then everyone will do their part.
@Henry_R yes this has certainly proven to be a fact in the past for “some people” hasn’t it! Wink wink I’m actually really surprised by your comment on such a topic!
Hi @Heididavis Sorry to hear you’ve been having bad luck recently. Others have suggested linking your profile, which may be useful, but I would also say that, sometimes, plans do just go awry for no good reason. I’ve had a couple of booked holiday rentals (not house-sits) cancelled recently - one very last-minute due to an unspecified ‘emergency’, and the other because the owner had decided to put the property on the market. I guess my point is that there will always be a human element involved in any type of transaction, paid or otherwise, so having a solid Plan B in place is essential. You have plenty of time between now and June to find another sitter, so hopefully everything will work out well for you.
Please note this is NOT meant to blame you in any way but rather to have you take a look at any possible similarities or trends amongst these “sitters” who have let you down so many times as an assessment may help you make better choices (and again , it is NOT a blaming post).
Do you check sitters’ profiles, reviews, and the reviews they’ve left for previous sits ?
Do you “interview” (I know many hate this word) them in detail via Zoom, factime, etc and ask them about themselves beyond sitting details (what they do, hobbies, why they sit, why they want to do YOUR sit, have they ever cancelled a sit and why, ….the list is long and ,aside from very personal and inappropriate questions info, little is out of bounds) ?
Do you double check and ask them if they understand your pets’ needs and your requirements re: their care, your home’s rules, etc ?
Do you listen to yellow and red flags which arise in your discussions with potential sitters ? Even if you can’t put a finger on a reason(s), if something feels off listen to your gut and move on to the next applicant
For what it is worth, there are many responsible, caring sitters out here whose integrity and commitments are solid. I wish you the best of luck.
@Henry_R we might not be paid sitters but we value the accommodation and would make plans around it. Our first sit we actually considered if my elderly brother should die would we cancel and decided not, so you can’t judge everyone by your own actions.
I’m with @Newpetlover . I’ve never cancelled a sit — nor would I do so except in case of absolute emergency or an act of war. I even fly in a day or two early, partially to ensure a travel delay won’t derail the host’s plans.
I’m actually really surprised by your comment on such a topic!