Hi,
We are new to this and thought we had found someone to sit for us. However after countless messages and a successful video chat they informed us that they had another person to talk to. A few days later they changed their minds as the other sit had better dates for them. They were trying to go from one sit to another and ours would have left them with about a week without anywhere. As much as I appreciate this (from their point of view) it means that we now have no sitter and we leave at the start of September.
We had one other applicant which I had to decline as they wanted to bring their own dog. Our cat is quite nervous around other dogs apart from ours and as such I had already selected the NO PETS option when I created my profile/listing.
Thankfully the couple were understanding and as such didnāt mind me declining them.
I have two questions.
Any advice on how to attract more people to see it? I have been messaging those who have saved the listing as well as others who I have found via searching.
if I decide to get a refund do you think that because I have technically turned an offer down THS will not stick to their rule. (smallprint says that I can cancel and get a refund if Iāve not had any applications). Itās not my fault I had to turn it down, thatās down to their filters not working.
I donāt think itās anything to do with my listing as such, thereās quite a few people who have āfavouritedā it and those who Iāve invited have all said how good it is (just that they canāt do it this time).
Any advice would be appreciated. Iām starting to worry now.
Hi @Deej! Iām a fellow HO, and sorry for the trouble with finding a sitter. Iām afraid you canāt have a refund as you did have two applications. But itās best to check with THS by email.
To me your listing looks really nice.
The only thing Iād add, is for how long can Amber and Lucy be left alone. (The information you give by ticking a box when editing your listing is actually not shown to sitters .)
Hey there, I took a look at your listing for you. Honestly, it sounds great - you list information very clearly and directly, and I love your use of clear bullet points; this makes it so easy to read! Just a few tips:
1: Your intro is very short and quite autobiographical. Sitters want to know straight away whatās on offer and why they should choose your sit. Add clearly in your intro who would suit your sit (e.g: a sitter with no pets). Tick-a-boxes do not show up on your listing, these are for THS data collection only and canāt be seen by sitters (itās silly, I know).
2: Add in your home & location section how close public transport is. I did a sit in Whichcombe, and there are regular busses, so definitely mention this. Also mention if you are able to collect sitters from Cheltenham train or bus station, as this would be a big help in getting to Winchcombe for some sitters. You might also want to mention that there are some beautiful hikes through lush hills & forests in the area.
3: In your responsibilities section, add how long walks are, and how long the pets can be left for.
Besides that, I think itās great, and I do hope you get applicants; itās a really lovely area. Sitters do often apply to multiple sits at once and have video calls with different owners - in the end they have to pick one, just as a HO can have calls with different sitters and pick one. Invites have a very low success rate, and is often a big waste of time; having a really attractive profile that gains applicants is the way to go.
Here is blog that can help with your intro. Best of luck!
Hi @Deej
Welcome to THS.
I have had a look at your listing and know Winchcombe well as my home (currently rented out to housesit permanently) is in Cheltenham.
The pics youāve uploaded are good and Amber and Lucy look delightful.
You donāt say if Amber is well trained, whatās her recall like, whatās she like with other dogs/children/adults? Does she bark and if so what at? How long generally do you walk her? Can the mid afternoon walk be flexible? It might be hot so an early evening walk would be preferable. And, something most owners leave out, how long can she be left at home once sheās had her morning walk? RSPCA says 4 - 5 hours is fine.
Regarding Lucy, does she have a cat flap? Does she bring in āpresentsā?
There are some families who are full time Housesitting, home schooling their children. Would you accept a family?
Just a few things that might improve your chances but, unfortunately, there are more sits than sitters so the more attractive you make your listing the better your chances.
As for insurance, I doubt you would be covered as youāve had two applicants.
DO mention that Winchcombe is on the Cotswold Way!
Iām not sure if itās only me, but I find the info re: āsometimesā taking the dog a bit confusing. If Amber is staying home for these dates, Iād eliminate that phrase.
Fellow members, can anyone explain to @Deej how to bump the listing? Thank you.
Thanks for your reply. Itās annoying if I canāt have a refund as both applicants shouldnāt have applied anyway, regardless of the change of mind, as one had their own pet and the other a child. Both of these were not on my profile (I deselected pets and families) but Iāve since found out that this information isnāt shared with potential sitters and is something you have to be specific with in your listing! This surely should be explained when creating your profile. I presumed it would enable potential sitters with pets and families from being filtered out.
To be clear, Iāve got nothing against either type of sitter, itās just as a first timer I wanted to ensure that our cat would be happy - the dog would be fine but the cat is getting old and nervous.
Thanks for your ideas. What Iām realising is that the info you are saying to add isnāt automatically added from when I created my profile.
I agree that things like how long to leave Amber etc should be accessible to potential sitters but as a newbie I presumed that as Iād checked/unchecked boxes regarding this that the information would be shared with sitters.
Itās hard to know what is āout thereā and what is just used for THS own data. It should be made more clear what is put on your profile. It would make it easier for sitters to filter out those sits which are unacceptable for them donāt you think?
I can certainly vouch for Winchcombe being a lovely small Cotswold town. Itās a great location for walkers & for visiting the other picturesque villages.
And, more importantly Amber & Lucy appear to be great pets to care for & keep you company.
Winchcombe itself is a bit of doggy paradise with lots of dog lovers. There are walks on the doorstep, you can walk in the grounds surrounding Sudely Castle & on the route of the Cotswold Way. Also the town is said to āWelcome Walkersā & have lots of walks starting from Winchcombe that are available for download or from the Tourist Information Office
I just love it there. I have completed 2 pet sits in Winchcombe & hopefully will return again Unfortunately I am not available for the dates shown.
You can view your own listing to check out how the public sees it and what info it contains.
In the future, you could decline the people that are not suitable to you right away, especially if presented with the dealbreakers of wanting to bring their child and/or the dog.
I personally wouldnāt have wasted my time going through the motions of exchanging emails and having a video-call, if they were not suitable from the get-go.
I understand the comment. Iāve removed it now. Itās just that sometimes we go on dog friendly holidays so only have Lucy needing care. Thereās no way of selecting which animals will be needing looking after when creating a listing so thought mentioning it there was a good thing to do.
Iāll just have to change it when itās only a sit for Lucy.
Thanks
One more thing as a clarification of the process: a sit it is not confirmed until the sitter clicks on the āacceptedā button after receiving the official invitation from the HO. The conversations beforehand are there just to get to know each other.
Sitters normally do apply to multiple sits, you cannot count the eggs in the basket until they officially accept the sit.
I was willing to let the fact that they had a child go as he was young and clearly someone who would have been ok with the cat.
I wouldnāt have bothered with the communications and video chat otherwise.
Hi Nagy26 - I was pet sitting at Winchcombe in July 2023 & more recently last June.
I am sure that there must be many of us pet sitters out & about who literally pass each other without knowing.
Happy Dog Walking to you.
I see. Would you consider opening your home to families to increase your chances of attracting a wider pool of sitters? Might make sense since now time is of the essence.
I did decline the people with the dog as soon as I found out. It doesnāt remove the fact that they applied though - which is the reason I may not get a refund. They should not have been able to see my listing if THS info was to be shared to them. Seems a bit pointless asking us the question if they donāt use the answer to filter profiles. Itās unfair on both the owner and the sitters.
Itās only down to this forum that I was made aware that lots of questions asked when setting up our profile arenāt shared with users.
I do understand this. It would have been nice to have been made aware of it though instead of finding out a few weeks down the line of them talking to us, thatās all. Iād have been a bit more pro-active in looking for alternative people.
Hey ho, you live and learn I suppose. Iām putting it down to newbie naivety!
As it doesnāt say anywhere that I donāt want families I presume that families will see it (as the first applicants did). If they apply then I would consider them. I doubt Iāll get any though, unless they home school our dates are in term time.
I really like your sit @Deej - such beautiful pets in a nice place (your cat even looks like my little one, making the same face and everything). I hope youāll find a sitter soon with 2.5 weeks to go.
If youāre a premium member, thereās a button to bump your listing, I donāt know of any other uncomplicted way.
.)
