I think you gave them too much leeway. Well done nonetheless!
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Oh sure, everybody will react in an instant when cornered.
I, like most of you obviously, only deal with people who can communicate well and in a timely fashion.
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It’s been really interesting the last few weeks as I’ve gotten back into sitting after a long break. A few years ago, I would basically get a response within a couple hours and a call scheduled within the day, and an offer usually 24-48 hours after applying.
This round of applications, it was taking days for home owners to reply, days more to schedule calls, and days more to make a decision. At one point I had about half a dozen open applications for the same multi-month time period.
The delays ended up working in my favor as I was offered a great multi-month sit that I wouldn’t have been able to take had one of the others been more on the ball (and which followed the move quickly and make the decision ASAP pattern), but it was frustrating dealing with the delays. And when I removed my application multiple HOs contacted me to tell me that they’d just been about to message me to offer the sit. 
Generally with all things being equal I’ll take the first sit I’m offered as I only apply for ones I’d really like to do. But if there was one that really stood out, I’d reach out to the HO and let them know I had a conflicting offer and would prefer to do their sit but that I had to respond to the other offer by x time. If they didn’t respond in time I’d pull my application and move forward with the other offer. If HOs can’t respond to things and make decisions in a timely manner it makes me concerned about what they’ll be like during a sit.
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Alright guys, I’m reading bad responsiveness etc. - cards on the table please!
How often are the HOs badly responsive, meaning it takes them more than 12 hours to get back to you after you apply and their queue is full (that last bit is important), and how often does it take them more than 24 hours to get back to you when their queue is not full?
I’d really like to know. This reads like there’s an epidemic of entitled HOs out there who only reply when they feel like it, but I frankly don’t believe it.
In my last round of applications I didn’t hear from any of the HOs within the first 2 days. This was for probably 8 sits. After 2 days probably half made contact with additional questions and mentioned setting up a call. I didn’t have a call scheduled for any of the applications within the first 4 or so days. I got 3 calls scheduled within the first week after applying. 2 of those calls they were still making decisions. 1 I received the offer within 15 minutes of the call ending and I accepted it immediately and started withdrawing my other applications. Within an hour of withdrawing my application 3 HOs contacted me about wanting to move forward with my application. lol
Basically all of them seemed surprised at how quickly they got responses and none were in a place where they had the time to respond effectively. Ex: busy with work, on holiday, etc.
I don’t know what it looks like on the HO end but THS may want to include (if it’s not already) that before the HO submits their listing they should be sure that they have time to reply and schedule calls within the next couple days as the process moves quickly and if they’re unavailable they’ll likely miss out on their preferred sitter as that sitter will have accepted another sit.
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Ah nooo… they don’t tell you any of that, they trust in your “Gesunder Menschenverstand”… seems to fail a bit too often.
Sorry you’ve been bitten by this, let’s wait for the others to report before we declare an epidemic…
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Thankfully it all worked out in the end. I got 1 6-month sit in a lovely house with a great cat vs 3-4 4-6 week sits all over Europe which would have been both more expensive and more complicated. So while it was a little stressful, I tend to follow the ‘things happen for a reason’ school of thought so I’m content. 
But I do think there should be some education for the HOs about what the timeline looks like if they want in-demand sitters. I have a couple dozen 5 star reviews spanning a decade. I get offered about 80% of sits I apply to. So I’m never super fussed about finding one, just finding one that fits my requirements. On the happy side, it opens the sit up to others who may not have been able to apply in time and now maybe the HOs will be more responsive.
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It would be a great service to homeowners to get some tips when publishing dates. Although I agree with @elmi4711 , for some it is common sense -also if you publish something on Craigs List or other advert one should be ready to get the sale through, meet the buyer, hand over the «object» etc. But at the same time not everyone is an insider in sales, and THS is for many a whole new arena to navigate, combined perhaps with being nervous about . So a little message could help HO keep the sitter applications and be able to choose - in a timely manner.
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FWIW, these were all first time HOs so I think they were just shocked at the response. They were all very desirable sits for accommodation (very nice homes), location (in demand European cities), time (minimum 4 weeks), pets (cats only, which is great with dodgy winter weather), etc. They were all full within an hour of listing. So I think they just had no idea and were unprepared.
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Ha! Before we go into defending HOs… please tell us about your experiences and the frequency of bad comms…
A wonderful suggestion! 
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That was uncalled for. Firstly - it is not about «defending» HOs (and even if that was the purpose, there would be no problem in that. No one has to show their record to have an opinion. )
I have said it in another thread, and still mean it - many problems would be solved if we can maintain a culture where we treat each other as equal partners. The «us» and «them» seems to grow in the world in general and of course will affect also communities like this. But it is counterproductive. It builds walls, affect communication and prevents development and solutions.
I simply supported that it would be a good idea that HO got a prompt when posting dates. If you think that is a bad idea, I would very much like to know why. Maybe we can find an even better solution. That can happen when working together.
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Hey, @Garfield - I didn’t want to come across as rude - this was intended to be in good humor. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.
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I’m totally for that, too, it’s also easy to implement. I’d still be interested in your experiences with reaction times.
I don’t take it personally. Some hosts are just slow. Like they haven’t even read my application and I cancel, then they read it and say, we would’ve loved to have you sit. But for me, I’m not interested in partnering with folks who don’t communicate promptly.
My current hosts and I are in sync, by contrast. They quickly replied to my application and we video chatted promptly. They created a WhatsApp group for us and we’ve been in friendly, prompt contact since they left.
For me, sits should be that way — nice and fluid. And if there’s an emergency, we can deal with it without needless delays in comms.
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My most recent application to newbie hosts ended up with me withdrawing after we video chatted.
They wanted to talk with other applicants out of politeness. That’s their call, but to me, you’re wasting everyone’s time if you already think I’m the right sitter.
After I withdrew, they said they were really disappointed, because they were already thinking that it would be great if I could do repeat sits, too.
And since I withdrew, they’ve asked me for other dates, which I declined. They’ve also asked for suggestions on landing sitters like me. Of course, I told them the key thing is, act promptly.
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Yeah, they seem to want to explore all options - which is fine. But that can easily backfire. I’m fine if they want to talk to others, but it moves them down my preference list. I won’t pull my app until I secure something else.
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I don’t have a problem with hosts talking with one or two other sitters. If they want to talk with all five, nope. To me, that means they don’t know what they’re doing and/or don’t respect other people’s time.
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I, as a fellow HO, don’t understand how after a successful video chat and agreeing you want to do this, you can not immediately send+accept an invitation. Sorry, there is just no reason to speak to others “out of courtesy”, just egging them on and then finally dismissing them. That is just not nice to them and to you as well.
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I think this matters more to some sitters than others. Like maybe f/t nomads care about this.
For me, there’s no need to have something else lined up before withdrawing from a sit.
Why: I consider each sit separately and my expectations don’t vary. Like I don’t compromise to stack sits or fill my calendar. If I don’t sit, I can always stay comfortably at home or do nonsit travel.
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