I am feeling at bit concerned about my upcoming sit
I have agreed to a 3 months sit on the other side of the world. My host has specific travel plans but they fell through due to a sick daughter.
I said I’d understand and asked to cancel and informed THS as well. HO said she’d still like me to come as I’d be of help but that she has no departure date yet as her alternative travel plans need to go along with her daughter.
I so very much understand, but I feel concerned. It’s a long sit, I am a Digital Nomad with a clear work schedule. I am afraid that having the HO with in the accommodation can disrupt my schedule by becoming more like an add on with other people in the house.
I feel uncomfortable about this sit but THS refuses to listen to my concern as only the HO can cancel a sit. Is there no policy for a sitter to cancel due to unexpected changes to the hosts schedule? I feel unheard with this as I contacted THS a number of times to enquire if I could cancel and look for an alternative and I was denied. So I am going but my comfort level and the lack of protection for the sitter is really soemthing they need to improve
Has anyone else been in a similar situation and how did you get along with it?
“5.2.13. ensure your home is vacated for a Sitter throughout the duration of the Sit, and that no third parties will interfere with the Sitter’s enjoyment of your property;”
I suggest that you first request the host that she cancels the sit as she will not be vacating the property .
If this is not actioned by the host after 24 hours .
Use live chat to speak to a human and say that since the host is not vacating the property - you wish the sit to be cancelled .
You can also Send THS screenshots of the messages where host says she doesn’t have a departure date / will be staying at the accommodation with you etc .
Thank you so much. I have tried so many times with evidence of the conversation and they refused. I talked to the host on the phone and she said that she’d be at least for 10 days there whilst I am there as well. Since THS would not do anything regarding my concern I agree to this and have now booked all flights.
I have no idea how this goes. She’s a nice lady and I’d love to sit, but I still have no departure date and feel like I am left with this uncertainty not knowing when she’d depart . I don’t even know if she’s got her travel dates yet.
I would absolutely not agree to this. I don’t understand why THS would refuse to cancel the sit. The HO isn’t leaving, sitters are not to be assistants or home helpers while the HO is there. If she’s leaving several days later than originally planned, the dates should be changed to reflect that. And new dates must be agreed by the sitter.
Trust me. I tried… The THS Rep told me that it’s up to the host to cancel and if I was to cancel, there would be disciplinary action against my account. I’ve completed close to 20 5-Star sits all across the world in the past year and never had an issue. I just feel uncomfortable with the host not leaving when I arrive. 1-3 days is always okay but 10 days (or more? I don’t know), is a little much.
The HO has completely changed the terms of the sit, you had nothing to do with it. The HO isn’t leaving so she has effectively cancelled the sit. I am horrified that THS is telling you that you need to go and stay with the HO and be her live-in helper for an indefinite number of days. You are not required to do this. @Sam_F please take care of this.
Hi @systaran and thank you for tagging me to this post. As mentioned above I have already passed this across to the Membership Services team and they will be reaching out to the member.
@Romina_Flummi follow your gut instinct! If it doesn’t feel right it ain’t right. There was another forum post recently where a sitter was stranded with her kids in another country while waiting for the HO to decide whether or not she was departing for her trip. The sitter had to get THS involved to cancel the sit. Do not put yourself in a bind to appease the HO. Do what is best for you. The HO request is unreasonable.
A sitter is allowed to cancel. I just did that. Didn’t feel good about a sit so cancelled two weeks prior to the sit in order to give the homeowner a chance to find someone else and she did immediately.
I keep seeing people here and more so on the facebook page saying that sitters can’t cancel and some sitters are feeling like they are locked in no matter what. The policies around cancelling are the same for sitters and HOs, this is a mutual exchange of equal parties. No one should cancel unless they have a valid reason. The ‘only HOs can cancel’ part is just that the HO has to be the one to click a button to cancel the sit because that’s the way the platform is set up. It doesn’t mean that HOs can cancel at will and sitters can never cancel. If a sitter has an emergency or the HO changes the terms of the sit, a sitter has every right to cancel. The HO doesn’t get to just decide that the sitter needs to come anyway.
No sure if you’ve called or just used the chat, but I would recommend calling the urgent support line. The HO isn’t leaving so you should be released from the sit so that you can look for other sits.
They can’t refuse to cancel a sit or make you go when the situation has changed @Romina_Flummi - push back and get a manager or a senior agent or call the helpline as @systaran suggests to get it resolved! #itsnotprison
I emailed the homeowner citing the reasons I wanted to cancel and suggested she find someone else. She was agreeable and just cancelled my confirmation. So yes, the homeowner does have to agree to the cancellation.
You have already booked your flights, that’s a bit risky considering the dates aren’t confirmed. Are they refundable? I hope this works out for you, as the HO sounds a bit flaky.
Since THS hasn’t allowed me to cancel and the sit was confirmed I booked
I would not call her flaky, but she has a sick daughter and is going through a difficult time. I understand that. I just didn’t expect this situation to happen at all and I still am stuck without knowing when HO departs.
Judging from some of the replies that membership services has reportedly given some sitters and hosts, they’re often poorly trained and/or inept.
To me, there’s no chance I’d go along with a host with such an entitled, selfish attitude. I’d simply tell them I’m not coming and no one — not the host nor THS — could ever force me to sit for them. And I’d risk being booted from THS over such, because who wants to pay a company that can’t even enforce its own rules when they’re clearly outrageously violated.