We get invited to so many sits that we have had to decline, because we are either on a sit, or travelling etc.
We update our calendar to reflect this, (a sit through THS is automatically struck through), but after conversations with many homeowners, it appears that it is very confusing.
A date with a line through it, means we are on a sit through THS.
A date in green, means we are available. (Edited)
An open white date means we are not available. (Edited)
This is the THS calendar, and it’s way of showing availability. The concern we have is that the white, is confusing to many, who think we are still available.
Personally we would like to see a strike through, when we are unavailable, and maybe a reminder to homeowner’s to check the sitters availability calendar before inviting them? (Edited)
It would just save a lot of time on both sides for these simple changes to be made.
Just a thought? I hate to reply we are booked or travelling when receiving invitations with such lovely messages.
Hi Rose
Actually green means you are available. THS calendar works by having sitters enter their available dates and not their unavailable ones–which many would prefer works the opposite.
if you have been entering time periods in the calendar in the back office, they are showing up as times you are ‘free.’ If a sitter doesn’t update their calendar with available dates–which many don’t–, any period that isn’t blocked out by a THS sit will default to white with no cross throughs. The exception would be if these dates between sits fall within a broader availability window indicated by the sitter.
For example, if someone marked themselves available for a full year, any dates without sits that fall within that year would show as green. If they wanted those days to go unavailable because they weren’t planning on booking a sit, they were ‘travel days’,etc…they would need to add new windows of availability that excluded these dates. Then they would go to white.
This is what many sitters find a bit tedious which is why they may not deal with the calendar at all. I personally don’t find it that bothersome though adding ‘unavailable’ dates would be a bit simpler.
So whether a sitter is truly unavailable is a big mystery in many cases!
I think this system gives the calendar an appearance that is understandably interpreted to mean the opposite of what it means–when you see a dates with no markers of any kind, that would usually indicate open times . I remember once seeing a notation by the calendar on the profile that ‘green’ indicates free–not sure if that is still a thing. I imagine something like that though could be easily overlooked.
where do we find the calendar to update our availability? And can we put where we will be available? (we have our 2023-2024 travel schedule already set)
On the website, on the three lines at the top right, click on dashboard, then my sitter profile. The availability calendar appears below your picture. Then click on *manage availability . You cannot set your desired location but you can add it to the text in your profile.
My wife and I are full time travelers for the past 5+ years. We’re traveling through all of Central America in 2023-2024. We’d like to be able to show where we will be and our availability on a calendar so owners can invite us to sit for them. Is this possible?
Hi @worldjason. I moved your post from the other topic here, as it covers the same question you asked here. To answer your question, the only way to show the dates and locations where/when you’ll be available is to put that into your sitter profile verbiage. I recommend you put it at the top of the “About” section if you want to ensure people see it.
Something like
“Here’s where and when we’ll be available in 2023-2024:
mm/dd - mm/dd city, country
mm/dd - mm/dd city, country”
I’m not sure how much flexibility there is with the formatting of those verbiage sections, so it might or might not look pretty.
The availability calendar should be as simple as this, like Airbnb uses. Either you are available or you are not. Sitters should be able to close dates they are NOT available . Maybe then it would be a useful feature.
I was invited to take part in a Calendar survey. As the survey progressed the calendar wasn’t mentioned until I brought the subject up. The reply was that they were not bothering with it as it was not priority.
If this is the case it may as well be removed as it causes so much confusion
@Itchyfeet thanks for the information. I won’t bother much with the calendar. It is currently up to date but I had a HO send an invitation because they thought my calendar showed I was available. I just told them that although I wasn’t petsitting on those dates I wasn’t available.
Thank you! We thought we were putting in dates we were NOT available! No wonder we are getting so many invites.
We just wish we could block out dates we are not available as it is leading to so much confusion on both sides!
So a line through means we are on a sit
Green means we are available.
And plain white could mean anything according to a homeowner I am with right now… I know now it means we are not available, but they are as confused as we were.
We have been sitting for years, but our calendars gets booked up far ahead so this hasnt been an issue before.
Agreed! Although I keep my calendar consistently updated as I know my schedule for the whole year - I have yet to see any of my available dates show up green, ever! The majority of the requests I get are for my unavailable dates and it becomes so overwhelming to keep turning them down, especially when it’s repeat requests from the same owners! I worry they’ll give up and stop asking
I wish the unavailable dates would be more clearly blocked off!
Exactly! It’s funny because as sitters, when we select specific dates for sits it only shows us the ones that fall within those dates (minus when the site’s glitching lol), why wouldn’t it be the same when looking for sitters?
I worry the owners will eventually just assume I’m not interested when in reality they’re great sits!
I’ve started to dread answering requests because It’s hard to explain to them that my unavailable dates mean I’m away at work near the North Pole and cant just hop a flight out! haha I hope THS hears our calendar cries!
Since writing this we have had countless invites for dates we are NOT available.
We really appreciate them, but take time to stop, answer and wish them the best.
It would be absolutely lovely to have the calendar be easier for all to understand.
We love the changes we have seen made recently which show the size of the bed offered and other details, great update, but please THS make the calendar easier for all to understand!
