The sitter we chose just informed us that she can’t come for an orientation until the day we leave. During the interview we were very clear that all our sitters come at least a day before to get comfortable with the rabbits and all aspects of our home, even meeting our neighbors. It will be be very stressful to do that and prepare to leave on the same day. I’ve asked her to call me to discuss this and so far no response. Can I un-invite a sitter if need be so we can open up the sit for more applicants?
Yes you can - although the code of conduct states it should only happen in exceptional circumstances and if agreed by both parties. But I guess if the sitter is not responding, you can’t be expected to wait forever. https://support.trustedhousesitters.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360001746077-How-do-I-unconfirm-a-sitter-before-a-sit-begins
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I would have thought the sitter going back on the agreed details would be suffice to cancel.
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That is not uncommon for dogs, but for rabbits?
(And yes, we have had rabbits.)
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Have you discussed cancelling the sitter with them and have they agreed?
Is your sit start date the day you wanted the sitter to arrive or is it the day you leave and you just wanted the sitter to come early and stay in a hotel for a night?
If you haven’t discussed this and agreed it and they are still arriving on the listed date and before you actually leave then you should not be cancelling.
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Other people may do things differently to you.
In particular, if you had rabbits as a child, things have changed a lot even in the last 15 or so years. Better understanding of rabbits’ needs, better veterinary care, and hopefully better-informed rabbit owners.
In any case if the plan for orientation was agreed with the sitter in advance, then the sitter should adhere to it. Unless I have a late departure and or the sitter can arrive early, I would find it stressful to do introductions/get someone settled on the same day.
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Yes, you can unconfirm them as an owner. In my opinion it’s best that you do cancel, because having a sitter you don’t feel comfortable with would be extremely stressful.
There has to be a match and you need to be on the same wavelength, and of course if something has been agreed both sides need to stick to it, otherwise how can you trust each other?
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@Tlekas
has the sitter accepted the sit - is it showing as a confirmed sit on your dashboard ?
If it’s not yet a confirmed sit on your dashboard
You will see this above your messages
‘Sit confirmation request, sitter agreement pending’. To cancel this request, click the ‘Cancel request’ button.
If it’s already a confirmed sit because the sitter accepted on the platform - you can’t cancel without extenuating circumstances.
Is the sitter arriving on the start date of the sit as shown on your listing / dashboard ?
If the sitter is coming a day later than the start date on your listing then that would be a reason to cancel .
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Since this isn’t the first time you’ve had a panic over a sitter not contacting you (when it turned out they hadn’t received your messages) and since your listing says that you are easy going and very organized I would like to suggest youtry the following:
Actually make contact with the sitter and discuss some options other than cancelling. Have you tried an actual phone call (I know it’s very old-school but it does work)
You could try packing the day before you leave so your departure day is less stressful. (I tried this once but almost forgot I had to leave the next day)
Maybe the sitter can introduce themselves to the neighbours (again very old-school but I grew up without facebook)
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You must have missed this
They have obviously had some communication with the sitter as the word ‘interview’ is mentioned.
I haven’t seen an answer to this yet, and it’s really the most important question. What did you advertise vs what did you actually expect?
If a sitter can’t be there on the date agreed in their dashboard, then absolutely do cancel them. If you asked for something else in an interview, when they were under pressure, then you moved the goalposts and need to put the back where they were.
I always get everything in writing, so there is no possibility of “he said, she said”. If everyone is clear about everyone else’s expectations then we’re all happy.
Maybe a call first to chat informally and reach agreement, then confirm in writing what your understanding is.
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My immediate thoughts were: is the sit start date shown in your listing the day of your departure or the day before?
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My thoughts as well. If you want someone on day 0 not day 1 then you need to make day 0 the start day of your listing not day 1 and host them for the evening rather than expecting them to find local accomodation.
Regardless the little information provided doesn’t seem to indicate that the sitter will arrive after they leave just that it will be stressful to show them the house, meet the rabbits and the neighbors. Since they are in their own words easy going and organized I am hopeful that once they have had a chance to actually speak to the sitter they could work something out where they can be packed and still have some time for a handover. I suppose starting from scratch and finding a new sitter could be the less stressful option.
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I was just agreeing with your comments regarding advertised start date being significant.
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Why does the sitter need to meet the neighbours in advance? And you should have included that extra day in your original dates. This isn’t the first time you’ve considered cancelling a sit because a confirmed sitter was hard to get hold of, which doesn’t seem like the behaviour of an “easy going” host.
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Meeting a neighbor is helpful in case a sitter needs some type of help. If there is an earthquake and gas is automatically shut off, our neighbor knows how how to fix things.
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Spoke to our sitter and we agreed that if she can’t confirm by Saturday to come by a day or two before we’ll cancel the sit. Every sitter we’ve had before never had a problem with getting an orientation prior to the sit.
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@Tlekas remember to change the dates of your listing to cover the entire time that you want your sitter to be there, otherwise it’s not fair on the sitters who are applying and wastes time for both of you. Also neither party will be covered by THS for the dates that are not included in the listing .
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