This might seem trivial, but I have just had to cancel a sit with 4 weeks notice due to an emergency - I might even have made it there but I couldn’t guarantee so I gave the owner notice and I got this:
“Damnit . . . This is so stressful for me. Not cool, honestly. But best of luck.”
This is really, really not okay. Why is there no option to flag this to THS? If this is the response to a message that let them know there was a major issue and I wanted the best result for them, then they are not fit to be on this platform.
Looks like they’ve written it in the heat of the moment and I can understand it would be stressful for both of you.
You can report to membership services but, if I were you, I’d just ignore it as I doubt you’ll get much joy.
Considering you cancelled a sit (even if there was a good reason) I would really recommend not bringing THS into it. Most likely, you’ll end up getting an email reminding you of your commitment which will be a lot more upsetting than a damnit. They wished you best lof luck and if you take a day or two and reread it it won’t feel as harsh
It’s stressful when a pet parent cancels. It’s stressful when a sitter cancels. Looks like that pet parent spoke out loud what we all want to say when the other party is the one to cancel. I’ve had 3 pet parents cancel on me within 11 months and that is exactly how I felt but of course I write back something more professional. Since you are the one who had to cancel, I would brush it off and move on.
This sounds a bit weird. An emergency 4 weeks before? And you might have made it?
There are lots of things that could happen, particularly with health situations, that you may not know what’s going to happen over a 4 week time period. If there is a strong possibility that the sitter won’t be able to make it, I think it’s more considerate to cancel sooner allowing the HO time to find a replacement, than to wait and hope for the best only to have to cancel a week or two out.
As a sitter, I’m curious if you told the homeowner what exactly the emergency was? I didn’t think the reply from the homeowner was that offensive. They were obviously upset but at the same time wished you the best of luck. We had to cancel a sit a few months ago due to my husband having a heart attack. I think it was just a week before the sit and luckily I had the homeowner’s phone number from a previous sit so texted her directly. Due to the emergency, she was extremely understanding and said “take care of yourselves”. Under the circumstances, I would have been upset if I received a reply that you did but we certainly had a valid reason for the cancellation.
@Coclico Yes, an emergency 4 weeks before. Why is that so hard to comprehend? Health issues and family emergencies happen, and force people to cancel their commitments for weeks and months.
It’s certainly unfortunate for you but you have to realize that this now becomes an emergency for the owner so a reaction is quite normal. It certainly does not warrant bringing THS into this and I would let it go.
@lilo Sorry you got the response you did. Think you’re likely under stress and you dealt with a HO who showed a lack of empathy and said something very self-centered. Yeah, I guess it’s not cool to have an emergency. And you don’t have. to explain the specifics to the HO, they aren’t HR. Not everyone is comfortable having strangers in their private affairs. Don’t add to your burden by trying to focus on their low EQ, just deal with what you need to.
The HO has four weeks to find someone, plenty of time. For them it is an inconvenience not an emergency. If the HO cancelled on a sitter with four weeks notice no one would bat an eye. THS insurance wouldn’t cover it either and would expect the sitter to just find another sit. Not sure why the compassion goes one way by many here.
I think it’s really stressful if you have a sitter cancel with four weeks to go. We had this happen flights have been booked arrangements made etc. Yes of course emergencies happen. But have some sympathy for the poor person whose holiday has been ruined. I don’t think their reply was so bad. They were probably devastated We certainly were as well as several thousand pounds poorer
I also cancelled on a HO once and I felt terrible. They actually were quite mad and I understood. It was a family health emergency is why I cancelled and the HO did write back some angry text but than once the anger subsided. They wished me well and said they would want me for future sits. They let the anger go and became understanding. I didn’t report it since my cancellation was a bit last minute.
Emergencies happen. The home-owners’ response was incredibly rude to someone already in a stressful emergency situation. The HO also contravened THS code of conduct, where members agree to conduct exchanges in a courteous civil manner. This did not happen here, and I can see why the sitter was upset.
Furthermore, it is the HOs’ responsibility to have a Plan B in place for this possible scenario. And, in fact, the only person behaving “not cool” was the HO in this unpaid mutual exchange that was legitimately cancelled. It was a horrible response to someone who would already have been upset.
All the best with the unexpected emergency situation you find yourself in @lilo. You did nothing wrong.
You cancelled on them. Reasons aside I don’t see how “Damnit . . . This is so stressful for me. Not cool, honestly. But best of luck.” meets the level of “really, really not ok” nor what makes them “unfit for the platform”
I’m not sure what you want to report them for.
Why would you want to flag it up with THS. They’ve done nothing wrong. YOU cancelled the sit, and YOU put them in a stressful position. I am sure you had a good reason to cancel, but their response is a completely natural one.
Take a deep breath, and drop it. Their response could have been far worse than that.