No Response from HO Close to sit date

We don’t rely on THS for our communication after a sit has been confirmed, but immediately set up a group on Telegram/Signal/WhatsApp etc. Not everyone checks their THS or Email often, but people are usually glued to their phones and see notifications from messenger services almost instantly. PS: We never ask for the address before we confirm, some HOs are not comfortable with that. PPS: Not sure if anyone ever cancelled or came back early without a good reason after 50+ sits that we did on THS and other platforms. I can only think of one instance where the HO forgot to ask if we were vaccinated, she didn’t get the “correct” answer and cancelled the sit 2 days before the start.

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@MissRien did you report your unfortunate situation to THS?

I had a similar situation, canceled by a HO for no valid reason. She confirmed us one day, and canceled us the next. It was outside of the 14 day windows for making a claim on our THS cancelation insurance but we found another sit, so no biggie. I reported her to THS and they followed up with her to my complete satisfaction. I won’t get into details but rest assured, THS does not condone this type of behavior from Ho’s or sitters, but only if they know about it.

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No I didn’t. It happened years ago, I thought I had no support then. Can I still make a report now? Probably that member is no longer on the site.

I think both sides can cancel easily because they don’t suffer any consequences for their actions. Good to know you sorted it out, maybe from now on I will report members who display bad behavior to THS to see if they take it seriously. I just had a very unpleasant exchange with a HO recently. My interactions with him was totally opposite from what was described in his reviews. I got the whatsapp conversations as evidence.

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Fingers crossed it will work out. I can understand you getting cold feet. Please let us know. I am waiting t o hear from an an application we made for a last minute sit - next weekend - absolutely no response - unread message - how do people not read their emails? or is there a glitch?

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Vetting of the applicants is paramount. TRUSTED is the key word. I have learned to read between the lines on applications for sits and so far it has worked well. Video chats, verified sitters, reviews, getting to know the sitters beforehand, maybe using locals. We were let down once when a younger couple changed their availabilty 3 weeks before we were due to fly off, meaning they would be out working for 10 hours of the day so now I prefer retirees or home workers.
We get some weird applications so it is a case of ‘owner beware’ :
I had an interesting applicant a few years back. I rejected her and thanked her - my reason being I had chosen someone more local. She retorted extremely rudely saying that I was denying sitters the right to travel (that was the abridged version)! My reply to her was that my pets were my priority and not her holiday (an abridged version).

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Good point! I think THS still has a long way to go to earn the word “Trusted”. Reviews tell nothing about a person, BTW. They would say, listen to your gut, There’s really no way to tell…you just do your best and hope things will go alright.

I think she might get rejected for too many times. She shouldn’t have taken it out on you, but I can relate to her frustration. It’s what happened to me when I applied for sits in NYC…most HOs just want local sitters or sitters within the country.

Admin Notice: Post Moderated

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I LOVE THS and I adore the people I have met both in the physical and in this forum, even those that are new and learning. We have all been there. We have all made mistakes and we are growing together.
Where the heck are you these days?

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THS code of conduct is very clear that both parties have to agree if a sit is to be cancelled or dates amended. So what happens when one of the parties doesn’t agree?

As part of the code of conduct that all TrustedHousesitters members agree to, a confirmed sit cannot be cancelled unless both owner and sitter agree or there are extraordinary circumstances.

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If one or the other doesn’t agree, the sit will obviously still get cancelled but the person who got cancelled should contact THS and let them know so it is recorded on the offending person’s account. (THS now keeps track of this.)

Then they likely try to find another sit/sitter. If they are premium members and it’s short notice cancellation etc, the sitter/home owner can apply for insurance to cover dates there were unable to fill.

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