I was in conversation with a homeowner about 6 weeks prior to a proposed homesit when, for understandable reasons, the homeowner had to withdraw the ad and duly notified me (and other applicants) about the cancellation. All good.
In a separate “generic” email from THS, I received the following notice by email:
“We’re sorry Dan, but xxxxx and xxxxx has chosen to go with another sitter for their upcoming sit.” NOT good.
Although I appreciate THS following up on my applications, I do NOT appreciate the “generic” nature of the emailed notice and the inherent inaccuracies and assumptions resulting from this kind of “blind” notice.
@CanadaDan. You got the THS system generated email. As THS has thousands of active members I’m not sure there’s a better way to handle the 4 or more rejected sitters on each listing?
…Apologies;l I inadvertently sent the post before I was finished…
Surely, greater care can be exercised in composing generic type messages if one size must fit all. Better still; where followup is not called for, don`t.
The THS generic email continued:
``While it didn’t work out this time around, don’t get disheartened! Rest assured, there’s another amazing house sit out there with your name on it…
The homeowner did not ...go with another sitter and I don`t appreciate the hollow condolences and encouragement.
I understood that the “not good” was your comment.
I was wondering about the first part: “chosen to go with another sitter”. It is not what I get. My latest such message from THS has the subject header: “An Update on Your Sit Application”
Pieter, the subject line and the message is copied and pasted below; I have taken the liberty of XXXing out the homeowners names and the place and dates of the sit.
Dan
An Update on Your Pine Lake Sit Application
We’re sorry Dan, but xxxx and xxxx has chosen to go with another sitter for their upcoming sit
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
While it didn’t work out this time around, don’t get disheartened! Rest assured, there’s another amazing house sit out there with your name on it…
I preferred the ‘declined’ notifications. The ‘update on your sit’ notifications are simply an euphemism for ‘you didn’t get it’. E.g. I’ve never yet received a THS ‘update on your sit’ notification that said: hey, great update, you’ve been selected; or, you’ve received a message from the HO; or, the HO is interested in you and would like to get in touch. Etc.
So the update is always: you’re declined. Well, then just put it in the heading instead of ‘an update’ that’s nothing else but being declined for the sit…
Perhaps new members should be able to tick a box about which feedback they would like to receive? Honestly, does it matter that much? You get some sits and you don’t get others. The wording in the decline message makes very little difference.
No wording is going to satisfy everyone and no company should even waste time on trying to do that, because it will never work. Some people are always going to be more sensitive than others. And different things bug different people.
The folks who don’t take things personally will generally spare themselves needless bother. Like if I know there’s a programatic msg, I couldn’t care less if it’s a bit off.
So THS sends out different emails for similar situations, and “the other way around” as what it should be. In my case, the HO had written to me that they had chosen another sitter, someone who could take both their periods.
Inconsistencies in the software are not uncommon on THS, but this one is surprising. Maybe @Jenny or @Carla should ask whether the company is aware.
Hello @pietkuip Thank you for tagging me in this one, I will speak to the team and let you know what the current wording they use is and ask about the differences you mentioned. Thank you for bearing with me
To me, clicking Decline with no explanation seems cold. So first I send the applicant a message saying why I’m not choosing them. If I think they could be a possibility for a future sit, I tell them so.
I agree, I didn’t actually know that THS sent the declined sitters anything but I would never just press a button saying declined. If some one has been interested enough to apply then they at least deserve a quick note saying sorry for whatever reason. Actually I think I am maybe one of the few who doesn’t mind the 5 limit though I can see the issues, but it’s actually very hard seeing very nice people and then saying that you’ve decided on someone else. No one likes a rejection. It may be that we’re just lucky but we’ve always had great applicants and wonderful sitters, which isn’t always what you read about on the forum.
@largo@KChev Remember also that once the sitter has pressed the Agree to Sit button that Decline message will be automatically sent to unsuccessful sitters so you need to follow that up with your message to those sitters asap.
@temba Thanks for the that, I think it’s not only the sitters who need to be fast in the system! Generally I hope to have contacted most people prior to that but yup, speed is of the essence!
Carolyn and I have been with THS since 2016 and have completed eight homesits over the last five years, I doubt we are among “new email sitters”. Further to that, the reason we were declined was not that someone else was selected, it resulted when the homeowners had to delay/postpone their planned trip.
Generic responses are rife with pitfalls but I see the need given the number of clients THS handles.
Best regards, and please - take all my comments as constructive critique - THS provides a highly valued service to homesitters and homeowners alike.
. A huge improvement. Previously, not chosen sitters were slapped with a brutal ‘You are declined.’ That was a hard nut to swallow
