Yesterday we applied for a sit. When I clicked ‘apply,’ a pop-up appeared telling us that we were already booked for those dates and then gave some options, one of which we had to click to be able to continue.
I can’t remember all of the options but they all alluded to the fact that we were overlapping - were we aware? were the hosts aware? etc
However, we were not overlapping. The host had three dates listed, two of those dates we are booked for, and the one we were applying for we are available.
To progress further, I had to click on one of the given options so had no option but to tick any random box, knowing that this was not a true answer - @Ben-ProductManager , an extra option ’ We are not overlapping’ needs to be added to the options available to cover this scenario.
This happened to me last week whilst confirming a sit and there was no overlap.
I just chose continue and it’s all good on the dashboard.
Glitch in the matrix is my guess.
At the point when we launch the warning we do not know which dates you plan to apply to.
One of the 3 dates the owner has is overlapping with a sit you have confirmed. If you applied to this Sit you would be attempting to double book, and this would be breaking the T&Cs of our platform.
For anyone who has not seen the prompt here is a screenshot below.
@Ben-ProductManager - so the warning is launched at the wrong time, it should be launched when you do know which dates we plan to apply to!
The pop-up asks me to apply anyway if we have agreed with the owner - I have not agreed with the owner as there is nothing for me to agree so how do I continue with the application except for clicking on a link that is not giving true information?
It is a simple solution - A line of extra wording needs to be added so that you are not asking me to ‘sign’ something that I know to be untrue.
“If you’ve agreed this with the owner or if you can confirm that the dates you are applying for do not coincide with a sit you have already confirmed then you can apply anyway”
…or am I missing something? Is it possible to continue with the application without clicking on the linked words “If you’ve agreed this with the owner, you can apply anyway”?
Hi Ben
For sitters traveling as a couple, there are times when they may accept two sits with a short overlap to avoid gaps in the schedule with the homeowners being aware of this.
So long as animals are getting the proper care, no one is abandoning a sit early,etc., I think this should be something worked out between the HO’s and sitters without THS getting involved. I understand there were some issues being sitters booking sits with similar dates and not honoring their commitments but to make some blanket ban on applying for overlapping sits doesn’t seem like the best way to handle this.
Is that what will happen eventually? Based on the screenshot above it appears you are still able to apply to another sit, provided you say the HO is aware you are doing so. But the wording of it all still makes it seem like you are doing something wrong and possibly putting your membership in jeopardy.
If a sitter ends up confirming sits with overlapping dates will they receive further ‘warning’ messages? Does the HO receive a message asking if they are aware and have ‘approved’ this? I am just curious how this all plays out. Thanks!
As sitters we know what we’re doing and on what dates, this new feature is rather pointless. It seems like you’re changing things for the sake of change.
We have had a couple of cases where a Sitter has had multiple Sits double booked and has abandoned a sit early. These sitters have been removed from the platform.
This is why we have introduced an email prompt and warning when applying to the Sit. As you have outlined, you can still currently apply for a Sit, but this must have been discussed with both Homeowners.
We continue to work on this, and our main priority is the well-being of the Pet.
Thanks @Ben-ProductManager. Being on the forum pretty regularly, I was aware that this was an issue so I understand the need to do something.
It is helpful to have a better sense of changes like this since there are people who may have overlapping dates but all the animals involved are getting the proper care, and such people wouldn’t want to put their membership in jeopardy, so I appreciate your response. I agree that it is important that everyone involved is aware of what is happening.
I personally haven’t had to do this very often, but on a few occasions being able to overlap two sits by short amounts of time --I travel with my husband–has been really helpful in filling our schedule–and some of these sits weren’t particularly in demand and they may not have found a sitter otherwise-- and it has never been an issue.
I just hope that the option will not be taken away completely. While leaving one sit to start another could certainly be something done by a couple of as well, I imagine in at least most of these cases, it was a single sitter. Perhaps there is a way to track this based on that aspect of the account since that is a piece of information provided as part of the profile.
I genuinely can not understand the necessity of this new ‘warning’.
Is there a figure as to how many sits take place annually?
Surely ‘a couple of cases’ can only be classed as a very rare occurrence and rightly removing those extremely rare sitters from the platform is all that was needed? If extra promotion of the issue was needed, maybe a mention in the THS newsletter as an extra safeguard?
But do the 99.9% of responsible, reliable sitters now really need to be warned?
Especially when the software is not even sophisticated enough to only warn those that are actually overlapping dates.
It honestly feels as if THS is using a very large sledgehammer to crack a very small nut and is risking annoying and offending the vast majority of sitters who always have had, and always will have, the pet’s care and well-being as their top priority.
I agree with you, it’s bewildering what the Product Team consider a priority for development. In 30 seconds, I was able to think of the following, more pressing issues (IMO):
The map functionality is inacurate and ambiguous
The review system is severly flawed (I understand this is under development)
Owners can list day sits, despite it being against the T&C’s
THS does not automatically provide the HO’s contact details, address or anything useful when a sit is confirmed (as you would get on Home Exchange or Airbnb). You have to ask often several times for information.
Sitters can not request to cancel
Notifications arrive too late to be useful
5-app rule is, well, you know. I timed a London sit disappear in 7 mins, from refresh to applications full.
@dan. Yes. I would love to see the prioritisation matrix on fixes. To my mind it would be Coding effort vs POSITIVE impact on number of members (all, the majority, a few, none) There’s got to be ‘sweeter’ spot than some of the recent ‘improvements.’
Membership Services have received complaints regarding double-booked sits, including those booked by solo sitters.
As mentioned whilst the majority of members use this responsibly there have been a few cases where this has not happened.
This notification and the email reminder of any double-booked sits is a reminder of the terms about making sure the pets and home are cared for during the sitting period. This is fundamental to the platform and is why it has been prioritised.
Membership Services can help anyone change their dates if they need to be updated for any reason They can be reached at: support@trustedhousesitters.com
The overlapping sits pop-up will also be out on the iOS and Android app over the coming week. If any further changes are made we will keep you posted.
@Ben-ProductManager is anything being done when owners invite sitters for overlapping dates? The system seems to ignore the calendar and still allows owners to mass invite (borderline spam) everyone in the area, regardless of their availability.
Oh yes, this is a definite issue. I’m getting requests for sits on dates I’ve already confirmed in the system for another house sit - plus ones I’d never accept anyway (requires a car etc). Then I have to go through the motions of explaining I already have another sit booked, decline etc and meanwhile they probably feel they’re wasting their time.
I applied to a few sits yesterday and got the pop-up twice. One was a sit in a very popular area that already had 4 applicants, so getting to the button to click the dates was actually time sensitive. I really didn’t appreciate the pop-up delay. Both were sits with multiple dates listed and the dates I was choosing did not overlap with scheduled sits. Maybe the pop-up could be changed to come up after clicking the dates. Or, better yet, consider that sitters are adults capable of managing our own schedules and don’t need the pop-up ‘warning’ at all.
