Thatcwas nice Lauraa and I think a decent thing to do.
I think changes firnillness snd unfirseen is perfectly understandable.
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I agree Pvgemini, its nearly a completley different week!
Sadley these dates would have worked much better if weâd known in the first place.
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We have withdrawn from this sit, stating to HO that we cant rearrange our work schedules at such short notice.
Interestingly i remember they asked us to do the sit in December!!
Weâd applied with different dates but theyâd not responded so we withdrew the initial application.
Cant believe weâve been good enough to kerp these dates open for so long for them to change at last minute. At the very keast they could have been transparent with us that theyre dates werent confirmed.
Yes im thinking i should report to membership, its not really fair for them to be messing other sitters about
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Definitely report them. Youâve been more patient and adaptable than I would have been, especially as you applied to them before with no response. Fortunately this situation is extremely rare, just a shame youâve experienced it.
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Yep, I think if the new dates donât work with you & the parameters you agreed to originally have changed, then you absolutely wouldnât have to agree to the new dates.
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Thank you smiley and fluffball.
I must admit each sit weve completed weâve not had a problem with any HO, infact its been a pleasure.
This last couple of weeks weve definately had issues with potential for upcoming sits. But i agree its definitely a minority. We just seem to gave had them all at once!
Think we should have noticed the red flags in this one earlier but put it down to a new member.
Anyway all has ended well, we have got what looks like a lovely sit within the dates and had a nice easy conversation with HO, just how it should be.
Also passed info on to member services as I doubt it would be only us theyâd mess about. Really hope they follow it up though.
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Thatâs good news. It really shouldnât be hard work. If HOs arenât sure of their dates they shouldnât be posting until they are
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Completley agree.
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I just had an experience with an HO couple that left myself and my partner feeling frustrated and annoyed.
The HO invited us (they liked our profile) to a one-week sit, Tues-Tues.
A few weeks before the sit when we discussed arrival times, they said that although they had put one week on TH. (Tues-Tues), they actually were leaving on the Weds, but we could come the Tues evening for dinner and a handover. That seemed fine.
We arrived and on the Wednesday morning before they set off, they told us they were actually coming back on the Monday afternoon and not the Tuesday, at 4pm. Then finally on the Monday lunchtime they said they were returning home at 2.
My partner and I both work from home, and have to carefully arrange our schedules and meetings/Zoom calls to ensure we can have adequate time to pack, tidy up, and travel, not to mention adjusting to the times the dogs are walked, everyone is fed, etc. We are very conscientious and take it very seriously.
Itâs very frustrating when HOs treat our lives as if we have no commitments of our own, and can simply go with the flow as they change their minds.
Can I please ask any HOs reading this to think about this when making plans and to ensure they communicate with their sitters?
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@Isitusit Iâm sorry youâve had such a frustrating experience. It is very frustrating when people change their plans at the last minute. I would report the experience to @Therese as she can talk with the home owners if necessary.
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Ooh that does sounds frustrating, especially when you are working at the same time. Sorry that happened to you!
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Welcome Isitusit and I totally sympathise with the awful experience you have had.I have also learned a similar lesson from an owner who does not care about not following TSH rules or respecting a sitters need to be given vital information. In my list of questions to owners before accepting a future sit, I will be asking them to confirm their time of departure and their time of arrival back to the home as I just want to get on with the job of tidying up and leaving when it is time to leave. For many reasons, I do not want to be cooking meals for their return, doing non pet related jobs such as lawn moving and cooking for them. It is enough to cook for the pet and do a proper clean up before leaving. Some owners do not seem to be able to respect a sittersâ time or needs.
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Why would you be cooking meals for their return? Admittedly I have on quite a few occasions, cooked a âsurpriseâ meal for homeowners if theyâre back late or have had a long flight but not on every occasion.
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My word!!! Who expects all that!!! Tell them to jog on.
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I almost got caught out in a similar situation, until I asked about their Holiday. I was due to leave the Mon but needed to work from the house that day & catch a late flight. Then I found out they were returning with family from Poland with 3 children! I politely said I wouldnât be able to work nor would I want to be in the way of their family time. They agreed and now there is no cross over.
After building a rapport with the HO we need to ask open questions and throw some scenarios in there before confirming a sit.
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No, I would not be cooking meals for owners but if you look at some of the reviews you will see some will prepare a meal and even expect them to stay over after they return when the sit has officially ended. I want to take care of the pets only and not be going ahead of time on the sit or staying on after the owners have returned preferring to do the owner/ sitter interview through the questionnaire stage and once one side has done a âconfirm sitâ with a definitive date, then do a face time and video walk round of the sitter designated areas.
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I completley agree and annoyingly had similar this very week. HO changing dates with just a couple of weeks to go on a sit theyâd invited us to!
Sadley i do think some HO (definitely not all!) do treat the sitter like staff!
Now every sit weâve completed the HO has been great, appreciative of us and communicative.
I think its good to have some wiggle room but it should be discussed not expected!
Its making me think about being clearer and firmer and just not as flexible.
Its dort of more annoying also, when theyve invited you. You feel like youâre already helping them out!
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Sorry, I misread your original post. But sometimes itâs necessary to stay overnight either before or after a sit, depending on time of departure/arrival of HO.
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The most important message here is clarity about arrival and departure dates. The HOâs should put the exact dates that they expect the Sitter to be in the home. If the HOâs want the Sitter to arrive at 7 am, then obviously, the Sitter might have to stay nearby in a hotel the night before. If the HOâs want the sitter to arrive at 7 pm, then a hotel might not be necessary. We all need to make plans! HOâs should not state an arrival date which is before their departure, unless there needs to be time together to learn the âjob.â Just state the dates that you need the Sitter in your home, and Sitters can figure out their plans once they better understand your exact travel details.
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Agreed - Iâve put my travel dates in my sit. A prospective sitter could be coming from down the road or the other side of the world - I have no way of knowing until they make contact! When they get in touch, I expect to explain my timings, that they explain theirs and then we plan accordingly.
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