I recently confirmed for a sit within Trusted Housesitters after doing a video interview. It’s been 30+ hours since I requested the Home Owners care instructions and address via text and the THS messaging channel and there has not been any response from the Home Owner.
Getting nervous as I have already booked my flights. What should I do?
Have they had previous sitters? If not, don’t fret it takes quite a while to complete their Welcome Pack which contains all of that info. Also, if the sit is within the next couple of weeks then ask for a mobile number from them, so you can give them a little encouragement to be quicker.
When is the sit? If it’s a while away, don’t worry about it. It’s confirmed anyway, so you’ve already committed yourself to get to their destination, and they have commited themselves to you too.
One HO said she’d send the Welcome Guide nearer the time of the sit as seasonal changes would impact on the detail for horses. This is entirely reasonable and proper. In the case of dogs/cats it could also change dependent on season/health/age of pets. A puppy might be undergoing puppy training currently, so will be in a different place come the time of the sit. So many adjustments could be under consideration.
Absolutely….i can’t remember if I’ve sent my pack to my sitters arriving this week but it’s changed due to kitten now being over a year old and both cats living here for a year and time changes their behaviour and needs. The one thing I’ve done immediately is given my postcode because everyone needs to know exactly where they might stay and my phone number so we could WhatsApp if ness.
Some people are difficult to understand. The HOs of my upcoming sit are not ghosting me, they have answered questions, they sound nice enough. But they have not sent a welcome guide yet nor given me their adress.
I have already asked three times. I am not really worried yet (they have plenty of reviews) but if they don’t give me their address next week I won’t start travelling.
(And a different HO who had confirmed yesterday cancelled this morning. Bummer.)
@Gemmag, if you’ve contacted them via both text and THS and they aren’t responding and the sit starts in a few days, I’d text one more time and say something like, “Since I haven’t heard back via text or THS, I’m thinking maybe you’ve changed plans? I am reluctant to finalize my own travel plans until I have your Welcome Guide. If I don’t receive it within the next 24 hours, I’ll assume you’ve changed plans and ask THS to cancel the sit.”
@Gemmag you can ask THS to contact them as they have alternate contact numbers . Home owners could be in hospital , offline or just not seen that they have messages on the THS platform .
If they aren’t responding in app or over text, I would contact TH support and ask for help.
Re:welcome guides, I am not a fan of hosts that don’t send it until days before the sit as it doesn’t give you a chance to look over and ask questions. We send an abridged guide to HS before the sit is even confirmed so they can be confident about our dog’s care before agreeing to the sit, then will send details of our actual location and our home guide as soon as the HS tells us they are ready to book their travel.l, which will be closer to the sit date.
I find breaking up the guide and managing it independently has been easier as we basically have three docs
home guide (sent later)
dog care guide (abridged version sent before video call)
dog glossary/user manual (abridged version sent before video call)
I will typically say that I will get everything booked once I have had a chance to read through the welcome guided etc.
If this is a sit you’re flying in for as opposed to something local or close by, for me there would be extra need for diligence to get the welcome guide sooner rather than later, but everyone does things a bit differently…just about figuring out what works for you.
I would send another message stating that you would appreciate receiving the Welcome Guide by X date so that you can review it before you begin traveling and have a chance to ask any questions well before the Owner travels.
I would also ask separately for the physical address. Yes, it should also be in the Welcome Guide, but they could simply send you their address in a text or email. Tell them that you are planning your travel logistics and want to make sure you are able to be there on time. Very reasonable request.
If you were invited to do the sit, and you confirmed that sit: it’s an official sit.
30 hours is not really a long time for everyone to respond via THS or Txt if they have a busy lifestyle.
Perhaps after 3 days if you have not heard from the HO, you could send her a note asking for her street address, E-Mail, phone number for contact going forward - and send her proof you have bought your airfare as a “nudge”
I’ve had a few pet parents who will not send the welcome guide or the address until right before the sit start date and they did that for security purposes. They didn’t want any sitter to have that info in case that sitter cancelled
On your dashboard, under “My Current & Upcoming House Sits,” there should be a button labeled “Request Welcome Guide” or something similar next to the relevant upcoming sit. Click on it. Or not.
If you’re not receiving the Welcome Guide, it’s possible that your host hasn’t completed it yet. Many hosts never do. Perhaps they feel pressured about the guide, so they keep “forgetting” to send the address. Forget the guide, ask them for instructions on how to get to their home.
p.s. Just yesterday, to my surprise (chock), I received a Welcome Guide exactly 2 minutes after July-sit confirmation. Couldn´t believe it and became somewhat suspicious. That never happened before.