We have been accepted for a short sit of 3 days from 15 to 18 July 2024. After we’ve been accepted on the website, the pet owner said that she would like a video call to get to know us a bit better. We accepted. I gave her my telephone number for the call. Since then, a couple of weeks passed and we’ve heard nothing of her. I posted 3 messages on the listing forum for her. She hasn’t read any of them. The are all ‘unread’. We are going to leave our country in 2 week’s time for sits around Europe. All our other sits have been discussed in detail.
I don’t know what to do. I don’t have her telephone number and she doesn’t read my messages on the Housitters forum.
What do I do? I know this sit doesn’t happen for quite a while, but we might not have good Internet connection at the sits before that one. It freaks me out a little bit.
I recently had a very similar thing happen. I asked THS support to reach out to her, and they did, and she contacted me immediately.
Thanks Diane. We are new to Trusted Housesitters. I will try to make contact with the support team.
In addition to reaching out to TH to ask them to contact you, I would also be wary in future of accepting a sit before you’ve done a video call to meet the other party, see the premises and meet the pets.
Once you are stuck in a nightmare sit, it’s much harder to undo, especially as an HS so make sure you are vetting your sits thoroughly.
If they still are not responding after TH intervention or even if they do and you get a bad vibe, I would cancel the sit.
@Heletje1 I would contact THS and get them to contact the HO directly. Insist on getting their phone number and arrange a chat- you’d need their number anyway for contact during the sit. If nothing is forthcoming then ask THS to cancel the sit for you. As its only 3 days you’re not missing out on much. 
I recently had this happen, too, so thank you for posting about it. I couldn’t get a hold of the HO for almost two weeks and several messages which went unread.
I learned a good lesson about not accepting a sit before speaking with the person and doing a video or in-person meet. In my case the sit started in a week and I still couldn’t get a hold of the HO. I’m traveling in a very big, expensive city where sorting last-minute accommodation can be a problem. I didn’t want to get stranded or stuck with a huge expense at the last minute so I wound up cancelling and finding another place.
I also didn’t feel great about an HO who wouldn’t answer after many days. We all get busy but no message for multiple days? It’s too worrisome.
I didn’t realize that you couldn’t cancel a sit on your own. I had to contact TH who understood and reached out to the HO on email. Suddenly she answered but it was too late, I’d already booked another space. She wasn’t too nice about it…perhaps another red flag. But I had every intention to do her sit, I just never heard from her to confirm everything.
If an HO isn’t answering after several days, even just to say they’re busy and will answer soon, be very careful. There could be many reasons for this but they all don’t bode well for you, the sitter, who is traveling and assuming a lot of risk in the scenario.
Thank you for your advise. Will def try to get hold of TrustedHousitters to intervene.
Thank you. I’ve now requested THS to intervene…
Hi Hitashya
So sorry to learn about your experience. I guess this is the way we learn to be aware, especially when new on THS. Thanks for sharing.
@Heletje1 Did you actually press the Agree to Sit button in your Inbox and is the sit showing on your Dashboard as Confirmed? Also are the dates 15 - 18 July crossed out with a black line on your Availability calendar? If no to these questions, then the sit has not been officially confirmed.
As a newbie, there is much to learn about how THS works so take time to read the useful blogs on the website, including the Code of Conduct and Terms of Service which you have agreed to when joining. By clicking on the spyglass in top right corner in the Forum, you can also search for many topics that will help you. Having a video chat (usually WhatsApp) before a sit is confirmed is very much recommended from both sides so that questions can be asked and you get to know each other a little. You then also have each other’s phone number.
For your other sits, have you received their Welcome Guides which explain about the house, pets etc? Do you have their physical addresses? Have you considered how you would take a pet to the vet in an emergency and would you be able to pay if the owners didn’t have an account set up and could not be reached? Lots for you to learn about as you prepare for your travels sitting!
Hi @temba
Thank you for your response.
Yes, I did agree to the sit and yes, it is on my dashboard. What I don’t know is how to check my availability calendar and crossed out dates. If you can perhaps advise me on how to do this.
I’ve been reading the Terms and conditions and I do read the blogs. I agree that there are lots of things to be aware of and to learn when joining. We had video calls with all our other HO’s and have their telephone numbers and physical addresses. I did not receive all the welcome guides though. I will again ask for those. I will also ask about their vets in case I need a vet.
Thank you the time you took to talk and for your helpful advice.
Have a great day.
no my knowledge we can’t view an actual calendar (but that would be a great feature for those of us who like to SEE our schedules). My understand is that if you mark specific dates as “available” then all other dates are automatically marked as unavailable.
What’s not clear in the instructions is that if we don’t mark any dates as available does that mean all our dates are available or that we aren’t available for any?? Great question for @admins
Hi @Heletje1, glad you’re already doing what I suggested! To view your availability calendar, I suggest you click on Find a Sitter, put in your location, then search for yourself. You will find your calendar that way by scrolling down your profile. By the sounds of it, where the sit has been confirmed, those dates will show with a diagonal black line.
@temba & @Heletje1 An easier way to see your availability calender- on the phone app at least- is as follows.
Open the app. Click on ‘me’ at bottom right
Your profile opens. Click on ‘view & edit profile’ then just scroll down to your calender!
You’re right @Lokstar, much quicker! I tend to be on my computer when editing my profile or availability - a sign of my age 
Thank you Lokstar. Will do it now!
@temba I’ve just checked the process of accessing the calender on the laptop and it was really tricky to figure it out!! But this is the process…
On your main page click your small picture icon -top right -and you’ll see the drop down list…
Dashboard
My Profile
Inbox
Favourites etc
Logic would suggest to click My Profile- & the whole profile does show- all except the calender!
So click Dashboard instead & scroll down below your current/future sits until you see
My sitter Profile with a a green ‘preview’ button on the profile picture.
Click on the green button and scroll down till you reach the calender.
This seems like the only way to access it!
No wonder nobody bothers with the calender! Its easier, and more logical, on the phone app! 
@Heletje1 great! Incase you try to access it via a laptop then look at my follow up message to @temba above- for different instructions! 
P s When you want to tag a particular person the best way to alert them is to write it like this @Lokstar 
The majority of my sits have been done without a video or phone call, especially when I first joined. In fact it is only since the forums have started that anybody has asked for a video ort phone call. Perhaps since seein git mentioned here? Once confirmed by the home owner I took it as done. Did feel a bit anxious if not given their home address or welcome guide for some time though.