Anyone have issues with the website version for a Private Invite sit? I am in the middle of confirming a sit with a repeat sitter. Instead of doing the normal post public sit and waste peoples times, I used the Private Sit invite. This is AFTER confirming on WhatsApp that we agreed on the dates. The THS messaging app is so glitchy! I sent the invite with via Private Invitation (which BTW was a challenge to get through, not intuitive at all but I got there). My sitter Accepted but I never got the email (shocker, this is typical), so I went to check THS messages 2 days later thinking odd she hadn’t formally accepted yet. Well SHE HAD the day of my invite, in my INBOX it showed it as confirmed but them seemed to disappear (I did not cancel it) but was in the history of my messages while I was viewing the inbox. I had to RESEND the invite. Waiting for confirmation again. How dumb. I dont want to ask THS for help and have them mess up the 2nd invite pending, Id rather just let my Sitter re-confirm. Anyone experience this? Just another annoying and jenky feature on the THS website. Here is a screenshot. 
In my 3 years experience of repeat sits and private invitations it has always been a ( long winded) 4 x steps process
Host invites
Sitter applies
Host confirms
Sitter accepts
Yes, recently went through it and I had to guide the HO without seeing their screen, which made it even more challenging. It is an unnecessary, complicated and cumbersome process.
That seems to be THS’s MO, unfortunately.
Interesting. I guess I’m in the process of the four steps then. Now I went and looked on my phone app messages and it looks slightly different and doesn’t even show the Private Invite I sent with the dates of the sit. But this is what it shows. Waiting for my repeat Sitter to accept or confirm Or whatever It will be called at this point. I’m sure it will all work out, but oh my gosh, how Cumbersome and confusing. Thanks for your input. Hopefully this will help future users of this awkward private invite feature.
Maybe message your sitter on Whatsapp and tell them they still need to accept. For added excitement my HO was also blocked from sending us a private invite, because their listing’s photos were not in the correct order. 
Update: I have sent a version of my post to the Support email to keep giving feedback and suggestions. They replied that they will check why I am not getting emails so I had to give them info about my account for them to do that. They also basically agreed that it IS a 4 step process as @Silversitters explained and then tried to justify the multistep process. I now have the 4th step complete with my sitter for the summer and am at peace again. Jajajaja. This will be our 1st time doing a Repeat sitter and I am so happy about that! Oh, I also toggled the ON/OFF function for receiving emails and texts and low and behold, I got an email about my confirmed sitter! So try that if you have issues getting emails about new THS messages in your inbox. thanks all.
I think the word “invitation “ is what contributes to the confusion.
You are inviting sitters to apply , not inviting them to sit which is what most of us assume is meant by the term “private invitation “ .
Glad it’s sorted .