Product update to avoid overbooking sits

Product Updates
282

An alternative solution would have been to create further pop ups.

  1. When the owner opens an application from a sitter with overlapping dates
    “This sitter currently appears to have another sit booked that overlaps with the dates of your sit. If they have not explained this in their application message, we advise that you ask them about this.”

  2. When an owner confirms a sitter with overlapping dates
    “You are confirming a sitter who appears to have another sit booked that overlaps with the dates of you sit. Please confirm the following”
    “I am aware of the overlap and arrangements are in place to ensure that the pets are cared for during the overlap” (Checkbox to tick)
    “I have discussed this with the sitter and there is no overlap. The dates of the other sit are incorrect or the other sit has been cancelled but not yet updated on the system” (checkbox to tick)

  3. When a sitter accepts a sit with overlapping dates
    “You are accepting a sit with with dates that overlap another sit you have booked. Please confirm the following”
    “I have discussed the overlap with both pet parents and arrangements are in place to ensure that pets are cared for during the overlap” (checkbox to tick)
    “There is no overlap, but the dates of one of the sits are incorrect or one of the sits is cancelled but not updated on the system.” (checkbox to tick)

A message could also be generated to the pet parent of the already booked overlapping sit asking them to confirm that the situation had been discussed an arrangements had been out in place, or advising them to contact Membership Services to correct dates.

Then Sitters and Pet Parents could get on with communicating and arranging sits like the responsible adults that most of us are.

NB: I am not affected by this change. However I have experienced lots of sits with date changes that were not reflected in the system.

2 Likes
283

@pietkuip
I am also a solo sitter and I do many back to back sits in the UK where I end one sit and start the next sit on the same day a few hours later. I travek by train and bus in the UK, not by car.

I don’t think this change will have much affect on me tbh but I still feel sorry for the couples who split up temporarily in order to do overlapping sits.

1 Like
285

A more logical solution that didn’t adversely affect the majority would have been:

  1. Put in place an easy way for dates to be edited and THEN…
  2. Stop single sitters from agreeing overlapping dates because you can’t be in two places at the same time but a couple potentially can and THEN…
  3. Warn couples that they are trying to book an overlapping sit as @Debbie suggested.
7 Likes
286

Great idea. I don’t know why THS don’t make more use of pop ups. Your solution could be used for the cross-over sits. I have also suggested using pop ups to get home owners to confirm by ticking boxes when the list a sit to state 1) it will include an overnight 2) there will be no one staying at the home other than the sitter(s), 3) no cameras will be in use 4) they will make arrangements with the vet for an account to be set up or other payment arrangements made. All these could alleviate a great many of the issues that appear on the forum and presumably would not be a huge task for a web developer.

4 Likes
287

I’ve read this thread with interest. Especially because me and my partner are about to take the plunge into trying full time sitting.

It seems really rushed and badly needs to include improvements to how homeowners can change the dates of sits.

In booking my sits I’d been looking for ones that end and begin on the same day (so not overlapping). But it remains to be seen how feasible that will be over the longer term.

It feels like THS is trying to shut down its older, less tech-savvy/very online sitters (I know not all older people fit that category!) As someone with an online job who’s very used to checking my phone all the time I can usually apply to the sits I want. But this coupled with other changes does feel like it’s making it harder if you aren’t constantly plugged in.

Worst case we’ll get my partner a separate account, it’s not too much money in the grand scheme of things. I’d be interested to see homeowner’s responses to applications like that though. If anything it does ensure they’re always informed about overlapping.

Edit to add, I do think solo sitters overlapping is a bad idea and needed to be stopped! I don’t understand how you can do it without risk. And I can’t believe many pet owners would agree to it. This feels like a very blunt fix though.

288

I’m a solo sitter and I have been doing mostly back to back sits in UK and Europe since Dec 2021. I’m on my 46th sit now. It is very possible/feasible.
Good luck!

2 Likes
289

@cat.tails that’s great to hear! You’re right there are plenty of solo sitters managing just fine without overlapping. Not sure why that didn’t occur to me. Very reassuring, thank you!

290

Live example of needing THS Membership Services to change the end date of a sit.

The end date of our sit was recently modified, agreed by both parties, with both HO and us as Sitters advising THS November 8th.

Took until today, November 11th = 3 days - to modify the revised end date.

291

Hello everyone,

Thank you for all of your questions and feedback. I am happy to help answer a few more :grinning:

Changing dates

Some of you have raised concerns about the functionality around owners being able to change dates.

Just to clarify in case anyone reading isn’t sure or is new the current functionality already allows owners to change their dates themselves during the application phase and once a sit is officially confirmed. Some members have helpfully fed back that the process could be improved, that’s great feedback and the product team has listened and is working on that. As soon as we know more we will let you all know.

If any owner needs additional help with changing their dates for any reason then Membership Services is on hand to help and they will also gladly assist with any changes to dates for a sit that has already started.

Why was it not changed before?

There have been a few questions as to why the process was not changed before this feature was launched, as explained above as there are options already in place for owners to change dates themselves, we dealt with the more pressing need of overlapping sits as there were members that were not using the platform as it was intended and this was putting pets at risk. Sadly not all owners were aware that their sitters were doing overlapping sits, we know this as it’s been reported by owners to the Membership services team.

@Silversitters @cat.tails Thank you for your requests about membership data, we don’t have access to those breakdowns but will feedback to the wider company that some of you have asked about this.

Is this update to change the membership fee?

For reassurance, we are not aware of any plans to change membership fees, this has not been discussed with the forum team as part of this new feature. Although some of you have suggested this on the thread as a potential idea for couples, so we have passed it back to the team for you.

Can one sit end on the same day that the next one starts?

Yes, that’s completely fine. The sitter will still need to complete the handover or leave at the agreed time with the first owner before moving on to the next sit later that day.

@PetSitterBug I am sorry to hear that took so long, I checked with the team and as this was an ongoing case and not just a date change, things took a bit longer. I have fed this back to them and they have offered reassurance that they are there to help if anyone needs it.

@ziggy Thank you for sharing so honestly. I am really sorry to hear that. The Product updates are just one part of the forum and there are many other categories to share and connect with the community. There is an option in the settings menu to mute the Product category, if you need help let me know and if you have a break take care and we are here if you want to reach out.

How can the forum help?

The forum team really appreciates everyone sharing in this topic and creating such a thoughtful discussion. It’s important that our members have a platform to share and discuss all things housesitting.

At this stage, it might be helpful to manage expectations beyond this, with a reminder that while we are more than happy to pass on feedback and get as many answers as possible for you (hopefully you can see we have been working hard to do that for you) but there is a limit to what we can do and the forum team can’t guarantee any outcomes after we share your feedback.

We know that this may be disappointing for some of you but what we will
continue to do is provide a place to facilitate these important discussions and work on more ways to share information within the community.

Please always consider the community guidelines when you post as anything posted outside of these will be edited or removed. Please help to keep this thread on topic to make sure the post is clear and focused on the intended update, by helping us do this you keep it a great discussion for everyone. If you have questions about this my DM’s are always open.

Any more questions please let me know and I will continue to help as best I can.

Thank you

Carla

3 Likes
292

Here’s the thing. I have no idea what the metrics are or even whether THS tracks this. But it feels like one obvious business goal of this company is to make sure it is reliable for HOs. Because if homeowner members can’t get sitters, they will not renew and the system falls apart. So there need to be enough sitters available at any point to fill needs. And it works because it is large matching system, so there are sitters like me who will take short sits in rural areas for weekend “country” getaways (and as someone who is combined, that means when I travel with my spouse we open up a competitive sit in our apartment), there are traveling sitters who want to work there way through a region within a certain timeframe, nomads planning a calendar in advance but looking to fill gaps, etc. People have evolved ways of using the site that work for them. The end result is a balance where it works for everyone. The model is based on being large and eclectic.

We don’t know the numbers, but if suddenly a bunch of nomadic sitters who sit as a couple can’t do some sits, and if those sitters sometimes take low application sits, those sits don’t get filled, and those HOs don’t come back. The sitters themselves might find a need to also sign up with other sites to fill in the gaps, and might eventually decide not to renew membership.

There is also a ripple affect because changing dates on confirmed sits is so cumbersome. So other sitters – not couples – are also effected because dates won’t work. There could be a workaround that would involve communication and agreement with HOs and sitters if there were even an easy way to change the dates so that they did fit, but the update doesn’t touch that. So it feels that at the very least, they should be rolling out a change to make that easier at the same time that they roll out the new update.

My impression from the thread is that THS has no idea: how many forced cancellations happen, and haw frequently dates change (with mutual consent but not in the system) after sits are confirmed. They are making changes without having the full picture. When given feedback by site users, they push ahead anyway.

5 Likes
293

I agree with @LondonUKSitter. Reading this coming from a TrustedHousesitters team member was quite a shock. If/when those kind of sitters exist on TH, they should be banned. To me, there’s no room for someone who has that kind of judgement on this site. It’s not about a sitter being able to book an overlap- it’s about their judgement as a sitter.
This change doesn’t impact me or my husband. We each have separate accounts for a different reason. But, I’ve been sitting since 2017 and only recently joined the forum. What has concerned me about the forum is the negative comments and demands from sitters and pet owners I have read. Sure, everyone is apparently free to vent as long as they follow the forum rules, but as a sitter, I have hoped that pet owners didn’t think the writings of a few represented the many.
There are others who post here who are very helpful and they have written that it’s the minority who comment on the forum. But, to hear a TH representative also make these negative comments about sitters, to me, creates even more distrust. When the reputation of TrustedHousesitters suffers, we all do.
If the recent change was also made to generate more cash flow, such as moving a couple to two memberships, there are other options rather than creating the hardships the members here are voicing.
Not an original idea, but maybe TH should be a monthly subscription service. A member pays an amount each year to be part of TH, and they also pay a recurring monthly fee to use it. If an owner or sitter knows they won’t use it for a month or several months, they can give 30 days notice to pause their membership, but still pay an annual fee to remain a member until they decide to become active again.
With the numerous complaints about TH not listening to members, TH could be doing more to build goodwill within the community, like rewarding those who consistently provide an excellent service to retain the best members. I’m sure you’ll get lots of good suggestions from members, and hopefully, you would implement some of them.
At this time, it appears TH may be creating a financial risk and unnecessary stress for some of the people who provide the very service it depends on to be successful.
Like everyone who is a member here, if the values or terms of service of TH do not align with what we are able to live with, then we are free to not be part of it. The shift in policy to possibly make the sitter financially responsible for others pets and home before the actual owners themselves, and some of the comments from TH team members, I have now decided to reconsider if I want to continue my membership here.

1 Like
294

As goes X (formerly known as Twitter) …

1 Like
295

Isnt leaving one sit and starting another one the same day more likely to result in pets being left alone than one sitter staying with the pets for a day or two until the home owners return, whilst their partner goes on to start their next sit alone?

Something doesn’t add up :face_with_diagonal_mouth:

6 Likes
296

But THE DATA!!!

297

Indeed. Especially, they cannot know how often sitters cancel.

One suspects that there may be sitters that cancel quite often. Maybe those are the ones that kept applying after a sit was confirmed, and cancel when they got something better. This measure would stop them from making such applications.

But it is a sledgehammer, and THS throws it around in the blind.

3 Likes
298

@Colin Great spot, sorry I should have elaborated, as with any sit ending, the sitter will still need to complete the handover or leave at the agreed time with the first sit before moving on to the next sit later that day. It was more to let you all know that the functionality still allowed this as a few members had asked, but I should have included the same handover principles as always apply. Thank you for pointing that out, I have edited the post!

299

I’m sorry but I find the responses from THS to be shocking. There is not in fact a quick, easy option for HOs to change the dates of a confirmed sit. They have to unconfirm, change the dates, either relist or send a private invite, then the sitter has to apply again, the HO has to confirm again, and the sitter has to accept again. That is absolutely ridiculous. Anyone with a brain should be able to understand that HOs don’t want to be bothered with that. I and others have said that about 50% of sits have date changes. The vast majority are not changed in the THS system. Why? Because it’s difficult to change the dates and we are all adults and can manage our own calendars.

Sitters are being flexible and accommodating the constant date changes from HOs and we’ve been completely fine with doing that. However, now SITTERS ARE BEING PENALIZED when an HO changes the dates. We’ve just lost dates that were confirmed, but now we are blocked from applying for other sits. These are sits that DO NOT OVERLAP.

The fact that fixing the date change system is not a priority given that it penalizes sitters for accommodating HOs needs is appalling and shows the disdain that THS seems to have for sitters.

4 Likes
300

Could you explain what the process is for changing dates because as far as i can tell the process is to cancel the sit if it hasnt started and send private dates to the sitter. If there is now an easier way to do this, please provide a link? Can the dates be changes once a sitbis in process?

1 Like
301

Hello @Marion I have shared the search results for all of the ways to change dates in the help desk here the FAQ’s should explain all of the processes around dates changes Membership Services own the help centre so they can also help more if needed.

I will copy a couple of my quotes from my post above as hopefully, they will answer your questions further.

Outside of the above, I don’t have any more information for you. When the Product team lets the forum team know more we will share it with you. Thank you for bearing with us. Hope you have a lovely weekend.

302

@Colin - good point! I think that the crucial element is clear communication between pet sitter and pet parent either during the application process or post-confirmation.

Sometimes when I applied for cat sits, it became clear that either my arrival or departure time did not suit the pet parent so at that point, I would withdraw my application.

As a solo cat sitter, I always discuss with the HO/PP what time I will be arriving (regardless of whether I am coming directly from another sit that day or not) and also what time I will be leaving the sit (regardless of whether I am going directly to another sit that day or not). The important thing is to be in agreement with the HO/PP in the event that the cat(s) will be left alone for a few hours on the first day (between the departure of the HO/PP and my arrival) and/or on the final day (between my leaving and the return of the HO/PP.) There is sometimes a 5-6 hours gap. Of course, whatever it is, it was agreed upon between us.

Also, I have often met the HO/PP at the start and/or end of the sit.

It might be that cats are “easier” in this respect as they always have a litter tray indoors or alternatively, a cat flap that allows them to go outside to pee and poo. Plus they can be left dry or wet food to tide them over a few hours. I guess every type of animal, bird or fish is different and again, the crucial element is clear communication :heart_eyes_cat: :smiley_cat:

2 Likes