@Marion, a possible workaround in a pinch: Use private browsing and don’t sign in. Just search for your sit as if you weren’t a member. It’s not a fix, but might be useful so you can quickly check on your listing. Or if that doesn’t work, ask one of us to check for you.
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@Marion your current listing’s status shows 4 applicants.
@Maggie8K that doesn’t work. The site will only display the number of applicants if you are logged in. Otherwise they will display the button “Join to apply”.
@Marion , why don’t you write to Membership Services about this dilemma. They should be aware and they should also be able to let you know what’s going on with your listing.
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@mars I think your right. At this stage its imperative that we ALL write to membership services about any issue/glitch/problem we have. Even if it inundates them. At least someone might finally realize they’ve created more problems than they’ve fixed. It shouldn’t stop some of the innovation I’m seeing in various discussions to get around the restrictions. But it will highlight how many people have been impacted negatively.
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Hi @Marion This does sound strange. On your dashboard, you should be able to see your listing and your profile completely separately. Please do take screenshots of what you are experiencing and email membership services so they can investigate this further.
Hi Carla,
Can you find out when this will be implemented? The HOs who are still searching for holiday sitters are inviting us but are have been booked for ages!
Thanks
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The only thing is that this will make it more difficult for home owners to assign short term sits versus month+
With as many homeowners there are that will usually confirm a sitter and almost immediately change the dates by a day or two on the back end (via text or message), I can foresee sitters growing a bit insecure about applying/confirming on short terms now with this new policy. It would make more sense to keep tinkering on this new product; especially sitters who want to overlap by a day or two within the same city- you could even have it where it notifies each homeowner when a sitter is applying for a minimal overlap in the same town. This way sitters still have an opportunity to apply to those sits and the system can notify the owners of that sitters booked dates and they can accept or deny at their discretion. In my experience, most homeowners are ok with this sort of 1-2 day overlap, if in town. And especially if one of them doesnt even have pets or just minimal responsibilities. But with this new product, no one even has the option to decide for themselves on either end. I’d say keep working on the feature
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Alarmingly, this means that the company will never enable sitters to unconfirm. This contradicts the company’s advertised message of equality between account types and undermines the intended function of an introduction service.
The new limitations, such as the five applicant limit and now blocking applications, restrict sitters’ options and limit their ability to freely choose sits. This is further compounded by the inability to unconfirm a sit, especially in situations where there are issues with the listing, lack of a welcome guide, unresponsive homeowners, changes in the agreed-upon terms (additional pets, duties, visitors, expectations of financial contributions to the homeowner), etc.
The company claims that agreements are made between members, but this rings hollow when sitters are essentially locked into agreements they can’t leave. This lack of freedom and flexibility is unfair and creates a power imbalance between sitters and homeowners.
Instead of focusing on restricting applications and blocking sitters from unconfirming, the company should address the root causes of cancellations. This includes:
- Ensuring map accuracy: inaccurate maps lead to sitters being misled about the location and potential travel time (to and from the sit, and daily activities while at the sit).
- Requiring a welcome guide.
- Requiring specific photos: photos help set realistic expectations about the home, surrounding environment, and care.
- Adding a report/flag function to listings and messages: this empowers sitters to report inaccurate information, behavior against the code of conduct and terms of use, and any concerns they may have about a potential sit, allowing the company to address issues proactively.
By addressing these fundamental issues, the company can create a fairer and more transparent platform for both sitters and homeowners. This includes ensuring accurate information, promoting clear communication, and empowering sitters to make informed decisions about their participation.
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Can you still apply for overlapping sits now? I cannot.
@RaMa , that would have been on old post, it is no longer possible.
So many of us are suffering the new rules about cross over sits - home owners will suffer also. We have been full time sitters on this site for over 10 years and have often with both owners permission - split up and covered the extra day/night on a sit or started new sit a day or 2 early to allow for change overs. Never have THS had a complaint about us for doing this.
We can no longer look at sits that start/finish midweek as the chances of finding others that match the dates exactly in the areas we want is almost impossible. Owners will find short sits hard to fill - we actually had an owner message us to cover 2 days … we had to say no as not allowed - shame to let them down.
I have come up with an idea.
If the owners had a tab they could tick when posting a sit that said
“We are happy to have applications from sitter couples that will be doing crossover or split up to meet our dates”
This means couples can at least apply - does not mean they have to choose us - both parties at least get a chance to communicate and discuss.
MAybe THS can look at this.
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Great idea Travelbuddies…I hope THS listen to this sensible suggestion.
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Sadly great ideas fall on deaf ears along with any fair and logical responses we have to major policy changes.
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I’m fully booked until the end of January but I’m helping a HO try to find a sitter and have agreed to (with the help of my mom) do drop ins to feed and let the babies out. My question is if there’s a way to officially have it be a sit on here even though it overlaps with my other sits? I feel like my efforts would be a nice review to have on my profile.
This isn’t “safe” or “what’s best for” the pets. Especially during the holidays. I’ve turned down so many sits due to already being booked and HO are getting so desperate that one asked if I could just drop in for food and potties while I’m staying at another sit nearby. This new system prevents that from being possible, leaving those babies with NO ONE. Terrible update with terrible timing
If you are only doing drop ins it would not really count as a proper THS sit as sits are supposed to include at least one overnight.
And if the dates overlap the system will not allow the host to create an extra sit officially anyway.
@Looney I understand that you are doing this with the second owners knowledge , have you also discussed it with the official confirmed sit owner ( first one) ? Do they know that whilst staying in their home you will be dividing your time to take care of someone else’s pets ?
You are really doing the second owner a big favour as you are getting nothing in return for the second pop in sit so I can understand why you would like a review - however reviews with overlapping dates may not look good on your profile as it could appear to homeowners that look at your reviews as if one or other of the sits isn’t getting your full attention .
You seem to be a very caring person but it’s not your responsibility to look after the second owners pets . They should not be putting any pressure on you to do their sit when they know that you already have another sit confirmed for those dates . If they can’t find a THS sitter - they may have to find a friend /family member/ paid sitter/ kennels or just change their holiday plans to stay home and take care of their own pets .
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I found the crazy long thread about the update after posting this.
The first owner knows. She has a rabbit and says I don’t need to be around much at all. I’m choosing to stay full time even though it’s not required. The second owner isn’t pressuring me, I offered. I care about the animals more than anything else. The first owner already approved my being gone two days which is when I’d be nearby and able to help with the second one, with my mom doing the rest. It’s the opposite of neglecting anyone, it’s making sure everyone is taken care of.
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Hi @Looney I’m not suggesting that you are neglecting anyone - just how it could look to future homeowners if you have overlapping sits on your profile and as you can’t explain the context all they will see is overlapping sits.
@Looney you could ask the second sitter to give you an external reference after the sit - that would be seen on your profile .