Hello
I’m fairly new here and would appreciate some advice.
Is it normal for sitters and owners to chat before a sit if confirmed? I’ve messaged some sitters who applied for our sit but none have replied to me. Do people normally confirm sits without chatting first?
Thank you
Alice
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Hello and welcome to forum, @Teddyelsie !
It is indeed normal to have a chat before you make a descision -being a sitter or a host. I think most now do this by choosing a sitter you prefer to talk with and reach out to arrange for a call. Many now use video-calls for a chat, either via WhatsApp, Zoom, Teams, Facetime or what one is used to.
In the videocall one more often have a friendly chat about the sit, the pet, the home, the expectations and how to solve things, travel plans etc.
After the video-call both parties, both sitter and host, have more insight in if they now want to go further or not. This can go both ways, both parties can find they do not want to proceed, or they can agree to go forward. If they do not both want to go forward - repeat for other sitter. If they want to agree on a sit, they do.
If one by “chat” means messaging back and forth about “how are you?” , “how are you with cats?” and similar, that is not the norm. It seems most sitters would expect this being handled in a video-call and not by lengthy messaging. Some would regard messaging lengthy to be indecisive and possibly even a red flag for a sit.
Sitters not responding to messages is a red flag. Of course there can be different timezones, people can be at work or occupied with other obligations. The THS term for responding to a message from another member is within 72 hours. I think most answer well within that, often more or less immediately if in same timezone if they’re able to. So check if it is below your message “read”. If your message is read and they never answer you, i would just decline their application and open a new spot for others to apply.
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Hello @Teddyelsie and welcome. Yes it’s normal to chat or video call before a sit and as sitters we wouldn’t take a sit without doing that. Are they on different time zones? Are they new to THS? How long have you been waiting? You can send a "Please can you confirm you are still interested in our sit in the next 24/48 hours or we will decline the application. Thank you. " or similar if you need speed. The general guideline is 72 hours to respond on both sides but it’s not enforced. Good comms is everything in this world though so go with your gut! #commscommscomms
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Welcome to the forum @Teddyelsie
We are sitters always chat with the host before confirming a sit . To enable this we give our phone number in our application and say that we are available for a video call as it’s easier than a to and fro with questions through the inbox . This way we both get to see each other , meet the pets and make a connection ( or not ) . We have found WhatsApp the easiest way to have this chat . We have also had a phone call if that is the host’s preference .
There is often a delay of several hours in messages sent through the inbox appearing in the app- so it could be that the applicants that you have messaged haven’t seen your messages yet . Accounting for this delay and different time zones a sitter should be able to see and reply to your message within 24 hours .
Good communication is vital for a good sit .
It’s unusual that none of the applicants that you have messaged have replied . I suggest that if no response in 24 /48 hours you could send a follow up message or simply decline their application, which allows other sitters to apply .
Please report back to the forum on how you get on ?
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You may not know what time zone the sitter is in, because their location isn’t necessarily where they actually are. It could be their home town, or where they are sitting, or where they want to base their sits in the future. Because the actual wording of our profile (when the sitter completes it) is “Where are you based?”, which is fully open to interpretation. If they sit full time you may be able to get a clue as to where they are right now, from the location of their reviews.
We’re sitters, and yes, a conversation that goes back and forth, and sometimes a video chat is arranged for a certain time, but not always, sometimes messaging is enough to know we are the right fit for each other.
Very occasionally we get accepted straight away, without any conversation, but that’s not the case in your scenario - they should have responded.
How long have you been waiting? Quite often I don’t read/respond to a message until a couple hours later if we’re out for a dog walk. But if I’d applied for a sit, I usually make a deliberate effort to check my messages more often.
There’s a 72 hour window for them to respond, HOWEVER I would imagine most sitters would respond within the same day if they had applied for a sit, the same as most owners typically accept us or arrange a video chat within a couple of hours of us applying.
Unless there’s a reason for them not responding within a reasonable time frame, then given the lack of communication, I’d think twice about them, because you need great communication from them when you go away, or you’ll not be able to relax.
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Also, they could be on the road. I missed a message traveling cross country and I was declined because I didn’t respond within 24 hours.
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thank you!