Just to clarify, “favourites” and “saved searches” are different. I made a post about it:
I think @Lindsay’s comment is about notifications from saved searches and refers to the post below, which is in this same topic (since your post was moved):
So I really don’t know why your favorite notification wasn’t instant. Maybe it’s not “instant instant” but can take a few minutes to go through the system?
You could try contacting support like @Ksquared did and ask specifically about notifications from favorites. Let us know what they say!
@geoff.hom
Not sure if the above post was intended for me but thanks for the info! You clear up what I had thought in the past, as opposed to what I have read in this thread regarding my last 4 posts here. Yes, I was originally talking about saved (individual) listings which I referred to as favourites - the notifs come through to my phone but the problem is/was that when I receive them (supposedly instantly) they are already at the reviewing applications stage or even at the “Currently no sitter needed” stage.
Re the saved searches (ie searches that are specifically defined by filters including date/pet type/city or country etc), I get them as a daily email on my laptop. But in the past few days they started to come through on my phone as notifs as well, with a message “It’s a match!” (see image attached, ignore the other stuff in the pic ) - but btw the notif re the listing in Isleworth is what I call a favourite aka saved listing (not saved search).
I won’t contact @Ksquared via support but if they read this post, my original question about a saved listing notif was posted here (see above these posts to 26 Jan):
I just got a notif on my phone for a new sit by one of my favourite HOs and I looked at it immediately . It was already at the “reviewing applications” stage and was locked off to new applications.
I’m just a user of the platform that put in my experience with this thread and what I got from support when I asked them about this issue. I don’t work with support
That screenshot helps a lot, thanks! I have never gotten any notifications to work on the app, but I haven’t really tried as I like keeping my phone “quiet.”
Note that saved searches made on the app are different than those made on the website. I think some people even label their saved searches to keep track, like “Seattle (app)” vs “Dallas (web).” I believe app ones result in app notifications; web ones result in emails.
That said, @Ben-ProductManager has always said they are trying to bring app and web to feature parity, which makes sense.
So we still have the same question:
For a favourite/heart of a single listing made on the app, what happens when that listing has new dates? Is a notification sent immediately? After a few minutes? Every hour?
You can ask Ben who is probably very busy. You can and should contact support, because you pay for that already with your membership. They have an email, or you can call them, or contact them via the TH website/app (e.g., the lower-left corner chat button).
I find it confusing (and maybe disappointing) that the app and desktop version favourites are different. I hope they can be synchronised sometime soon-ish in the future. Tbh I prefer to do THS stuff on my laptop not my phone. That said, I favourited a lot of listings on the app on my phone recently. I have lost track of what was saved where and I won’t be redoing it on both devices
I have decided to basically forget about my saved listings and searches in any meaningful way (or at least based on notifs arriving). I will manually checked my saved searches several times a day when I’m in the mood for it. That also means that the daily email will be a bit pointless as it will arrive after I have checked the new listings based on my saved search dates.
I won’t be contacting Ben or support about this because I think we can get decent feedback here and I don’t want to start again and explain all this again in an email
Btw I wonder what is the point of saving listings as favourites on the desktop version if we never get notifs about them having new dates???
Hi @cat.tails@geoff.hom
I wanted to confirm that it does not matter where you ‘favourite’ listings, be it on the website or the phone. They will all come through as notifications on your phone.
Your saved searches are sent through according to where you set them up. Phone = notifications and laptop/website = emails.
As far as I am aware, the notifications are sent out within the hour of the listing going live, so they may be visible on the website before the notification arrives.
I tend to use my phone mainly to set up saved searches and watch for ‘favoured’ notifications, but messaging and applications I do through my laptop, as I find it hard to type without errors on the phone!
This just really gets more and more confusing.
I use the website on my laptop only, where there’s no point in pressing heart/favourite because I will never be notified of anything.
The saved-search emails arrive so late they are now useless.
Like someone above I have a saved search open in my browser all the time, sorted by Distance. When I remember I refresh the page, and sometimes I see listings early enough to apply for them.
This is how I do it now. I just keep a geographic “area” open on my laptop and refresh it periodically. It has certainly been better in terms of the timing.
The ‘saved search’ hasn’t worked for me for many many months, maybe even a year. I’m in Asia, so fewer sits anyway. I haven’t received EVEN ONE notification for ANY my saved search countries.
The function simply isn’t working and THS is just not listening to people about this, or taking it seriously it seems. It’s very frustrating in what is ‘supposed’ to be a community forum. And they seem to be blocking comments about this.
I feel very sad about the way this site has gone - it used to be so great and collaborative with amazing support staff. That I can’t get notified for sits that I have saved (a function that THS offers as a service) for my not unsubstantial membership fee.
I couldn’t agree more with the frustrated house sitters about the app. I have a fair few house sits on my phone app and there’s nothing more frustrating than opening up the notification and seeing its under review. Plus the app only works some of the time. I’ve had house sits in my favourites and they haven’t showed up on my phone app. The other thing I’ve noticed is that if a house sit is very popular and 5 people apply in a very short time which happens more than we know, you won’t even see the house sit, it disappears off the site so unless you are lucky enough to be searching when the HO puts up the sit you will miss out on adding it to your favourites.
Also because of the different time zones who wants notifications coming through when you’re sleeping. I noticed this when we were in Thailand, there would be a reasonable amount of sits appearing over several weeks and when I’ve got back to Australia it looks like there are very few sits being advertised in Thailand which is not the case. They are just getting snapped up quickly by people in that time zone.
@Mark You are preaching to the choir. Manyn of us trying to apply in different time zones have expressed our frustration But your comment is probably about to be moved to a long thread on this topic where we can no longer comment or discuss in 3, 2, 1…
I guess a plus to reducing the cross time zone sitting opportunities is that THS is intrinsically (and accidentally?) doing it’s part to reduce the carbon footprint associated with international travel! One of the few bright sides of that beloved new feature (hey, I’m struggling to find some bright side to it!)
Good Bye TH. Nothing changes.
I have been a FT sitter for 6 months and I am leaving due to the 74 comments listed above. The Alerts do Not work, they are already reviewing applications when you receive them. I have to live checking my phone , no matter what else I am doing. How many people work in IT? 1-5 I can only guess
I’ve just received an alert for a sit I had saved. 15 minutes between the alert and me seeing it and opening THS. You guessed it “Reviewing applications”. I suppose you have to be in the first 5 minutes now to have a chance.
I have another one I managed to apply for and despite the sit starting in a few days my application is still Unread. I find it hard to believe the homeowner has 5 applications, is a few days away from leaving home and hasn’t read all the applications sent in days ago. My suspicion is that they only see the first 5 and those who had opened an application in time so were allowed to send it get queued and not shown to the homeowner. Had a similar experience weeks ago where my application was Unread for a while before suddenly rejected as the sit was closed.
Hi @keldinsmith
I did want to clarify and confirm, that if you are busy applying for a sit, and it reaches the 5 pause application, (and provided you do not close your window) and you press send, the PPs/owners will see your application immediately, therefore, it is not hidden from them.
Due to this feature, some PPs/owners may initially receive more than the stipulated 5, and they can respond to all the applicants.
