The challenge with a calendar feature is, you have to get a lot (if not most) people using it for it to actually be useful in this context. And if most sitters sit occasionally, then the odds are stacked against being able to achieve that kind of momentum.
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I donāt honestly see the point of the feature either. It creates a lot of misunderstandings.
I had a host who was really, really frustrated that sheād kept reaching out to local sitters who told her they were unavailable even though their calendar showed them as free. I had to explain to her how & why it (doesnāt) work or get used.
Fortunately I was new, free & able to do her sit. Her good boy became my favorite dog to watchā¦Iād actually be jealous if she asked anyone else to sit for him without checking with me first! 
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You got me. I surrender. Can I put down the white flag now? My arm is killing me. 
Whereās my āV for Victoryā emojii??
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So you did a call with owners you already had a biased against just to grill them and turned them down? What a huge waste of everyoneās time!
You say you maintained your friendliness and warmth, but perhaps some of your dishonest intent with this call came through to the sitters?
He looks like a good boy!
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References - they can be added to a sitters profile, but thereās no way to verify them, so they are far less meaningful than reviews from HOs who have used that sitter. Itās definitely not part of the usual expectations to ask a sitter to provide you with references directly, if that is what you asked for. I think the vast majority of sitters would refuse to do that.
The calendar is useless. I already have my own phone calendar and wall calendar to keep updated- Iām not going to faff around with the THS one every time I book a dentist checkup, a haircut, a day at the office, an evening with friends, a plumber visit etc etc etc. The THS calendar only blocks out THS confirmed sits - that doesnāt mean we are free or even interested in sitting on other dates. We are not businesses running an online booking calendar system.
Even if I were to block out all dates Iām definitely not available, it still wouldnāt mean I want to sit on any other specific date. Iād like a week sit (approximately) in April. I donāt care which week of April. I would leave the whole of April āfreeā as Iām open to any dates. But Iād still have to say no to a 2 or 3 week sit, even though my calendar showed available, as I donāt want that.
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ohā¦ thatās too bad!!Sorry you had such a bad first experience! I hope you were at least able be truthful in the actual review so that other HO would know what they were getting into. Please donāt confuse stating the facts with negativity. You can learn how to state those things in a positive light or sandwich the bad between the good -even if it is a struggle to find something good. This will greatly help other HOs. Good luck with future sitters! I have honestly earned all my 5 star reviews and I know there are a lot more good sitters out there!
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I lied and said the sitter was great in the 5 star review that I left. Why would I be looking to help other HOs when the same courtesy was not extended to me by others who had this poor sitter before me and left glowing 5 star reviews? Being the only negative reviewer of a sitter with an unblemished record of multiple 5 star reviews makes me look like the bad guy and could affect my ability to attract future sitters.
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OMG Cathie, Iām so with you on the size of the bed as a dealbreaker!!! My husband and I sit together so it has to be a minimum of a king size bed. Weāve slept on too many lumpy mattresses now and take a mattress topper to make it a bit more comfortable and Iāve bought two single mattress toppers just in case we ever have to sleep on single beds! if I donāt get a night sleep then I am useless or end up at the Chiropractor! Too many home owners do not describe the size of the bed correctly - itās literally the first thing I look for in the information - I can deal with everything else but not no sleep. on my last set we actually had to flip the mattress over to try to straighten out the huge divots but to no avail - never again!
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Welcome to the forum Charlie - really enjoyed reading your perspective! Iām the opposite to you in that I donāt want to do repeat visits - we have done two of those because we really wanted to help out the owners but this year we donāt want to spend two 2 week sits of our lives again in one place, especially when it rains every day! Weād much rather be in our own lovely homeš¤£ Wee only do a couple of sits a year so end up being very fussy!! so far, weāve loved all the dogs and had lovely owners. Hope that lasts!
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ouch Kittie2!
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If you sit outside of the UK, you might check the actual size of the mattress. I learned (through this forum) that a UK King is a US Queen!
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@Marion same in Oz, UK King is an Australian Queen . Also a small double in the UK is a king single in Oz, very different to a double size.
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Thanks Marion, Iām in the Uk - am used to the UK descriptions of small double 4ft, double 4ft6inch King 5foot and Superking 6ft. We shanāt ever sit abroa. Nothing less than King for us - I like my space - been married too longā:winking_face_with_tongue:
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@Betterqualitysits, wonderful reflections 
. thank you for sharing.
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Awwwwwww thank you, got your back, so sweet of you to say.
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Thereās a very old but very true saying: āBeggars canāt be choosers.ā
The best position to be in when evaluating whether to take a sit is for the sit to be entirely optional so you can walk away from the offer easily.
I think sitting for a living (depending on sits to have a place to live most of the time) is almost inevitably going to lead to some bad experiences, no matter how carefully you screen. There are going to be times that you override your instincts because you really need a place to stay or the location is so convenient or appealing, etc. etc.
I feel that all the folks who have posted here about having multiple instances of bad sits are those for whom sitting is a lifestyle or who have little to no money vs. it being just an option for travel that they can take or leave.
Necessity is the mother of bad decisions!
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iām glad you are developing a way that allows you to find sits that work for you. and that you will experience some wonderful sits soon.
iāve done 16 cat sits. only 2 are not completely perfect, but with hindsight i would still do them. sharing some homeowner video interview insights which made me feel comfortable accepting their sits :
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owners giving me a video tour of their house, garden, views, parking situation. pointing out the guest bedroom / bathroom iāll be using or the bedroom / bathroom options i can chose from. it gives me a better sense of the living situation and their tidiness and cleaniness expectations.
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owners explaining their petās routines : what was successful and not so unsucessful about previous sitters. this sets expectations about pet care and how important it is to them that schedule is followed.
one owner said it was fine to disrupt the cats routines by keeping them completely indoors if it was easier for me. that showed she puts herself in a sitterās position and would adapt to reduce potential problems. -
owners tellling me that they are planning a care package (normally groceries or home cooked food) and asking me what iād like. others offering to have dinner with me and asking if i have dietary restrictions. some saying i should help myself to perishables / anything in the kitchen. it shows their hospitality.
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owners requiring once or twice a week communication if allās well during the sit. saying they know it takes time and effort to update them about their pet / home. while i am happy to send video/photo daily, i appreciate this consideration.
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owners showing interest in my travel plans and offering help e.g. finding out driving conditions of an access road in the national park. or sharing thereās a wild sauna pop-up. itās an indication of their kindess.
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owners sharing their travel itinerary so we can work out the sit arrival/departure schedule together. accommodating arrival / departure 1 day or 2 earlier/later or being easy about the exact timing. it shows flexibility.
that said, during the interviews i do share and volunteer about myself, my home, my routines, my sense of what is responsible cat/house care. so itās a mutual openess if you will. in the end, itās about whether itās a good fit for both parties.
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