Sitter cancellations seem to be more frequent

Owner Questions, Advice & Chat
90

Yeah, it depends on the person and situation. In my personal experience, most of the sitters who have a lot of experience and are spoiled for choice and will cancel if there’s a lot of lead time and a better opportunity presents itself. However, everyone is different, depending on their circumstances and values.

And seeing as this topic comes up more than once, it’s not as uncommon as people think.

The way I see it is, based on my client’s stories is, payment secures guaranteed service. Without it, for many, anything goes. I’m not trying to offend anyone here.

But it’s a reality that you need to be aware of and prepare a back up plan for.

For myself personally, if I’m not paying for a service, I’m not arrogant. I don’t expect the same loyalties that I would if I were legitimately paying for a service that many others pay for elsewhere. That’s just me. I don’t have high expectations of people that I’m not paying to work for me and that means I always have back up plans.

Some have what they call champagne taste but don’t want to pay for it. I’m not complaining as that’s how THS became popular. And we love that.

However, it’s equally true that you are best to be realistic about that to avoid disaster. I say this out of compassion for those experiencing cancellations. You don’t own the time and energy of those you aren’t paying.

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91

@Starsitter I must say I do not agree as the more experienced the sitter (on the THS platform) the less likely they are to cancel at any time prior to the sit. They understand the impact this can have on a HO and will not put them in this situation unless absolutely beyond their control.

There are plenty of paid sites that will accept your membership and many HO’s who are more than willing to pay for that service, but THS is a special kind of “family” that believes it is beneficial to both sides of the table and hopefully, both are respecting that “family”.

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92

@Starsitter if this has been your personal experience , I am very sorry to hear that . This is the kind of cancellation that should be reported to member services so that they can record, investigate and deal with it appropriately. No one wants unreliable sitters or homeowners on this site as it damages the reputation of everyone else .

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93

@Starsitter I am one of those experienced sitters. And I can say- from our experience- that the more sits my hubby & I do the more committed we’ve become. It has nothing to do with being paid or not. If anything the spirit of sharing this experience on a trust level with the host - unlike the boss/servant paid situation- only strengthens our commitment. We have never cancelled a sit for any reason and hope never to need to- and certainly never would because something better came up! We honour our commitments. These days we get most sits we apply for because we have such a strong reputation now- we definitely do not want to lose that after working so hard to build up our reviews. I think most long term experienced sitters would feel thr same…

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94

If I agree to a sit, HOs are counting on me to show up. I’ll do that unless I’m incapacitated or such. I don’t look for better options once I’m committed. And that’s the case even if I’m offered something better unexpectedly. (That’s actually happened and I’ve declined an unsolicited dream sit that conflicted with other sits.) I’ve not had trouble landing sits, either.

Just because something is unpaid doesn’t mean it’s OK to ditch someone at our convenience or preference. Likewise, I expect HOs to live up to their commitments.

This is TRUSTED Housesitters. Unfortunately, some folks aren’t worth trusting, whether as sitters or HOs.

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95

While I’m not a homeowner, I have no experience on that end but as a sitter, I wouldn’t even consider canceling a sit. It would have to involve physical incapacitation, serious illness or possibly the death of a close relative. If I make a commitment, I’ll be there.

As we began our sitting career last September, I had what could have been a good reason to bail but still fulfilled our commitments. In addition, we’ve had at least 5 times where a “better” option came up but we didn’t even consider canceling a sit.

If that has been your experience, that is unfortunate but I don’t think is indicative of experienced sitters.

Dan and Nan

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96

Hi Colleen,

I’m also in NYC. I joined last November and have used sitters 7 times with an upcoming sit. I only had this problem once a month ago, and frankly I think the sitter and I both may have dodged a bullet. When it did happen – less than a week before the sit! – I was able to post to the last minute section. I am like you in NYC, and plenty of people want to sit here, so I was able to get someone right away. I don’t think it was a question of this person getting a better sit, but I don’t know that for certain. (I’m not 100% convinced the excuse given was totally the reason.) The sitter I got instead was great, and going public again I found a couple of additional people I’d consider using in the future so it really did work out for the best.

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97

Yikes! I’m in a pickle! I am new to TH. Leaving for most of September. I had confirmed a seemingly great sitter months ago. She just canceled ( for a good reason, she lost her job and needs to go home to look for another one).
Now I’m in a scramble…. Any ideas on how to boost the listing? September in Durango is phenomenal!

98

Delete your dates and then re-post the sit so that it shows up as new, giving potential sitters a better chance of seeing it. Right now the system is ranking it based on whenever you originally posted and arranged the canceled sitter so it’s buried.

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99

Can you contact any of the sitters who applied when you posted before, to see if they are available? With a month to go, you will probably get someone.

100

It’s impossible to police people’s reasons for cancelling. Who is going to check if the reason provided is true or not? Also, there’s no contract. Pretty much 50% of my clients have said they have had or heard of others dealing with cancellations. It’s just the reality when no money is being exchanged, in my personal opinion. If you want absolute certainty of zero chance of cancellation, unless due to emergency, then it’s more likely if you are paying a sitter or you’ve had the conversation that you’re only accepting sitters who do not cancel for any reason. Even then, life happens. Best to be prepared than naive. THS is not a platform that can in any way verify the values of the sitters or house owners who join. Everyone is different. It’s up to you as a sitter or house owner to manage expectations in a realistic manner, when opting to not pay for a service. This is not to deny the many great volunteer sitters who responded to my post who are dedicated.

Don’t shoot the messenger :grin:

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I think you will find tens of thousands of members of THS will strongly disagree with you. We most certainly do take our commitment very seriously indeed!

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102

That’s awesome Colin. I am simply addressing this question from HO and Sitters re: why cancellation occurs so often bc the question was asked. I understand it’s a topic that ruffles feathers. I hope my insight can assist people to be realistic and prepared.

103

Been quietly observing but have to come out for this one.
I take my agreements to sit very seriously. Paid not paid, on site and/or verbal agreement.
An example right now is that I have committed to sits on site and verbally into August 2024. I have dual residency in two countries now and realized I need to hop over to South America from the UK to meet my residency requirements. I could very easily say sorry I messed up… but no, I’m making 3 RT flights from UK to South America.
I know many would not be in such a position to be able to that, but I can. And my word is my word.
I am a trusted housesitter.

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104

There’s free forums on Facebook if THS doesn’t give you results. I am certain relisting will attract a new sitter.

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@Amparo you’re awesome. I hope you only get match up with great homeowners :clap::clap::clap:

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106

Not shooting the messenger. But I’m a believer in the power of data. Given that both sitters and homeowners are paying THS for membership, given that both are affected by this, there has to be a better way. The way it works now, it’s almost like HOs have to act like police and go to THS to say, “My sitter said her grandmother was sick, so I cancelled her, but I don’t believer her…” and then THS has to look to see if that sitter has used the granny excuse ten times. Most homeowners won’t pursue it. They have to find another sitter. However, maybe this is their M.O. and there’s an entire agenda involved. There must be a way to track cancellatons, send automatic emails to both parties and hear from each of them why it happened and even whether there was any weird follow up eg sitter offered to do drop ins for pay or made some other offer – like I can do that if my cat-eating doberman can come that put the HO in a weird position. Edited to add: Of course there could be weirdness and patterns not being caught on the HO side as well: HO didn’t mention at confirmation that her adult son and family "might’ drop by for a few days, or only mentioned the untrained puppy not shown in any photos, etc. a few days before sit was to start.

107

Thing is, it’s a real tough one. Especially from the standpoint of a business - cost vs. benefit ratio of offering this service. In the end, if they lose great sitters bc they cancelled for whatever reason, it also means they lose customers and open space for more competitors who won’t judge that activity (not saying it’s right. I’m just a pragmatist. It’s going to happen and it is happening).

For example, on Aussie House Sitters (THS competitor) most people know canceling is an unfortunate reality and risk. So they just accept it’s the Wild Wild West and repost their ads if there is a cancellation, knowing that they are saving hundreds, if not thousands, advertising for free services vs. paying for a pet sitter (which is a thing - I get paid on MadPaws and Rover).

In other words, they accept the risk with Grace when asking for free stuff.

And that’s what I’m suggesting - rather than trying to control what you can’t, maybe just be clear in your expectations in the interview, know that a “yes” can turn into a “no” and roll with it. Have a back up. Keep the details of other applicants etc.

Check in with your selected sitter a couple of weeks prior to ensure they are still committed. That’s all you can do when you’re requesting volunteers. You have to manage expectations or invest in paying for insurance.

For sitters being cancelled on, it sucks too. But if you don’t discuss your expectations then you leave yourself open to this.

This is important to note: If you have not paid for pet sitting before, you cannot say that the reliability is the same as a volunteer. In some cases a volunteer is better, however, payment does lead to less chance of cancellation - and this is the point I am addressing - cancellation, not the quality of service. Funnily enough, I do under that I don’t own or control humans or their behaviours.

That said, a paid pet-sitter who is qualified with animal training is clearly going to provide more piece of mind and value if something goes wrong.

If you’re lucky to find a secure volunteer - good for you.

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108

There are already plenty of experienced THS sitters who’ve responded to this, but I would also offer that payment is NOT a guarantee of service, especially if one is hiring an individual or small business, rather than through a large company (which has its own challenges). I have dealt with contractors and freelancers in many situations who feel completely fine about ditching a small or less lucrative job if a larger one comes along, especially if there is plenty of lead time. After all, it’s just business.

And in the end, everyone goes into this arrangement agreeing that there is no money changing hands between PP and sitter. I don’t think it’s arrogance for any member of THS - sitter or PP - to expect that the other party uphold an agreed-upon sit (true emergencies aside).

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109

Kindly be aware that my comments have been misrepresented in multiple replies and THS has not allowed me to respond and kept those comments up. Hence, I’ve replied here for clarity;

There’s truth to what you say, but, respectfully, it’s veering off-topic. I didn’t say paying meant you would always get better service. I said paying means more loyalty. I understand this is a touchy subject. But honestly…it’s just my truth… I don’t expect the same kind of loyalty from someone, if I am not paying them for a service they provide that others pay them for.

For example, I don’t expect a volunteer to have the same commitment that a paid employee would. It’s not something I would feel personally entitled to. And I would feel arrogant about having that expectation - personally.

It’s wonderful if it happens. I just don’t have the same standard of expectation when I am not paying them. I would have a Plan B whether it’s insurance of other sitters to contact.

Cancellation/change of mind is a reality or this topic would not have been raised - also, it gets raised more than once which indicates this isn’t uncommon.

It’s great that people honour their agreements. And it’s also a reality that they may not.

Pet sitting is a service that is paid for, typically. Legally, ethically, it is a vocation.

I believe, if you want more security, hire a professional and have a contract. If you want free services, of any kind, manage your expectations.

But, as said, everyone is different. I personally enjoy not having strict expectations of others I have not contracted to work for me and have plan b. I am not advocating for last minute cancellation. Just pragmatism.

I also understand that many excellent volunteers exist who don’t cancel, my comments exist to empower HO to manage expectations and understand how to avoid the pitfalls of cancellation.