Last month I booked a sitter for this weekend and she, basically, cancelled yesterday, using the premise that she was still COVID positive, which is a legitimate excuse, except that she had never even contacted me prior to Monday to tell me that she had COVID.
The first time COVID was ever mentioned was when I contacted her on Monday to tell her that I was looking forward to meeting her on Saturday. She then messaged back that she said she had tested positive for COVID last week. I told her I was sorry she was sick, that I hoped she was going to feel better, and that our reservation had been paid for and was non-refundable. She told me that she was going to retest on Wednesday and get back to me then.
On Wednesday, she said she wasn’t feeling that well and was going to wait until Thursday to retest. Yesterday morning she messaged to tell me that she was still testing positive. I asked her if she wanted to cancel, and she wouldn’t give me a definitive answer, so I went ahead and cancelled the sit.
Sorry for the long explanation, but when I tried to arrange another pet sit with her, she told me she was completely booked. I asked her how that was possible when her THS calendar showed all open dates. She then explained that she also sits for WAG and Rover and then it all kind of made sense. I think she was waiting to confirm a paid sit and when she did, she bailed on mine.
So, now that I know that this is a very real possibility with any potential pet sitter, I have started to ask if the sitter works for any other pet sitting services, which will be a red flag for me.
Thanks for listening to my little rant.
P.S. I was able to rebook our hotel to the end of August and I’ve booked a different pet sitter.
Good idea to ask the question. I must admit that even if I had Covid (I’ve had it once in March this year, testing positive 2 days into a 2 week sit) I wouldn’t necessarily cancel a booked sit. I would obviously tell the owners then arrange a handover outside the home (or inside wearing a mask & keeping socially distanced). Good luck with finding another sitter and great you could rearrange your hotel booking. It would be good if you linked your dates to your profile. There are instructions in the forum if you search. Sorry I can’t help you (and I don’t housesit for paid services)
Hi @Juno1956. I’m sorry you had to experience this . Most sitters I know sit for the joy of loving new pets and having an opportunity to explore a new area, but there are some who do both paid and unpaid sitting. I’m glad you’ve been able to rebook your hotel.
So sorry to hear of your sitter cancellation. My heart drops whenever I read one of these types of posts. In light of your experience, it does seem prudent to ask sitters if they are affiliated with any other sitting platform. I imagine all homeowners may now want to add this type of question to their interview list. Perhaps as sitters, we can add that information to our profile, in an effort to provide full disclosure to any future potential homeowners. It’s good you were able to reschedule the trip to a later date.
We mostly do paid sits, but we still do the occasional “free” sit to see different locations, cuddle unusual animals or because we have a gap in our calendar. There is no difference in our approach to paid or “free” sits and we don’t cancel either unless for an absolute emergency. Some “free” sitters also accept sits that are not a perfect match for them and then go ahead and apply to some more desirable sit. It’s more important to listen to your gut feeling and look at their track record (if any).
This makes me so angry. It’s not just this sitter who is doing her reputation damage but it’s damaging the whole concept of THS. 99% of us would never let a pet sitter down unless it’s a dire emergency and especially so short notice.
I am so sorry for your experience and I really hope it works second time round. I think your question about being affiliated to other pet sitting sites or having their own business is prudent and I may start adding that into my applications as well.
Good luck.
. Most sitters I know sit for the joy of loving new pets and having an opportunity to explore a new area, but there are some who do both paid and unpaid sitting. I’m glad you’ve been able to rebook your hotel.