@Jenny The 14 day element applies only to those with Premium membership I think which covers Sit/Sitter Cancellation.
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The sitter initiated the cancellation and I had to confirm it. I donât see that I actually had a choice - besides, imo he was already being irresponsible so why would I want him in my house? I obviously canât - and wouldnât - force someone to do something they didnât want to do. I was just surprised that there is no mechanism to censure or leave a review those who cancel their confirmed sits. I believe this should apply to HOs and sitters alike. I am new to this platform so Iâm still in the learning phase.
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I do as well - which is why I started this thread!!
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I read this too and requested an investigation. I received a patronizing email basically saying donât worry abt it. This is why I started the thread
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Maybe the 14 day thing is confusion with the insurance. A sit must be cancelled within 14 days for the insurance to apply. If itâs now the policy that itâs acceptable to cancel for no reason up until 14 days before the sit, then I guess I wonât sit anymore. I canât buy plane tickets with that kind of policy.
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Perhaps the convo made them rethink their interest. Itâs matchmaking, not a job interview
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The sitter DID cancel. There was a confirmation prior to even conducting the interview
PLEASE NOTE: THE SITTER CANCELLED AFTER A CONFIRMATION. Why canât I edit original post?!
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Hi @Mrstwist,
Welcome to the forum.
I am sorry youâre experiencing this situation. Itâs indeed frustrating and against THS T&Cs to cancel a sit with no extraordinary reason.
Itâs also annoying to be patronized by MS. I also agree with others that It would be worrying that THS wonât take any action if the cancellation takes place prior to 14 days before the sit starts. This policy can be translated as âitâs OK to cancel as long as you do it in timeâ. Whereâs the trust here?
I do hope you find a suitable sitter soon.
I would suggest having a chat with applicants that fulfill your criteria prior to offering the sit, that way both parties have the opportunity to discuss the conditions of the sit in further detail and see if they are a good match.
It might also help to avoid terms such as âinterviewâ, âunprofessionalâ and everything that implies employer- employee relationship. Sitters are not professional people, the whole concept of THS is to make a mutually beneficial exchange.
Thanks for opening this thread, which has raised quite a concerning point regarding MS.
Best luck
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I agree. this is very worrying. !3 day is not nearly lomng emnough to get a npothe sitter,especia;lly if it may be for a month and an owner has flughts booked and everything. Thsi may be why I have had desperate owners contacting me, who have been let down by confirmed sitters at the last moment. Once a sit is confirmed there should be no backing out unless an absolute emergency.
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Curious. It was our understanding that a housesitter was functionally unable to cancel a confirmed. That only a pet parent could cancel a confirmed sit. Clearly if a housesitter indicates that they are not going to turn up for a confirmed sit, regardless of reason, then a pet parent is motivated to find another housesitter.
As housesitters, we try hard in video calls to gain confidence that pet parent is unlikely to cancel a sit (happened twice to us). Nature of trip? Booked? As we travel, sometimes internationally to housesits then we prefer pet parents that are clearly invested in the housesit process (e.g. booked international flight).
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I thought a sitter couldnât cancel unless for extraordinary circumstances? So if there is a month in advance, a sitter could say, I canât do the sit and the HO has to release them? Because that sounds like what you explained.
I
Quite familiar with the rules. The sitter confirmed the sit. He then decided to reject it.
(Post edited by the Forum Team to comply with the Community Rules).
I honestly donât know how many times I have to say THE SITTER CONFIRMED THE SIT THEN CANCELLED
The sitter cancelled after he confirmed.
Keep in mind that if deliberately withholding important information - whether by the host or guest - or violating the terms and conditions, may justify cancellation, also after confirmation.
For instance: undisclosed pet behavior only revealed after confirming in the Welcome Guide, changes to arrival or departure dates from what was originally listed, unexpected presence of third parties etc.
There are multiple threads in here discussing issues that should have been disclosed from the outset in the listing, particularly in relation to the Welcome Guide
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The mechanics of the THS platform requires specific steps to confirm a sitter. Those steps and your description of what happened donât quite fit because the THS mechanics do not offer a sitter the means to cancel a confirmed sit. Only the HO or THS support can do that. A confirmed sitter can tell you they will not complete the sit and you can then cancel a sit invitation you previously extended to that one sitter and that they explicitly accepted. But until they have accepted your invitation, the sit is not confirmed and neither party is obligated to move forward with that sit. The required steps of this process has been a source of confusion to more than a few new THS members.
If you extended an invitation that was then accepted before any interviews, that would be a bit wobbly for both parties. More importantly, clear communication is vitally important to a successful sit. I donât know how you establish clear communication without either a video/audio call or very concise written exchanges.
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When you say he decided to reject it do you mean he declined? When the HO clicks confirm, then the sitter has two options, accept or decline. Did he accept and then later contact you to cancel (in this case you would have had to unconfirm), or did he decline after you confirmed?
No, the review of a sitter can only be done if that sit happens. By all means pursue your complaint to membership support if you wish. However, I wouldnât have any expectations other than that sitter getting a caution and even that is not likely. Do you have other applicants for the sit? Maybe best to direct your energies in that direction. I can certainly sense your frustration. It is warranted.
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I think people may be asking you about this as there an official process within the THS app/website where you offer the sit to a selected sitter and they get a system message and an option to accept within the app or website. Accepting this way adds it into the system. The sitter is not able to undo this at this point. Only you or THS can cancel it and remove it from the system.
There have been cases where the official mechanism is not used and a verbal agreement is made either by message, email or call. In this case there is no official sit organised through THS and therefore nothing that THS can do if anyone backs out of the agreement.
Since you say the sitter has cancelled and that they confirmed before you spoke to them I think people are asking if the second option was used to confirm the sit and not the official process.
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