OOh certainly not nice or good mannered from the refused sitter. It’s all part an parcel of applying for a sit same as applying for a job. In the Netherlands we have a saying, No you have, Yes you can get. So I am always just happy to have found a possible sit and then it just exciting to apply and wit and see if I get a positive reaction. And it in the end it doesn’t work out then no negatives as it’s the luck of the click & if that is not there then try again for something else or apply at a later date. I actually had one sit recently like this that was turned down the first time but we end the conversation with a Possibly till next time and when next time came around I got the sit !
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I believe it is better to be forthright in your feelings because you are speaking on behalf of your pets - they can’t speak for themselves. I wouldn’t worry too much about how you are coming across to someone short of being ill-mannered. As for rudeness on the part of a sitter’s response, that should make it easier for you to avoid making the mistake of having a bad sitter for our pets.
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Honestly, it’s not your problem. They have issues. You have done nothing wrong.
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Hi Alexandra,
By the reaction you received it sounds to me that you did choose the best applicant. i have received rejections and have always given a polite reply to letters sent. I understand that it can be difficult to choose and sometimes people think a couple may be better than a single person. On a few occasions, I have actually been contacted be the owners who had rejected me, when they had a later sit that they needed filling. And I have accepted. This candidate by the rude reply has ensured that you will not think to offer to them on another occasion. Please do not let their nasty reply hurt your feelings. If so quick to turn nasty, they could well have been very short tempered with your dog. Just look on it as a very lucky escape.
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As a pet sitter, I won hundred percent agree. You should definitely report them because they are giving a bad look to the rest of us and you should never have had to undergo this experience. It is not what we do here.
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Oh I wouldn’t say that’s true. I mean, it’s more that they might tell you why YOU didn’t get the job, not why the other person got the job (other than “fit the requirements better” or something).
I’ve definitely been told I was #2 and reasons, such as “more experience with X.”
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Please do not interview multiple people. Just pick your favourite response, interview then and then go ahead or don’t then move to the next person. It’s a waste of peoples time
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I have been declined very few times, but none of those times was with an explanation. I understood they had their reasons to choose another sitter, and that was fine for me. Personally, think that that’s the way. It’s unacceptable to be rude just because one is not accepted. It’s the house and/or pets of the host, not mine.
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Exactly. It’s part of the process. You can’t say yes to everyone.
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@Enjaybee Thank you for the suggestion, based on this first experience, I’ll probably continue with my approach especially if I receive several good applications, however I will be upfront when messaging them about the fact that I am interviewing several candidates, so that it is up to the sitter to decide whether it is a waste of their time or not.
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Hi @Alexandra,
Like many have already said, thank you for having this discussion. It isn’t right that you had to endure the declined candidate’s ire.
As a result of this topic, I have added the following verbiage to my listing to help clarify my process for picking a sitter.
I added:
Due to a recent post in the THS forum, I wanted to add that we typically interview 3 candidates and pick one. So if our language during the interview is “this is what you do…”, it’s only us being personal not that you are the only person we are chatting with. Hope this helps.
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Gosh that’s terrible I’m so sorry. I would never talk to an owner like that. Or a fellow sitter for that matter. We must all respect each others choices. Rest assured I’ve never heard of that ever happening. Maybe report it to THS? it seems outside their guidelines for kind communication. Please don’t give up on THS sitters!
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How does one mark a sitter as unsuitable? I didn’t see that option when we were receiving applicants
In your inbox you can flag messages with different members as the following. I believe this is what @llbarton53 meant as unsuitable. If you find a member to break a code of conduct then you should reach out to Membership Services and send them the information about the exchange. I hope this helps!
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Hi @Karen415 if you are accessing your Inbox via computer then @Kelly has explained how you can label a sitter as unsuitable. However, if using the app, that option is unavailable to you as far as I can tell.
That’s correct @temba . There’s also no way on the app to be able to filter messages by those tags.
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Please report this person. The system only works, if others report bad behaviour.
Admin Notice: Edited to comply with posting guidelines
From a sitters point of view, I find that appauling! Don’t let it get to you, it’s just one nasty person, not all of us are like that.
It’s great that you send a personalised note to say you’d decided to select someone else but you don’t need to say why. I send quite a detailed message along with my application, so I really appreciate a personalised response, but I don’t ‘expect’ anything. Just end it by wishing them well on their pet/house sitting journey so that it’s left on a good note.
They aren’t the normal, there’s good people out there!
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That has never happened to me. All the people, all the time have been very accepting of the decisions I have made. I think that was an unfortunate but not common response.
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Hello Alexandra, as a sitter, my applications sometimes happen to be declined, before or after the calls, emails, or so. Of course, when it happens it feels a little sad or frustrating, but this is not a reason to be rude, never! In addition, I understand hosts, who want to be sure about their next petsitters, so I try to put myself in their shoes.
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