Am I the only owner who gets applications from sitters who later tell you they’ve changed their plans but DON’T withdrawal their application? Because it happens to me all the time.
Yes, this has happened to me as well.
They might not know how to untick their application. I only found out how to (someone explained on the forum) about 6 months ago. A simple procedure but if you don’t know ….
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A simple message would be enough. They knew how to apply and sending a message isn’t that complicated.
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As a sitter, I apply to multiple sits at one time for a wide range of dates spanning multiple months and then I immediately archive the messages for multiple reasons: 1) i don’t want my inbox full of messages, 2) many HOs never bother to reply and messages sitting there are just a reminder of that, 3) if they’re still there I get a little obsessive.
So, once I’ve applied, it’s out of sight, out of mind. Going back and withdrawing my application would be a pain because there is no easy way to see if a sit is filled, what the dates are, etc. from the inbox. I would have to open and check the dates of every message in my inbox. There is no simple way to do it and it’s time consuming and annoying when probably 90% of HOs never even acknowledge the application in the first place.
It is unfortunate for HOs that respond at a later date, but unfortunately that’s just how it works at this point. If the date range showed in the email screen, I would be more likely to do it. But realistically, if I don’t hear from the HO within 24 hours of submitting my application, odds are good I’m no longer going to be available anyway. I’ve had HOs come back to me weeks after I applied. I’d have to go through literally every application i’ve sent to have cancelled that appliation and that’s just too cumbersome.
Thanks for the feedback! As an owner, I’m not familiar with the sitters user experience. Maybe THS can work on that? Cheers!
Oh, I thought you meant unapply. Yes, I always message pet owners when I have accepted a sit that overlaps their dates then unapply.
As sitters expect to receive a message within a certain timeframe, I as a HO expect a withdrawal if the sitter isn’t available anymore. To me it’s rude to simply move on and not withdraw.
I don’t expect this after weeks of zero communication from the HO’s side, but 24hrs are really short and within your timeframe it should be possible to notify the HOs that you have found another sit in the meantime.
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I always like to message the pet owners when I accept another sit for their dates then untick the apply box. To me it’s mannerly and I never know when their new dates in the future are perfect.
It’s my way of combating bad manners. If I show good manners maybe someone may realise that it’s not nice not to answer prospective sitters. Just my thoughts.
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I never expect to receive a message. Because that’s generally how it works. If I do receive a message, it’s generally within 24 hours of applying and I end up getting the sit.
Unfortunately given the current UX/UI it’s unlikely that I’ll spend the time to dig back through all of my outstanding applications to cancel ones that conflict with a sit I’ve just accepted. I currently have literally dozens of open applications out there and there is no way of knowing which is what by looking in the inbox area. I would have to open every one going back months to catch them all.
I get it. And if there was an easy way to do it, I would. But I don’t want to spend an hour + digging through all of my old messages trying to figure out what’s open/what’s not every time I accept a new sit. If the UX ever changes to make it easier, I’ll be happy to send a message.
It can’t be that time consuming to withdraw within 24hrs after an application.
If the message page on THS is too complicated I would have some notes of my own to keep track.
Those who don’t withdraw their application will never get a chance to sit for us, no matter how many 5-star reviews they have or how good a fit they were, because I do keep track who responds and who doesn’t.
I respond to every application, but sometimes it’s not possible to do it within 24 hrs.
When I am at work I don’t have access to the internet and this sometimes means up to 16-18 hours. When I finally get off work I certainly don’t write personalized responses to applicants right away, because after a meal I am simply tired and go to sleep.
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But I don’t have to just withdraw from the ones I submit to in the last 24 hours. I have to withdraw from every sit for that date range I’ve applied to, which could go back months. In 24 hours I can apply to a dozen sits ranging over the next 3 months. They’re not all for the same dates. They won’t all conflict with the sit I’ve accepted. But I might have conflicts from last week or do you think I don’t need to unapply from those?
I do always reply to every HO that contacts me. But I’m simply not going to go back through every message I’ve ever sent to see if there are conflicting dates to a sit I’ve accepted. It’s just not going to happen. If a HO holds that against me, so be it.
You said you wait for answers within 24 hours after you apply and move on if they don’t come in. So it’s not necessary to withdraw from applications months in the past but those you just applied to and can’t do, because you found another.
I still don’t see this as that time consuming. After all a year only has 364 days.
If you’re happy with this practice, I am the last one to tell you otherwise, I just don’t understand what’s so complicated.
No. I move on immediately. I literally, the second after hitting send, hit archive and that sit is no longer in my brain until/unless I hear from a HO. I don’t wait at all to move on to the next sit. Given HO response rates, it makes no sense to do so. But if I hear back from a HO, it is almost always within 24 hours. It’s rare that the batch of sits that I apply to within the same 24 hour period have overlapping dates. Usually the overlap is for ones I applied to days/weeks before.
But, now you seem to be saying that if 24 hours has passed since the application was submit, then the sitter has no need to let you know they’re withdrawing? Then there is no problem since generally the overlap occurs with applications older than 24 hours.
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No, I was referring to your 24 hrs you mentioned. I said that sometimes an adequate response isn’t possible within 24 hrs.
But this is getting picky now and I think it’s better to leave it at this.
We seem to look at things very differently so there’s no chance anyway we would be a good fit.
I appreciate your comments, however, on the forum. 
FWIW, i think this is mostly miscommunication. I never said I would turn down a sit if a HO doesn’t contact me within 24 hours. I just said that MOST sits I get are finalized within 24 hours of applying. If it takes longer for a HO to contact me, I’m still open to the sit if my dates are still open.
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Question. When I get invitations and am unable to accept them, I reply with a message explaining that I’m not available but I don’t hit “decline” as I don’t want it to feel like a rejection. I simply wait until I receive the “sorry you weren’t successful this time” email.
Would you as a homeowner prefer to get the “decline” message right away? Would it make things simpler and more expedient? Or would you rather a sitter do it the way I’ve been doing it? Or does it make no difference? (Or maybe I’m just overthinking it.)
As a sitter, when I’m invited to a sit, I always write a nice message first, saying I’m not available, and then I do hit the “decline” button. I feel that it’s not like a bad rejection if the note comes first. As a homeowner as well, I do not invite anyone because I have never had any luck with finding a sitter that way. As a sitter, I have never accepted an invitation from anyone, always because their timing doesn’t work for me, but I’m flattered and I let them know that I would be interested in the future. But, to answer your question, as a homeowner, yes, I would prefer that the sitter does decline the sit, just for “cleanliness” sake, and closing the loop as soon as possible. As a sitter, I don’t like to receive those “sorry you weren’t successful this time” emails 
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Yeah, I wish there was a way we could choose to turn those off.