It is very possible that the couple who committed to sitting for you in October is currently in a place where they have poor/no internet service. Maybe they are on a cruise ship or hiking a mountain?
Do you have a way to contact them other than the THS platform? i.e. cell phone number (call or WhatsApp) or email address? Have you tried all of these? Do you have 2 cell phone numbers for them?
Sometimes my husband gets a SIM card for a particular country and I turn my phone off for a few weeks. When I do this, I notify family and friends to contact us thru my husband’s number.
If you contact THS support and tell them they’ve stopped communicating and show evidence. Then ask them to cancel the sit for you and you can relist the dates. You have lots of time till October so that’s all good, glad to help. #alwaystrustyourgut
Hi,
Sorry for the misunderstanding. I’m new to this and getting used to the etiquette of it all!
No, the communication had been open and they were asking for the welcome pack which I was in the process of updating so didn’t release to them. My messages have been read but not replied to. I’ve messaged THS now anyway.
Thanks for the advice
It is possible they are waiting for you to release the welcome guide before replying. From their end, they may worry that the guide will have surprises they don’t like. Also, like you are nervous that they are not replying, they may feel a lack of communication as well. The welcome guide is very important. Hope it works out for all involved.
@SEK
Have you explained why you initially delayed sending them the welcome guide ?
Have you now sent it to them ?
No welcome guide ( without an explanation as to why ) can be seen by some sitters as a = an indication of previously undisclosed negative information about the pet, sit , home or responsibilities.
@SEK What’s the timeline? How long have you been waiting on a response? Given that the sit is months away, they could be busy and didn’t think they needed to respond immediately. Or they could be somewhere with no or unreliable internet.
Also, not sending the welcome guide is a red flag. I request it as soon as the sit is confirmed. If the host is still working on it or updating it, I expect it within a week or so. I don’t make plans to travel anywhere until I have the address and welcome guide.
Hi
No, I explained my work circumstances and that I needed to tweak it- my dog is having ongoing training anyway and I stressed from the start that he can be reactive to other dogs.
I usually go with honesty being the best policy as if I want to keep getting sitters in my home then letting people know that my dog has a few quirks is the best way. Also, I had a pretty good honest review from the first sitter who was made well aware of my dog being a work in progress when he is out on the lead and pulling.
Perhaps. I have been in contact and the lady said she was okay with me not issuing the changes for autumn months until later as well. Most of what is in my pack is already oh the responsibility page anyway.
If the messages have been read but there hasn’t been a response, they may be discussing how to best answer your questions. However, if it’s been more than a couple of days, I would contact THS support and cancel the sit. You have plenty of time to find someone else. I don’t trust people who are avoidant or too impolite to respond with something like, “Let me get back to you,” or simply, “We don’t have an answer yet and need to figure this out,” or “we would love it if you sent the welcome guide before we can answer your questions”. Avoidant people typically will not send any updates during the sit (you’ll have to follow up) or they won’t write a review at all. It shows me that it is not a priority to them, so I should probably avoid depending on them on any shape or form.
I have been with THS since inception in 2010.
It is extremely concerning to read the number of threads highlighting serious problems with sitters or Home Owners resulting in more and more Member Disputes.
We cannot prove it but it may be a result of recent advertising from THS attracting the wrong members.
Luckily I have been able to avoid these horror sits; I carry out my due diligence and I have a permanent home so do not have to fill dates in which may have lower standard sits.
One day I fear that I may become unlucky.
What I would like to know is if THS are at all concerned at how many substandard sitters and owners there are now. @Jenny , I have been told that the staff have weekly meetings including discussions of contents of the Forum - Has this topic been covered?
Do you know whether Customer Disputes have increased dramatically?
Is anything being done to ensure that THS retains its good name?
You could be right Wendy
I did get a reply today. Fingers crossed all will be OK with an updated welcome pack released tomorrow and a video call next week.
Hi Sarah!
Several years ago when we were new to the site and didn’t have experience (and may have been a bit anxious since we didn’t have many applicants), we did a zoom call offered the sit to a woman who seemed to me a little too “free spirited”, but my husband thought would be good.
Like you, right after finalizing there was a bit of back and forth and then closer to the sit, we “checked in” to which we heard nothing. (Since we’d zoomed, we had her email and phone number) and had contacted her by text, email, and THS message several times increasing the urgency of request for a reply.
I can’t remember exactly what she said, but we did get a reply that left me both nervous and skeptical, though she had apologized for not replying sooner. And a short time later with just under a week to go before she’d arrive, she wrote that something came up and she contacted to say she couldn’t do the sit.
We contacted THS who said they’d pst it somewhere and we were introduced to “boosting”. Luckily, as we panicked, we immediately found a lovely, responsible sitter (whose dad had a stroke the next day- for real, who apologized profusely knowing about our previous sitter, even offering to try to find a replacement from her friends or pay for a sitter/ boarding). We appreciated her concern for us at a time like that but stick with THS and lucked out quickly with another great sitter!
LESSONS? Hubby and I both need to feel secure with applicant before offering sit. Trust our gut if something seems off at any point. Always get phone & email when setting up zoom. Contact THS for help with problems. Boost the sit if either time is close or just not getting sitters
Oh! I just remembered something we started doing but have since forgotten to do (thanks for reminder) Ask for last name and an emergency contact info for sitter. (What if: they lose their phone and can’t contact us prior? they have a medical emergency during a sit in a coma in hospital? Left something but on the w/o cell reception, we have an emergency and they’re not answering or …?
Sarah,
contact THS immediately and ask for advice, help, etc!!!
IMO, your issue would have better been a new question than a comment to a different question. I’m glad people are replying with suggestions, but your issue is both important enough and different enough, and time sensitive to stand alone. In addition, if a future HO or sitter has similar issue of ghosting and searched forum for advice, it might not come up.
Hi Amy
Thank you again. I realise I should have started a new thread now. I’ve been given a phone number and hopefully will have a video call next week.
Good advice on the emergency number, thank you.
Having had a bad experience on a different pet sit app, I will freely admit to being anxious about the reliability of the person/ couple in my house and their ability to manage my dog. Hence as I said to someone else, I’m completely honest about his reactive behaviour before anyone even needs to offer to sit him. For me the welcome pack is more about the confidential details of where I live etc. Still, I have time yet. Thank you again. Take care
You can release your guide with just your town in the address. It’s probably not ideal, but shows the sitters what to expect. Then, after your video call, you can provide your address.
I passed your comments over to the team, and they asked me to share this with you:
"We recognise that on a minority of sits, issues do occur and our teams are here to support members 24/7.
THS has been through a period of growth recently, offering more members more opportunities to travel the world.
This growth can lead to a perception that there are more challenges being faced, when in fact, the thousands of positive stories simply don’t get shared online.
We regularly check in with our members to ensure the highest levels of service, and 97% of THS members report their lifestyle has changed for the better since joining with us."
= an indication of previously undisclosed negative information about the pet, sit , home or responsibilities.
