I am sorry, but except inboxing, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.
I just did a random search to show you an example. Like I searched for sits in Vietnam and this is a top result that Nomador showed me. Why do I need to waste time looking at a sit from July that someone else did? Nomador routinely does this.
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Yes, I take a screenshot of each one.
Ah, ok. I am a Home Owner and so far I only posted a listing last year to check if I get any applications. I did, but I simultaneously invited a sitter couple, who I had been in contact with already from THS. I received 3 applications but had to decline them.
I am also listed on MmH.
From my POV as a sitter, Nomador usability is like driving down dirt roads. I wish it were better, so there’d be a stronger rival to THS.
Strong competitors matter. Like years ago, it was hard to get good coffee in the U.S. Because Starbucks came along and scaled, they raised the bar on coffee. So even if you’re like my parents and would never pay Starbucks prices, they can now get a better cup of coffee at say McDonald’s or Wendy’s prices.
Is there a ‘rule’ as to who gets the survey and who not? I’m a long time member - so far have not received anything… Very curious though due to this thread.
I’d love them to include a question around: how has your ability to get sits been affected (e.g. somewhat, not at all, etc) since the XYZ rule got implemented? In this case the 5 appl rule - I feel like I seldom get sits anymore. Two sits in 2023 of which the last one was in March. One sit in 2nd half of 2022, which was a ‘for lack of something better’ sit.
Not that my references aren’t any good (5 star) or my ‘tenure’ with THS (almost 9 years), but the sits I look for are already in short supply on this website. And I just don’t spend enough time on the site to keep up with the speed with which they appear & then quickly disappear again by automatically going to ‘reviewing’ status… So yes, that’s a survey question I WOULD like to see!!!
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Just to say I too, a member for 10 years, started the survey but found it annoying, confusing, invasive, irrelevant - and so I binned it.
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I started it. Twice, then gave up.
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I wonder how many members actually completed the survey…I did although wish I hadn’t bothered, my answers not being accurate as the system wouldn’t allow me
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Hello everyone,
Thank you for all of your feedback regarding the survey, we passed it back to the relevant teams and they have provided some more information for you:
The survey was designed to be a high level, demographic type survey to understand our member base and their motivations (hence the income, location type questions), rather than plan any specific changes. We know people’s motivations and circumstances change, so want to make sure we keep up to date with them as we move into 2024.
Some of you provided feedback about the design of the survey, because it was a complicated survey set-up & flow, we used a different piece of technology this time, but we wanted to let you know this was just a one-off.
@Maggie8K has also provided a couple of helpful answers on this thread, about companies and surveys in general and also on managing expectations about how much information the forum team has to share when it comes to things such as company surveys.
It is also a polite reminder to keep this thread on the topic of ‘Survey questions - would you recommend THS’ If you would like to start a discussion recommending other housesitting sites (or anything else ) please use the spyglass there has been discussion about this already, you can also start a new topic if you can’t find a relevant one. If you need any help just let the forum team know and we are always happy to help!
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To the question of whether I’d recommend THS: I’d do it under limited circumstances, because I wouldn’t want to contribute to anyone who doesn’t love pets joining any such platform. It’s a balance, of course, because if anyone simply loved animals, there’s no need to travel or join THS simply to get pet exposure.
I heard about THS years ago, but joined only this year. I’ve done nine sits since March, including three abroad, and have more sits planned. On the whole, I’ve been highly satisfied with value for membership dollars on THS. It’s allowed me to have adventures with travel and pets that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
It’s clear that some sitters have been affected by various changes that THS has made over the past couple of years, but those have not kept me from getting the sits I want. In return, my hosts and their pets have been happy with our sits. My most recent host for instance said in her review that she’d had seven THS sitters and I’d outstripped the rest by far. I mention that, because there have been various posts knocking on newer sitters, and I’m sure that there have always been good as well as bad sitters on THS. As membership grows, it would be logical that there’d be more bad sitters in aggregate, even if the ratio stayed the same.
Businesses evolve and have no obligation to remain the same. In some cases, their user bases change and that might work for the company, even if longer time users end up leaving. Given that THS doesn’t have strong competition, I’d expect it to keep growing membership wise, up to a point. It’s a niche business as-is. Of course, they could always change business strategies and try to grow beyond the current natural ceiling.
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Yes, @katiejo if you read @ziggy comments or just google, Rockpool invested several million in them, so its now a money making exercise focussing particularly on California.
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@Jenny what survey? We didn’t get one. We are dual members as sitters and owners. Does that nean we’re excluded?
I just completed it and ended up with the answer -Thank you, unfortunately your profile does not match what we are looking for, or something like that. So sems like they are picking and choosing answers that match what they are looking for. I clicked prefer not to say with regards income and I am retired and own my own home without mortgage. Was not asked if I would recommend to others.
You can click prefer not to say, which is at the bottom of list.
Exactly what happened to me @Visit - they are only looking for the answers they want to justify changes to come.
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Definitely seems that way Twicher. Maybe not interested in retired people but I am fit and active and have walked dogs all day, ifdogs happy with the excercise… Have also had over 50 sits now and lots of home owners have sort me out and sent invites to me. Have especially had last minute desperate one,s who have been let down by sitters who have canecelled with them last minute. Seems to be something that younger sitters do all the time now. But how can they have an accurate survey if they discard half the people who attempt to complete it?
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I didn’t see any survey…
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I found many of the questions to be intrusive and irrelevant. I completed about half of it and decided not to finish it.
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DMcat. I would be interested to know what all the questions were? As Ihad read they were intrusive I was just looking out of curiosity. The chances are I would definitely have abandoned it. However I only answered about three or four and had the message, Thank You - unfortunatyely your profile does not match what we are looking for. They are either excluding home owners or retired people. Therefore definitely not an acuartae survey.
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