Not sure what the best way to get feedback to THS is - do they monitor this forum?
My specific feedback is this: We’ve used over 15 sitters during the last two years, and have liked them all, but what is frustrating is when a new sitter confirms a sit, then cancels two to four weeks out. I love being able to leave reviews for completed sits, but there’s no way to note canceled sits on a sitter’s profile, right? It’d be nice to be able to do that, so there’s incentive for sitters not to cancel sits unless they absolutely have to. (I’d be fine if owner’s cancellations show on their profile as well, because we haven’t canceled a sit yet.)
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just to put another spin on it…
the inverse side of this question was recently discussed, around sitters’ concern that cancellations can (currently) negatively impact their account, even when the cancellation is for a legitimate reason:
Maybe a feature like the one you’ve described would be valuable if it also allowed the sitter to state why they canceled in each instance. That would help separate sitters canceling for legitimate reasons from those who are just flaky/unreliable.
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yes - there are community moderators active here who communicate with the back-end team
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I came to this Forum to say the exact thing. I have had 3 cat sitters cancel on me now, and I would like a way to show that they cancelled.
Yes, it would be fair for both parties to be able to state their reasons - fair enough - but I think it would be a good way to stop futile cancellations. The 1st sitter who cancelled had a very legit reason, and it was understandable, but the others?
People need to know if they are dealing with serial cancellers. It is not fair to us hosts not to know this about a sitter.
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THS is unlikely to offer such functionality, because it would potentially put them in the position of deciding whether a cancellation is “legit” or not. And they’re not going to start demanding evidence of legitimacy or not. Without such, there’s nothing to stop anyone — host or sitter — from lying about reasons for canceling. Hosts and sitters cancel.
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No member services don’t read or reply to the forum .
You can e-mail them directly
Support@trustedhousesitters.com
You can also advise them when a sitter cancels - they keep a record ( but can only do this if it’s reported by the host )
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Hi @CraigB
Thanks for sharing your feedback with us!
I’m happy to pass it over to the team for them to take a look at, but can’t promise anything.
You’re also welcome to drop Member Services a line as mentioned by @Silversitters 
Jenny
I was thinking about this. It’s true that a sitter could lie and say something like “canceled due to personal emergency” even if they canceled just because they changed their mind. But if you look at their profile and see that they canceled 5 times due to “personal emergency,” you would likely see through it and realize they can’t be relied on. They could get away with lying a limited number of times, but eventually, it would catch up with them
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I like this. Have the reason stated for cancellation and not just say cancelled on the profile. I would hate to lose good PP because they get frustrated with all the cancellations they get.
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The problem is, someone who became seriously ill could end up mixed up with liars, who also could say for instance that they or a loved one is battling something.
Bigger picture, THS has more to lose than to gain by opening this can of worms.
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…I get that, but if someone is chronically ill to the extent that they need to repeatedly back out of sit commitments, that’s relevant information for the HO to be aware of. maybe they aren’t lying about their reasons, but they are still not the most reliable sitter to choose…
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Yes, I considered that and could go either way — hosts would benefit from knowing, but it would suck for someone who’s say really sick (or is supporting someone sick).
I think THS will stay out of such a call and is probably better off not engaging, revenue wise. They’d probably lose fewer users if they stayed out of it, versus getting involved. And bigger picture, THS looks to do minimal intervention on various fronts.
Personally, I’d probably benefit from THS noting cancellations, because I won’t cancel unless something dire comes up.
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This has been discussed here in the past and there are really just too many issues with trying to show cancellations. One of the biggest issues is the fact that sitters have to confirm sits before we get the welcome guide or address. Sitters would then feel even more pressure to do a sit anyway even if the WG had dealbreakers due to worrying about the cancellation showing on their profile. The sitters would get the cancellation ding even though it’s the HO that wasn’t transparent. Same thing if a sitter arrives to unlivable conditions or undisclosed pet behaviors that warrant ending the sit. Those situations should have consequences for the HO, not the sitter.
It would also hurt full-time sitters. One major illness or death in the family could mean multiple cancellations. Even if it shows that say 4 cancellations were in a 2 month period, most HOs are just going to see 4 cancellations and not look for further info.
Another issue is having to put personal information on our public profiles. If I have a health emergency or a death in the family, I am absolutely not putting that information on my public profile. So, if I had to cancel and it showed on my profile, I would not put a reason because I value my privacy. Also, on the issue of privacy, if a sitter has a cancellation on their profile and they do have a chat with a HO for a future sit, I would assume that the HOs will ask about the cancellation. So then the sitter is in a position of having to discuss whatever emergency which led to the sit cancelation. Same for homeowners.
Personally, I’ve not cancelled any sits, but I’ve had 4 HOs cancel and only one had a valid reason.
We don’t have the stats, but I think the number of cancellations is likely an extremely small percentage of all the sits that take place through THS. And when THS makes new policies to address perceived problems, those policies typically don’t make the site better.
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I initially thought that if a sitter canceled a confirmed sit, they would be kicked off the platform - that seems to be the hidden message in the Ts&Cs. It seems from many forum postings this is not the case. However, I have to say that I agree with the general sentiment in the rest of these replies that having this on a sitter’s profile opens up a whole Pandora’s box of mess.
Example: The immigration environment in the US is very different now than it was six months ago. Canadian sitters who confirmed US-based sits for summer 2025 may no longer feel safe doing those - there is a post in another thread where a Canadian canceled three US-based sits that she really, really wanted to do for fear of being detained and deported. It seems cruel to “ding” her profile when the reasons for her cancellation were completely out of her control. And per @Maggie8K 's thread, THS is not and should not be in the role of being judge and jury. They are a matchmaking service, plain and simple. I don’t want them deciding what constitutes a valid cancellation. Whose customs, culture, laws, etc. will apply? What evidence would they require? What would be the appeal process? Etc.
Part of the beauty of THS is the simplicity. This is an equal exchange - it is not a job, or a career, or a “rap sheet” of rights and wrongs. Really amazing, responsible sitters are going to have to cancel two to four weeks out because life happens (accidents, illness, changes in job schedules, volcanoes closing international air traffic - life happens!). Really stinky, horrible, lousy sitters are going to cancel two to four weeks out because they’re unreliable and flaky.
But at the end of the day you’ve gotten 15 good sitters in two years, which is - amazing. Focus on the good. Focus on THAT. My little fur babies have crossed the rainbow bridge but if I could have found fifteen good sitters in two years when I had them, I would have been overjoyed.
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I agree wholeheartedly with this. Cancellations are definitely a nuisance and we have had two cancellations in 1 year but privacy is something everyone deserves… ie what if someone miscarried, had an accident, a death, etc., how is that any of the platforms business? After a certain point people would be intrigued “is it a medical/family emergency or are they lying?” So either way sitters would have to explain in a way that is intrusive and that home owners do not.
Communication is key when life happens.
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I have always wanted this - a general notification similar to Airbnb where it lists the sit and says “Member X cancelled this sit X days prior to sit” - whether it’s the sitter or the HO who cancels. This ways, future sitters/HOs can see if there is a pattern of cancellations, especially close to the sit.
Of course, there would need to be a way for sitters to initiate a cancellation for this to be put in place. Otherwise all cancellations will end up on the HO side.
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A couple of my hosts (when we video chatted before mutually agreeing to do the sits) have asked about cancellations. I was happy to discuss such. That might be something more hosts should or could do if they’re worried about potential cancellations.
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Excellent idea. I’ve often asked homeowners what has gone wrong with their previous sits, but it never occurred to me to ask about if they’ve ever canceled or under what circumstances they might cancel. I’ll add that to my list - thanks for the idea!
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I came here to agree that a Sitter should have an incentive to NOT cancel (and perhaps the same for Pet Parents), and that data should be shared on their profile. I know that Rover does this. Maybe it could incentivize Sitters and Pet Parents to be more careful when scheduling and confirming with one another.
I know from an experience I had with a sitter cancelling, and mentioned it on the forum, there was feedback from THS that I could “report” it. It’s my understanding that there are no records of cancellations and they only come to THS’s attention when the other party reports a dispute. Even then it seems if the cancelling gives any kind of excuse it’s generally acceptable – especially before the sit has started.
I have written in previous forums and to THS that they consider changing this in a simple way. Whenever the homeowner hits “unconfirm” on an upcoming sit or a sit-in-progress is cancelled, even by mutually agreement, each side should get a small form in which they briefly give their version of what happened and THS keeps a record of it. That way if there is a pattern of say a sitter withdrawing before a sit, or a homeowner last minute cancelling a sit, even if their are good reasons, membership services could intervene. If for instance, a homeowner has a very ill pet and there have been several “emergencies” causing cancellatons, maybe the homeowner needs to come up with another plan for a while. If a sitter is having health issues for example and may not be up to sit, maybe the sitter needs to take some time to deal with those issues. This would also help prevent serial frivolous cancelations – homeowners who suddenly realize their grandson can do it, or sitters who cancel to take a better sit.
I don’t think data needs to be public. But I do think that it lowering the cancellation rate would be better for everyone, and I suspect that there are small number of people who cancel more frequently than most.
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