I was referring to using the referral codes that all members have in order to extend membership. Currently, the booking fees start after the renwal date, so you could push back the renewal date by disseminating the codes.
Take a look at a brand new platform, only launched a few days ago but been in development for a couple of years; it’s called The Guardians Tribe.
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I need to get with the times!!!
Terrible names for all these new platforms. I thought it’s a new Guardians of the Galaxy movie. It will make more sense to gather some feedback before launching a new platform not after it’s launched.
The Guardian Tribe’s rewards scheme sounds like a pyramid scheme.
I felt like I was joining a cult.
Out of all of them, Worldsitters, I think jumps out as having the best potential. They are interacting well, asking for opinions, and their website looks professional.
They are also offering six months free - which any new platform has to do to get the initial numbers up -
Who is going to pay to join a new platform with very few members/sitting opportunities?
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My thoughts exactly @Colin
I would have preferred 2 months free trial.
The number of new members will also depend on marketing campaigns and visibility of the platforms in the media and social networks.
A better question might be “who is going to leave a platform when all the others have few members/sitting opportunities?”
If you know these guys, you need to tell them they will need to offer an initial free membership or their platform is doomed from the start. They contacted me and offered me a 20% discount off their £69 fee, so they are expecting me to pay £55.20 to join a platform which currently has 4 listings worldwide!
I guess that’s why THS has members by the short and curlies 
I would prefer 3 free months trial than 20% discount.
Personally, I think they should offer 12 months free - I understand they want/need to make money from this venture, but every month they are active with minimal listings, is another month wasted.
Or a small booking fees when you get a sit and no membership for the first year ?
It seems to me that THS offers to refund your first year’s membership if you don’t find any sits.
They need to do more research about U.K. and EU data privacy laws before they launched .
Without becoming a member I can see photo of home , location and the Full name of host along with the dates they will be away ( which with one click can be saved in my calendar) and with a click I can also get directions to their location.
Any company that doesn’t comply with the relevant laws could be liable for a huge fine . The onus being on the company to find out what is required.
@Solela. Strict rules around that, (THS refund) you have to find a sit within 14 days and apply for your refund within 14 days too. Don’t think many members actually get the refund. Lots of complaints about it on trust pilot.
Given the high number of members complaining about the fee, with many saying it’s about principle and not the money which they’d rather spend on a higher membership fee, and the lack of a booking fee in virtually any other pet sitting platform, it would seem that a new start up implementing a booking fee would be headed for failure.
It is a tiered rewards scheme, but it’s capped at 3 levels, so yes a pyramid, but a very small one.
Colin, it’s funny how we all get a different view of the world isn’t it? I saw you had posted about worldsitters in a facebook post (that was speedily removed) and until then I had never seen or heard of them. However I have seen lots about The Guardians Tribe and they have engaged with me really well. I do agree that they need to think about more free memberships to get off the ground, and apparently they have some big marketing stuff planned.
As an aside I sent you a DM (messenger) about them a little while back but I don’t think you’ve read the message