@SteveS it happens often. I sat for six months for some people and got an absolutely glowing review. Was asked back a second time and when I arrived there was a long list of do’s and don’ts and their attitude was quite different to the first sit. It was like I had become “their sitter” and they decided to set a few more rules so to speak. It was a three week sit second time. They then asked me back a third time for another three months sit then cancelled on me two weeks before with no real explanation given, just they decided not to go away. I was really left in a bind, but obviously had to accept their decision.
So in a nutshell, they went from being the perfect sit to a bad one. So yes, second time round they can and often do become less hospitable and more demanding, it has happened to me twice. Most responses on the forum are from very experienced sitters so it isn’t just hearsay, it happens a lot.
Whilst the majority of sitters don’t do repeat sits , we are one of the couples that do.
Our experience has been positive . We feel more relaxed as we know the home, the pets and the host’s expectations .We also know the location and neighbours . The hosts can have a stress free vacation because we’ve built a friendship and a trust . They are confident we’ll turn up , look after the pets (who are happy to see us ) and that we will respect and enjoy their home . We definitely feel appreciated by these hosts. It’s definitely a mutual exchange or we would not go back. These hosts do often ask us first before posting dates but there’s no expectation that we will be available, they know that we do have our own life.
We’ve been cautious and not accepted multiple dates for the same hosts until we have first completed one sit (especially for hosts new to THS) . We don’t want to be committed to something that we later regret .
With one couple , when they heard that we had a last minute cancellation by another host ( who had a serious accident and had to return home ) they immediately invited us to come and stay in their guest room.
I am a sitter. If we talk about coming back, I often say that they can feel free to message me directly. If they don’t do that and post on the site instead, I take that as a sign that they are less keen for me specifically to come back. Sometimes I still apply, if I am really keen to go back. Other times I let it go!
You can just ignore someone if you don’t want to engage.. not polite or kind, but people have done it to me countless times. Part of the game.
@andrealovesanimals We have one host in the UK who always asks us first, before posting new dates, even If she suspects we might be on the other side of the world- we were her first sitters and we are always her first choice! We have sat for her 3 times already and are open to sit for her anytime dates match. We have a feeling of loyalty now towards her!
But I think you are probably right. If a previous host doesn’t make direct contact and just lists new dates publicly they obviously don’t have us on their Radar as an imperative to contact first. However our next 2, month-long, sits in France & Spain are both with hosts we’ve sat for before & who did not notify us in advance. But in both cases they happily chose us again over all current applicants. So its obviously not always the case! Most of our hosts know we are World travellers so they genuinely may not think we’d be up for a repeat sit in the same location.
So I guess the message is just apply for any and every sit you feel drawn to, whether repeat or not, and see what happens!
There is a risk of this. An experienced THS friend of ours went from a 5 star to a 1 star with a repeat sit. Some of it because assumptions were made that weren’t seen the same way on each side. Doing one off sits are a bit like delivering a project instead of being on a retainer, expectations are more easily met. #itcanhappen
We have a few regular repeat sits that we have returned to regularly. We haven’t had any issues with hosts becoming more demanding or less hospitable on repeat sits. The only issue is finding something different to say in the review!
We have had others invite us to repeat but we have not been available on their dates, although in most cases we would genuinely be happy to return another time. I do wonder if some hosts think we don’t really want to return if we are have to turn them down more than once when they contact us with upcoming dates, as I then see their dates on the website. If the dates worked for us I’d certainly apply to them again - it’s lovely to reconnect with owners and pets we have previously sat for.
Yes, with various hosts, I’ve been asked to repeat a bunch of times and I’ve declined, so they stopped asking.
In a few cases, I would’ve actually liked to repeat, but the dates have never worked. I also prefer to avoid sit commitments way ahead of time, because I want flexibility.
You can tell them you would like to give other sitters a chance to visit your area as well. Your never going to have this sitter back so whatever you decide to tell them it should be a one and done thing. If the write you back with nasty comments report them. I have applied to sits I’ve sat for and been declined I don’t take it personally.