That age old problem of when your preferred sit option are not reading their messages in a timely fashion, but your back up option wants to arrange a video call!
I have put them off for as long as I can, but it is also a lovely sit it’s literally that the dates for the other one, and location are so much better for us on this occasion. I just wish some hosts would understand that time is of the essence!
How long would you give them before sending a message along the lines of i have another video call arranged and will accept that sit if offered?
I know, thats kinda why i havent bothered. It took them a few days to respond to my initial application because they didnt read the message but that kinda stresses me out. They do have excellent reviews though.
@catscatscats24
I always accept the first sit offered to me as you could end up with nothing. I’m quite open with HO’s that I have other applications open and that I accept the first suitable sit I get offered.
I had a situation where I really wanted a sit so after hearing nothing once it hit reviewing quickly, I messaged again. Nothing. So I looked for other sits. Ended up booking a better sit and had a bit of delight informing the first HO when she finally came back to me “too late”
I personally don’t send follow up messages when I haven’t heard from a host, whether the application was read or not. Though I have seen a number of posts where sitters say they have done this and ended up getting the sit. If I were to do something like that, I probably wouldn’t reach out until at least a couple of days have passed.
I don’t regularly apply for sits with similar dates–in my experience, hosts tend to reply pretty quickly so it really isn’t necessary, and it isn’t often I see multiple sits with overlapping dates that I like equally. Of course I don’t see anything wrong with doing so and there is a good rationale for it.
As a full-time sitter I also take a number of factors into account when planning my schedule to try and minimize gaps,etc…so there usually aren’t a lot of sits I see at once that would fit the bill for my needs and preferences at that moment.
I suppose another reason we don’t do this that often is because we seem to get chosen for almost all of the sits to which we apply–not all of course, but getting declined is not commonplace.
There are instances where I may be more likely to apply for more than one sit ,such as if I am trying to fill a smaller gap between two sits and my options may be more limited for one reason or another, such as not as many sits in that particular area for example.
If there was a sit I really ,really wanted to do for some reason, I would probably hold off on applying for others soon after, unless I felt I really didn’t have time to wait at least a few days.
They have replied now and sent a WhatsApp about arranging a call, but i can already tell they are just the kind of hosts who don’t frequently read messages which is absolutely fine if nothing goes wrong.
Are they experienced hosts @catscatscats24? If not, I would politely explain to them in the video chat the importance of prompt communication. You could always use as an example their pet suddenly having a health issue. You would want them to respond quickly to guide you/approve vet consultation. Even if they’ve had sitters before, I would still raise this with them.
