Why not put a time-limit on ‘reviewing’ process

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

I’ve been doing more sits than usual this autumn and trying to ensure the dates work - and I find myself frequently stalled by HO who either can’t decide, or take up to 4 weeks to decide who they are going to pick. Meanwhile, it’s impossible to plan ahead. Advice is to ‘apply for several sits’; in which case you may suddenly receive a confirmation notice after weeks of silence, by which time you’re half way to sitting somewhere else.

Could there be a reasonable, say 2 week limit, once applications have closed, by which time HO has to make an offer. And if a HO chooses another sitter, you should automatically be told. The power dynamic is not great, frankly. Too often you feel left at the beck and call of those who won’t communicate their choice.

Do other people feel this too?

2

An interesting idea but in someways it already self regulates. HOs who are tardy in choosing a sitter are more than likely to miss out on popular sitters. We withdraw applications after 72 hours as we see tardiness as a red flag.

3

Never wait. Keep applying for any sits you want until one has been officially confirmed. We often have numerous applications out for the same dates.

First come, first served

4

I agree with@ Oztravels, that it self regulates but for different reasons for different sitters. I like shorter sits in a state I think there is a shortage of sitters. I usually get the sit so only apply one at a time. After three days I usually withdraw as something else in my life comes up. An event I become aware of in my area I now want to attend, a paid pet sit client who is a regular contacts me for those same dates. So if you snooze you lose. If they contacted me right away I would have been locked in as I never cancel unless their welcome guide doesn’t match their profile as in surprises. Hosts need to post when they have time to quickly respond.

5

A deadline for owners would be wonderful, but I do not think that THS would ever impose this. It is frustrating, for sure. It makes planning difficult. My experience (5 years with THS) is that the owners who do not reply within a couple of days are unlikely to reply soon. Owners seem to fall in one of 2 distinct categories.

For longer sits especially, owners should advertise their need far in advance and still choose sitter rapidly.

However, I imagine when the owner’s travel is several months in the future, their sense of urgency is low. So they might “drag their feet” on the process. For sitters, there is really no other solution than to keep applying for sits.

6

I agree with this, but as PVGemini said, THS would not likely ever do this.

I also miss the days when we could see how many applicants they have even after we apply. We used to be able to see this and this makes a difference. Did they hit 5 that same day or is ours the only one or one of 2 even a day or two later? This also gives us a little more information whether HO’s will stall for time or not.

I am a planner and travel planning last minute is difficult and sometimes expensive (booking travel last minute can mean higher cost).

That said, we once were invited to sit during our video call and we accepted. And then they did not actually confirm us. Two days went by and we got an automated message saying “sorry you weren’t selected this time. Not even a personal message - we were stunned. And insulted, honestly. BUT then a MUCH better sit came up for the same dates and longer (which we preferred) and we were thrilled that the first one didn’t come through!!

So now I keep thinking it will all work out somehow in the end.

7

So the first thing about your post is that you are automatically notified once the host picks another sitter and they have confirmed the booking. At the point of confirmation, you will get a message saying the dates didn’t work out or something like that.

I know it can be frustrating when you see sits you’d really like to do ,or that work really well for your schedule and you’re not getting a timely reply.

I know there are times when I see a sit that would work really great for my schedule should I book a sit that I’ve already applied to, but without that other sit being confirmed, I’m probably not going to apply for the other one.

But the one thing I remember is that ultimately a sitters need to figure out their schedule or an attachment to a particular sit because of the location etc,is not really the hosts’ issue. Of course like any sitter I prefer timely replies and a quick confirmation process.

I have been sitting for many years and in my experience most hosts are pretty quick to reply. I often don’t find myself applying for multiple sits with similar dates very often.

Between being a full-time sitter who tries to be strategic about filling my calendar and being pretty selective about the fits I do, it’s not often that I see multiple all at once with similar dates that I want to do equally.

The time I’m most likely to apply to multiple sits is if I’m trying to fill a gap in my schedule. Depending on the area I’m in and the amount of time I’m trying to fill, my options may be more limited than if my schedule was wide open.

There is nothing stopping sitters from applying to multiple sits at once if they see ones that they like. Now if people really want to do a particular set for some reason and they don’t want to schedule anything else at the moment, then the only thing you can really do is wait.

Like other people said, while it may seem like a good idea in theory to place some sort of limit on the decision process, I don’t think that’s something they really would do and I really don’t think it’s something they should do.

Like I’ve said in many other posts, I prefer THS limits their involvement in the process as much as possible.

8

Most sitters do apply for more than one sit at a time, I’ve been using the platform for some years now and have found that HO’s are either very anxious to secure a sitter straightaway even if their sit is months away or they are the exact opposite and dawdle along. Keep in mind that there are HO’s who use the platform as a backup, consulting with people they know and if those people are available they’ll end up letting the dates sit there until they eventually pull them down. I give HO’s four days to respond to my message and application, just any sort of response is fine, then cancel my application if I’ve not heard a word.

9

Agree with all this, thanks, @beek - I also apply for more than one sit at a time, especially if I’m looking at specific dates.

your point about HO’s using the site as a backup is a really useful one.

I was really just wanting to open up the conversation, and hear others’ experiences.

I think I was also just venting at the lack of consideration some HOs seem to express. I’ve had a few experiences where I never got the ‘sorry it didn’t work out’ message; or someone suddenly sent a confirmation after weeks of silence - just general courtesy would be nice. But, that’s true of most of our daily interactions and… we all know they vary.

I also prefer TH to be as little involved as possible (as someone else noted). The idea of a time limit was just to focus the minds of dawdlers. As I said, the power dynamic can feel skewed in many ways, but - yes, to all comments :paw_prints:

10

Same. If I don’t get a response in a timely manner, I withdraw my application and move on. You can set your own timer and choose not to let HOs disrespect you like that. You can also give them clear timelines for when you require a response.

11

How would a deadline be enforced? If they don’t take action all the applications are cancelled? They get multiple nagging e-mails from THS? Their account gets suspended? They pay double booking fees?? :laughing: Sincere question though, how would you suggest it be limited?

Yes! How long has that been gone? I don’t remember if I’ve looked at those numbers but I suppose I must have.

This is all apropos because I applied for a sit, I don’t even remember how long ago – it might be 3 weeks? Weirdly, it is someone I just sat for in July and she seemed quite happy and gave me 5 stars. I thought she’d accept again. She was rather slow with communication the last time, but this is kinda silly.
I don’t usually apply for multiple sits but another came up last night that would be a repeat for me also; it’s for the same dates and I applied; she messaged this morning. Quite a difference.

I was wondering, for those who apply for multiple sits: if you apply for one like my case above where nothing happens, then you get accepted for another overlapping one, does your application get automatically cancelled for the first one? What does the HO see? Do you always withdraw then, or just leave it and decline if you get invited to the first one after all?

12

It can be annoying but I think there are more HOs who reply in a timely way than those who don’t. There are also sitters who mess HOs around in the sat way.

I’ve been a member of other platforms and they have a great way of ‘punishing’ owners who are slow to reply. New owners start off with 5 stars for communication, but the longer they take in replying to applicants the more stars they lose so become less appealing to sitters and will therefore get fewer people applying. A few years ago I suggested that THS might introduce a similar method and it was voted on by many members. However, like so many suggestions made, it fell on deaf ears. Hey ho!

13

Since I have mobile phone numbers for all of my previous owners, if I see new dates and am interested, I reach out to the owner directly. I apply through the THS system after the owners says “Yes, we want you,” and “Please send an application.” Or sometimes the owner knows how to send me an invite. Or we arrange the sit off-site. Many options.

I am also interested in answers to your other questions! Not sure…

14

That’s a good question.

Since sitters should get a ‘sorry, not this time’ message when HOs choose someone else, if we hear nothing, does that mean they simply dropped the listing?

Or that they by-passed some part of process.

I also have had some applications left ‘open’ for so long recently I‘ve forgotten I’d sent them and agreed to something else meanwhile. Do those people ever hear my result, or should I politely let them know?

I’ve also had situations where each member of a couple thinks the other has responded, so an understandable breakdown in communication. In other situations, I think i just fantasised a scenario in which they would be told they were being rude - not by me :wink:

15

You can only accept one sit at a time. If you take the second one, the first one is automatically cancelled.

As others have stated, it’s a roulette sometimes, just like dealing with people in real life. There is only so much we can do. Doesn’t that make it extra special when HOs come along who are communicative and timely?

16

I’m not sure that’s true- unless something has changed recently? - Usually if I have more than one application out, and I confirm a sit, I go back and cancel any other applications manually - if dates are overlapping. I would also add a note as to reason why.

17

I recently had a owner who messaged 2 months after application, stating how busy she’s been and excited to have found such a perfect sitter. I forgot to cancel my application after I got another sits since I’m pretty full time and it was not visible without searching… I really wanted that sit too. She never responded when I informed how I forgot to cancel when I secured another sit. I have waited out for weeks on other sits in hopes of getting it but never pans out so learned to move on.

18

I only apply for one sit at a time. Call me old fashioned, but it would feel rude otherwise. However, if I do not receive a message from the HO within 24 hours, I withdraw my application and move on, as I feel that no message at all is rude on their part, though I appreciate they may have a choice to make. I also do not apply for anything that has already got applicants. I’m finding more than enough sits for my wishes and so far have been successful in getting everything I’ve applied for. It’s also nice when I get sent an invite for a sit I may otherwise not have considered. Plus I obviously love doing repeat sits for my ‘regulars’.

19

As a homeowner, I was interested in your post for different reasons. I usually post sits months ahead of time. I reply to applicants quickly, offering my welcome guide and asking to schedule a video call, but many times I don’t hear back - even though I see that they read my message. Since THS only allows 5 applicants at a time for a sit, after waiting about a week, I send them a message saying that since they didn’t reply, I deleted their application. My question to sitters is do you prefer homeowners to post sits months away or closer to the date of the sit?

20

For me if it’s a long sit ( 2 weeks + ) or a busy holiday period as much notice as possible . Short sits , closer to the time .