Got a 2 star retaliatory review as owner did not lik how her dog escaped from the house (dug a hole in the screen to the backyard), there was zero warning about this prior to dog escaping although neighbour said it happened more than once recently. Owner made up a bunch of fake accusations including dirty house, moved furniture??, animal negligence etc when i have evidence to dispute this. Showed time stamped foto evidence and whatsap msgs to support staff and they said false review does not go against their guidelines (defamation??) And can’t be removed. I was a 5 star sitter before this and my rating went down to 4. What do I do now?? So unfair. I just paid for premium too now I want a refund… I don’t understand how ths can allow people to write whatever they want with zero supporting evidence. The sit was terrible as well, sick old dog peed and pooped inside everywhere including bed and owners blamed it all on the sitter and kitties?? And owners straight up did not disclose this before sit plus numerous unannounced visitors… I should have just left except they had 13 animals and I was concerned about their wellbeing..
Sorry to hear you’ve had such a harsh write up from a host! Reviews are blind so how has this host written a retaliatory review @Kitty22 or is it their response to your own review of them? This will only show on their profile and not yours if so. If it is a review of you, what kind of review did you write for them on all these issues and many animals and was it accurate? If it is the response and your review matches your photos and evidence to back that up then contact THS again and insist they help. If your review doesn’t match up to the evidence then it’s way more tricky as it’s he said, she said. #pleaseclarify
It’s retaliatory as I mentioned to them In person that they should have disclosed the dogs urinary problem and escape risk factor to future sitters and then they abruptly kicked me out of their house after that (before we were just having freindly convo). I mentioned retaliatory as well as they were super mad their dog escaped even though I don’t think i could have even done anything to prevent that.
I have clear evidence house was left proper and clean and pets were healthy and happy during sit and end of sit (aside from the dog which the neighbour offered to take care of to help lighten my load, there were 13 pets overall).
So what kind of review did you write for them and does it reflect what you disclosed to them? Sadly, when you give some hosts the heads up that there were problems and issues they then retaliate (as these have done) in their review to make it look as if it’s the sitter. You can write a measured and factual response to that review that says something like “Sadly when I raised the issues of continual urinary problems & escape issues these hosts decided to shift the blame onto me. As all experienced dog owners will know, habits like this don’t arrive during a sit and should be disclosed at the outset in the interest of a fair and balanced exchange. Disappointed to read so many untruths on here.” and then you’ve asserted your truth and put the onus back on them. #keepgoing
Do you mean that the owner retaliated because you raised several significant concerns during the sit, or because of the circumstances in which the dog escaped?
Do you have proof (WhatsApp messages or similar) that you raised these concerns with the host during the sit?
Thirteen animals is a substantial responsibility. Were these all domestic animals in the house, or were some farm animals kept outside? what exactly did the owner accuse you of in the review in claiming animal negligence? Was it solely about the dog escaping, or were other incidents alleged?
I ask because, if you want to challenge the review effectively, the distinction between what actually happened, what the owner had disclosed beforehand (take screenshots of the listing and the welcome guide) and what concerns you raised during the sit (and which can be confirmed via messages, both sent and received), is potentially important. Any timestamped photographs and messages you have may be useful in establishing that distinction if you decide to challenge this with THS.
As I said in another thead today, there have been a few similar reports from experienced sitters with a string of 5-star reviews who have unexpectedly received a poor one. It’s understandably upsetting, particularly when you feel the review is unfair and have evidence to support your account.
Unfortunately, even if you can demonstrate that aspects of a review are inaccurate, that doesn’t necessarily mean THS will remove it under their review guidelines. If support has already considered your evidence and reached that conclusion, I wouldn’t hold out much hope of changing their minds by pursuing the same arguments further.
I’d concentrate instead on writing a clear, factual and unemotive response that puts the review into context for anyone reading it. If your previous reviews are consistently excellent, one outlier is unlikely to carry the same weight as a pattern of poor feedback. Then get some more sits under your belt and let those reviews speak for themselves.
It’s frustrating, certainly, but try not to let one unfair review undermine your confidence or your enjoyment of sitting. Onwards and upwards!
Can I just clarify one thing, though: what actually happened when the dog escaped? How did you discover it, what did you do to locate and secure the dog, and did you inform the owners at the time?
I ask because, if you want to respond to the review, the most useful approach is to stick to the facts about what happened and how you handled the situation. If you can highlight that you acted responsibly, that will carry more weight with potential future hosts.
So dog was outside for max 15 minutes in the yard/ driveway before heading off to a neighbours yard which according to the neighbour, wasn’t the first time. I wrote ths staff and they said nothing cam be done even before i submitted the evidence of clean house, happy pets etc and after I submitted proof they still said they won’t do anything so not even sure if you have evidence it changes anything at all… they said they will investigate the multiple unannounced guests but leave the review up but that I don’t really care about, as as long as the review if up, my chances of getting a sit is diminished significantly… oh well. Im disappointed and at this point, if im getting no sits when before I used to get offers all the time, I want a refund and go to a different platform…
If you’ve confirmed even just one sit during your new membership period, I suspect you’ll be lucky to receive a refund.
This was just one poor experience. Since you’ve previously received 5 star reviews, you’ll know how different it is when sits go well. I hope you won’t let this one blip ruin things, going forwards.
At the moment it feels like getting into a huff and flouncing off ‘feels’ like you’re winning the argument. Take a moment. This platform offers far more opportunities than others. You know that you have far more choice here. If you respond to their Review in the right way future Hosts will read between the lines. So what is ‘the right way’?
Start by mentioning in your Review that:
- According to neighbours the dog was a known escapee, this was never mentioned to you.
- I was surprised that multiple 3rd parties arrived at the house which contravenes THS T&Cs. You can quote which one.
- The pets were elderly and frequently incontinent in the house including on bedding. This information wasn’t disclosed ahead of time, and required significant cleaning by me. I kept on top of it.
See how I’m being factual, and not adding emotional commentary as I go along. Future hosts will read much into your reply which will go a long way to dispel the false/unfair claims. Best Wishes.
You too. Thnx for the advice. I have replied factually to all things she said and now it’s an essay on both sides. Ugggh