The homeowner literally wrote in her review: “Five stars for Glenn!” – however she forgot to use the starred rating system; she didn’t actually click on the stars!
This resulted in my now having a 4-star overall rating, even though ALL my reviews have been overwhelmingly 100% positive. This is a tremendously harmful state of affairs, as homeowners will now overlook me as a potential candidate.
In the future, perhaps the system could be set up to not allow reviews to be submitted unless (or until) ‘stars’ have been selected?
Can someone at Trusted House Sitters PLEASE fill in the 5-stars that were so obviously intended by the homeowner? (This pertains to the most recent review, left on September 20th.)
Thank you in advance for ANY help that you can provide!
Hi @Talos_4U and welcome to our community Forum, I’m sorry that a problem has brought you here but we can help so please don’t be too alarmed, it’s a mistake that has happened before.
This can be rectified by Membership Services, the owner will need to contact membership services although in her review she has written "5 Stars to … " but omitted to add the stars.
I hope you will stay with us here on the forum as I’m sure you have some wonderful experiences to share and we are sure that you will enjoy connecting with other members from around the world.
I sincerely appreciate your help with this @Angela_L ! I understand the reasoning behind the policy about not altering reviews… however THIS particular case is extraordinarily clear – where the reviewer CLEARLY intended to leave a 5-star rating… by writing it in her review! Do you feel that strict policies should still be subject to (rare) exceptions in extraordinary circumstances such as this?
Please know that contacting the homeowner to correct this turns me into a PITA. (Pain In The A**.) This will be perceived as my problem, plus nobody likes to have their mistakes pointed out. Being a PITA, pointing out errors, and asking for favors from a busy person is not a good way to maintain a relationship. I feel this is easily understandable. Can THS please make an exception in THIS specific (and justified) case?
@Talos_4U We’ve had the same thing happen in the past a couple of years ago, and then again just recently. Each time we’ve reached out to the homeowner who was surprised that 5-stars weren’t showing. Since they aren’t able to update their review, we then emailed customer support, who checked with the homeowner to confirm intentions, and then update THS updated it for us. We’re in the middle of this process again, but we’re sure it will end up just fine.
Thank you @Angela_L for your help with this - I sincerely appreciate it. Will Theresa (or someone else) from Membership Services be contacting me directly? Or contacting the homeowner? Please let me know, as I am unaware of the protocols involved in resolving this.
And thank you everyone else for chiming in - I’m sorry to hear that others have encountered the same problem, but glad to learn that this will (hopefully) get fixed in the end.
Just as a follow up, and as a reference to those who may be looking at this forum thread in the future, the staff at THS is following up on this to help resolve the problem. (Much to my relief – and Thank You!)
They are also looking into correcting the rating system so that people can not inadvertently leave a review without making a selection from the ‘star’ system menu. That will help preclude this from occurring again in the future, which will not only save a lot of grief for community members, but also save the staff at THS a lot of time & effort to fix a recurring problem.
Hi @Talos_4U , I’m glad membership services are able to help you with this, but just wanted to reassure you that if I was the HO in question it would not faze me at all if you contacted me and explained about me having omitted to complete the actual star rating… especially if you explained it clearly and sympathetically like you have on here…
Thanks to the attentive help of the THS staff, this problem has now been resolved with a positive result. I am very thankful to learn that THS takes customer service seriously, and is willing to step in and help when issues arise.
Perhaps this, as well as other attributes, has been why THS has become the dominant platform in the industry. Thank you again to everyone who has chimed in here, and especially to @Therese and @Angela_L!
I have had this twice now where the home owners assure me they’ve given me 5 stars but only 4 are showing despite the glowing review. I wonder if its a problem with the app. They both managed to get the stars added but it is quite distressing when it happens.
Not likely. It is extremely easy to make a mistake … human error … small pale yellow stars turning into darker yellow once clicked on are very easy to mess up
Hi @Wildcolonialgirl it is frustrating when it happens and if it was an app issue it would be apparent. As @anon47943759 says “human error” is the probable cause and when identified can quickly be corrected.
I have a different issue, but similar. HO gave me 4 stars on “cleanliness” which shocked me. I left their place spotless, cleaner than I found it. It was a difficult sit because the cat was very high maintenance but I handled it professionally and never complained. I did extra cleaning (including cat vomit, poops outside the box, and their shower track) but when I asked them why they docked me, they claimed “stains” on the shower and toilet, later explaining it was only hard water deposits from normal use. I emailed back that this was not fair–that only a paid housecleaner would be able to scrub and scour those kinds of issues. I am told by support that HO can request a change to that, even though the rules debunk that. So, I’m confused. I also have not yet reviewed them with feedback, and because TH does not do the blind review system like airbnb, it looks like a bribe if I bring anything up. I sincerely hope they revamp the review system because so many people have been complaining about it for over a year. Any advice would be appreciated.
if your overall review for that sit is 5*, I wouldn’t worry about the 4 * for cleanliness. I am a sitter and HO and got a 4* for tidiness on one sit I did. When I queried this with the HO, she said that I had moved some items (coasters, a water jug, etc.) and this was the problem. I moved them so I could clean those surfaces, and it’s not like I hid them on her! Since then, I realize that some HOs are more demanding than I am as a HO. It is unlikely that future HOs will look at the details on your ratings.
I was probably too brief in my last reply. I want to say I’m sorry that happened to you, it’s upsetting because it’s unfair! I agree w/Lassie, your other 5* reviews will make up or it, plus your reply will provide an explanation. As time goes on, you’ll accrue more and more 5* reviews and that one will get lost way down in the list.
