I have a couple that agreed to sit for 1 full month. Two days into the sit, i was informed she is leaving the sit to meet up with her mum n sister. Thus leaving her bf behind to complete the sit. I did not know what to say but agreed.
One week into the sit, the boyfriend texts me to seek permission if his brother n friend could stay in my home during the sit. I declined.
Now, i am informed that he was robbed in Lisbon and his phone was taken from him. He was in Lisbon to meet his brother n friend.
As he did not get a new phone yet to connect to icloud n whatsapp, i have no contact whatsoever with him. I was asked to contact the gf who is away thru her.
I have not heard from him for soon one week. Gf says all is ok.
My question is…is this even possible to come as a couple n leave as single sitter?
Shld i worry? Hmmmmm…
No, this is certainly not normal, and yes, I would certainly be worried, as it is very much against THS code of conduct for sitters.
If I were you, I would have pressed the issue with THS customer support as soon as your sitters said one of them was leaving. Both sitters need to complete the sit, unless there was a special circumstance (like illness or death in the family etc). I recommend you read up on THS sitter polices so you’re well informed, and reach out to customer support to help you navigate the issue.
Hi @longlegs1
I’m sorry you are having such issues. It sounds all a bit odd. I’d reach out to support@trustedhousesitters.com to review this situation asap.
Hope they can help you.
You can contact member services urgent support phone number 24/7 which you will find on your dashboard.
Who was the primary THS sitter the gf or bf ?
Only the primary member will have had their e-Mail, phone and ID verified. The other person will not have been verified .
Unexpected events happen that affect Sitters’ plans or Home Owners’ plans.
At heart the issue is: how much was known by the sitters before they agreed to the sit?
IMHO if the GF left for a few days out of a month-long sit, doesn’t seem that big a deal. The sit is 30 days long & the GF is gone 3-5 days, I’d say give it a pass. But anything more than that? VERY unfair to the Home Owners (who may have very good reasons to want/agree with a couple, not a single person.)
Secondly the BF’s phone was stolen & he can’t be reached directly?
Given the GF flaking out without FIRST asking for agreement from the HO, smells a little too convenient for these sitters.
Zero direct contact for a week? Totally unacceptable.
A responsible person would walk into a library, log onto a computer, send an update the HO.
I find this whole story fishy as heck.
This kind of thing would be VERY stressful to me as a HO and I resent Sitters who do this: the next sitter may be met by a wary HO who doesn’t want to be “twice burned.”
If you knew upfront before the sit was confirmed that the GF would be leaving like that, then that’s one thing. If you didn’t know, then that’s not right. I would report to membership services and write an appropriate review.
We book our sits as far in advance as possible. My husband had a chance to go gliding in the South of France for a week during an upcoming sit. Gliding is his passion. It was an opportunity too good to miss. We asked the pet parents if they minded him disappearing for a week leaving me on my own looking after their dog and chickens. I am a very competent person. I have my own transport. We have sat for them before. They said yes. Very happy husband! We take our pet sitting very seriously and if they had any doubts he wouldn’t have gone.
Yet again …… It’s all about communication. Don’t hide things. Ask the questions so everyone knows what is going on and most of all be truthful at all times. And that includes both parties.
Thank u. Ive contacted customer support.
I had contact with the bf last nite. It was short n he said all is ok. No pics though. Still no phone contact.
Lets see what customer support says as i cannot return to lisbon due to my work commitments here.
Thank you very much for the assistance. Appreciate it.
Kind regards.
Elsa
Thank u for yr reply.
I totally agree. The bf replied last nite. Short reply, no pictures.
I ve gotten in touch with support and i hope for some direction.
I am away due to work. Hard to return before my dates.
Also dont want to make it messy with the bf as i m only thinking of my animal s welfare.
Hi…
Yes, i agree. I did contact customer service .
Bf contacted me last nite. Very short telling me all is ok. No pics.
I return to portugal on the 7 th june as agreed. I dont want to make it a big issue as he can do something awful n my animals are at risk. So i m playing it cool.
I am away for work. Hard to leave as i m the main spearheader for a project.
Hello…
Thank u for reaching out. I m abit uneasy too.
The bf got in touch with me last nite via FB. I was told he has a pc n asked the gf for his email. I gave the gf my fb address and asked him to connect via that site. He did.
It was very straight forward n no pics.
Thank u for reaching out. I only had main discussions with the gf, bf was most times quiet.
I do not know who the main applicant is.
Edited to remove names as per forum guidelines
As far as I know it’s the first person whose name on the profile that is the one who is verified.
If that’s the girlfriend then the boyfriend hasn’t been verified by THS .
Did you use the urgent support line to contact THS ? The number is on your dashboard.