Absolutely! I think it’s uncanny how most reviews, at least for UK sits, seem to be 5* across the board. This applies to reviews of home owners and sitters as well. I confess that one one sit where I really liked the owners I scored 5 for cleanliness when I shouldn’t have.
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The score is an arbitrary note. Who is able to do the difference beetween 2 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars using non-subjective evaluation rules ?
May be that’s the raison why most of reviews are 5 stars.
Maybe THS should add 2 more sections in the review :
1. What I liked
2. What I liked less
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@Haylee, big hug. We have found mostly - but not all - positive exchanges through THS. As we gain experience (~50 sits) and as we learn from THS Forum then we have significantly enhanced the rigour of our due diligence. Initially we approached video calls with a mindset to sell ourselves to secure the sit. Increasingly we approach video calls as a two-way exploratory conversation to clarify targeted facts. We withdraw perhaps one-third of our applications following video calls - mostly as previously unstated facts are presented in the video call. We have also learned what features of Pet Parents, pets and properties bring us joy - and those that do not. Have concerns from listing? - state discussion topics in application. Want pet to sleep in housesitter human bed? - withdraw. Unable leave pet for reasonable duration? - withdraw. Clear pet behavioural issues? - withdraw. There’s a whole lot of housesit opportunities out there.
We’ve determined that fair exchange is subjective. Housesitter community seems very diverse in terms of situation, objectives and preferences. Beyond its policies, THS cannot police subjectiveness of fair exchange. So onus is on each person to identify great listings/applicants and to gain appropriate confidence through due diligence process.
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@Silversitters our experience has been very much like yours. 48 UK sits.
As I sit with my 2 teenage sons, I suspect any more difficult or demanding hosts would decline our applications, saving us any unpleasant experiences.
We have some truly wonderful regular sits.
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A mention of the number of sit cancellations for each HO or PS profile would be interesting. Unfortunately, no one is required to provide proof.
Oh no! I hope we never follow on from one of your sits having trusted your cleanliness review! Out of interest why? Why not be honest?
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We cancelled 3 in a row for last summer when I was due unexpected major surgery and wasn’t confident of recovery timings/potential later complications … all my HOs were informed with 3 mths notice. All were able to get sitters. In the end I would’ve actually been able to do these sits but wanted the HOs to have certainty so cancelled well in advance.
I think this was being a responsible sitter. Having 3 cancellations showing on my profile doesn’t tell HOs ‘the whole story’ and potentially gives the wrong impression of us as sitters.
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It’s not google maps giving the location. It is the homeowner putting the city in state they’re in. I don’t know which country you are in, but in the United States, the app does NOT have location features. They can give you an address, but when you map it out on google maps, it will give you a more precise location.
Also, homeowners have admitted to not giving the actual city, and using a nearby familiar city when they put their address in.
I assure you, THS does not have a location features. This is a very basic app.
Your response is not grounded in reality
The responses can tell the level of experience of each sitter
But HOs also need to be realistic about what the payoff is for a sitter? In an unpaid exchange of time, services and responsibilities? The best HOs I’ve sat for treated me like a welcome and celebrated houseguest who also did them the favor of taking care and responsibility of their pet. They tried to keep things minimally intrusive, they welcomed me to use their home in whatever way they felt comfortable with, they encouraged me to go out and explore the area. In return I gave them and the pets my best attention, while also relaxing and settling in to do my work and live my life. In my mind that’s really the ideal TH exchange. Those that are on here looking for unpaid housestaff are in the wrong place.
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Totally agree with you. The member I replied to doesn’t read previous sitter reviews before they accept a sit, therefore that’s risky in my book. They also said they only want a place to stay when they chose a sit & it would be unusual for a host to not want someone who wants to walk & hang out with their pets whilst they stay in their home surely? We are super clear there is no employee/employer relationship and it’s a balanced mutual exchange. So far, over multiple countries and cultures and dozens of sits it has worked fine and we have made some great friends with hosts on THS. #singingoffthesamehymnsheet
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I read a lot of reviews and Sitters’s profiles, a lot of them are local people who work remotely and so spend most of the day at home. Many HO’s like and are looking for these profiles and they mention it sometimes in the description.
It would be nice to put a clearly mention at the top of the listing.
A balance mutual exchange is hard to define and evaluate. THS asks the Ho’s to detail all responsibilities before confirming a sit. They should specify if they have any requirements on the number of hours spent at home.
The question is whether to write down all these conditions in black and white and take this into account in improvements on the application.
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True but it is very rare. Try finding the stories of those… few and far between.
Get rid of these awful stars. If you want to give an easy option, let the writer of the review choose between “positive” and “negative”. A choice from 1-5 stars sounds like you have a more subtile choice, but in practice every review lower than 5 stars will be considered as negative. Of course that’s stupid, 4 stars is still very good, but it’s how it works. I never look at the star-rating; I only read the written review. Away with those stars. It’s stimulating over rossy reviews.
Hi, I genuinely want to know, if you (or any sitter) do quit during a sit because of HO breaking rules, what would be the consequences of that? I heard something like if a sitter leave a sit without finding an alternative solution for the HO, THS will automatically terminate the sitter’s membership, is that true?
Can you please share how are adding “friendly heads up”? In your profile? in your application? in your pre-sit chat?
I would really love to learn how to find out “previously unstated facts are presented in the video call” in a way that is not very stressful. Can you share what are some questions you ask in the call?
No way this would happen.
In my profile. That way, hosts can see it whether I apply or whether I don’t and they instead send me an unsolicited invitation.