Am I being too sensitive?

One should not need to put up with this. For a Basic sitter, THS is not going to do much, but they should charge the HO to put you in a nice hotel for those days.

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Hey @Silversitters :raising_hand_woman:t2:. That is so pragmatic and emotionally disciplined of you.

I’m still newish. Coming up to my first year anniversary. :birthday:

I have had so many HOs say to me that if anyone had less than overall 5* they just would not risk it, as they have so much choice with plenty of 5* sitters. A lovely HO stopped using their KNOWN sitter for being dinged 1* down under pet happiness! Saying they just weren’t prepared to risk it. Will we know if that ding was fair or malicious? The star system is just too emotive. :star:

I love sitting and am trying to attract only HOs who have very high standards, so my reviews need to match that likewise high calibre… :1st_place_medal:

And the way THS is set up with a strong focus on reviews and them being a one sided process, I find it hard to not at the end of the sit, be anticipatory about it. How do you manage not to?

I think it would be a more balanced, equitable and less emotive system, if we got rid of the stars. And had just a write up on both sides. :balance_scale:

It would prompt more thought and reflection. And provide parity. Star systems can be used in a reactive or passive aggressive fashion, if inclined to do so by HOs. :crazy_face:

HOs know the importance of the 5* system and that they don’t face the same review process & can use it against a sitter, if feeling jealousy towards the sitter, or frustrated about their own lives, if they are generally less aware/evolved/fair folk. I see how much upset it caused @ChloeJ and I was too when it happened to me. :pensive:

Although hard to believe, it can actually rub up an HO the wrong way, though hopefully rarely, if you are clean and they are not, or their pet’s behaviour has improved enormously due to your stay, or they show signs in the pics of really loving you &/or missing you after. :heart_eyes_cat:

Most HOs thankfully are just very decent & appreciative.

By contrast, folk have also said that some people might actually feel offended/insecure by such improvements in home or pets. Which hadn’t occurred to me! I’d just be glad! Human nature can be nuanced and unpredictable. :crazy_face:

‘There’s nowt as queer as folk’ - house sitting is teaching me. And it’s amazing what neighbours and locals volunteer about pets/HOs when simply asking about bin day protocol!

Like in my same example above, even though I’d removed years of deep grime and dirt from her home (so I could inhabit it feeling comfortable) she mentioned nothing about it being left clean at all. She said I left it tidy. That stung too. All the other reviews since have highlighted “spotless, shining, immaculate” etc. I am particularly clean and tidy as an individual. :innocent:

I may not have got decent sits after her, being my first one, had I not already had several more set up for immediately after that one, it occurs to me. Who thankfully all reviewed accurately and who immediately rebooked me upon returning home. :pray:t3:

So I was not held back ultimately. And am in a more secure position now I have so many detailed & glowing reviews. But it may have gone the other way… :flushed:

As I get more experienced and savvy, I’m learning to identify better fits and now most of my HOs are simply lovely, decent, inspiring, caring people who I feel honoured to meet & privileged to know. :pray:t3:

I actually warn HOs in advance that I really am super clean and tidy and that animals tend to settle and often react super well to me, so is that going to be ok for them, as it’s not cool with everyone?!

I can see why some sitters might fret and it’s so great that you know how not to! :clap:t3:. One day I hope to be that way too. :two_hearts:

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I hate it when people say “too sensitive.” There are all kinds of reasons someone is going to have feelings. However, I think the review is more about the HO than you. You have no idea how her mind works or what her standards are. Maybe she’s one of those people who believes in principle that nothing is “perfect” - 5 star.

Most homeowners don’t look at the categories of reviews. They barely skim them unless they get stopped by a 3, 2, or 1 star review. This will not have any practical effect on whether or not you’ll get another sit. You’ve written to the HO asking about it. She has not chosen to respond. There is nothing you can do about that other than let it go. Allowing this to take up space in your head is not serving you.