I had a lovely sitter and would like to leave a positive review but we had an issue that absorbed us and forgot can I ask THS if I can be allowed to write a review now. Tina
Very unlikely theyāll let you @tinacatling. THS are pretty strict on the 14 days. You could offer to write your sitter a reference for their profile instead and also write a nice positive response to their review of you (all being well) #14daysandcounting
5 Likes
@tinacatling thatās a real shame. Reviews are like currency to sitters and itās very hard work to build up a credible profile on trusted.
Missing reviews are generally interpreted as being an orange flag. Like there was a problem but you didnāt want to say anything.
You missed the 2 week window and thatās it now. You can write a reference for them but it doesnāt carry as much weight to a real review.
Please in future prioritise a decent review if the sitter does a great job otherwise you hinder their chances of securing future sits.
2 Likes
@Enjaybee No one can see, if a sitter has a missing review, so that is not a problem. But yes, a nice review would still be better than no review.
1 Like
@CatsAndDog a nice review is always expected and appreciated if the sitter completed the sit to a satisfactory level. Like I said it is basically currency and lack of reviews is a hindrance to securing future sits.
We can see if a homeowner didnāt leave a sitter a review as we always cross reference. If the sitter left a review for the HO, we can see if they reciprocated. So yes actually we can see. We do not apply to sit for HOs who donāt bother to give reviews, Iād go even further and say we donāt sit for people who donāt put any effort into writing a half decent review for their sitters - things like āeverything was fineā
Personally we would be very hurt and disappointed if a HO told us how happy they were through text and then didnāt bother to complete a review. Itās rude - like they expected you to go above and beyond to take care of all their pets but then couldnāt say thank you at the end as they got what they needed out of it.
Thereās certainly enough email reminders and over a 20,000 minute window surely they could spare 2 to just tick a few stars at the very least.
5 Likes
Yes, thatās true, one can notice thereās no review when cross checking. I was thinking this from a HO point of view. When I look through the profile of the sitter who has applied to our sit, thereās no way I would know about a missing review, as I couldnāt do a cross check.
3 Likes
Yup, I definitely look at whether and how hosts write reviews and I avoid sits for those who canāt be bothered (much) or come across as entitled or unreasonable.
I screen hosts carefully. Iāve never had to chase anyone for a review. Hosts whoāve quickly written reviews for me have included one who started a new job immediately after returning from their trip; ones who went to the funeral of a close loved one immediately after returning from their trip; one who had a major accident that led to an early return from their trip, requiring follow-up care that included surgery; ones whose elderly and sick dog had catastrophic seizures, forcing their return early, so we could all be with her when she was put to sleep by a vet.
As shown by such examples, good hosts can manage to write reviews even when circumstances are tough or terrible. And the hosts I mentioned above all did so quickly, even though three of those sits happened before the two-week limit kicked in ā they wrote within two weeks of our sit without needing that added pressure.
6 Likes
Thatās a shame. Itās so hard to build up great reviews as a sitter and actually quite disheartening to miss one. When I apply to sits, I check to see whether the pet parents put in effort to write a good review to past sitters. If there are too many missing reviews, I wonāt bother to apply. If they write a one or two liner for every sitter, I will also pass. I appreciate the pet parents who appreciate our family showing their animals so much love and will put it in writing for me for other potential pet parents to see. Can you at least write them a reference? Not as good as a review but at least itās something
4 Likes
And even a very short review like āPerfect! Would love to invite againā and ticking all the stars is better than missing the deadline.
I think getting past the deadline is what happens when owners want to write something very nice and well-written. But that is not necessary at all.
I may sometimes send them a reminder after 10 days or so like:
āI know you will get a reminder from THS, this is just to tell you that your review does not need to be elaborate. One sentence is fine with me, and it would help me finding more sits.ā
3 Likes
I feel quite chastised and i thought this was a warm and friendly community - this is my first question on the forum. I have sever ADHD and am neuro divergent and get muddled easily - I posted the question following a search I did on my messages and it was one of my lovely THS nudging me for a review. I didnt notice the date - thought I had missed doing it - got stressed - as I knew during that time had been hard for me. Now reviewed all my past sitters from 2022 and have not missed one - except for the one that was a no show - which was challenging. Well at least the question is out there on the forum for any one else and all House Owners will be clear on your views on the topic
3 Likes
Hi @tinacatling
Iām really sorry you feel chastised, Iām sure that our members wouldnāt mean to come across as unwelcoming, as we do have rules around respect and kindness in our Community Guidelines.
What Iām seeing in the replies is that our members have given you their opinions, and as they come from all walks of life, their opinions will be varied and come from different kinds of āvoicesā. From experience, it can be difficult to pick up tone in the written word sometimes, but please know that if the Forum team thought that anyone had been negative towards you that we would always want to support you.
As a neurodivergent person, what do you feel would be helpful in terms of remembering to leave reviews, do you think thereās anything else you could do (e.g. set an alarm on your phone) or any thing you think that THS could do to help?
Jenny
1 Like
Always be a little bit Kinder than is necessary
I was just about to respond to you, and say that it was very sweet of you to post the question, and your intentions were good. I think the tone of some of the replies is a bit harsh, but probably is more of a general observation, than a criticism of you.
One of my homeowners forgot to review, but then responded to my review of them, with lovely comments. I was then able to screenshot this and add it to the photos on my profile, this might be one solution.
Please donāt be discouraged, of course it is important, but not to the extent you have been chastised. Imho.
1 Like
I think that a few auto reminders would be good thank you Jenny
I note that one of the people on this tread did think the tone was harsh
Tina
1 Like
also perhaps there is a route to leave a review after the 14 days has past on special request. Tina
1 Like
Iām happy to feed that back to the team for you @tinacatling - I canāt promise any immediate changes but the team are always happy to listen.
@tinacatling I also thought there were some harsh tones used, especially making judgements when none of us knew what issues had prevented you from doing your sitterās review within the 14 days. You could ask your sitter to send the link for a reference from you. In that, you could mention due to a serious issue, you had missed the 14 day deadline but wanted other owners to know just what a wonderful sitter this person was. I hope this helps.
4 Likes
@tinacatling If I were in your position, I would certainly ask THS directly if an exception could be made in your circumstances, and explain the reason why. All the best with it. 
I also agree that some were rather harsh. When I saw that a short review was not enough for some, I responded without saying so directly.
As I wrote in another thread, I was happy when the HO wrote: āI have no complaints.ā
1 Like