It’s probably much too early but i’m curious : shall we see more 3 stars or 4 stars than before under profiles, when the blind review system did not exist?
Will owners and sitters be happier ? Many complained in the past they were afraid to leave “honest reviews” by fear of a revenge. Wanted the Airbnb system followed.
Why so many sitters seemed anxious to leave à feedback first ? They felt they were not good enough ?
Obviously when an owner gives only 4 or 3 stars, there is a risk of retaliation.
If not anymore in the feedback/review, may be on the answers? With potential lies nobody could react to…
We’ll see.
Could THS allow owners to select 5 * sitters only ? How the average of stars is made?
If a sitter has only made 2 sits so far and 1 is 3*, the 2nd 5*, will it be 4? What happens If a sitter has made 20 5sits but the last 2 ones deserved only 3? Is it a sign than the new system favorizes critics ? That the sitter is taking his “job” less seriously?
I could see an issue with the old system but there’s still going to be a reluctance to be honest. For both parties but possible more so for sitters. Obviously HOs read our reviews, maybe they read reviews we’ve left, I’m not sure how the system works from a HO point of view but if we give less than good reviews people may not want a sitter that won’t rate them 5 stars?
No matter the review system, some folks will have their own reservations about how truthful or explicit they’ll be. Whether it’s THS or any other company, there’s no need for them to solve for everyone. That’s not how any company operates.
I wasn’t at all keen or excited about this new review system. I just returned from a sit this morning which was a terrific local sit. I gave the homeowners a wonderful review when I returned and about an hour later I received a wonderful review from them which I really appreciated. I love homeowners who you don’t have to beg for a review or don’t even receive one. It means so much to us as sitters to receive a timely and good review.
I think there should still be plenty of 5* reviews around even after the change. Personally I don’t like to burn bridges (in HS or anything else) as you never know when you might have to deal with someone again so I wouldn’t deduct stars just because the grass was a bit high in the garden or the cat caught a moth or two. Something actually consequential maybe but not some of the odd minor things that get raised on here. I can only hope the HOs I sit for are the same.
How ironic! After months and months of complaints about how unfair the old reviewing system was and the demand for blind reviews, people are now complaining about unfair blind reviews they receive and reviewers who no longer award them 5 stars, seeking ways to remove or alter the reviews.
(Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it ))
I had a sit a long time ago where I took over directly from a sitter who had been there for several weeks. After a day or 2 there were a number of issues and I contacted them to check a few thing before getting in touch with the owner and I told them I was considering cancelling the sit as it was not what it was sold as and wanted to get their take first. There were undisclosed behavioural problems with the dog and health problems with another pet. Some serious issues with the property. The previous sitter told me they had the same problems, that they had an awful time and the owner had not been honest about a number of things that caused them problems as well and they wished they had known leaving was an option as they would have done it themselves. Completely miserable time.
In the end we left after getting the owner to make other arrangements and ended up having to spend a lot of money on hotels. As my sit was ‘cancelled’ THS wouldn’t allow me to leave a review and the previous sitter then left a glowing 5 star review in complete contrast from what they described to me - wonderful home, great pets, excellent host etc. So the owner gets to arrange more sitters with a 5 star review that could only be possible under the old you give me 5-stars and I’ll give you 5-stars system.
I’ll take a new more honest system thanks. I’ll give 5 stars for most but also details so that anyone reading the review will see any issues we had. If all someone looks at is stars and not the details nothing changes but the details can help you decide. Similarly if a see a listing with 5 stars but the owner is giving 3 or 4 I’ll take note and read what they say to judge if the sitters they had were bad or if the owner is just capricious in which case I’ll give them a wide berth. Needlessly bad reviews will result in you not getting good applicants so hopefully honesty tinged with a small amount of generosity will win out in in the end.
I have a thought that’s tangential to this: what about a grading system for Home Owners/Homes?
Lately it seems I’ve read quite a few posts in the Forum about homes being unclean, unsafe, about HOs expecting services not in the post, or issues re pets not inclued in the post, etc.
HOs are asked to grade sitters on a number of issues.
Sitters should be asked to do the same.
Many Sitters in this forum have discussed things such as the cleanliness & condition of a home, supplies left for the Sitter (for taking care of pets/home and initial arrival), unexpected expectations of HOs, the Welcome/Goodbye.
Some of the rating items could be (just off the cuff)
(1) Was the home as presented in post pix & description?
(2) Did you feel welcomed by the HO?
(3) Did HO provide good orientation on pet care, home care, use of facilities?
(4) Did the HO provide sufficient supplies for the pet, home care, initial stay of Sitter?
(5) Did you feel the HO’s expectations were adequately portrayed in the Post?
(6) For THS only: what issue or concern would you want any future sitter to be aware of regarding this sit?
I think great HOs should be rewarded for their thoughfulness, and HOs who are unfairly taking advantage of the system should be flagged better.
Thoughts on this?
I like this sytem because it’s not about the luxury of the house, or the house being in a perfect location, or even the pets being easy. It’s about was this as described/expected. I think the thing is the system is very slow to change in a way that many members would like. We all have good ideas because we’re users and can see the flaws easily. There is very little access to the product teams who can actually make those changes happen. So in the meantime, we’re left with workaorounds. There is no reason on earth that you can’t right your review of homeowners using your system. Possibly if enough people adopt similarly systems, eventually we’ll get the change.
Frankly, I’d like to see some kind of “superhost” and “superguest” status for peoople who often get praised in reviews – sitters who are asked to return and hosts that sitters enjoy returning to.
You’re probably right and that goes back to how they make money – by annual paid memberships. Certainly, the five rule was established to help new sitters compete with established ones. But I can’t help thinking some kind of “superhost” status might help Homeowners in less convenient locations or with more challenging pets, and “superguest” status could be something sitters could strive to acheive.
))