These comments make me feel so much better. I broke a mug and relaced it with one that had Italian stuff on it. The people actually recently stayed at my Italy house while I was in the US, so I hope that makes up for the original mug. I also broke a wine glass and replaced it with a new set of 4 at least as nice as the one I broke. I also drank their champagne from trader Joes but replaced it.
In this sit, so far, I broke the lever on an office chair. The lever still functions but it is now a sharp piece of plastic and I want to make them whole. I will order a new chair from Amazon. Luckily it is a super cheap no arms one.
As an owner, a sitter, and a human being I am heartened by all these stories … They reflect honesty and caring on the part of sitters and good natured detachment and understanding on the part of owners. While accidents occur, it’s so nice to hear that they are generally handled with such grace!!!
We had the same thing very recently. My husband left his partial denture on a table which the dog chewed. Its now unusable and will cost a few £100s to replace. We have informed the home owners (post Sit & post 5* review!) but -as yet- have received no reply. We are debating how to proceed…
I see all kinds of things in houses I would not do in my own house, but I would not go criticizing someone’s house where I am a guest. It’s not the thing to do. However “Gently” you think you let her know. I mean, hey, go you, you win in the knowledge of marble care category, but was it worth it?
I didn’t want to be blamed for pitted or stained marble. I wanted her to know that I’m aware that her stuff is damaged and to acknowledge it herself as well, so she can’t accuse me of ruining it.
We have had a couple of headphones destroyed by doggies during sits, but we wouldn’t “charge” the HO for that. Nowadays we buy only cheap headphones and are also more conscious that some dogs have this “issue”.
I was on my second sit with this HO and a few days into the month long sit, the microwave blew up. I was mortified, and I wasn’t sure if it was my fault or not, as one of the buttons had stopped working.
This model was no longer available, but the new equivalent model cost £260 - £300. That would have been a struggle to pay for, so I got a cheaper one for under £100.
Then I found out you’re not supposed to put a normal microwave in a built-in cupboard, as it needs space around it.
So I bought a second one; the cheapest built-in one I could find that cost £160, and arranged for the first one to be returned.
Meanwhile I found an old one the same as the one that blew up and won it for £16 off Ebay. But the seller refused to sell it to me because the delivery address was not my registered address with Ebay and they thought it was a scam!
Only when the second built-in one arrived two weeks later did I have the courage to come clean and tell the HOs. I told them everything, and that I had wanted to fix the situation before telling them, so that I wouldn’t ruin their holiday.
They couldn’t have been nicer. They told me to return both microwaves, as the original one was 20 years old, and that they were getting a new kitchen fitted soon anyway.
That’s why we nowadays like to notify the HO first and then do something about it. But in your case I don’t know if it wasn’t just time for the microwave to blow up, a lot of these devices are only built to last a decade or so.
Sorry that happened… Did you bring it up to the sitters afterwards?
In my experience, there are quite a lot of people who do not even notice such things, as it’s not really on their radar. So mentioning it to them may help them to notice such details in future.
I’ve got a question for others. Is there a difference between something you broke and something the pet broke? If I dropped a glass, I’d feel obligated to replace it. However, if the two dogs chasing each other around(like they did when the HO was there) bumped into a folding table-or as we used to call them TV tray(HO had instructed us to use as they didn’t have a usable table to eat meals) and the table hit a vase on the coffee table breaking the vase(£15 according to the price tag on the bottom).
Would you feel it’s up to the sitter to replace?
I don’t think it’s your responsibility to replace but I do think you should inform the HO right away unless you have discussed this beforehand. In the Initial interview I usually ask my HO if they want to be informed of damage done by their pet as soon as it happens or if they’d rather wait until they get home. Or if you are particularly concerned you may want to tell them right away to put your mind at ease.
@RanRan We also had a similar experience as hosts. There were several items damaged which our HS didn’t tell us about. A wooden end table had water laying on it which lifted the finish. There were dents in two metal doors. The light-coloured carpet on the stairs had something spilled on the top 3 steps. There were deep scratches in a wooden door and in our hardwood floor. The HS did not tell us about any of the damages nor did they take responsibility for it. We are very hesitant to apply for HS at the moment.
The worry of breaking anything on a sit has always been a real concern of mine. About a year ago, I was on a regular sit where I really thought I’d wrecked the owners’ brand new top of the range coffee machine. They were so proud of it and were encouraging me to take advantage of it during my stay, which was so kind of them. The first time I ever attempted to use it though, it totally malfunctioned. I couldn’t manage to restore it to how it was before. I did so much research to try and fix it. I couldn’t find an instruction manual so I tried to find YouTube videos, even DMing the company on Instagram and I got nowhere. When the owner got back, it was just a case of hitting a couple of buttons and hey presto, it was working again beautifully. The panic that caused me at the time has made me stay well away from coffee machines in other people’s homes!
Oh my word @Chatsetchiens I can so identify with every word of the situation you found yourself in.
Like many I love music and the louder the better (when appropriate of course ) At one sit they had the most amazing hi tech, sound proofed studio/audio room with a vinyl collection that would have been the envy of many professionals.
The owner, proud and excited to share their pride and joy, took me through the “operating” steps and had even prepared an idiot proof manual saying please enjoy.
I didn’t use it once, just visited the room to admire the “view” … I’ve experienced enough “Oh no” moments turning on a TV.
On my most recent sit on the first night I was chatting to the HO and leaning on the kitchen wall not noticing a picture until I sent it flying across the living room. Broke the frame. Felt awful and of course offered to replace the frame. The HO found it amusing and advised they had a load more cheap frames so not to worry. What a start!!
A sad story of sitters who don’t take responsibility for their actions @emmieo
It’s understandable that you are hesitant to confirm another sitter. Perhaps if you explain your concerns, in detail, with future potential sitters, they can set your mind at ease with evidence of their prior successful sits. Let them know upfront what your expectations are, of their careful care of your home. Unfortunately, as witnessed by other homeowners on this forum, not every sitter takes the same approach, care and exhibits similar respect for the belongings of others. I am sorry your home was left in such a state.
) At one sit they had the most amazing hi tech, sound proofed studio/audio room with a vinyl collection that would have been the envy of many professionals.