I’m on my first sit over xmas and NY (lovely house, fantastic pets, and a great HO). The HO had to arrange for a contractor to come out and repair an appliance today. The contractor said they needed to be paid upfront, rather than arranging an invoice as agreed with the HO. She took issue with this (and being overcharged) and got in touch with him. Off the back of this, he’s called me three times this evening on a withheld number…I answered the last call, and he sounded pretty angry, and it rattled me. I’m now sitting here worrying about this angry man knowing where I’m staying, and that I’m alone. Does this happen often on sits? Not sure what to do with myself to stop stressing.
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Hi there
First off, sorry to hear about this experience. I can understand why it is so upsetting and I am not sure why he is contacting you at this point. The payment of the bill is not your responsibility. It is unsettling for sure, but I highly doubt you are in any danger of him doing anything. In the unlikely event he would come to the house, you are under no obligation to speak with him and just let him know you will call the police if he doesn’t leave.
When you say ‘arranging an invoice, as agreed with the HO’ do you mean that he originally agreed to this and then changed his mind , or did you and the HO decide on this plan so you would not be expected to pay anything, and she assumed he would agree to this? I assume it is the former?
In the decade I have been sitting I can only recall one time a couple of years ago where I had to deal with this–a leaking washing machine needed repairing. The host provided her credit card details beforehand and I just had to confirm the cost with her before he charged it.
I am not sure where you are located, or what is typical for this sort of service in general, but it would seem that getting paid upfront once services are rendered is typical rather than paying later. Based on this experience and others I have had personally with payments of various kinds, credit card payments can be processed without the physical card being present–the provider just needs the number and expiration date.
The good news is that situations like this are probably pretty rare for the average sitter and not something that you should expect to be dealing with on the regular. But this is a good learning experience in that if it ever happens again, you will probably want to get some sort of definitive confirmation you would not be expected to pay the workers upfront, unless of course you had the host’s credit card, which then wouldn’t be an issue.
Good luck!
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That sounds rough and not your issue. Have you told the HO he’s calling you repeatedly on blocked numbers? Perhaps she can talk to his company? We’ve had something similar where the workmen arrived to fix the air con and asked for cash up front which we refused. The sulked and left. The HO was grumpy we didn’t pay so we pointed out this was exactly why we suggested she leave petty cash before departing….am sure it will be fine. Rest assured it’s not your responsibility to fix. #willallworkout
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@FrancescaD. Delighted that you’re on first sit. Sad that it has been challenging. For context, your predicament is not normal. After 30+ housesits then we have never had such a situation. As @KC1102 rightly noted, “payment of the bill is not your responsibility”. Pet Parent should directly pay for contractors.
I recall a few threads on THS Forum in regards emergency vet bills and some housesitters being asked to pay bill and get reimbursed by Pet Parent. That’s credit risk - housesitters are not financial institutions! Advice in that regard - as in your case - seems a simple ‘no’.
In regards ‘overcharged’, that is again not your responsibility, The Pet Parent should agree terms and pay bills directly with contractor. They should also follow THS Third Party policy - it provides clear and directive expectations.
Thanks for your kind words. I was in a bit of a panic last night about it.
The HO had agreed in writing with the company that she would be invoiced, but the contractor reneged on that. He also wouldn’t take a credit card payment, only cash transfer or cash. Felt like he took advantage of the situation to overcharge as well. The HO reimbursed me immediately once she found out, and sorted out a refund of the overpayment directly with him.
Once I calmed down I did request that my post be deleted (didn’t realise that you can’t edit/delete your own posts!) as I feel like I overreacted, but didn’t hear back.
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Sounds really unsettling.
In my country trying to get cash instead of invoice as agreed would be deemed really sketchy and probably for tax evasion, white-washing or similar. So not overreacting at all, here.
Seems it is sorted, so I hope you will have a nice sit going forward!
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Just read this is sorted. Per other comments, not at all unusual in NYC that small repair companies or individuals want to be pad in cash or venmo. There’s often a fee for credit cards. There is almost always a fee for a service call even if the service isn’t offered.
Hey if he calls you again I would just message and say your only a worker and can’t do anything about it. Your doing some work inside of the house so for him to only talk to the owner since you can’t do anything. Since he probably thinks your the daughter or family member he’s also complaining to you
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Hi Francesca, don’t feel that you overreacted, I would’ve been rattled too being there by myself, knowing that this angry man had my number and knew I was there on my own.
This is what this community is all about, giving each other a helping hand or a pat on the shoulder.
Happy New Year! 
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