I have a question for the sitters, and I’ll probably address it to the owners as well. I’m new to the site and a Prime member. I took my first sitting job, and it was incredibly good, and that was a mutual opinion! Then, after some time, I took another sitting job, and the homeowner lied about the condition of the house. First, she promised one bathroom – renovated – and showed it in a video, but at the last moment, she started pushing another one on me. I don’t like to argue, so I agreed, but I asked for photos of the inside. She started saying that everything there was new and excellent, that it was the most wonderful bathroom. The alarm bells started ringing when she had already supposedly chosen a sitter, and that woman refused after meeting her in person (she came to the house). I had already canceled that trip because I received a cancellation notice. And then, suddenly, she calls a day later, hysterically complaining about the woman who refused and asks me to take the sitting job, saying she’ll pay for the travel, since it’s a new plane ticket. I agree, I buy a ticket that costs three times the original price, and then, upon arrival, the trouble begins – first, shouting that she doesn’t want to pay for anything. Okay. Then, she treats me like a slave and schedules every single hour of my time for 24 hours! All this time she doesn’t let me into my room, and I sit in the kitchen with my suitcases for 5 hours. After 5 hours, I go into the room and the bathroom, and I’m horrified!!! There’s rust everywhere, and yellow water is flowing like somewhere in Bangladesh! Of course, I complain that I can’t take a shower, and the person threatens to throw me out into the street in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar city. She curses and screams at me, literally screams, that I’m asking for too much – I came here to work and follow her instructions! Of course, due to my inexperience, I gave her my ID at the very beginning out of pure good intentions, and she started threatening me with everything under the sun… I asked if I could leave, but return in 24 hours to pick up my packages with warm clothes i already order (I came from a warm state to a cold one), but she said, “I forbid you from taking your packages, if you leave now!” I stayed, humiliated and in tears, and I realize that I not only don’t want to be here, but I also don’t want this person to ruin my profile with a bad, lying review afterwards. Because that’s what she’ll do – this person is definitely a criminal, and she’s certainly a first-time user here. What are your suggestions – what should I do? I’ve already sent an excerpt of her abusive shouting and a photo of the bathroom to the service’s support email, but there’s no response yet
@ariela I am sorry to hear about your situation. I am not totally sure about this, but it could be possible to just have the sit cancelled–even if it already officially started– rather than the dates amended, which means she cannot leave you a review.
Ultimately you are free to leave at any moment and you don’t need THS’ ‘blessing’ but if you are not comfortable doing anything until you actually connect with someone at the site as a ‘CYA’ measure, there is an urgent support line number-not sure where it is located on the site exactly.
Between the bathroom issue, the other sitter turning down the sit and her demeanor when contacting you–hysterical as you say–I am curious why you decided to do the sit? The last thing especially would be a huge red flag. No intention to pass judgment but I see so many posts from sitters who encounter so many red flags prior to even confirming so –at least their mind– must have a pretty compelling reason to proceed anyway.
The upside is this is a really good learning experience as you continue your sitting journey. And as someone who has been sitting since 2014, I truly believe an experience like this is exceedingly rare–with the caveat that sitters are discerning as they can be in their selection process–rather than taking anything they can get– and don’t let fear of not finding sits, attachments to particular locations, and such, cloud their judgment when evaluating opportunities.
Best of luck and again, so sorry. This sounds like a wild situation
Thank you for your reply, but there is no self-cancellation function. I need to call customer support and ask for help. In my correspondence with them, they said they can only cancel if I provide evidence, which I sent last night. So far, no response. Just now, literally 5 minutes ago, she started yelling at me again, saying that I came to her house to work!!! By this, she means I should clean the bathroom where there are still traces of rusty, reddish water. She’s supposedly leaving today, and if I can’t cancel, I intend to call the police to document with them that I’m in this house through the app and want to leave because the owner intends to treat me like a slave and keeps repeating that I’m in her house to work!!! I’ve encountered such bad people before – they later threaten you with all sorts of things, having your ID, so it’s better to document my departure with the police.
ps. I took this job because she started saying that the person had let her down and was unscrupulous. And I thought, sometimes people change their plans, I didn’t think of the worst-case scenario!!!
(Post edited by the Forum team to comply with the Community Rules).
Hello
Yes, as far as the cancellation goes, I was referring to speaking with THS about cancelling it on their end. There is no question you will be able to leave –even if it ends up with amended dates rather than a full cancellation in the system. THS can’t make you stay, and based on what you have said here, I can’t imagine them seeing this as a scenario where they would recommend you try to work it out with the host first.
In the future, I don’t recommend taking sits simply because you feel badly that hosts had been let down in the past by a ‘bad’ sitter –or having trouble finding an initial sitter– especially if they are behaving in ways that someone would describe as ‘hysterical.’ It’s well-meaning but I have seen many ‘bad sit’ stories begin this way. These are strangers to whom you have no obligations or responsibility–just because you have the availability doesn’t mean you should feel compelled to say yes.
Again, good learning experience and don’t let this discourage you from doing more housesitting!
You’re going to call the police and claim that you’re being kept against your will as a slave in a person’s house. Do you expect them to arrest this woman and charge her with kidnapping?
There’s an alternative course of action you may want to consider and it involves walking out the front door.
@ariela if a host ever yelled at me and was still there, I would leave immediately. The host hasn’t left so there is no issue of abandoning the pets. Neither THS or the HO can force you to stay.
@ariela, I hope you have managed to get out of that place.
It would be helpful if you didn’t use the term “job” together with “sitting” if this is a THS sit, as sitters are not paid. It’s just an exchange that should feel fair for both parties.
I know it’s just a subtle language issue but it does help to establish the right tone.
Really sorry you are experiencing this but it really is a life lesson for how you choose future sits. There were more than enough red flags before you accepted the sit. It’s simply not worth compromising otherwise you can really get caught out. I hope you resolve this and your future sits are better. Obviously you also need to report the HO to THS.
You’re saying the right things, and I see it the same way!! Because I have friends who pay people to live in their house and look after their pet! But this woman calls it a job, obligating you to carry her mail and packages every day, water the flowers, check for leaks in the house, and she even raises her voice. It was the most terrible experience of my life. I’ll post a screenshot of this landlord a little later so that no one else gets burned like this.
Have you now left the sit, @ariela ? Have you informed THS and had the sit cancelled, so this person cannot leave you a review? You say you have parcels due to be delivered, can you make alternative arrangements?
I realise this is only your second sit but , by your own admission, you ignored ‘alarm bells’ and have clearly suffered the consequences. There’s absolutely no way we would stay on any sit if a HO behaved the way you’ve described, let alone sit waiting in the kitchen for 5 hours! Going forwards, it’s worth asking more questions, looking out for red flags and trusting your inner voice.
I sincerely hope you’re now out of there, and that you’ll open a member dispute against this HO, so she doesn’t have opportunity to subject another sitter to this unreasonable behaviour.
I am afraid that is against the forum policy but you can give some hints ( country or town, pets…) so that people can know.
Hi @ariela
I’m sorry to hear of your sitting issues. Being shouted at is never nice and not acceptable. I had my first experience of this time last year with a highly rated HO and my 25th sit all because I left the fridge open when I ran to help the struggling HO with their bags. Thankfully I was leaving the next day. I left an honest review that the HO had been good to leave groceries and take me for a meal but had lost the plot when trying to help them over leaving the fridge open. Blocked them on whatsapp after the kicked off post review. At least it warned other sitters.
So get yourself safe first and then post a honest review if THS don’t remove the HO and in my experience they probably won’t as they’ll say it’s your word against the HO.
You did.
Unfortunately, I had confirmed the sit before I read your post here and it didn’t occurred to me that it might be the sit I was going to do. Only a couple of days before the sit started, I went back to the listing to double check all the information about the house and pets and then I read your review but I felt it was too late to cancel so, as you can imagine, I didn’t start the sit in the best spirit but I did take the precaution of hiring a car instead of using the owner’s, I wanted to minimize the risks.
I wasn’t shouted at but communication was very difficult. I was meant to stay two days after he came back but, as soon as his car was parked I got into my rental car, which had already all my luggage in it and I drove away.
I left a very long detailed review about most relevant facts, good and not so good. Only facts.
I followed the listing for a while, he published dates for August and I was surprised to see that there were a few applications in spite of your review and mine but then the listing disappeared. Either he has created a new account to come clean, my money is on this one, or he has left THS altogether.
I sometimes wonder if he has a new profile here on the forum too.
Damn @Newpetlover. Sorry!
Agree about communication. Probably best you got out of there asap.
Yes I think you may be right in terms of new profiles especially if he’s changed address as he was thinking of moving.