We once got docked a star for “Clean and tidy”. Even when this is a category where we usually exceed hosts’ expectations as per their reviews.
It was our first docked star on 25+ sits. But same as yours, no mention of issues, no explanation and the review itself was great, only positive.
I decided not to ask and took it as an exercise in acceptance. 
I agree about a lesson on acceptance — as being a perfectionist is my actual weakness haha. But it was also a reminder that the “norm” for THS is a 5-star baseline. This probably shouldn’t be the case; perhaps it’s just the nature of a system where people tend to be appreciative of a mutual exchange where we’re all helping one another out…?
It would be a wee issue for me and I’d ask the HO’s about this previous review IF I were interested…And clearly you’re not.
It reminds me of the one sit I did in which the HO indeed docked one star for self-suffiency.
Though he didn’t explain and I didn’t ask, I KNOW that it was due to a phone call I made to him during the sit. The reason I rang ? Food aggression which I wasn’t warned about !
Oh, the irony…
It might have been a mistake. There are so many glitches on the app…
That would be nice to think & it’s a kind thought, but it was a while back & I would have thought she’d have said so when we communicated later. But anyway, water under the bridge, & as I’m confident those are actual strengths for me I’ve been able to shrug it off & move on.
It definitely taught me that it hasn’t much impact on being able to get future sits, so that was good to learn!
Obviously not self sufficient then? I have sat for a few home owners who do not even own a microwave. Has not bothered me, as they have had a hob and oven, which I would be more inclined to use anyway.
@Happypets, docking review rating without rationale seems odd.
Were we in your situation and found the listing otherwise attractive then we’d probably ask for a video call and ask about prior housesitters during the video call.
I would be steaming, the HO would need to block my tirade of WhatsApp questions. I’d seek a video chat to interrogate them in detail…. WE DO NOT GET DOCKED STARS FOR CLEAN & TIDY. End of.
If a microwave or X is a dealbreaker, I’d make sure my potential hosts knew that from the outset. But even then, stuff can break at the last minute. Like I overlapped with a set of hosts and their microwave failed when one of them tried to use it right before leaving.
just know that sometimes a HO does that while still stating in the review how wonderful the sitter was, how clean they were, and what great decisions they made while there. So, who knows?
I think we’ve had many conversations on THS about that “default 5 star” issue; I still say that when leaving reviews anywhere, honesty is key in order for others to be able to make a decision that fits their needs. And no where does THS tell us to rate 5 stars across the board for no other reason than ‘because’. That being said, I do try to be fair and not petty.
I, and apparently many others on here based on other posts, agree that a 5-star baseline should not be the system. When this comes up, I often think about the general comments today regarding ‘kids in this generation’ being spoiled with rewards for just showing up and not earning it. We should be able to give fair, honest, AND kind reviews, that’s the only way we learn.
I don’t necessarily disagree. If you think about it as a grading system, a 3-star review would mean average/perfectly adequate, & not a bad thing; 5 stars would indicate a sitter had gone far above expectations. But that’s not the ‘culture’ that’s developed on THS, and now anything less than a perfect score is seen as a ding, failing, or red flag…and so the damage is done if anyone tries to grade on a more literal scale.
I think the only way to fix it at this point would be to eliminate the star system altogether & replace it with something less simplistic, while still being uncomplicated: in other words, assigning a measurable & defined meaning to the available ratings.
FWIW, I also think the whole ‘thumbs-up/thumbs-down’ standard for comments & social media is a real problem in our society, heavily contributing to the perception that every something must always be determined to be either “good” or “bad,” with no grey area in between. It’s a rather shallow way to go about perceiving the world and hasn’t done us any favors, imo. 
I agree; I think I made another post stating the same request, a no-star system relying on only review comments OR a system like I’ve seen on hotel sites, where one reviews/comments on each criteria and the aggregate is totaled by the software, not by the person. ex - for cleaning…“were linens washed” (yes or no); “was the oven clean and usable?” (yes or no). And on down the line. That way the situation could be described accurately, without the need to place stars oneself.
Currently rueing the day I went against my sense. 12 more days on this sit. 
OOo must be really bad if it’s from the start a bad sit.. Sorry to hear
Or, short of THS making some changes, which doesn’t seem likely, we all just start giving realistic grading, instead of forced ‘perfect’ scores and watch the tide change.
That’s not very likely either. People are reluctant to be critical of others because they feel bad or afraid of retaliation especially when they would be the first to offer up less than a 5 star review.
Ha! Microwaves! (She catches up, in the end..)
The only time I’ve ever been docked a star it was for Self-Reliance. Because the cockatiel decided to EAT the microwave, starting with the flex. And when I tried to stop her, she had a respectable go at eating me. I tried everything, from building a hardback fort around the thing (The feathered oik went head down and barged through between Little Women and Catch 22) to shutting her in her cage for a day (she feigned death until I cracked). The cable was duly eaten. And I was docked a star.
But really just wanted to add my voice to the “If you take off stars, PLEASE explain why!” chorus.