I’ve now published the honest negative review I left on my initial forum post here (albeit in several posts as posts are limited to 1250 characters!):
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Hi guys,
I’m not sure if this topic has already been discussed. I tried to see if it has, but couldn’t find it myself. Please let me know if there is already a post about the same topic 
We’ve been using THS for the last year and a half and we absolutely love it!
Although we are very happy with most of the sits that we’ve completed. There have been a few times where we wanted to add some honest reviews for the future sitters. However, as a sitter, we didn’t want to “upset” the owners and didn’t want any “negative” reviews from them because of that.
We’ve used other websites such as Couchsurfing and Airbnb and we thought their system for leaving feedback is efficient that you can only see the reviews when both parties leave one (or they can’t leave one after a certain amount of time). That way we can be all more honest and help the community grow in a positive way. We think that in some cases the current feedback system might be preventing some people to give honest reviews due to the worry that they will receive a similar one back in retaliation.
Please let us know what you guys think 
Thanks,
Matt & Hyemin
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Hi Ben
I just want to add my tuppence worth and say that I would embrace the blind review process. It really is the fairest way. It would also be useful to be able to leave a private message to HO/Sitters such as Airbnb have which allows you to bring to the attention of either side a few hints or tips that would make it a better experience if it was felt warranted . or even just to say thanks for being wonderful.
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I saw one that was four stars and said “very kind animals” and nothing else and makes me wonder what happened on that sit lol. Felt very passive
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To be fair, most cats would use a yoga mat as a scratching pad. Sometimes you can train them but sometimes you just can’t. I don’t think I would take that sit either after reading that though
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Hi @Ben-ProductManager , on the THS app it doesn’t allow for a sitter to read a HO’s review of a previous sitter. I can only do this on my computer.
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It wasn’t just the cat/yoga mat thing – I agree, I have a hard time getting my cats to leave my mat alone – but also dogs that pull so hard they have to be walked separately and so energetic they need multiple walks per day, while the area isn’t good for dog walks. And the notation that the owners “cleaned it up well” for her combined with the homeowner’s comment that the sitter had cleaned their house for them would give me pause. Add that to the cat that needs to be locked in his crate to keep him from destroying things and for me, reading between the lines, it sounds like a sit I’d be just trying to get through rather than actively enjoying. Enjoying the sit is important to me.
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Windtalker, did they leave a bad review for you?
Oh I missed the part about the cat having to be in a crate 
dear lord. Yeah, I wouldn’t take this sit either
Yes a really bad one
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That has not been my experience on the app. For example, a property I have sat in the past has a current list. When I click on “previous sitters” is only shows one sitter - it does not show that I had sat there, and thus does not show my review.
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I try very hard not to leave negative stuff on reviews, even not saying anything which I know is wrong but if nothing is said about the state of the house or garden then people may see it as neither good nor bad just indifferent.
Reading the reviews on a potential hosts advert I pay particular attention to what is said AND what is not said. If a few people make no comments about the house I take it that the house had something wrong with it.
Reviews are very subjective. Something I may find outrageous another person might see as perfectly fine. I like boisterous happy animals who meet and greet others may find them intrusive and even frightening.
The quickest way to find out what you may be letting yourself in for is a quick video chat and ask to see the pets and be shown round the house and gardens. It’s hard for a camera to lie.
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Hi Peter @Auscal I can’t comment an individual situation without consulting with the Membership Services Team who manage disputes.
I’m sure @Katie_Mc will explain how the process works.
Just to confirm there is a process in place and no action will be taken by Membership Services unless a request for a formal investigation is made by either party.
The review and feedback does show on the website, but not on the App. (The sit was a completely positive one from bot sitter and home-owner so there was never a though about it being removed). And, when I think of it, I’m not sure I have ever seen a listing on the app with more than one “previous sitter”. I would be interested in hearing from “management” about it.
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If there is a horizontal line across the review page I think it means there are more. Swipe left.
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Well, I’ll be - such a simple solution. Thankyou for pointing that out. Though, apparently it’s not really obvious, unless I am completely stupid.
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Yes I always write the review for future sitters. What do I want to read in a review? Location and ease public transportation and access to activities in area. Personalities of pets and their needs.
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I am a HO and new to the site. I recently reviewed a sitter which I gave a 5 star but after reading comments on this topic I should have been more honest. She did not deserve a 5 star but because I only read positive reviews I decided to follow suit. I was afraid if I gave a negative review that it would reflect on me as HO and I’m so new to the site.
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I’m so sorry to hear you had a bad experience, because that also reflects badly on those of us who give it our all. Your post prompted me to agree with you about not wanting to read between the lines. The thought of looking for what was NOT said doesn’t work for me. However, I will discretely address something when I think it’s important that a sitter know. I have once phrased something as ‘as long as you are prepared to X, this is a wonderful sit’. I’m omitting the detail here out of respect for the homeowner as it was a wonderful sit, but demanding in one area that I thought sitters should realize. I would happily sit for them again.
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Having had a recent bad experience with a sitter, I posted an unflattering review of him. I knew, when I did so, that in turn he would post an unflattering review of us…and he did. I feel that a better review system should be in place at Trusted Housesitters.
I feel that both the Homeowner and sitter should be given 5 days to post a review. If both post a review before the 5 day period is up, then both reviews are posted. If only one posts a review, then at the end of the 5 day period, that review is posted and the other person cannot post a review.
Doing it this way, there is no retaliation review. In the retaliation review my sitter left, at the end, after he bashed us, he slipped and said, “I thought this was a good sitting.” So, if a future sitter really reads that review, he/she will realize everything he said was in retaliation. But, still it’s unfair that his review of us was not a fair assessment because he was angry.
Too many Homeowners and Sitters are afraid of posting unflattering reviews because of retaliation reviews! The system I’ve suggested would put a stop to that!
I didn’t want to post the review I did because I feel like I won’t ever get anyone to sit for me again. And if I don’t, I just don’t. But I’d rather tell you the truth than to have this person sit for you and leave your home the way ours was left. We came home from a 6 hour drive and spent about 2 1/2 hours that afternoon cleaning and another 2-3 hours the next day cleaning.
TrustedHousesitters…you need to protect your review system!!
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