I just had a pair of sitters who did ok on the basics - keeping one of the cats fed and litterbox clean - but the other (indoor/outdoor) cat seems traumatized and has been staying away from home, which has never happened before over many sits over the last nine years.
My home was very dirty and disorganized when I got home. I keep finding more surprising and disturbing things, but I won’t bore you with the details. I want to leave an honest review but I’m a little apprehensive because these sitters are local, not international, they know where I live, and (I realize this part is unlikely and sounds a little paranoid) but for all I know they made a copy of my keys. I feel like they misrepresented themselves and are therefore not the trustworthy people I thought they were, and now I fear they might do something in retribution. Does anyone else worry about this??
Yes, we had a similar issue with a sitter who had multiple 5 star reviews, nothing less.
She did a poor job and like you did, we found more problems after we started looking around.
I refrained from leaving a negative review but not for the reasons you did. I would expect a negative review for this 5 star sitter would stand out against the multiple 5 star reviews and make me look like the unreasonable one. Plus the sitter would undoubtedly reply to my negative review in such a way as to raise doubt in the minds of future members who would have to make the call as to who is the reasonable one. My 3 star review history versus her multiple 5 star review history? Several of those reviews were probably dishonest as well.
I left a glowing 5 star review for this poor sitter. I would have felt better docking a few stars but it could have hurt my reputation on the site.
I understand your concern, it’s only natural, but they’re highly unlikely to have made a copy of your keys. I don’t think any sitter on THS would get a spare key cut for place unless asked to do so by an owner. They’ve paid good money to be on THS, so I don’t think they would have preempted anything bad key-wise. You just bad sitters. So I don’t think you have anything to worry about on the key front.
But I totally understand where you are coming from, and I totally get why you’re unsure what to do.
You could either write them a true review, which it sounds like you really want to do. A different way of looking at it is that they may avoid your area of town, because of it, but I understand the way you are looking at it at the moment.
Or your other option is don’t leave them a review, as it speaks volumes. On the app, we can tell when someone didn’t leave a review.
Personally, I wouldn’t give them a kinder review than what you want to give them, but in your particular scenario with them being local, do whatever you feel comfortable with. I always say write an honest review, but I know it’s trickier in your situation.
Our home is a holiday cottage with a keysafe, because we’re never there, we’re busy sitting, and I used to worry about guests taking a copy of our keys, but that’s in my head, I know it’s not reality, nothing bad has happened.
It speaks volumes when a review isn’t left, it puts the “non review leaver” in a negative light and they may be perceived as not caring enough to leave a review (especially if they received a positive one from that same sit).
Totally understand why you’d feel unsettled — coming home to a distressed pet and a house that wasn’t as you left it would rattle anyone. And yes, when sitters are local rather than international, it’s natural for the mind to wander to “what ifs,” even if those scenarios are unlikely.
A few things that can help you move forward:
• You can leave an honest, factual review without going into every detail. Keep it to what you directly observed — that’s fair, clear, and protective of you.
• If the key worry is lingering, re-keying or changing the code is a simple way to restore peace of mind.
• Local or not, retribution is extremely rare. Most sitters simply move on to their next commitments.
• Sharing your experience calmly and factually helps keep the platform safe for everyone — and you’re absolutely entitled to do that.
Do whatever helps you feel secure again, and keep the review measured and factual. That’s all you need.
They have no reason to review her negatively, that’s the only time when a sitter would look deeper into her review of them, only when they’re given reason to.
But also, she’ll have 9 years worth of healthy reviews. Sitters will read between the lines and will know she had a rubbish sitter by not reviewing them.
As a retired doctor, the med school phrase goes like this: “It’s not rare if it’s in your chair”.
Why would a host incur any risk, regardless of how small, of physical retribution by a disgruntled sitter by leaving a negative review? Risk their own health and well being to warn perfect strangers? It’s hard to believe members are encouraging others to put themselves at risk for the “good of the community”.
I agree, it’s totally different when it’s on your doorstep. I think everyone on here believes honest reviews are best, but it’s just not that simple in this scenario.
Maybe by posting here it will help lessen that anxious feeling. But if it doesn’t, then whatever she chooses to do is the right decision in my opinion.
Leave an honest review with no emotions thrown in. You can use a few examples of what wasn’t acceptable; no need to list every instance as it will look petty. You will be doing other owners a favor and maybe the sitter will clean up their act.
Hi, I don’t think it’d affect your reputation. Just need to be clear on what happened and dock a star or two where relevant. I think that’s really important for HO, and only fair to other home sitters who really do an amazing job.
Just write “They did ok on the basics. They kept one of the cats fed and the litterbox clean.” Dock a star or stars for relevant categories. Silence can speak louder than words.
Just write “They did ok on the basics. They kept one of the cats fed and the litterbox clean.” Dock a star or stars for relevant categories. Silence can speak louder than words.
This, exactly. We all (or most of us) read between the lines, and when we see something, we check the other related reviews.
If you’re concerned about them taking offense, maybe also try treating it like an employee review. Soften the criticisms slightly by starting off listing a positive thing, and ending with a positive thing, with the factual, unemotional, docking in the center. Perhaps frame it like: “I was mildly disappointed to discover X and Y when my expectation was Z, and will make a point to clearly communicate this for future sits, in case it wasn’t clear…”
So sorry this happened to you; I know how stressful it can be when you’re worried about beloved pets. If only they could tell us what’s upsetting them!
