First time THS user- not happy with Sit

HI,
I signed up and decided to use THS. I used someone who had good reviews and was available on relatively short notice. More importantly my rescue Frenchie cannot be in the heat (Bangkok) - I was especially impressed as SItter was once a vet assistant; (now I have questions for THS on verification when people make such claims) - and that my dog really only goes out at 6:30 a.m She agreed to this - I took sitter to the park (next door - 3 mIns walk), to dinner, showed her everything - and although there was something a bit 'off" I trusted the reviews. First day, she came at noon. Housekeepers came at 3 pm and did not see anyone - they left at 8 pm - still no sign (my dog eats at 5:30 pm). I later checked my neighbors security camera (I had unplugged mine out of respect for her privacy). Well, it turns out my dog for the 1st 2 days spent a LOT of time alone. No wonder she only sent 1 photo per day - and of my dog sleeping. I got very upset but knowing that I was so far away - on military training so I could not leave and come back - so I remained diplomatic. I asked her to please send me only 1 photo in the a.m and 1 in the p.m. she said this is not normal! but that she would ‘do me a favor’ I reminded her that some people even request videos. I left her a fully stocked fridge, pantry and wine collection and told her to help herself. No one at the park saw my dog (they all know her and look forward to petting her) the ENTIRE Week. My dog who usually leaves food behind… was RAVENOUS when I got home the Fri pm and fed her. I got a request from sitter asking me to please leave a positive review of her. I thought to just ignore and not write anything. THEN… I saw her very dishonest review of the sit! Even stating that I asked her to give her dog medication - its the eye drops (that I even use) for dry eyes (a problem with frenchies) but I clearly told her that she didn’t have to as it is not a life and death mediation. She even complained about this, and then also about not knowing early a.m walks were are 6:30 a.m. (I realized her coming in so very late at night (1 a.m.) was why she would not be able to wake up so early). EVERYTHING she agreed to she did not do. I was really hurt by this knowing my dog suffered. I have reported it to THS - but given that I did not leave a review for her - the window to write something so that others will know to be careful has passed. I truly would hate for anyone else to go through the stress this Sit put me through. THS said they will speak with her. But please tell me how /what I can do to avoid this ever happening again - clearly I cannot trust all reviews. Do people feel compelled to only write good things? Thanks for any guidance.

@Maluzi Although you have missed the opportunity to leave a review for your sitter, you are able to respond to her review of you. As recommended, make that response factual and without emotion. What a shame you did not review her. Hopefully you will for future sitters.

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And then you ask how one can trust all the positive reviews.

For owners, we can see missing reviews when we use the app. But it is not possible to see when sitters have missing reviews. So you should have written something. Why not? Now that there is the double-blind system.

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If the review from your sitter has already been published @Maluzi then you can only respond to it, too late for your own review unfortunately because of the 14 day window. Did you check her previous reviews of other HOs for example as that can add weight to your vetting process? Were there any other red flags looking back that you can use for the future? Is this the first time you’ve had a sitter as 99% of them are excellent, you’ve just pulled a rum one as we would say. Respond to the review with a factual, non emotional assessment of your experience and then park it and move on. If you’re really aggrieved (and you have evidence) you could raise it to a dispute with THS HQ but not sure if you have that info? This is not normal, hopefully your little dog is okay if hungry and very happy to see you. #onwardsandupwards

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I’ll be honest it’s a little bit difficult to follow your narrative here. THS doesn’t vet people per se, and the positive reviews mean that she was a good match for the requirements of those HOs. The best thing moving forward is clear and explicit communication and your own line of questioning to ensure the sitter is a good match.

I don’t know at what point you communicated the 6.30am requirement or the medication; if it were upon arrival it’s reasonable she’d find that too late and very disruptive. Communicating these things in your listing/ welcome guide/ initial video call will mean you give yourself the best chance of finding a sitter who can confidently meet these requirements.

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I’m sorry you had this bad experience and hope your pup is ok. THS doesn’t verify occupations or former occupations. Some people include linkedin profiles or relevant photos (eg in a vet clinic setting) which may help someone “confirm” their background but realistically you most likely will need to take any claims at face value and instead make up your own mind whether someone is a good fit based on reviews, the application and the all important call/video chat.
Just as an aside, you sometimes see ads specifically requesting trained veterinary professionals but exactly why someone would be a great sitter just because they work or have worked in a vet clinic… If a pet actually needs special medical attention for which someone requires a degree or years of training it’s probably safer to pay someone to provide that service and have all the required assurances.
Sits in SE Asia are usually really in demand so I’m sure there will be plenty of excellent candidates in the future. Just make sure you are clear about expectations in your listing, your chat and your guide or notes to avoid future disappointment or miss communication.

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This is so disheartening to hear. So sorry.
Sadly, you made your own complaint a reality by choosing not to review. You ask “can reviews be trusted?” - well, when people don’t review or only say good things, then no, they cannot. Only when both sitters and hosts leave honest (and diplomatic, polite) reviews can the community help one another avoid situations like yours.
By neglecting to leave a review because of this idea of “if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all” - the unfortunate scenarios just keep repeating.
We all need to be part of the solution!

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I just read your sitters review and your response. There are always two sides to a story and unfortunately your one review will be running head on with the sitters other glowing reviews. I can only suggest in future, if you continue to use THS that you have a lengthy pre sit video call with any prospective sitter to iron out your expectations. Also your section on responsibilities supports your sitters assertions so you should update it to accurately reflect your requirements. Good luck.

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Ah, I can see your sitter has written a very calm and reasonable review outlining their (valid!) concerns, and your response is very emotive and confusing. I hope you can take the time to take a step back and reflect about how you could communicate better with sitters in a spirit of mutual trust and exchange in future.

There are lessons to be learnt for you for sure and breaking through your initial defensive response and doing that hard work of reflection will set you up better in future.

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Welcome @Maluzi to the forum.

Sorry to hear that your first sit didn’t go as you had expected . I feel that the problems you have encountered are because you haven’t been aware of or understood some of the THS policies.You may need to manage your expectations as to what is reasonable for an unpaid sitter to do if you want to use THS to find a sitter in future.

Third parties - all third parties like house keepers should be disclosed in your listing .
So I can understand why a sitter would be unhappy to find that there was not just one but two house keepers coming to the home at different times during the day when none of this is disclosed in your listing .

Here is a link to the third party policy

Internal Cameras are not permitted by THS here is a link to the THS policy on cameras.

Also all of your pet’s medical conditions must be disclosed in your listing

Twice daily communication from sitter isn’t the normal expectation. If you require this and also for it to be a live video call that’s your call but you do need to put this in your listing under the responsibilities section. You should also be aware that it will put off the majority of sitters from applying to sit for you.

Your listing says an early morning walk- it doesn’t specify the time so if it has to be at 6:30 am precisely you need to put this in your listing and in your Welcome Guide. If you want to recommend cafes that your sitter might like to visit with your dog that’s fine but the majority of sitters would find it very demanding to be told that they must go to specific cafes at specific times . If it’s a requirement of the sit then you must put this in your listing in the responsibilities section. Again this demand will put off a lot of sitters from applying.

All of this specific and unique information should be in your listing and in your Welcome Guide which should be provided to the sitter in good time well in advance of the sit so that they can read it and be aware of all your requirements before they arrive at the sit .

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I would not take a sit where daily videos were required.

I would not like to be instructed to go out on a dog walk at 6:30 am. And I would not appreciate to be told to get coffee at the same place every morning. Etc.

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In the interests of fairness It’s very enlightening to read the other side of this - The sitter was very experienced with over 20 reviews on trusted - also a professional as described in pet care.

All of the points they raise are valid and unacceptable. Many others would have walked away from such unreasonable demands and intrusive third parties sent to spy and stir up drama. A lot of what you are complaining about is speculative at best. Why would a sitter go out of their way, spend their own money to travel to you and give up their free time and effort then go ahead and starve and neglect your dog? You can rent an apartment in Bangkok for $20 a night. Most people here petsit because they love animals and enjoy the exchange of petsitting - I doubt this sitter is any different based on her profile and previous hard earned reviews. You assumed the absolute worst in every scenario further proving the point that you didn’t start out with the trust in the first place.

Edited to remove members name and review as per posting terms

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So sorry to read this. There really are great sitters out there. Reviews are very important. Hope you can move on and try and trust another pet sitter here.

I believe that this was a great sitter!

(I saw her profile.)

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Just to add:
The sitter rated the HO 1 or 3 stars in each category and 1 star overall.

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Let’s hope lessons can be learned from this, from everyone

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Thanks, did not see any of those prior posts or her profile

All Owners need to create a Welcome Guide!!! It can be a Word document if you don’t want to deal with the THS template.

“Showing everything” to a Sitter is not enough! We need to have all instructions and expectations IN WRITING, clear and concise. And these should be provided just after the Sit is confirmed.

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It dies seem a little naive at best for a sitter to suggest that a frenchbulldog should be able to enjoy outside time without restrictions in a climate such as Bangkok’s. Squashed nose breeds of dog do struggle to breathe in the heat, even on a summer day in the UK. They can be excitable and don’t make things easier for themselves! Any walks would have to take place either very early or very late.

The inexperienced homeowner has made mistakes. Hopefully they will learn from these for the next time. It seems that despite a phone call and in person meet, communication could have been better on both sides. If I was considering a sit for a brachycephalic dog breed in a tropical climate (and I’m not sure I would), I would be asking some very specific questions.

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I had to carry home one of the pugs on the last days that I was in Cambridge two weeks ago. That was just slightly warmer than the cold period before that. So in summer, they could be in real trouble.

And indeed: excitable. Did not calmly lie down in the shade under a tree.

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