Handling an emergency

Ha. I have another 4 sits booked with them this year! #fightthebookingfee

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A review that highlights all of that extra damage-control work could accidentally reframe your role from “responsible sitter” to “on-call property manager / flood response unit.”

The unintended consequence could be that hosts whose homes are known to have issues may read it and think, “Perfect — this person handles leaks, fans, repairs, staff coordination…” :grimacing:

Why this is risky

  • It normalises exceptional circumstances as part of a sit

  • It signals a willingness to take on labour beyond pet care

  • It could attract hosts who already know their place has problems and quietly expect you to absorb that work

  • It weakens your ability later to say, “That’s outside the scope of the sit”

If you are going to suggest to the host that it’s mentioned in the review you could gently steer it by saying it I’d really appreciate the review focusing on communication and care, rather than the specific emergency tasks, since those were very unusual circumstances.”

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I wouldn’t say anything about the review, as @temba and @Becca suggest. I would mention it in my own review, not as an unexpected chore but in a positive way towards the HOs responsiveness and cooperation, that way the info is there and shows both your successful handling of the emergency and your appreciation of the HOs cooperation.

Anyway, dollars to doughnuts, his review will mention it.

Looking forward to the outcome on Monday.

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Although I see your point, I consider this outcome unlikely, plus @MaggieUU will be able to vet future HOs.

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With more sits booked with you, I’m confident he’ll mention it :crossed_fingers:

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What a unique way of thinking @silversitters. But I get it. I feel a bit cringy when a review mentions that I left the home cleaner than I found it as I don’t want future HOs to take advantage.

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As a HO we would definitely mention it in our review as this falls under the heading of “going above and beyond”. This is actually something all HO should want to know because it shows how a sitter can handle unforeseen situations and it’s something that can give a HO some peace of mind. We would also send the sitter a gift of some sort to show our appreciation. Four thumbs up from the two of us for handling such a difficult situation. :+1::+1::+1::+1:

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Cheers for that feedback from a HO point of view @gchampagne.

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Thanks to all for your input. It was very helpful and I have a good idea as how I will implement your suggestions. I will mark this post as the solution only because I wouldn’t be able to award that tag to just one of you. I will update as to the outcome. It could have been so much worse, right?

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I would scheck how the hosts usually handle reviews. If they usually leave just couple of words, I would be more direct in asking for a more detailed review. I would not go “how shall we handle the review”, if I was a host that would read as “you do understand you will get a bad review because your home was unlivable” or something.

Ah, good point @ChiaGrowth. My plan is to let the HOs know that I will address the leak in the review but following @Newpetlover’s suggestion to positively reference their responsiveness and to emphasize that it was an exceptional occurence and not a chronic issue.

Yeah. That also means that any host who checks the reviews you leave can make the math: you telling what happened, the host not contesting it, the host leaving you a good review (and the re-sits) equals that it happened and you handled it well.

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Well the reviews are in and they are glowing on both sides. The flooding was addressed by both of us. I used a synthesis of many of your suggestions. I did not ask for any specific review content from the HO but did advise them that I would be mentioning it but only emphasizing the positive aspects. Thanks again to you all

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Great news @MaggieUU well done!

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As this is now done and dusted, could I please request that the moderators close the thread? Thank you.

Thanks for updating. It’s always great to hear back from OP. It’s also great when threads are closed because the situation is solved and the outcome is great.

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@MaggieUU You need to tag @Mark_B or @Jenny so that they’ll see your request. I’ve done it for you here, but just mentioning it so you’re aware of the process. :slightly_smiling_face:

Thanks @Snowbird. I did DM Mark, Jenny, Maeve and Sam. Apparently it will be followed up tomorrow. Cheers

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@MaggieUU Thanks for letting us all know. A great outcome!

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Hello!

Just a quick note from me to say that I’ll close this topic now.

Thanks for letting us know the outcome @MaggieUU!

Jenny

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