After our most recent pet sit, I do not see any way to actually collect on the insurance for cancelled sits. Has anyone actually received reimbursement? From where I am sitting, this seems like a scam. We have now had two cancelled sits we have not been able to get reimbursement or an explanation as to the contradiction of the policy and THS process.
We were at a pet sit when the owner cancelled their trip the day before they were to depart. Our flights were $1800 R/T so this was a long distance from home. The home owner contacted THS to cancel so we could get reimbursement for another accommodation. I then received an email that I had to agree to the cancellation but if I did, I was not honoring the Code of Conduct. I was never offered to see if there was another pet sit to move us. The insurance policy states if you mutually agree to cancel the sit, the insurance is void. It also states we must give THS an opportunity to find us another pet sit. Despite me repeatedly asking for clarification, my question was completely ignored. I was told they were escalating for review and requested documentation.
After providing all the information, I didn’t hear back from THS. I reported the problem on Wed. and we were now going into the weekend without any answers.
When I reported my frustrations on Monday, I was then told there is 24 hour assistance available. This was not my experience. I utilized the chat and was specifically told there was no one available to assist so I left emails on my own not via an emergency line. I was never directed on how to obtain live help. Being in a different region of the world from the U.K. caused us to to communicate after their regular business hours. No one appears to be working on the weekends or after GMT hours for a global platform. Has anyone else been able to communicate real time when needing support?
Despite THS stating they wanted to support us and stated they were escalating our situation for a review, we never received any support or follow up on the findings two weeks post sit. We were told the home owners broke the “Code of Conduct” but so what if nothing is done about it. Instead of incurring additional costs in a tourist town during high season, we stayed at the property for the remainder of the pet sit despite it being an extremely uncomfortable situation no pet sitter should have to endure. I requested the home owner to pay for a hotel for us, but of course they did not.
THS told me on the final day of the pet sit, they canceled it so the home owner could not leave a negative review. This also meant, we could not warn future pet sitters to not apply. I now see an email telling me I had 3 days left to be able to leave a review. Was the sit canceled? Is there an untruthful review about us I cannot see? I am past the 10 day review window.
To top it off, due to the stress of our situation, I accidentally left some special jewelry. The home owner is not acknowledging my request to mail with insurance at my expense. I’ve now asked THS to contact the home owner but have not received a real response. Everything I get is an automated generic reply that makes no sense at this stage.
We have completed approximately 50 pet sits and have had about 10 pet sitters. This last bad experience has left us feeling like unless others can tell us they have received great support in the last 6 months, we will not be seeking any new pet owners or sitters and only stick with ones we know follow the THS guidelines. It is a shame when two bad experiences ruin nearly three years of positive ones but I have been fooled once and twice. Why would I be fooled a third time?
