Does anyone have advice about how to get through to support from THS? I arrived home to a complete disaster of a sit. I don’t even know where to begin to describe what has gone on, certainly not while jet lagged. Our dogs are lucky to be okay due to disregard of their diet, they have a recovery process ahead and the house reeks from vaping, covered in some sort of residue, causing headaches. The list is growing as we move through the shock of this.
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Welcome to the forum @ReneeA sorry that a bad experience had brought you here .
There is an Urgent Support 24 hour - the number is on your dashboard.
Take photos of everything . You may wish to raise a member dispute once you have sorted everything out .
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/member-dispute-process
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Very sorry for you. Please make sure to leave a review of these sitters within 14 days as a warning to other members. Good luck with THS.
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Oh how awful! It so distresses me to read about your experience when there are so many excellent, respectful and reliable sitters with THS.
Unfortunately many of us think this may be as a result of the kind of marketing THS has used, clearly attracting some of the wrong kind of sitter.
Can I ask, did you have a video call with the sitters before accepting them? Did you have a handover with them before you left & go on a dog walk with them? This is what I always expect when dog sitting.
Do review these sitters. They should not be allowed to sit again.
Please let us know how you get on with your dispute.
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That sounds absolutely awful Yes, unfortunately TH marketing has lead to peaople applying who are just looking for somewhere to stay and are ot bothered resgrding any oets that they will neglect. At the moment I believe nthey are in the minority and you were rreally unlucky. Do write a review on what you have found so that nobody else encounters what you have. On my profile I have stated that I am a life long non-smoker asnd don’t believe I have ever sat in a smoky home. In future perhaps state non-smokers and non vapors only. and check that they are not also big drinkers or alcoholics, although nobody has ever asked me that but after your experince I think I would. |I hope your pets can recover and you do get much more considerate sitterts in future.
I really hope thst TH ban these sitters, as they give a bad name to others.
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Welcome to forum @ReneeA !
Sorry for the bad experience and the state you returned to!
Good advice from @Silversitters @Smiley @Visit and @Chrissie
Scroll down to the bottom of your dashboard to find the Urgent-line.
Secure documentation with photos, possibly also communication you have had with the sitter (on WhatsApp for instance anyone can delete their messages)
Raise a member dispute. You need to use those words - member dispute. Use the link Silversitters gave you.
I don’t know if anything was damaged, insurance most often would not cover, but some have plus-plans that can cover more. But maybe this is mostly cleaning.
It is important to write a factual and honest review within the 14 day window from sit. Maybe not a priority right now and a good idea to cool off, first. It is important that it is factual (and mention something good if there is, for instance bonding with pets). If very emotional it could unfortunately backfire. You can get help with your review here later if you want input.
So happy the pets seem okay! Best of luck.
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Hi @ReneeA
I’m really sorry to hear about this.
I noticed an open ticket with Membership Services, so I’ve shared your Forum post with them, and asked if they can get in touch with you via the ticket you raised.
Please let us know once they’ve been in touch.
Jenny
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Firstly, I am terribly sorry this situation occurred and know it’s heartbreaking knowing your pets were neglected.
I suggest you file a police report and request a substance investigation. It may well be…crack or meth and criminal charges could be warranted. This would also bolster any homeowner’s insurance claims.
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My sympathies on such a terrible experience.
As far as dealing with the aftermath:
• Document everything you can, including taking photos, writing descriptions, collecting receipts.
• Make sure to tell THS you want to lodge a “member dispute.” THS will investigate only if you use that phrase.
• Consider what outcome you want and what’s realistic. For example, police respond to criminal activities (not to someone leaving your home a big mess or for neglecting your dogs).
• Also consider whether it makes sense to file an insurance claim, given what you could likely claim vs. not, and what your deductible is. Also consider that claiming often doesn’t make sense, unless it’s a significant loss / damage, because your insurer could end up jacking up your rates or in extreme cases dropping you. (Many homeowners know this and would claim only for catastrophic losses, because of that.)
• Write an honest and specific review to warn other hosts off these sitters. You have 14 days from the end of your sit to do that.
• Once all the dust has settled and, if you decide to host again, then review how you vetted these sitters and set up expectations and how you might do that more carefully. In retrospect, were there red flags?
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I feel so sorry for you! Disrespect of the housesitters feels so heartbreaking, I know how hard it hits you, I’ve been there twice this year myself. Coming home after flying the whole night and not be able to unpack or taking a shower is infuriating. I don’t understand how people are not ashamed of leaving a beautiful and clean home in a state like this. And poor animals, why would they need to suffer…
In the meanwhile I am sending you my virtual hug and wishing you to get over this soon!
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But isn’t the problem that people are applying and lying? Like HOs have posted, they have ring cameras and see their dogs are not being walked, at all let alone as requested. So they lie about vaping, or as someone posted, bringing overnight guests in. Even the one HO that posted the outdoor camera showed the sitters was not touching the dogs when they came up to her as she sat outside. Even if I want some alone time, I would scratch the dog a bit and then say, go lie down. I am getting sits without video calls, good sits. Because I think they read my reviews and feel confident that their home will be clean and tidy when they get back and the dogs, healthy and well taken care of. Or cats. You cannot ban sitters that are new. But HOs can give them bad reviews, which then causes them not to get sits. Just like if a sit is really awful, then sitters can review it truthfully and they won’t get good sitters. The bad sitters can match up with the bad sits.
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That’s terrible! I’m sorry the sitter was smoking at your home. Very disrespectful and it’s obvious that it was smoking since there is stains on the walls from it
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Thank you all for your support and advise. It has been very helpful in this distressing time. I did do a number of direct replies, but just realised that I wasn’t replying through the topic on the website.
I was careful about choosing our hosts, and interviewed them in a video call. They are quite young and reminded me of when I did a big move from the same state as they are many years ago and liked the idea of helping them. They had a good reference, he had a job working with animals, but it was their first sit. I think it is likely that they come from homes where they were not taught the most simple of housekeeping tasks. The vaping is just a blatant disregard of our home and health, although I understand addiction often leads to people not acting in a way that is aligned with their own values. They were well aware however that I have just completed a year of cancer treatment and our information explains that we only use natural cleaners and do not use any insecticides. It was also clearly understood that ours is a non-smoking/vaping home.
We received a gas bill today that is exorbitant, and when compared to the same time last year with 5 people in the home, that is often commented on being too warm, the usage was 70 MJ and for the past period this went up to 300 MJ. I don’t know how that is even possible. I am having a run around in how I can actually prove a smell and the symptoms I am experiencing. I am now waiting for a doctors appointment before the police will attend. I have supplied photos and other documents and waiting to hear back from THS support. We can see from our cameras that the dogs were hardly walked, one was taken unnecessarily to the emergency vet for an overnight stay without my permission, for a condition that had been explained to them, and our cats medication was doubled during their stay.
My daughters room is the least contaminated due to the door being closed and so she and I are in there and luckily other family members are away. I am unable to sleep in my own bed or use my ensuite. Opening windows only seems to blow in more smell as the residue is on the fly screens.
I have taken on board from @Garfield that a harsh review may back fire with coming across as an unreasonable HO, and also, they are just kids, one of whom has an addiction. They aren’t bad people, they just don’t seem to have a clue - so I thought I would run past you all if I have achieved a reasonable response with this review:
"‘He’ and ‘her’ are an earnest young couple who are moving from interstate. They both enjoy animals, and he also works in animal management. They are housesitting to help decide where in OOOO they would like to settle. We were pleased to be able to support such a big move with our housesit and they stayed in our home for a month. ‘He’ secured work just days after commencing our sit and ‘she’ was at home. Due to her experiencing some health issues, aspects of our sit became complicated, and our expectations were sadly not met. There appeared to be little understanding about housekeeping, instructions were misinterpreted and although communication was available, clarifications with us were not sought. Despite the challenges we’ve experienced from this housesit arrangement, they were amenable in engaging in a difficult discussion with me in a kind and thoughtful manner. Our dogs and cat were clearly comfortable with them at the hand over. "
Thank you again for your wise counsel THS community.
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Hello Smiley, thank you for your response. I did video call with them and had them come and stay the night before we left and cooked them dinner. We went for our walk and arranged for them to meet neighbours who also have a Standard poodle and who’s phone number they were given. They were shown all routines as well as left with written instructions and asked to contact us with any questions at all, no matter how small. They had our usual vets details and had met her as our boy needed a follow up appointment a couple of days after we left which they agreed to prior to the sit when I contacted them to see if that would be okay.
Well, you couldn’t have done any more and no doubt you were happy with them when you left. I think your review of them is extremely kind and probably wouldn’t put off other home owners taking them on and having the experience you’ve had….you’ve done yourself and future sitters/hosts a disservice I’m afraid
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I hope the sitter is removed from THS.
While an overly punitive review (i.e., intentionally mean) can backfire, a detailed, factual review written without emotional overtones is not the kind of review @Garfield is warning against.
Your proposed review opens with a long introduction on the sitter’s background. Other than that they are young and earnest, the background is not very relevant to how the sit turned out. You make no mention of the vaping in a home where vaping is clearly not appropriate. You also make no mention of a gas bill more than 4X what is normal. Neither omission does you, the THS community nor the sitters any service. Okay, they’re young and inexperienced but some learning opportunities are easy to ignore when received too gently. This doesn’t strike me as an opportunity they should ignore.
For full context, I would include details on their onboarding: the overlap, dinner, taking them around to meet the neighbors, etc. You seem to have done everything expected of homeowners and making that clear in their review insulates you from many sources of backlash.
Keep in mind that you won’t see their review nor they yours until both reviews are published (or 14 days passes). You and they have exactly 1 opportunity to record a response to the received review. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to respond to their review (good or bad). Give them plenty of time to respond to yours. Your eventual response can then address issues/claims raised in their review of you and their response to your review of them. If I’m not mistaken, the time period for responding is fairly open ended.
Finally, “host” is generally used to refer to the homeowner. You used it to refer to your sitters which confused me.
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Agree with @OnTheRoadAgain . You can describe what took place in a non-emotional way. Include what you yourself would have liked to know before confirming a sit.
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A savvy HO would see that review and likely be reluctant to accept those sitters, if at all. I think mentioning the vaping is important, and one or maybe two examples of how expectations were not met.
OTOH, I wouldn’t mention the utilities bill, as I think that would absolutely backfire on the HO. Comfortable temperatures are quite subjective and some sitters could see that as being inhospitable.
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Re. utilities it is all in the wording. It could be mentioned in a neutral way.
«The gas usage was nearly quadrupling compared to the same period last year when the house had more occupants. We’re not sure what caused it.»
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