I know there have been quite a few threads on cancellation insurance through THS but many of the ones I’m reading are the HO cancelling and the sitter is left in a position where they have to be reimbursed for the costs.
I’m wondering if there are any HO’s that had to deal with a cancellation and how that worked for them. I’m debating purchasing the extra coverage after a very stressful situation with my last sit, which had her leaving half way through the sit due to an emergency.
What have other HO’s done in this situation? I can’t board my dogs because one is elderly and has never been boarded and I wouldn’t want that stress on her. I’m curious of other HO’s have had to deal with something similar and how it worked out.
Where it states “Pet Parents must allow Us to attempt to source an alternative Sitter”. What if there was an applicant that under normal circumstances you wouldn’t select, do you have to go with that sitter because they applied after THS reposted the sit or you won’t be covered with other options?
I don’t think that actually happens. THS certainly don’t find a sitter for you. I guess they would open up the dates to allow sitters to apply.
I would ask for clarification from Membership Services and post their response here.
Many members would be interested in their response. You shouldn’t have to accept ANY sitter just to validate your insurance. Alternatively sitters shouldn’t have to accept ANY sit within a 20 mile radius of the cancelled sit. Sits should still be a fair exchange and no-one should be pressured in to taking on something they are not comfortable with.
One of the homeowners for whom I sat raved about the THS insurance. They said that their second sitter was a disaster and left the sit two days into a ten day commitment, while they were already gone. According to them, THS both found and paid for a backup professional sitter for them, with whom they were quite happy. They did live in a large metropolitan area so that was probably easier to do there.
@Jenny it might be worth suggesting to THS marketing that they have more public-facing stories of actual homeowners and actual sitters who faced unexpected circumstances and the insurance kicked in. People don’t believe it until they see it!
As a sitter, I have never used the coverage (even though I’ve had a few situations where I could), but it definitely gives me peace of mind.
I am a combined member. I upgraded to the insurance because when we sit, we need someone to care for our own pets. Of course we need someone to care for our pets when we travel without sitting too! But my feeling was that if a sit we were got cancelled and we couldn’t find another sit for the exact or very close dates, we’d need to cancel the sitter coming, so we have it as both sitters and homeowners.
As a host, I’ve had a couple of cancellations that happened way before two weeks and I was able to easiy find other sitters. Back in April I had a situation where it was really clear that the sitter was in some kind of crisis and wanted me to cancel but was afraid to ask. It was a mess. So to her relief I cancelled. It was maybe 8 days before the sit. I’m not sure that if I had made a claim and explained the circumstances – that it was crystal clear to me this would be a disaster and she might not show up – whether I would have gotten the insurance or not. I initiated the cancellation because frankly she didn’t have the wherewithal to do at that time and wouldn’t even accept a phone call from me to discuss it. I just unconfirmed the sitter and went back to ask a couple of other suitable people I’d declined – who couldn’t do it. I then reposted and found ….. wait for it…a travelling vetinarian who wanted the sit. I had it filled within about an hour of reposting, so I did not have to activate the insurance.
I think it’s worth having in the sense that any insurance is worth having. It might not be perfect, but it gives some feeling of security to know it is there.
Generally, as a homeowner, I try to vet for sitters so that I’m finding people not likely to cancel frivolously, but stuff happens. I try to find more than one “suitable” person and sometimes it’s a coin flip, but if something happens I can sometimes go back to the list and offer the sit to someone else and maybe they are still available.
Also as a homeowner, before a sit starts I check in with sitters, periodically send them information, ask questions, etc to keep some communication ongoing and make sure everything is on track – transportation etc and that they are still feeling good about the sit.
Well this is a shining example of ““The universe pays back goodness with grace.” Based on what I’ve seen from your posts and your love of animals, you deserve the perfect sitter(s).
As for the overall topic: Let’s remember what we’re paying for with insurance: We’re paying for peace of mind. Nobody wants to file a claim. Currently a one year premium membership for a sitter is $259 a year, with no discounts. That is a fantastic deal. In most cities, I would easily pay that much for one night in a hotel room. And though I’ve never used the insurance, I do tend to do longer sits, like three weeks or more. I sleep better at night knowing that if a host has an emergency right before I arrive, I won’t be out of pocket for 21 days of a hotel.
I’ve often wished that THS would only have the “premium” option, so everyone would be on the same playing field, insurance-wise. Not to mention that the more people who have the insurance, the more cost-effective insurance is. But I get that they’re probably trying to capture market share.
Based on what I’ve seen from your posts and your love of animals, you deserve the perfect sitter(s).
I passed that over to the team!