who have cameras around, internally (which was obstructed but still there and plugged in…) and externally, and text during the sit to check you are doing the tasks they listed…
Have others experienced this? How did it make you feel?
I had this recently, and it made me feel as though I was being monitored. I haven’t had it before, but it resulted in me not really enjoying the sit as much as others. How do you prevent ending up on sits like this?
To prevent other sitters from encountering the same issue you can :
write a fair and factual review which informs future sitters that there were internal cameras when you did the sit .
Inform THS by Raising a “Member Dispute” and submitting evidence of the internal cameras ( photo ) which is against the Terms of Service which members agree to .
I would not like that at all.
But you’d have to go a long way to match the experience of a friend of mine who was dog-sitting (not through THS). The HO got the idea my friend was spending too much time away from the home (she wasn’t) and kept sending texts checking up on her… Culminating in one which came out of the blue, saying “Send me a photo of the bathroom. NOW!”
After a sit where we were micromanaged via a door camera we no longer accept sits that have any cameras and we discuss this requirement at the interview stage.
It’s awful to be constantly recorded in someone’s home. Besides, this is NOT a job — it’s an exchange. Many homeowners often misunderstand this and even ask for things we’re not supposed to do. So they don’t need to control us to see if we are doing these tasks.
This time you saw the cameras, but the sad and truly worrying part is that other times you haven’t seen them and you won’t. They’re becoming more and more subtle and discreet.
I write in my application that we don’t take sits with internal cameras. Then if we have a call, I specifically ask if they have cameras or listening devices in the home. We don’t have this problem as I address it right upfront