So, am currently doing a sit for a HO who is using THS for the first time. Our first conversations about location and needing a car went well. He said he would think about the car use and then confirmed via a phone call, then on THS message. I took the sit based on his use of car confirmation. He did say the car was an older car but is good for getting around.
Six days into sit (after using car three times over the course of that sit to run local errands and some local sightseeing) the car would not start. I looked up on Youtube to troubleshoot why the car was not starting - a couple of reasons came up based on what I found in my research - an old battery, battery dead and needs to be boosted, alternator, brake lights could one or a multiple be the reason/s car is not starting. After trying again to start the car, I sent him a video of exactly what was happening when I started the car. He was a bit dismissive with me - saying I can’t help you. When I asked if him if his Emergency Contacts or neighbors could take a look, he basically said he would never have anyone look at his car and that they are not mechanical people. OK. Then he said just leave the car and he’ll figure out what to do when he gets back. Then I texted him after contacting a friend with a similar car and asked if she’s had this problem, and she said it’s best to contact the service people of the dealership. So, I called up the car dealer (no personal info given of HO or myself) and asked them what could be the problem based on the fact that the car just wouldn’t start and if there were some quick troubleshooting techniques they could give me. Based on what I told them, the dealership said it could be the battery or the brake lights. I reached out and told the HO what I had learned. He basically then told me to jump start the car with the portable jumper in the garage and would call me to walk me through it. When he called, he was very rude, disrespectful, and impatient. He asked if I owned a car before and that it seems like I would not be up to jump starting a car. OMG - before I even was able to respond, I remembered this is partly my own fault for getting into this situation. I should not have agreed to a house/pet sit for someone who did not have any THS reviews. That said, he asked me to jump the car (giving me incorrect information about where cables go (I double checked YT because I felt I needed clarification). Then told me once car starts to drive it to local autoshop and pay for the battery replacement and that he will send me money immediately. Then he said I can leave the sit early if a car is necessary (when our initial conversation about the sit was based on having a car and taking the sit only if the car was available to me). He then asked if other sits I’ve done people just blindly gave me their car. I was like I have many 5 star sits under my belt and you have zero. I’ve built trust in this THS community. This person made me realize two things -never take another THS with at least 5 great reviews, and ALWAYS get every agreement in writing. What would you suggest I do going forward with this sit. The cats are sweet and easy to care for. But, I am without a vehicle and don’t want to chance to pay for a battery replacement with the promise of being sent the money. Thought?
That’s a lot to unpack, so I’ll just offer a couple suggestions for both the long & short term that might be helpful:
First - are you certain the car actually needs a new battery? Just needing a jump doesn’t necessarily indicate that it needs replacing, unless it’s failing to hold the charge & needs jumping every time, even after being driven for 15-20 minutes or so after the jump.
If it does need a battery, unfortunately you may be a bit stuck overall for this sit. Hopefully you can limit your outings & maybe use a combination of Uber/food delivery/grocery delivery for the remainder of the sit, if the car is really that unreliable — else go ahead & rent a vehicle for the remainder of the sit & mark it up as a lesson learned.
Longer-term: In the case where you may find yourself depending on hosts for car use more than once or twice a year, I’d consider investing in an annual AAA or other auto-club membership that provides free jumps & towing, key lockouts etc. It’s an added expense but worth it for peace of mind, and certainly offset by the savings on car rentals.
I am sorry this happened to you, though, & I commiserate. I recently let myself depend on a Host for transport as well, & won’t be doing so again…just too much dependency if things go wrong, I found.
You really can’t guess what’s wrong with a car, is there not a mobile mechanic service available that would come to you. You would need to pay of course and I doubt the owner will reimburse.
Looking at it from his point of view he is probably curt because he is on holiday or away for work and doesn’t want to be bothered with the hassle of getting the car fixed. If he has suggested leaving early and you want to stay I think you will need to look at other alternatives. Rent a car which will be costly, not go out so much and get food delivered etc.
Unfortunately you always need a back up plan when you take a sit. He is new and won’t be used to this. Probably as far as he is concerned he has arranged for cat care and doesn’t expect anything to be a problem but as we all know things happen.
@DorisP your host has offered a couple of solutions - take the car to the garage for a new battery ( which you have diagnosed to be the problem) and he’ll reimburse you or if that doesn’t resolve the issue you can leave the sit if you deem that a car is necessary.
These seem to be perfectly reasonable suggestions from your host .I don’t know what more you are expecting and I can understand why he doesn’t want to involve the neighbours again perfectly reasonable.
It’s now your choice , do you want to leave the sit or stay ?
If you want to stay you will have to accept that there is no car to use and make alternative arrangements yourself . If you want to leave agree the date and timings with your hosts .
Hi @DorisP I’m sorry to be blunt, but you don’t seem to have considered even for a moment the fact that the home owner, who has generously granted use of their car, is presumably trying to relax and enjoy their own trip.
If you’re there for months, fair enough, it would be good to mutually agree on a plan to sort things out. But it’s their car, and you should allow the home owner to take the lead on this. They may need the car immediately upon their return and be grateful for your help in getting it fixed, or they may prefer that you just leave it for them to deal with themselves.
I know that house-sitting is ideally a mutually beneficial exchange, but when something unforeseen happens, personally I think it’s better to be flexible, and if necessary adapt plans. I have had to do that in the past and I accept it as part of the deal.
How long do you have left on the sit? Are you not able to make do with the resources you have, and simply enjoy hanging out with the kitties (who are your priority, after all) and do your sight-seeing later?
If you like the sit and don’t want to deal with HO about the car, you’re best bet is to suck it up and rent a car for the remainder of the sit. However, if the cost of the rental would be the same or more than a new battery, why not just take the chance that the HO will reimburse you as promised?
If you re-read my original post, I was flexible. I offered alternative options. The HO just was not forthcoming with a lot of things regarding the car, as time has revealed. He also said I could reach out anytime. So, you need to re-read what I wrote. I was flexible. I took a sit (and gamble) that I was dealing with an emotionally intelligent person. What they presented in the interview is not the true nature of who they are when this situation came up. It’s a lesson learn not to take sits where there are no reviews going forward. I wrote on here to give people an idea of what I am going through and possible to think before they accept a sit based on my experience so they will avoid what I am currently experiencing.
I had thought to do so but based on the HO’s disrespectful attitude, I don’t trust they will reimburse me. I have had great sits on this site so this sit is a big not one I would ever like to experience again. The pets are an exception as they are easy to care for and very good companions. So, while someone above thought I was being not flexible, they didn’t fully comprehend what I wrote in my original post.
As I wrote in my original post, which seems to be mis-read, or some people are lacking comprehension, the host basically misrepresented who they were in the interview vs the reality of the situation when the issue of the car came up. Other things were revealed during our conversation that should have been revealed. What you think is reasonable suggestions seems to be conjecturing and projection on your part. What I expected from the host was full transparency and that is not what I got. Transparency is reasonable. I was with him from the get-go. I’ve done a lot of THS sits which have been great. This sit is like no other. So, if you read again what I originally wrote, you would realize that I am the reasonable one. Again - maybe some of you are ok with HO being unclear or lacking transparency. I don’t accept such behaviour. It creates a big sense of distrust.
I’ve had other sits where the HO offered their vehicle for use in their original posts and Ive never encountered any friction with them. This was a sit I that has taught me a lot about red flags to look for. Thank you or the suggestion about AAA. Will be doing that going forward for rentals.
I am sorry that you find yourself on a sit without a working car - that must be stressful the host has suggested that if the car is a deal breaker you can leave which seems to be the best outcome .
Notify THS of the agreed earlier end date of the sit and please review the sit accurately for future sitters .
I’ve had AAA, they’re great!!! Once a member, they will come and check the battery life with a device and give you a clear answer if that is the issue. No charge for this part or a jump too. Then they will give you a quote to replace the battery right then and there. So you can know in advance if you are comfy possibly not getting reimbursed. If HO said they would reimburse you, why not go out on a limb and trust them? He will receive a very bad review if he doesn’t reimburse you. Or you can absorb the cost and see it as an alternative to an expensive rental. Many options to consider.
Thanks for the AAA confirmation. Will get a membership. However, trust with HO is out the window since they were not being transparent from the beginning, which only became clear after car issues. That said, lessons learned. Onward momentum.
Again- you keep projecting that the HO suggestion is the best. But, quite frankly it’s not based on our initial interview conversations where certain things were said which made me choose the sit. I planned my vacation/work trip according to those initial conversations agreement. Now, I have to scramble and spend more money based on HO lack of integrity and transparency. So, while you think that is the best solution the HO has given me, it actually leaves me in a bind.
Be sure to confirm if there are any other AAA fees, as it has been a while since I was newly signed up, things may have changed for new member call out. Good luck and keep us posted!
You seem to have alot of angst towards the owner, when it’s just one of those ‘life’ events that happens from time to time, and you just need to deal with it by deciding what step you now take.
I know it’s a pain and an inconvenience to you, but I understand him being a little curt with you. It’s not an essential like heating, water, aircon… it’s a car, and he’s on vacation but even so he’s given options and suggestions, even though a car is waaay over and above what alot of owners would offer. It’s an added luxury, a bonus, a perk, and he’s on vacation… and now he has problems on his mind while he’s away, and a load of stress.
Yes, the car broke but he didn’t know it was going to break when it did. Yes, you knew it was an older car, but you didn’t know the car was going to break, and neither did he. No-one’s in the wrong here, it’s just one of those things that life chucks at you occasionally.
Personally I wouldn’t take on the responsibility of tinkering with anyone elses car in any sort of way and I wouldn’t take it to a garage/mechanic or anything like that. I’d just enjoy where you are and embrace it for what it now is, just take it as one of those life experiences that didn’t go according to plan, in a sea of brilliant experiences. Yes you have additional expenses, but he didn’t know it was going to happen, and neither did you.
Remember, this is just one unplanned less-than-perfect event, among of loads of smooth ones.
I know it’s potentially costly from your end, but things like this only happen once in a blue moon.
Having reread your op, nobody who has responded mis-read or failed to comprehend. You arranged with your host to use an old vehicle. He met that commitment. The disconnect was when the old vehicle had a problem that can and does happen to vehicles old and new. You did not like how he responded or his attitude. That might be a valid complaint but has no bearing on reading comprehension.
As a host, I can absolutely assure you that it is very aggravating to have someone contact me with a problem I can personally do absolutely nothing about from 100s or 1000s of miles away. Cars that won’t start can happen to anyone anywhere and is usually a minor problem that self-reliant sitters can handle without much drama. Some self-reliant sitters here have offered some options to handle the problem. The cranky host offered some of those same options. Apparently, none of them work for you.
Are you of the belief that the host flogged off a junker, you feel he was being dishonest from the jump and you are seeking commiseration here? If that’s the case, review accordingly but I’ll suggest more carefully crafting your review if you don’t want the review to backfire. Otherwise, I can’t see what you’re seeking here.
I understand this situation isn’t turning out how you expected and is stressful.
When things go wrong ( pet becomes ill, power cut, washing machine breaks, host curtails trip , etc etc ) you have to adapt your plans or if it’s a deal breaker leave and go to your back up plan .
I speak from experience- We have had 3 x sits where hosts curtailed their trip - it was stressful, very inconvenient and in one case not for extraordinary circumstances .
We couldn’t prevent the hosts from returning home - we left the sit and went with our back up plan .
This might not be what you want to hear but it’s practical advice .
If you don’t want anymore suggestions from the forum you can ask the moderator to close this thread .
and ask people to read properly your original post. I have read it thoroughly twice and I am afraid I can’t see any signs of dishonesty. I am not saying there aren’t, I am just saying you haven’t shared them.
According to your own account
Older cars tend to have issues, that’s nobody’s fault.
After the car broke down, it seems he said he could not help you but you still insisted on trying to figure out what was wrong and still kept contacting him about the car, even then, he still gave you two options. I agree with @Silversitters they were reasonable options. In fact, I can’t think of any other way he can help you.
I don’t think this situation should be approached as a competition to see who’s more reasonable. A car has broken down and you can either fix it, use other means of transportation or leave the sit. That’s more options than other homeowners would give you.
If a pipe caused a leak would you blame the HO? Wouldn’t you do your best to help fix it, keep the pets safe and complete the sit? Things aren’t always perfect but that doesn’t means someone is to blame.