We had a really bad sitter situation. She allowed multiple people in our home while she was there without our permission, she allowed one person to enter our home (a stranger to us) while she was not home, and at the last minute she sprung it on us that her daughter (not on profile and we had never met or talked to) would be coming with her. She also broke our hot tub.
However, none of these issues fit the 5 categories. She did put our dog at risk by allowing someone in our house with out her there, she definitely wasn’t trustworthy, ahe never read the guide I gave or paid attention when I showed her how to close the hot tub so the cover wouldn’t break.
She also left a pile of poo bags at my front door despite there being numerous garbage cans in our neighborhood and didn’t wipe down the shower after use as I had asked so we came back to horrible water spots on the glass even though she told me she does this at her house so was used to using a squeegee after showering.
I can mark the cleanliness down but what categories cover the safety issues of allowing someone in the house alone and breaking the hot tub?
Reliable gets no stars! She couldn’t be trusted nor would you have her back. In your written section you can elaborate why there were issues about trust, following instructions and basic consideration. How lazy not to dispose of the poo bags. Welcome Home not!
No one wants a sitter like that! She doesn’t deserve any mercy! (I hope she came clean about breaking the hot tub cover! ) if not then that is a further issue that needs commenting on.
I agree with you 100% about the uninvited visitors and the breaking of the hot tub, having read your previous post. Unforgiveable. The poo bags - had you perhaps not told her which of YOUR bins they were to go in to? Personally I would expect to be told that, and not have to look for neighbourhood bins, especially if the dog poo occurred on your home premises, as opposed to away from the house on a walk.
The stains on shower glass, I think, is a small thing which can be overlooked/accepted.
Yes they do, the below are hugely important:-
Organised - zero score, she didn’t pre-ask you about anything.
Reliable - zero score, she has broken your trust, she has breached the rules of THS, and she is not dependable in the slightest.
Self sufficient - zero score, because there are other unknown people in your home, are they there to help out?.. Probably not, she sounds like a total liability for no consideration of other people or their property, Who knows?
Pet Care - zero, she has put complete strangers around your pets without your prior permission… I’m sure your pets are friendly, but what if they accidentally bit in excitement with having extra people around or scratched if felt overwhelmed? Zero zero zero
Clean & Tidy - The odd poo bag left would be fine in my eyes, because it happens, same for owners, in the rush to clean and sitters to pack their own bags etc, but she left far more & a dirty shower.
There is no excuse for breaching the rules, they are very easy rules to live by! I know, I’m a sitter.
I’m really sorry to hear that you had such a frustrating experience — that sounds incredibly disappointing. It’s always difficult when a sit doesn’t go as expected, especially when trust and house rules are involved.
The available categories are:
Organised
Reliable
Self-sufficient
Clean and tidy
Pet care
For the issue of allowing people into the house without permission and the lack of communication about her daughter, “Reliable” would probably be the most fitting category to reflect that.
For the damage to the hot tub and not following instructions, “Self-sufficient” would be the closest match.
The poo bags and the shower situation would fall under “Clean and tidy.”
Unfortunately, there isn’t a perfect category for safety issues, but lowering the “Reliable” rating would at least signal that there were trust concerns.
You might also want to reach out to THS directly to check what your options are in a situation like this. They might be able to offer some guidance or support.
That being said, the stars are one thing, but nothing carries more weight than a written review. That’s really what gives other homeowners the context they need to make an informed decision. Keeping it factual and clear will be the most helpful for everyone.
You could phrase your review like this:
We had an experience with this sitter that didn’t meet our expectations.
The sitter allowed multiple people into our home without our permission while we were away, including one person who entered the house when the sitter wasn’t there.
Shortly before the sit began, the sitter informed us that her daughter would be coming with her. The daughter was not listed on the profile, and we hadn’t discussed this arrangement beforehand.
The hot tub cover was damaged despite being shown how to close it properly.
Several used poo bags were left at our front door, even though there are garbage bins available nearby.
I’d leave out the part about the water spots on the shower. It comes across as a bit petty — even though it’s annoying, water spots are easy to clean. Keeping the focus on the more serious issues like trust, communication, and damage will make the review stronger and more balanced.
@mtbikelover - What did you say when she said this ? You have every right to say no we do not agree to your daughter coming , the THS third party policy states that no third parties are allowed unless the host agrees.
You can raise a “member dispute” with member services .
Good points from everyone else. Just a personal note: I wouldn’t give 1 star - just because sometimes when I read reviews that give 1 star, it loses some credibility, in my eyes. A 2 or 3 star can hurt a lot when the explanation is sufficient, whereas a 1 star feels like a petty rating.
I am sorry you’ve had this experience. It’s not at all acceptable.
I agree, I wouldn’t give 1 star across. I might give 1 for reliability and perhaps organization. I might give 4 for happy pets if you have no further evidence of the dog not having been cared properly. If there are no other issues apart from the poo and the shower, I might consider 3 stars there.
I definitely think that
It does not only help with clear Information for other HOs, but it can also help you if nicely worded and if it includes all positive aspects too. A spiteful review can backfire.
A thorough explanation of what you didn’t like about the sitter’s behaviour in the review is helpful to the next sitter as well as reminding the last of areas to improve..
When a new sitter arrives in the handover in case they haven’t read all past reviews. Say it was a last minute cancellation.. have a chat.. “ you’ll never guess what the nightmare sitter did next… so that gives a clear emphasis on what you find totally unacceptable! But the welcome guide can also emphasize what is unacceptable. Clarity is all.
Yes…she was told, shown, and it was in my guide as to where the poo bags went. She would have passed numerous community garbage cans on her walk as they are every 3-4 houses apart. These were all poo bags from walks as our dog doesn’t do his business in our yard. I would totally get one bag. But there were 10-12 bags there.
It’s so frustrating that there are some really incapable people out there who give all the other wonderful sitters a bad name. I’m sure there are far more amazing sitters and homeowners out there. Things don’t always go perfectly or exactly as they would at home, but in the end, everyone should feel happy and satisfied. We’ve been here for nearly 9 weeks now, and both we and the homeowner — and of course the dog — are very happy.
Write a factual review and let it go for your own peace of mind. I’m sure the next sitter will be much better. Best of luck.
I was caught completely off guard. I said that I didn’t have an extra room cleaned for her. The sitter said she would sleep in the bed with her. Since we were leaving in 2 days I said ok. Then I left her a message after the video walk through that said I would like to have a quick video chat with her daughter to meet her. The sitter never replied to that message. When the sitter arrived at the sit, I asked what her daughter would be doing and would she ever be alone at the house. The sitter assured me they would be doing everything together. I said good because since we hadn’t met her, I didn’t want her left alone.
On day 2 of the daughter being here, sitter left for 6 hours and I found out from my ring camera that the daughter was in the house alone. I discussed with sitter. She apologized. Next day, sitter allowed the person into my home alone.
No angry emoji but good you had evidence. It’s a big failing not to read a message.. I would mention that in your review as it’s basic communication between you and them. No one wants a sitter who forgets stuff either.. it’s just a lame excuse.. I’d never have them back or recommend them to anyone.
This just corroborates that the sitter is completely unreliable. I think she might give you a bad review in anticipation of yours. It sometimes happens. So it’s really important that you write a factual, balanced, unemotional review.
As @Silversitters suggests, you might want to raise a “member dispute”. Letting other people in the house, in the sitter’s absence and after having been asked not to let the daughter on her own and right after having apologized for doing so, seems totally unacceptable I don’t think they should be allowed in the platform. They can’t be trusted
Totally agree she isn’t cut out for this highly responsible job where reliability and integrity are taken as givens.
How can any Home Owner relax away from home otherwise?
This is very unfortunate! You should definitely contact TH customer support to report her as one of the rules is that the sitters are not to bring/allow anyone into the house that is not listed on the account unless the HO was asked. We had a sitter who contacted us 1 day before the sit to “let us know” that her boyfriend was coming with her. He was not listed on the account and we specifically mention that we do not allow anyone but the sitter during the sit in our Welcome Guide. She ended up cancelling the sit on us and we had to have our friend who is our backup watch the dogs while we were gone. It was very stressful and we got NO sleep before we took off on our vacation. She tried to say she would still do the sit and have him stay at a hotel nearby but that is also against the rules as the sitter is required to stay at the home to provide pet sitting services. And knowing her boyfriend was going to be staying near meant she was not going to be at the house with our baby most of the time. I would definitely report the sitter so that TH can contact them and remind them of the rules. Sorry you had to go through that…
And she would get all 1s on the review for sure…
I absolutely agree that you should report the sitter for breaking the 3rd party policy. Sitter will get an official warning and if she does it again, she might be removed from the site.