I wanted to share a disappointment and also ask for advice from more experienced sitters. I recently applied for a sit I was really excited about and was declined. The host explained that my reviews gave her mixed signals. I currently have 11 reviews total — 9 are very positive, one is 3 stars, and one is more critical. I try to be a responsible and respectful sitter, and in situations where there was criticism, I genuinely felt it didn’t reflect the overall condition I left the home (I had photos and videos showing everything was clean and tidy). Still, I understand hosts will read reviews differently and make choices based on their comfort level. I’m finding it discouraging because even one or two less-than-perfect reviews seem to outweigh many positive ones, and I’m wondering how other sitters handle this.
Have any of you successfully addressed mixed reviews in your profile or applications? Is there a good way to reassure hosts without sounding defensive?
I’d really appreciate any constructive advice or perspective.
Were the two reviews fair or unfair, did you reply to those reviews fairly? The current HO has given you useful feedback. You’ll need to get in front of this by addressing those 2 reviews in your profile and or application until they get left behind by other 5* reviews. I’d do a few short local sits to push those reviews further away. Up your game.
Thanks for taking the time to respond — I appreciate the perspective. While I didn’t agree with those two reviews, I made sure to reply to them calmly and respectfully, acknowledging the concerns raised. I’ve also taken onboard what I could learn from the experience and am focused on continuing to build strong, positive reviews going forward.
I appreciate the suggestion about doing a few shorter local sits — that’s something I’m considering.
I am sure it can feel frustrating and disheartening to think a couple of unfair reviews is affecting your ability to get sits. A couple of things I would say….
Yes it is probably true that some hosts would favor sitters with no negative reviews…inviting strangers into their home is a big deal and I think a lot of sitters fail to recognize that, so some may choose to steer clear of anything that stoked that anxiety. Sometimes that may lead to inaccurate assessments and assumptions about a particular sitter but that is just how it will go sometimes. Luckily there are lots of sits from which to choose.
But I also know from being on this forum that there are plenty of sitters who are able to secure sits after receiving one or more bad reviews. This means that not all hosts feel the way this one happens to feel.
I recall once seeing a sitter with a 4 star average that had dozens of reviews, which means she had received numerous less-than-perfect ratings and some of the reviews were pretty negative. She seemed to be doing fine.
At least for now, you will just have to keep plugging along knowing that you may receive more rejections. I have never had a negative review so I can’t say for sure whether it is something I would broach right away in the initial application message. If I did, I wouldn’t go into too much detail, I might just briefly touch on the reviews saying that I know they may raise some concern and would be happy to discuss in more detail if they were interested in speaking with me.
Applying for less competitive sits, last minute sits, local sits where you might make the offer to meet in person prior is a good bet for racking up more positive reviews to make those seem less significant and more of an outlier.
If you live within reasonable distance of some listings that have zero or few applicants in the near future, if you can I would apply to those whose hosts are getting more desperate. Not everyone has that kind of flexibility for sits, but even a few weekend sits nearby could give you more 5-star sits. It’s possible the HOs who marked you down were unusually picky, but you can’t do anything about that now. Also, if I were you I’d make sure to get clear instructions of what is expected of you before leaving your next sit. After seeing what HOs might complain about, sometimes it feels like we sitters are damned if we do and damned if we don’t - so I ask specifically what they’d like me to do with my linens (no one has asked me to launder them, thankfully! But they usually ask that I strip the bed and tell me where to leave the dirty towels and sheets), whether they are okay with some dishes left in the dishwasher, and what they expect as far as other cleaning. I’ve been fortunate in that only one HO so far asked me to vacuum the common rooms. I always let them know I will disinfect the bathroom sink and tub. I thoroughly clean the kitchen sink and wipe down the counters. And of course I sweep up as needed and pick up any messes I’ve made. I have gotten 5 stars for cleanliness on all 15+ sits I’ve done, but I know part of that is somewhat luck because we all have varying standards of cleanliness. Anyway, if you do a few sits, even as short as weekends, and wow the HOs with your thoroughness in all areas, pretty soon those lower ratings will be drowned out. And I think you’ve shown great respect and willingness to learn, which I would hope all HOs would appreciate. Best of luck, and try not to feel discouraged! Oh, one more thing - in the sitter reviews of HOs you’re considering, I would try to select descriptions of the HOs as “easygoing”, “chill,” “relaxed” and such!
Hi @Denisa If it’s any consolation, even experienced sitters with all good reviews don’t get accepted for every sit they apply for. It can be really disappointing, and frustrating, especially if you feel as though you’d be a good fit for the sit. But ultimately, the home owner is trusting a stranger with not only their property, but also with their beloved pets, and they need to choose someone who they feel comfortable with. Don’t let it get you down, just move on, and you will find a sit where someone will really appreciate your being there.
@Denisa, sorry to hear of your disappointment. There seems a few topics here.
First, excitement - fabulous to hear that, after 11 sits, you were really excited about a listing. Suggests that you are enjoying the experience.
Second, declines - an unavoidable part of any matchmaking platform. We’ve been declined from plenty of sits. Some we were really excited. Selection criteria and preferences of pet parents and housesitters each includes subjective parts. Ultimately, best-fit for collective needs wins out. Nothing can be done other than moving forwards.
Third, past ratings - negative ratings happen too. Specifics on your two lesser ratings are not stated. Perhaps there are common learnings from the two experiences. There are quite a few THS Forum threads on recovery from poor ratings. Common suggestions are carefully reply to negative rating (no time limit); edit profile text to address any concerns in poor reviews; and to smother past poor ratings with plenty of future positive ratings (find short, local sits and execute positively).
Suggest not dwell on this opportunity. Plenty more out there
We haven’t got any weak reviews, but at the point it happens (which it’s bound to from this forum) I’ll be flooding them very quickly in a sea of excellent ones again by doing multiple short sits to squeeze as many excellent reviews in fast within a short period, and last minute sits too.
I will chime in here to say that we have over 25 reviews that are all glowing 5 star and still get declined for sits we really want! It can be very disheartening but don’t give up.
The advice you’ve been given here to look for local sits and ones with few applications to beef up your profile is the best advice.
As a sitter if a pet owner only had 11 reviews and two were not good reviews I’d be wary as well. It’s understandable. Inviting a perfect stranger into your home to care for your fur babies and your home is very daunting. I am always very humbled that people trust us this much and want to leave their home in absolute perfect condition and I want them to get home feeling like they made the right decision.
