Oh definitely. THS even contacted the bank directly themselves. I have no idea why it is happening but it seems to be an issue for a small number of members. This week, THS has set up a PayPal account so they are able to deal with these issues if they happen in the future. In theory, I am supposed to get my money tomorrow. I’ll let you know.
An update: The money was deposited into our bank account this week. THS set up a PayPal account and sent an e-check. It took awhile to clear but we have the money now.
My guess is that this will be a relatively quick solution for others in the future if there is an issue in depositing money between banks/countries.
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Thanks for letting us know @Kelownagurl.
Through work my husband is often paid with International Bank Transfer. Apparently there is an extra # in the coding that must be included for it to arrive in Canada. It took me a few calls to my bank to get that information (not everyone working at the bank seemed familiar with this concept) and then I sent it to our payor and the funds arrive now with no issue. I’m guessing that the Insurance Co. do not have your complete bank info to get the $ to you.
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I LOVE THS, buuuuut…
As a premium sitter using THS to travel Australia, I’ve had to rearrange plans four times due to hosts cancelling for various reasons.
Now, a host scheduled near Sydney, Australia for this coming week has cancelled, and I’m reaching out to THS for help with sit cancellation insurance.
I have:
- Reached out within 24h of the cancellation, via email AND chat.
- Screenshotted that there are NO other sits available in this area, with a 100 mile radius.
- Have found cheap Air BNB accommodation within 20 miles of the sit.
Is there anything else I should prepare? Has anyone had any luck with reimbursement?
I’ll update this post with my experience as we go through this process, as a resource for other sitters and hosts.
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@rykanyth I would be interested to know the update on this . Was your claim paid and how long did it take ?
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TLDR: They reimbursed me, but there’s a reason this post is so long.
Update, May 10th: (morning) I’ve sent two emails to THS asking how to begin the process, after getting a note from a rep telling me to go ahead and submit a claim. No reply yet.
Update, May 10th: (evening) Took initiative after no replies. Chatted with support online, and was instructed to send receipts, proof, and screenshots to THS’s support email address.
Update, May 14th: After no replies, confirmation of receipt, total radio silence, I messaged THS help on chat. Explained the situation (again) and the agent said she’d look into it and send me an email.
Update, May 15th:
Received a reply: Agent told me that my claim hadn’t yet been forwarded to their insurance team yet.
Update, May 17th:
Agent confirmed that the claim had now been submitted to the insurance partners, and that they’d be in touch as soon as they heard back. Suggested wait time was within 30 days.
Update, May 20th:
Another email, confirming that the information had been passed forward to the correct people.
…
I started feeling pretty positive here- It sounded like things were on the right track.
So, I waited…
And waited…
And after waiting for over three more weeks, sent another note, asking for an update.
I received a reply on…
Update, June 14th:
I pinged, asking for an update, and received a reply. The agent said they had requested an update from their insurance partners, promised a reply the following day, and that there were still a few days left in that 30 day period. They mentioned that I’d be able to submit my banking details in a secure online form.
Update, June 17th:
An agent confirmed that the payment was ready to send, and asked me to put my banking details into a secure online form: Aka, a Google Form.
I replied with my confirmation that the task was completed. An agent responded within a day, saying I should be able to expect the payment within 7-10 days.
And… I waited.
And waited.
Update, June 28th:
I messaged, asking for news, as I hadn’t heard a peep.
THS help responded on June 29th, citing a high volume of emails (not the first time that had been mentioned.) They stated they’d requested another update from their finance department, and that I SHOULD have an update within 7-10 days.
sigh
Update, July 4th:
THS help sent a note, confirming that the payment had been sent.
Update, July 6th:
PAYMENT SHOWED AS PENDING IN BANK ACCOUNT.
Conclusion: Yes, they will uphold their word, IF you follow every single one of their conditions, and submit proof that you did. Read the agreement carefully, and make a list of everything you’ve done to prove your claim. Submit all of the proof that you can.
Don’t give up on advocating for yourself, and make sure your voice is heard- Ask for someone else if you’re having a hard time getting a conclusive result with one rep.
And most importantly, be kind. There’s always a human being with feelings on the other end- Treat them as you’d like to be treated.
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There’s now a $100 deductible. 
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Hi rykanyth. Thanks for providing this timeline. I submitted a claim about a week ago, so at least I know what to expect. So far the process is going exactly how you described. I had 2 chats to try and get information and find out where to submit everything. After I submitted I didn’t get any acknowledgement at all. I emailed again a few days later requesting confirmation that they received my documents. Six days after submitting documents I received an email saying the claim had been sent to the insurance company. I made sure I followed every requirement exactly. I expected this would be a more straightforward and much more timely process. It really shouldn’t take two months to get reimbursed.
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When I read all these complications with making an insurance claim it reinforces our thought that there is no need for us to upgrade- our basic membership plan has served us very well over the last 5 years! So far no cancelations on either side after 72 sits! As it should be! 
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Just adding an update on my insurance claim.
At this point it’s been over six weeks since I submitted all the required documentation. After submitting the documents I didn’t get any response, so I sent another email a few days later asking for confirmation that they received the documents. They said yes and they were being reviewed and would be sent to their insurance partner.
I waited a week and the sent another email requesting a status update. They again said my documents were being reviewed and would be sent to the insurance partner. A few days later (2 weeks after submitting the documentation) I received an email that everything had been submitted to the insurance and that they had 30 days to review.
It’s been 30 days since my claim was sent to the insurance partner and I haven’t heard anything yet. I sent another email yesterday asking for a status report.
I really don’t understand why this process takes so long. I will continue to update.
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@systaran thank you for the update - from the information available on the forum - excessive delays in the process do seem to be the pattern with THS insurance claims - but usually they do appear to result in a pay out - eventually .
Please do continue to keep the forum updated .
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It’s a crazy system @systaran. I had a hire car claim in the UK last year that was resolved and paid in full within 10 days of submission of documents. Timing should be similar for your hotel claim. Insurance companies are known to refute all claims 3 times as standard practice (two broker friends have told me this so not hearsay) in order to enable a greater fall out rate that helps their risk/cost analysis. Maybe delaying a claim for a painfully long time is a similar tactic…
I just had a cancellation last night for a sit that was supposed to start 15 days from today. It was perfectly timed and located sit between two other sits that I am committed to through Trusted Housesitters (I am traveling directly between the sits).
Because the cancellation was 36 hours or so more than 14 days from the start of the sit, I was denied receiving any compensation from Cancellation Insurance via the support chat. There are also no other available sits in that metropolitan area that are an appropriate fit, so I’m now figuring out what to do between these two other stays, especially as I have made additional commitments in that area.
I would have been willing to be flexible (e.g. just accept a compensated hotel stay for a portion of it) but there didn’t seem to be any flexibility even when my situation – my commitment to two other Trusted Housesitters stays – was considered. Frankly, part of me wants to now cancel my upcoming stay because the only reason I committed to it was because it was half way to the next one that just cancelled. I won’t cancel it though, because I don’t want to put anyone through the reciprocal hardship.
While this is very frustrating for me, I am sharing because if you’re a host who is considering cancelling and it’s 15 or 16 days out, be mindful about when you firm up your decision as the Cancellation Insurance kicks in for sitters at 14 days out.
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@s4xton sorry to hear of your predicament.
Did the hosts reason for cancelling meet the criteria of extraordinarily and unavoidable circumstances? Hosts should only cancel for these reasons and if not then it breaches the THS code of conduct - and you should inform member services who may get involved and inform the hosts that they should not be cancelling.
@Silversitters your point is valid. They were not specific about the reason but expressed the gravity of the situation they were dealing with. My interactions with them thus far have been positive and I have no reason to not trust them, and do not feel the need to pressure them to specifics.
Either way, it unfortunately doesn’t change that they expressed cancelling right at the edge where Cancellation Insurance is not active.
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Still waiting to hear about my insurance claim since it’s been longer than the timeline they gave me. They still have not responded to the email I sent 5 days ago requesting an update.
Just an update, excess fees are now $100, we just had that now (August 2023).
We got our sit cancelled on short notice and covered by THS. We were very lost and couldn’t find some information regarding the claiming, so I hope it helps:
-
a refund is only possible if you are Premium
-
it takes long to get the money back (in our case around 3months)
-
there’s a $100 fee (it will be deducted from the money they send you back)
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Read the THS terms and conditions super carefully before booking anything (limitations regarding the accomodation: price, dates and distance from the sit)
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@aida thanks for sharing. It doesn’t sound worth it for my personal situation.
I have premium but may not continue with it. There are other things I can do to minimize unexpected cost.
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