My first thought after reading the email was: Hey, is this a joke for April fools day?
But that would be very very early…..
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Yes, many of my sitters through TH have actually asked me how much I want to be paid and then, of course, I am honest, and say it doesn’t work like this. I will now seek paid sits on other platforms. TH is making a big boob here. How to p*** off everyone.
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I’m so disappointed 
I think THS is losing its essence.
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I am now expected to pay for doing a sit is what you are essentially expecting. The membership fee is intended to connect an owner with a sitter, and now I am expected to pay for the privilege of caring for someone else’s home and animals. I am getting absolutely nothing for the extra fee you want me to pay. There is currently no support from THS, and no indication of any services will be provided once the fee is paid. This will no longer be a viable option for me, if I look at the number of sits I’ve done over the past 12 months, and I wanted to repeat that the booking fee ends up costing more than the membership fee. The Premium membership fee is not an option as I don’t see any value for money using it. Perhaps if I were a dog owner, it might be worth my while. What a huge disappointment. Well, I will definitely not be renewing if this booking fee comes into effect.
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I have the double subscription and I’m leaving THS mainly as a home owner.
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I know of a couple of HO’s who go off site with sitters they’ve used on the platform, they just keep in touch with them if they’re local enough and off they go.
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I just got the email and like many I am not happy. I am a realistic person. I understand companies need money to run. I also know most changes will be met with some resistance. However, I think there are legitimate concerns about requiring booking fees. I am a sitter, not a HO. But I am a FT sitter and meet a lot of the demand that exists in my city. It is a hot listing market. There are more sits than sitters most of the time. For a HO that needs a sitter once or twice a year or once for an annual long trip a booking fee will impact them very minimally. For me, who books year round, the company is making more money off of me, as the person who is providing the service. That doesn’t make sense to me. I am the one doing the “work” and now I am paying an increasing membership fee and a booking fee for every sit? This will not be good for sitters. When that is affected what will keep HOs choosing this site when, even though it’s cheeper than boarding or the sites where they pay the sitter, they can’t find sitters?
I have booked 9 sits since I renewed this last time. With a booking fee of $12 per sit that is already $108 additional to my membership fee. And the last 3 months of my membership cycle is not booked yet. Just to give people an idea of what this will look like for sitters that fall into my category.
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@Jenny What happens if you need to change the dates of a confirmed sit? Do both parties then have to pay twice to confirm the change? Or does the platform handle that scenario without getting into refunds?
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worst news. I sit full time and with over 60sits, i am seriously considering quitting 
gutted
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Like…I’m actually fully disgusted by TH and their behaviour….
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Sorry to hear that. Are you leaving because of the fee instroduction?
I’m a host aka Pet Parent. I too am OUTRAGED for the many reasons cited. This is onerous and unfair for both Sitters and Pet Parents – it is simple greed. As a result, both sitters and Pet Parents will cancel their memberships – it’s happening in real time, right now. THS is certainly expecting some cancellations but by implementing “booking fees”, they may have killed the goose that laid the golden egg.
We’ve been very guarded in our opinion about THS for several years and have refused to endorse them – but that’s for another thread. Thankfully, we have other choices. My husband and I will be actively investigating non-THS options, starting today and will be cancelling our auto-renewal. THS greed is hurting BOTH sitters and Pet Parents.
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Of course!
I was already thinking about leaving when the price changed.
Now if they don’t change their mind I’m sure I will do.
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I totally agree; this new policy will surely have a detrimental impact on short, ‘bridging’ sits, or those in less popular areas.
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I’m a pet parent leaving the site, the fee is just ridiculous. I’ll be giving my money to local sitters rather than this greedy corporation. I am sad that my listing won’t be available to sitters. I have had such a wonderful experience up until today.
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L OL
“Why are we making this change ? “
So that we can make more money while you (petwoners and sitters) continue to deal with our many REAL shortcomings many of which are easy fixes and have gone unattended for years.
At least be honest with your profit making excuses !
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Turned off automatic renewal. Goodbye THS
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Maybe I have misunderstood THS, but I think you’re in a good position, the change doesn’t affect you until one years time, you don’t have any additional costs until next Dec.
Fortunately I’ve got a lot of years free from referrals, so I don’t have the additional booking fee’s either until a very long time in the future. But in my scenario I was thinking of upgrading anyway.
I’ve enjoyed the last eight years as a sitter with TH but sorry this is not the right way to run a business.
I shall not be renewing my membership.
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No offense to you , adelia, but it is very telling that THS has marked this as a “solution” !
I posit that any solution in THS’ eyes is one that doesn’t question their continued “More money + no attention to real problems = Solution ! “ equation.
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