They’re getting the subscription on the same terms. The new charge doesn’t apply during their current subscriptions.
What a delightfully delicious figure of speech! Yes, greed is good… and hungry too. Perhaps building fat for hibernation 
Can someone explain what a legacy member is?
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I enquired with Support about this sudden introduction of booking fees and they came back saying that this is to help TrustedHousesitters to cover the costs of running the platform and to ensure it remains safe, secure, and reliable for both sitters and owners. It allows them to continue providing support and maintaining a trusted experience for everyone in the community.
We know that changes like this can be frustrating, especially for members who have supported THS for a long time.
As a reminder, the booking fee will only apply after the next renewal, giving the option to continue or cancel before it comes into effect.
They already get at least £99 per member per year. How much more do they need?!
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This is very discouraging to hear, and mine already goes into effect in about a month - while many others have months for this extra fee to kick in. I’m a full-time sitter here for the last 3 years. Because your system does not allow overlap dates at the end of a sit, it’s impossible for me to line up consecutive sits which requires me to find stays outside of THS (and my expense). I’m also already paying other expenses like gas and supplies. If you now are charging me for every sit booked here for the same services I’ve already paid for with my subscription, I will have to consider not using this platform as often. I’ve spoken to some homeowners and other sitters since getting this email notice yesterday and many will be leaving the service. Since there is no new service or protection offered, then it’s just a price increase. The per-sit pricing structure, though, is what is truly disturbing and disruptive to my ability to keep multiple sits booked here. What a turn this is to a service I’ve consistently complmented and made many referrals to!
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And you believed what you were told? Where are any of many improvements requested? Support is woeful to non-existent.
How about this explanation, as investors we have a duty to our shareholders to maximise profit, even at the expense of members. They don’t mind and we don’t matter.
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That’s at least something, couldn’t imagine it being anything other than unlawful if it weren’t the case.
So, they have stated, guaranteed somewhere, that the new T&Cs and fees apply only if renewing a subscription, and not to the current one?
Must be some sort of goat, a legend, the mythical super badge members 
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There is nothing specific about this, nothing that we can definitively say our additional pennies go towards. The answer you received is just a vague re-hash of the original communication. As someone above quite rightly said, it is the home owners and sitters that ensure sits are safe, secure and reliable, THS does very little to contribute to this and haven’t proposed any concrete changes that will change users experience of this platform in any discernible way.
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What shocking and disappointing news. £9/sit, £18 total per sit is extortionate. Doesn’t make sense for short sits.
You are making your members very unhappy.
As soon as I find a decent rival petsitting site, I will be moving.
shameful money grabbing move with zero respect for members.
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Absolutely ridiculous and greedy - we pay enough in annual fees. It will be goodbye from me when my membership comes up for renewal.
If others that have experience of other house sitting sites where they do not charge for each sit please let me know.
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Like so many of the responses you’ve had to this news, I am left feeling disappointed and a sense of loss. I accept that this is no longer a shared community based service, but a corporate entity. However naive, I guess I expected that the sense of community and mutual help would be maintained. At the moment, after 12 years, I don’t want to use this service again. I will, because of the wonderful people I have met, but not because of improved services. Calling us a ‘global community’ or that ‘ we are at the heart of everything you do’ is at the very least disingenuous. You have not even explained what improved services it will support. The idea that $8.50 will ‘encourage commitment’ is kind of silly and patronizing. Clearly, you want more money. I don’t understand why this isn’t done as an increase to our annual fees, it would be simpler.
I have had wonderful sitters, and I hope that will continue, but I feel no loyalty to the company as I once did.
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May I add my voice to all those of you who have expressed their disappointment (to put it mildly) at the introduction of booking fees.
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Amazing guys! THANKS!
As always, excellent intervention, as expected, the lowest blow would be the ethical and moral one, for the pillars and example to follow of THS as you both are.
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hi Colin and Karyo - thanks for posting this video and I will watch your youtube channel after I work out how to sign in over there 
I have been following this thread the past 24 hours and was looking forward to your comments on this new development 
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I am shocked and annoyed by the management decision to charge for sits both ways. Myself and my partner Sal have been with TH since 2022 and we have had a number of lovely sits and one rather troublesome one through no fault of our own (and yes you guessed it TH did not help). The whole premise behind TH should be free as it is fair and transparent. As soon as money is involved it becomes a service and there is the agenda of value for that service and it may or may not bring out the best of human behaviour. There will always be the element of this for that and it can put unnecessary pressure on the sitters and the hosts. We won’t be renewing our basic membership, although annoyingly we renewed only a few weeks ago. Let’s hope they either see sense or an alternative operator steps in with the same original premise that TH are ready to give up.
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It’s in the T&Cs. In the first part of the new section:
8. BOOKING FEE
8.1. As part of the Membership Fee, certain types of memberships require Members to pay a Booking Fee for each Booking. This is made clear in the pricing section of the Platform or as may otherwise be notified to Members at the time of joining or renewing their membership. Existing Members (at the time of introduction of the Booking Fee) will not be required to pay a Booking Fee until they renew their membership, at which time payment of a Booking Fee may apply depending on their membership type.
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@TheEnglishFlaneur @anon7296562 Of course not 
I was just forwarding the response to share.
By the way, I was told that the booking fee will only apply after my next renewal.
In the email about the introduction of the fee it said that because I have a premium membership I don’t have to pay for it and in the email they say that it will apply after my next renewal.
This Support team… they never get something right 
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