You read the reviews. If the review says, “X really went above and beyond for us when we needed help with a minor emergency; she cheerfully agreed to help in a way that ate into her own time and convenience.” Or “I always love having X as a sitter because I know I’ll always come home to a house that looks like the cleaning team just left, happy pets, and often a plate of cookies”. A sitter shouldn’t get an overall 3 star because they only did what is typically expected of a sitter.
You look at the drop-down reviews. You might see that the 5-star overall review has a 4-star for communication. In the review, it’s explained as “X was a little slow responding to requests for updates.” (But, ah! You can also then go to that sitter’s review of the HO, and you might see the sitter has advised prospective applicants that “Y liked seeing photos of all four pets at least three times a day.” )
I would not hesitate to choose a sitter with multiple 4 stars reviews (even 3 stars) if context is provided. Something that is a problem for someone may not be a problem for someone else. It’s all about expectations and how they are met. But to make appropriate choices we need information. For me just a bunch of 5 stars with no information doesn’t tell me as much as 3 or 4 stars with context.
How I review hasn’t changed, but the sits I apply for has definitely changed. If I see a home that looks a little messy or cluttered in certain areas, I am waaaay less likely to apply because I need to review a place on cleanliness nowadays and I don’t want to mark anyone down and potentially make them feel potentially awkward or sad, especially when I can clearly see there’s a high chance of having to do so. I still don’t mind the ‘lived-in’ look, but not cluttered, just in case.
Which proofs categories are important.
I have really been caught off guard by your explanation. When I started reading
I thought “exactly” but the reason I don’t apply for those sits is because I’m more experienced now and chances are the place is not clean, not because of the lived in aspect (which I don’t mind) but because if the picture is the best they could get, the usual state of the house is much worse or owners are too careless for my standards. But when I got to
Is not something that just happens to me and it’s probably more common than I thought. That’s why I started the thread, to see what the state of affairs is. I agree with @Val that
But I also see @gchampagne’s point, right now, if the default is 5 stars, we don’t get much information with the ratings and although it is true that we can and should fine tune the ratings with written factual information it is also true that it is very difficult and risky to read what it’s not there. Not mentioning cleanliness or hospitality shouldn’t mean that the house is not clean or that the sitter did not feel welcome.
I do think we should (and we probably are, according to the posts here) tend to a more discerning, discriminating general rating system. But before I start using it I would really like to make sure that the way I am using it is the way it is generally understood. And I am not only referring to the reviews I write but also to the way I should interpret other reviews correctly.
If that is what you expect of a home owner, absolutely. But you have to explain that along with the 4 stars. That way another sitter who expects the same things from a home owner can make an informed decision. Good information is the way to build trust.
I think any sitter who does that — rate as you suggest, by dinging hosts on stars for not going above and beyond — would easily be dismissed by hosts as unreasonable. That’s an example of why the rating system you suggested wouldn’t work. Logically, I’d never do that.
I think that would be unfair and going far beyond the typical grading systems. Say for example school grades, A student gets an A, 10/10 or even 100/100 when all requirements are fulfilled, you can get 99/100 if a tiny detail was not perfect but not because the teacher fancies pink color paper instead of white. Deductions should correspond with “requirements” not fulfilled, not “expectations” not fulfilled.
It would only be confusing and would not help anyone to deduct a start for not being picked up at the airport unless that was agreed and the sitter was left waiting with no explanation or apology.
I noticed a review on a home I sat in where the sitter had given the host four stars for hospitality and four for pet behaviour. The cats were perfect for me, so not sure why the next sitter dropped a star there. Hospitality, well they didn’t leave me a bottle of wine or a card of thanks etc, so I doubt they did her, so maybe thats why she dropped a star there.
I wish it was just words of type personally and not a scoring system.
OMG! I have so many questions and comments. I am a new sitter to THS. First of all I don’t know how you guys know all this stuff about the app. How do you know that it is now a blind review system? Do you get some kind of email or notification that there is a change and what it is? Please advise how it works. I have also seen threads about the 5 application rule. After seeing that, I scoured the site to see what the “rule” was. It is not defined or explained on the site under how it works or the policies. I have learned on my own but again how do you come to find this stuff out?
How do people see a pattern of bad reviews given? I don’t know how to find this stuff! How can you tell a HO doesn’t give reviews?
I agree with several folks that 5 stars should only be for the above and beyond or perfect situation. If everything was good I would probably give a 4. Why always give 5’s? What is the point then? If you do that all the time then how would one differentiate what is really an outstanding sit vs average or above average?
I also agree that perhaps the star system should not be used at all and just comments since different people interpret/apply the stars differently.
And retaliation?! OMG, this should not be permitted. Reviews need to be HONEST. For potential sitters and HO alike.
Giving 5 stars without comments is not helpful either.
And really? As a sitter I am supposed to welcome home the owners with a plate of fresh baked cookies? That is ridiculous! That has nothing to do with house or pet sitting. I really hope that is not the norm for sitters to do?
How common is it for a HO to pick you up at the airport? And really, we shouldn’t mention when they go the extra mile because then they will have to do it every time? That is a catch 22.
Thanks in advance. Really curious to see responses.
I am not saying that people should deduct stars for not going above and beyond. I’m saying that if they do deduct stars for that reason (or any reason) it should be justified in the comments. The same goes for any 5 stars rating. A 5 stars rating for a person with very high expectations is not at all the same as a 5 stars rating for a person with very low expectations. Hence, just giving 5 stars can mean a whole range of things.
I agree that comments should specify why the star rating, whatever it might be. But “more” = above and beyond to get five stars introduces needless pressure for hosts and sitters.
No one should be >expected< to go above and beyond.
To me, five stars should just mean you fulfilled all the baseline requirements. Like on a test, you get 100 percent if you answered everything correctly. Anything else is extra credit. And again, it’s easy to mention above and beyond in comments, as other folks have noted on this thread.
I totally understand why the rating system is there, because from what I have heard on here there are some terribly unclean places, but in 30 sits we haven’t experienced that problem, but I do think it’s good to have a different sort of review system.
I just hate the thought of potentially having to offend or sadden an 80+ year old HO or someone with mobility or health problems because I have to mark them on cleanliness, instead of the way it used to be whereby those things didn’t matter as we used to write a review the way we saw it.
So with the homes we already return to, all of those are fine, but when looking for new sits we are just more selective because I would hate to make someone feel bad, when I could see there was more than the normal amount of knick knacks on show, or whereby I knew the scenario could mean I would potentially have to mark them down a point or two.
You are so nice! That filled your cup! All of you enjoyed the food (I hope).
Sometimes Owners are so nice and generous, it just feels like the right thing to do (supply food), especially if you know the Owners just spent 18 hours traveling to get home, and are probably jet-lagged and hungry.
I’m nice, because I don’t cook anyone anything — save them a terrible experience, since I don’t cook, LOL.
Depending on when hosts return and from where, I ask whether they’d like for me to order them a meal and/or grocery items. Or sometimes I offer to take them out.
A pair of hosts in London had me over for lunch the day before they left (I didn’t stay over before my sit, because their place was small) and they invited me to a thank-you dinner after their return, while I was staying at a hotel, doing sightseeing. Lots of kind people.
