Is your review style changing after blind reviews

[Sandi]

I, too, have had very generous hosts and believe that generosity begets generosity. I AM a cook (trained as a chef in a former life) and have cooked meals for a number of my hosts for their return home as a thanks. I usually leave a thank-you note and sometimes a small gift (or treats for the critters). But this depends on the relationship as well as the length of stay, and I do not feel obligated to do these things. It would be unlikely for me to do any of those things for a three or four day stay.

I did give one host a full, across-the-board rating of 4’s. In my write up, I stated that I wish I could give all fives but that I had been to so many other locations that were so stellar (in terms of the location, the beauty of the area, and immaculate condition of the homes, etc.), that it just did not seem fair to rate that sit as a 5 in comparison to all the rest. (yes, I did say all of that in my write-up).

I, too, was thinking of 3 as average/acceptable, 4 as above average, and 5 as truly exceptional. Since we started the blind reviews in February, this was the first that was not exceptional for me. However, not all of them would have been exceptional to ‘everyone.’

We do all have different personalities and desires, so a ‘chef’s kitchen’ might not add to your excitement of a sit, for me it does! But, again, I try to say that “to me, this was a perfect sit. Two blocks from the beach and a chef’s kitchen…”

For someone else, it might be a sit in the woods; or a penthouse apartment in London or NYC. I DO think it is important to “use our words.”

This is all complicated; but I think explaining what we mean goes a long way, and I hope my host was not insulted by his 4 stars. I meant no insult. It was just not in a great location or an immaculate beautiful home; but it was good enough, clean enough, and it did fill a hole in my schedule. It was a last-minute sit, and he was very kind.

I’m not feeling guilty. I think I was fair to him as well as fair to potential sitters, and I did point out positives in my review.

[Sandi]

And, I wish one of my hosts did not mention the extent to which I went above and beyond; yes, for fear that other hosts might expect that.

[Maggie8K]

I don’t think anyone is saying that reviews shouldn’t offer context for star ratings in theory. But some people have problems with being truthful or accurate in practice, unfortunately. And that contributes to other sitters or hosts being unpleasantly surprised. I think that’s a greater source of trouble than people having varying standards for sits, which is inevitable. By contrast, shying from the truth or pulling punches isn’t inevitable — it’s a choice that various people make.

There’s also a difference between full-time nomads or others who need to stack sits versus other sitters — the former end up compromising at times to fill gaps in their calendars.

For most part-time sitters, that’s not the case. Personally, I’ve never settled on any sits — if any listings or hosts give me pause or doubts, I automatically skip them. I can travel in other ways or stay comfortably at home. That’s the case for many folks.

[pietkuip]

@Sandi

just not in a great location

For me, that does not affect the number of stars, unless it was in a really grubby neighbourhood that was noisy or that felt unsafe for walking a dog in the evening.

I am not even particularly interested in exceptional real estate. (Well, a pool might be nice in summer for some locations.)

[Newpetlover]

@Sandi

It was just not in a great location or an immaculate beautiful home

As @pietkuip said, I don’t consider that in my rating or mention it in the description, I mean the fact that they are not exceptional. I don’t expect exceptional. By definition, exceptional is not common. The location and pictures of the house are in the listing and known to sitters before we apply. I am curious, did you know you were going to give 4 stars before starting the sit?
I do go above and beyond most of the time and always do my best but I think most people do and I would not like to have a 4 star review with the explanation that I am not exceptional. Is there anything I can do to improve? Then, I may not deserve 5 stars.
I do appreciate your honesty and see your point here

@Sandi

I, too, was thinking of 3 as average/acceptable, 4 as above average, and 5 as truly exceptional

But I would like to point out that most rating systems should be based on standards as objectively described as possible. (Sorry, I was a teacher all my working life) You usually rate students according to the degree of achievement in those standards not by comparison with others.

[Sandi]

Good point.

Although I still feel it was fair on my part to give a 4, based on the neighborhood and transportation available. It did list the sit as accessible by public transportation (limited) and had no info about the neighborhood (yes, overflowing trash carts and trash in the gutters; no one – or few – seemed to pick up their dog’s poop.)

I was not really disagreeing with anyone; just stating the one time I did not give a 5-star rating, and my rationale.

Objectivity is a hard one. We could go on and on about what one person sees as ‘objective’ – this sit was okay; fine; I was not looking for, nor wanted an exceptional estate. I guess it met the requirements for me, but someone else might have felt uncomfortable in the neighborhood.

I think this is a reasonable discussion to have, and certainly makes me think more of whether I would ever give a 4-star again (yet I do think my review would be helpful to other sitters). The only thing the host could’ve done is moved his flat

[Maggie8K]

It does not seem fair to rate sits based on say the specialness or richness of the home, because then by default, all cheaper or nondescript homes would be automatically rated poorly vs. say expensive ones.

Instead, I consider: Is the home as described? Is it safe, clean and tidy? Do the appliances work fine?

So for instance, I sat a large, nearly pristine, expensive, waterfront home vs. a very lived-in, small flat that was modest, clean and tidy. Both were as described and the appliances and such worked, though were far apart in quality and price.

If you’d asked me to rate just on each home, I’d give them both five stars, because no one misled me about the living conditions or locations and both were safe. Yes, I might decorate and feel more comfortable in one vs. the other, but I don’t rate based on my taste in decor or neighborhoods. I’m sitting there temporarily, not buying the place, so I keep perspective.

Plus, part of the fun in sitting is to experience how other people live. If I wanted to live as I prefer overall, I’d just stay home.

[Silversitters]

I agree - I don’t consider the 5 stars to be a rating like a hotel rating where 5 stars = gym and swimming pool .
If the listing is accurate that’s five stars for me , I’m not rating the location or what facilities they have.

We have house sat in homes that range from ones with tennis courts and swimming pools and some modest small mid terraced homes . They were clean and comfortable and accurately described in the listing . Hosts at both were hospitable and welcoming . They all got five stars .

We also stayed at a large property in a great location with a hot tub and pool . Kitchen was dirty , living room and guest bedroom was thick with years of dust on the velvet curtains , lamps ( and the vacuum cleaner was broken so no way to clean up ) - we did not give that sit 5 stars .

[Happypets]

I totally agree with @Silversitters, 5 stars for us reflects a home which is clean and tidy on our arrival, where the hosts are hospitable, pets nice to care for, communication prompt and clear and where the sit experience aligns with the listing details. The value of the home, location etc. shouldn’t have any bearing on the star rating, or else all the more prestigious properties will inevitably score better than the more average homes. We’re sitters, not estate agents!

We’re currently on a sit where we’ll need to ding stars on each of the rating categories. This isn’t a good feeling, and we really wish it wasn’t the case, but I keep reminding myself of something @pietkuip once wrote: people who leave things this way for sitters aren’t ‘nice’. I realise that everyone has different perspectives on what constitutes ‘clean’ and ‘hospitable’ and ‘transparent’, but there surely is a baseline which we all understand? The vast majority of our sits illustrate this.

The new system has changed the way we review, but I think we’re still being very lenient on the docking of stars (for example, giving 4 when we’re really thinking 3). Or, we’ll be thinking of 3 stars when we first encounter situations, but as the sit progresses and we become more bonded with the animals and better settled in, and when the cleaning and disappointment is behind us, we’ll then possibly consider it a 4, or just dock stars in the minimum of categories.

[Newpetlover]

@Happypets

The new system has changed the way we review, but I think we’re still being very lenient on the docking of stars

I am glad to read this. I think it will gradually be more useful for both sitters and HOs and, if people want to get 5 stars, they will have to pay more attention to details. It won’t just be the default rating.

[Happypets]

Yesterday, I was shocked to read a sitter’s review which stated she could not give 5 stars to the pet parent because she had previously stayed in some fabulous properties and his flat was in no way comparable. She went on to highlight how the pet parent had picked her up from the station, and had both taken her to and from the station when she had taken a trip for 2 days at the end of the sit. Nevertheless, she docked stars in every category - including hospitality -and awarded 4 stars overall, calling his property ‘clean enough’!

This surely is not the way the new review system is designed to be used! Comparing mansions to flats is just bonkers, and awarding 4 stars in hospitality for someone who has gone over and above, specifically to make things easier for you, is both misguided and cruel!

The pet parent’s review for the sitter was exceptionally glowing.

I felt like applying for this pet parent’s next sit, simply to redress the review balance!

[Gabba]

@Happypets

I felt like applying for this pet parent’s next sit, simply to redress the review balance!

I love that idea!

[elmi4711]

It just shows you what expectations of many sitters are - they are here for the mansions, not for the pets. I find that a problem, because my focus is on finding temporary parents for my cats.

[Gabba]

no that’s not the case really @elmi4711 , for some maybe but not for all. I’ve house sat all sorts; flats, small homes, big homes and very rich huge homes. I love experiencing an eclectic array of culture. It’s more about the pets for me anyway but experiencing humanity and their different abodes I find fascinating too.

[Newpetlover]

@Happypets

I felt like applying for this pet parent’s next sit, simply to redress the review balance

Yes, please. Where is the sit so we can search and favorite?

[Newpetlover]

@elmi4711

my focus is on finding temporary parents for my cats.

That should always be the focus. As a sitter, that’s the focus for me, too. I’m not going to accept exploitation or unlivable conditions or anything like that. Being a pet parent, even a person parent still lets people have a life. Not so much with babies

@Gabba

It’s more about the pets for me anyway but experiencing humanity and their different abodes I find fascinating too

So do I, but pets is what makes the difference in this community. There’s home exchange, couch surfing, working holidays and all sorts of other arrangements to keep that human and multicultural impulse alive.

[elmi4711]

I concur completely with you guys - it’s just that I’ve read so many stories now that there seems to be a pattern.

[Maggie8K]

If savvy hosts check out how she writes reviews for hosts, then karma.

[pietkuip]

It is a bit what is emphasized in many publicity stories about THS: extended stays at upscale real estate in exotic destinations while the only responsibility is to feed a tortoise.

I don’t care, I am fine in very average real estate.

[dani_p]

i don’t leve reviews anymore as I left a short good review with 5 stars and the HO failed to leave a review … their pets behaviour were not as described … i.e. they pooped up the house repeatedly and this was not the first time the pets did this … THS is no help and I got no review for my troubles … make sure you understand that you are expected to sit in the house all day with anxious rescue mutts and do not sight-see … just watch TV … THS no thanks