Messages not going through?

I’m new to THS and have several sits lined up. Most HO are very quick to respond to questions but I have one “confirmed sit” where my questions are not going through and the listing is not looking the same as my other sits. Is it possible that the HO has left THS without letting me know? He also has roommates in the house and I’m less comfortable about that than I was when I took the sit. I live locally so I’m trying to ask him if I can bring his pet to my house during the evenings so I can sleep more comfortably. Any suggestions on how to proceed?

In what way is the listing not looking the same as others? Usually, if a home owner has left THS, it will say ‘former member’, so it would be interesting to know what you see when you view the ad.

Also, I’m sure you are probably aware that no other parties should be present in the property during a sit. Will the roommates be staying in the same house as you? If so, this is absolutely not allowed under THS T&Cs as it could make the sitter incredibly vulnerable to be in a home where strangers are present. I suspect what may have happened is that the listing has been removed for breaching the third party rule. Looking after his pet in your house is also not a viable solution, as the listing will cover his property, not yours.

It sounds as if the sit won’t be going ahead one way or another, but it might be worth reaching out to THS customer services for clarification.

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@Pamma_sits Trusted House Sitters is about mutual exchange - I don’t see what will you be getting out of this exchange -the hosts will get free pet care and you don’t get anything in return - no accommodation because you are suggesting that you take the pet to your own home ?

You can contact member services via live chat :speech_balloon: ask to speak to a human .

As @anon6309382 has already commented having roommates living in the home during a sit is not permitted on THS.

“In line with our sitter and pet parent guidelines, and to ensure the security and privacy of all members, pets and homes, we do not allow other people on the property whilst a sit is ongoing. Once a sitter has begun their sit, we require that the pet parent(s) have vacated the property for the entirety of the stay and no other individuals (apart from the confirmed sitters) are present during the sit. ”

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I would contact MS about cancelling the sit. Having a roommate in the house is a violation of the terms of the site and is not allowed.

As someone else mentioned above, this site is about mutual benefit of the exchange. For sitters, that benefit comes in the form of a place to stay and creatures to cuddle. If you’re staying in your own home and bringing the pet there, all you’re doing is providing free labor with no benefit and therefore no equal exchange.

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All, thanks so much for the insight and advice! I initially took the sit because it was in the same town that I live in and was building my reviews on THS. The info about the roommates seemed strange and made me more uncomfortable over time–I should have recognized that it wasn’t in line with the rules immediately.

As for the app, his still shows as one of my sits but his profile picture is not there anymore. My messages will not go through and when I click to go to the listing, the THS heart just circulates like it’s timing out.

I’m going to report his sit as not being in line with the rules and cancel.

Thanks again, Pam

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If the host is no longer an active member - THS should have advised you about this andlet you know that the sit has been cancelled . But yes report it and please let us know the outcome .

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The listing might look different if you access it via pc and not the app. Maybe that could help figuring it out.

As only host can normally cancel a confirmed sit you would need to ask member services to do it for you, as the sit is in breach of terms. You will also need to get the sit cancelled to be able to apply for sits on the same dates.

I do understand the wish to get reviews, and to get out of the way perhaps getting local sits, short sits or similar that would otherwise not be on top of ones list. But don’t accept sits you wouldn’t otherwise accept that are in breach of terms, put you in an uncomfortable situation regarding feeling of safety etc.

Best of luck and safe travels!

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@Pamma_sits, welcome to THS Community. Presence of roommates would be a dealbreaker for us. Non starter.

Not quite sure what you mean. Pet Parents place varying effort into listings, and arguably have varying expectations of housesitters. Listing being different from other listings is ok. Listing being significantly different to when you accepted sit is quite different situation.

Lack of communication is a problem. There may be wholly genuine reasons - we all can get busy. But after a reasonable period of non-communication then we’d become increasingly concerned - especially if there are some aspects of the housesit that are not yet fully disclosed/agreed.

Be careful. Your comments contain multiple potential red flags.

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Hi @Pamma_sits :heart:

I see the phrase “trust your gut” on this Forum a lot, and I think that applies here, I’m glad you’ve decided against the sit and that you’re going to report it to Membership Services.

If you can, let us know when you hear back from Membership Services, and best of luck for your next sit.

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An update: I contacted THS support via email. They’ve taken down the sit because of third party concerns but they recommend that I reach out to the HO to cancel via his phone number. It seems really strange to have to do this outside of THS. Has anyone run into this? I’m on my first sit now elsewhere and everything is wonderful, but THS’s advice and recommendations have me concerned for the future. If I cancel, will the concerning HO with the third party issues have the ability to write me a review?

Edited to remove personal correspondence as per the Community Rules

If a sit doesn’t start, no one can write a review about it.

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@Pamma_sits did Member Services (MS) give any explanation of why the messages you are sending aren’t going through on the THS platform ?

Seems to me that lMS should be contacting the host to tell them that third parties are not permitted and that is why the sit has been cancelled .

Go back to MS ( via live chat - ask to speak to a human )or via the Urgent Support Line ( 24/6 phone line ) and say that THS need to notify the member that sit is cancelled because they are breaking the THS T &Cs .

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After more screenshots and messages with THS, they reopened the listing so that I could communicate with the HO. I sent the attached. I’ll give it some time and cancel. With the listing reopened, I was also able to get screenshots of him mentioning the roommates.

Personal correspondence removed as per the Terms of Service

@Pamma_sits a sitter can’t cancel a sit you have to get MS to do it .

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