After being on the platform for over a year, I’ve had to give my first 3/5 star review. The kicker was the other categories, didn’t fully capture what earned them the 3/5, so it looks a little contradictory. I feel like I did a decent job sharing enough details to explain the 3/5 review despite 4/5 and 5/5 “micro” star ratings (for reliable, pet care, etc.).
I take reviews very seriously - not just on THS, but for restaurants, businesses, etc. This one was rough for me. I waited until the very last day to see if my mind had changed and to make sure it wasn’t emotionally charged or punitive, but logical, accurate, fair, and respectful of my own values and experience.
Still, it is a harsh reality that people, even great people, let you down and on a platform like this - built on trust and accurate reviews, I couldn’t let them “off the hook” or overlook the situations to spare their feelings.
Am I the only one that feels conflicted with having to give a bad review. I know it’s important - which is why I did it. I am just peeved to be in the position of being so disappointed in an area which isn’t well-captured by THS star rating categories.
I, as a sitter, would be interested to know what categories you marked down and why. As is often discussed on this forum, we all have different expectations. We are there mainly for the animals, and if they have been looked after well, their routine followed etc that is our priority. We should leave a home in the condition found also, we’re not there to do a spring clean free. How did this sitter let you down?
Btw, I am impressed that you gave yourself time before writing your review.
You’re definitely not the only one who feels that conflict.
On a trust-based platform, honest reviews matter — even when they’re uncomfortable to write. It sounds like you handled it thoughtfully by waiting, reflecting, and making sure it wasn’t reactive. That’s about as fair as it gets.
Sometimes the overall experience doesn’t sit neatly inside the star categories, which can make things look contradictory on paper. But the written context is what gives it meaning.
It’s never enjoyable to leave a less-than-glowing review, especially when you respect the other party. But thoughtful honesty helps everyone in the long run.
Well 3/5 is pretty harsh, so if that’s what you believe was deserved than kudos to you for leaving that. Honesty is really best and we can’t give 5 stars to sitters (or HO) if there were material transgressions from discussed expectations.
Everyone should take reviews seriously as it’s the cornerstone of what makes THS work. No review system is perfect but after being a restaurant reviewer and judge for several years I think THS has got the mix pretty good or at least as good as it gets. The rest is up to the user and their communication skills. The fact that you are concerned about your review makes me think you have given it plenty of thought and you should be confident in your stance.
I think THs should implement “everything went right/something to note”, two star system where you lose one star if something went bad, and in the text it is explained why a star is missing.
But as far as I have seen, even several 2 star ratings does not stop a sitter from getting more sits. So it does not seem to be too bad to get bad reviews.
I agree with everything you said. I appreciate honest reviews and it’s clear you gave it a lot of thought. Everything sounds very reasonable.
You’re certainly not
I have been there myself and have also chosen the honest approach. But I haven’t so far faced a situation where I felt that the shortcomings didn’t fit any of the categories. I have more often felt that they could go into more than one.
The only possible “risk” is that your review might be read as asking too much but if you feel fully confident that your expectations were reasonable and the other party agreed to the terms, then it can only help you make better matches in future.
Indeed it is challenging to leave a less-than 5* review (for those who actually do so as sitters’s & HO’s with integrity and respect for the community) .
Your patient, “take a breath, “ objective and logical (working off of your description) appraoch is the very basis of a respectful review.
Two q’s :
Do you believe that previous sitters didn’t leave honest/accurate reviews ?
and
Chiming in with everyone else : Would you please share the details ?
Kudos to you for respecting the review process while standing by your values under difficut circumstances.
