That’s kind of you to say! India is huge, so depending on where you were before, Pune might be completely different. Vietnam and Bangkok sound like lovely places to be in though, so I hope you have a great time there.
Nope, no issues. I had fully intended to leave her a 5 star review (with a few notes about some communication choices that could have been different), and she had sent me a message saying she would also be giving me a 5 star review, but I got really busy and was waiting for THS to send me a reminder email, which somehow didn’t happen. And then the time ran out. I can’t speak as to her reasons of course, but I’m assuming she was waiting for the notification that I had left a review for her? I’m happy to reccomend her as a sitter to anyone considering her application.
Hey @Snowbird I appreciate your feedback. I cover a lot of the details about the cleaner’s schedule in my video chat with prospective sitters, which I always do before offering or accepting anyone. The sitters always have the option to reschedule the cleaner or give her the day off if they want to go out, and all my previous sitter have done so at their convenience. I haven’t had any complaints about her from any of them, and several of them verbally mentioned that she was helpful to them.
I understand that cleanliness is important, and I recognise that many sitters only want 5 star rated listings. For my part, in the pre-conformation video chats, I make it clear that my house is lived-in, with a child, and so it will not be in AirBnB untouched conditions. Nothing is unsafe, unsanitary or unuseable. I haven’t been given specific examples of what is not clean, but I expect that the reactions are too some amount of clutter in some rooms, and to the general dustiness that is common to this part of the country.
Hi @Cathie thanks for the honest feedback. I have tried after each review from a petsitter to edit my listing to make it honest so that there are no surprises. I hope that is a correct policy to follow. I understand that the sit might seem like too much work for some people - that’s totally valid and there are sits I have chosen not to apply for for similar reasons. I’m not sure why you’d consider it an ‘unfair exchange’ though. I’ve seen sits listed in rural locations that require a car which isn’t provided, and need lots more work including taking care of poultry and farm animals. I wouldn’t apply for them, but I certainly don’t think they are unfair, and clearly from the happy reviews people have left them, they do work for some sitters.
Update: When it rains…
So member services responded to me yesterday to say they had cancelled the sitter from their end. They shared the terms and conditions of the compensation policy with me. (It does not feel fair to limit it to dogs and cats when people are listing beloved bunnies, horses and chickens on this website, but anyway.)
But then, I recieved an email from another member services person, stating that my listing had been flagged for review and telling me that because my pets were ‘inherently dangerous’ I had violated the website policy and they were planning to terminate my account.
Given that none of the five previous sitters I’ve had felt a need to complain to the website about my cats, I cannot help but feel that this is a punitive gesture triggered by a public discussion here about my right to compensation as a premium member. For the record, last night as I was editing the listing to mention the available dates, I changed the phrase ‘inter-cat politics’ to ‘inter-cat hostility’ thinking it might be more descriptive. I guess that is what was flagged?
I have responded and asked for the decision to be reversed.
I am curious as to what most members here consider ‘dangerous’. I myself did a petsit where I was clearly told to keep the dog separate from the kitten because it would chase it, and to keep both cats and dog away from the chickens, which was absolutely no problem at all and I did it. We exchanged 5 star reviews afterwards and I wouldn’t dream of flagging the sit because the dog was inherently dangerous. I presume the many free-ranging cats listed on the website sits hunt and kill birds, and sometimes get into territorial fights with other cats. Coming from a background of animal rescue and rehab, it seems very odd to me to describe any animal that has ever reacted aggressively to another animal as having ‘a history of attacks’.
I fully understand why some people may not want to sit an animal with specific needs and conditions - I have been told a couple of times that a dog or cat is uncomfortable around children, and I respect those Home Owners decisions to not accept my petsitting application. gbbbv312 (the ‘inherently dangerous’ kitty just typed that as she was trying to get on my lap, lol)
Anyway! I appreciate those of you who responded with kindness and helpfulness here!
Wow! Although not for me it does seem a bit over the top to say it is “inherently dangerous “. In terms of fair exchange for me, I guess I was thinking what’s in it in the location for me. Maybe that needs a glow up, assuming they reinstate you. It’s a bit of a mess for you now. So unfortunate.
Looks like your listing has been removed, only 4 sits in the whole of India available. I have never heard of cats or fish described as “ inherently dangerous “! Definitely appeal this strange decision. Wish I was available, I love India, been many times. If your listing gets reinstated, make sure you always review sitters, quite important. You get 14 days to do this.
I didn’t report you, but maybe someone read your listing and sitter reviews and flagged it, because THS does not allow animals who have attacked another animal (or person) before. It sounds like you have a younger cat that can’t defend itself against an older cat that attacks.
@Billiwaali As a cat owner, I implore you to find a new home for that poor cat who is being bullied – on a daily basis – by the two other cats.
Just think how improved that innocent cat’s life would be if he wouldn’t have to be on alert every day because of “inter-cat hostility”, as you describe it.
Thanks for the inputs! The listing did get reinstated, fortunately, and I’ve added a line or two about the location which hopefully clarifies what its advantages might be.
I appreciate the support! And yes, reviewing is important and I’m not going to make the same mistake of letting the deadline sneak past me again, thanks!
I’m happy to share that THS reviewed my listing and reinstated it. I believe ‘attack’ is a big term to use to cover the range of animal responses one might encounter. I’m happy to get into the details of my pets’ behaivours with potential sitters to make sure they feel like they are a good fit before making any decisions.
Hey @Crosswords_and_puzzles and everyone else who has expressed concern by liking your reply. I understand that you care about animals and want their well-being. That’s great! What’s not quite as great is when you jump to assumptions about the care they are getting and judgements of my ability to ascertain their well-being. I fully respect everyone’s individual ability and comfort level to interact with animals. I myself have been involved in animal rescue and rehab, so I’ve handled terrified dogs and cats that have bitten and scratched me. That’s not for everyone and would not be the kind of situation I would ever put a pet sitter into.
Plenty of multi-pet households listed on THS have instructions for separate feeding or keeping one animal away from another. It’s a normal part of being responsible for animals, and I don’t think those listings are doing anything wrong. And as you can see within this very thread, there are some petsitters who did read the same description and reviews that you did, and felt comfortable expressing a desire to be able to help me out, even if they were not able to do so.
I have looked after animals across 3 continents now, and I know that there are a lot of things that are very specific to certain places and cultures. Walking a dog off-leash, letting a cat free roam… all of these choices come attached with different judgements depending on the kind of pet culture they are made in.
I say this because as a website that is focussed on travelling while petsitting, I think its a pity if any of us start sitting in judgement of pet owners without having enough information about the conditions and cultures they are coming from. Saying “this is not for me” is great, of course, but implying “you’re doing something wrong”… not so much.
Happy to report that THS reviewed my listing and agreed that it could be reinstated! It is now live, and I am off to add it to the last-minute sits thread. I do think it is unlikely for me to find someone, I’m well aware of all the challenges, but still, will do that as I line up alternate arrangements.
I appreciate everyone’s supportive responses in this thread!
We can agree to disagree.
@Billiwaali Detailing what you do in a video chat to address concerns is irrelevant when your primary goal is to get someone to apply. I didn’t even read the reviews but it was glaring that each had deducted stars. When that consistency is there it raises a red flag for many sitters and they won’t even consider applying. You therefore would not get to a video chat stage.
As for the cleaner arrangement, you could add those details in your listing. It could at least provide an answer for those who may have concerns about a cleaner coming into the home daily.
According to THS, every cat and most dogs are "inherently dangerous under Terms and Conditions paragraph 5.2.4. THS can at any point and for any reason terminate a member by invoking 5.2.4, especially if either a sitter or host provides affirmative confirmation that cats are cats and dogs are dogs. @Billiwaali provided that affirmative confirmation in their profile update coincident with a rare-as-hens-teeth “review” of a profile by THS. It appears rather than facing a potential $1500 “goodwill payment” (THS’s term), THS terminated you. Such is their “goodwill”.
So THS forfeits potential future subscription fees from you to save as much as $1500 immediately. That was ALMOST a good financial move by THS. However, your update here on that development exposes THS’s legalistic use of their huge and ridiculous loopholes they built into the T&Cs. That exposure, IMO, will cost more than just your goodwill. It now costs them my goodwill and, I suspect, the goodwill of quite a few other members on this forum. A good financial decision made in bad faith morphs into a bad business decision.
If I were you and my account wasn’t immediately reinstated, I’d take the time to submit a review on Trustpilot detailing the circumstances of my termination. THS hates bad reviews on Trustpilot and will likely challenge a bad review using their go-to claim that you’re not a member. So keep the correspondence from THS to submit as proof to Trust Pilot that THS’s challenge is 
5.2.4. ensure that no pets to be left under the care of a Sitter have ever caused a person or animal any physical harm (no matter how minor the injury);
I have never handled any kitten for any amount of time and not been injured. Those little claws are like needles and hurt. So, according to 5.2.4, every one of those 100s of kittens are forever disqualified from being part of any THS sit. THS cannot disqualify all cats as 5.2.4 seemingly dictates without turning THS into a source of mockery. So they don’t. But here we have a demonstration why sitters and hosts need to be very careful in what they write about pets under their care.
Damn #TexasSpeedTraps.
Are your cats strictly indoors? We’ve only witnessed inter-cat hostilities with indoor-only cats. Older cats bullying younger cats, younger cats harassing older cats to play, cats being bullied over food, … That’s just cats being catty.
The indoor/outdoor cats we had growing up had it much worse. Though witnessing our outdoor cat interactions was rare, I can’t count the number of times one of our cats would turn up with bite and claw marks, torn ears and abscesses.
I just saw this. It’s good to read that THS hasn’t completely lost their way.
If you’re continuing with THS, be aware that you can write one response to any review. There is no time limit on when you can submit that response. I would suggest responding to the very minor dings I see on the reviews submitted by your sitters by writing responses that either clarify a situation or describe how you’ve mitigated the issues raised.
@OnTheRoadAgain I dont think you meant to respond to me..