I had a terrible sitter who broke many THS rules, including allowing someone in our home while she was not there. In addition, she broke something. She paid to fix it but let me know it would be reflected in how she reviewed me. She was also very upset that I knew she had allowed someone in our house even though she knew we had a wildlife camera on our deck.
She left a negative review for us in retaliation but really gave no detail in her review. I did open a case with THS about allowing someone in our home.
Hi @mtbikelover. I read both reviews and I think itās pretty clear what happened. I wouldnāt think twice about applying for your sit. Iām sure others would feel the same.
I dont think this negative review will impact you at all. Her review had no details and just sounded reactionary to a review she hadnāt even read yet. Your response was good and detailed. And that she didnt leave a response to your review shows that she doesnt have a leg to stand on.
Her review and your response plus your previous glowing reviews will give any sane person confidence in your sit. Not to mention your lovely home. You will have no issue at all. Good luck.
Because she just took the defense and didnāt explain her side of the story makes me think she is the guilty one. She said she would never sit again because she could not explain her bad behavior to future pet parents. Springing her daughter on you three days before the sit knowing you could not say no is bad enough but not responding to a request for a video call with the daughter tells me she has an entitled personality which never ends well in this type of exchange.
Your house is lovely, your dog adorable and you have good reviews so I wouldnāt think twice about this one.
I agree with the other comments that her review/your response combined with your previous reviews would not raise red flags for me as a sitter. I love Silverthorne and just tagged your listing as a favorite for future dates!
Sorry for the unfortunate event that happened. I, too, have experienced negative review but know that it was my learning experience too when I vetted the sitter, I should not have evaluated their fit by their five star reviews. I would say stay true to who you are and your value. There would be many learning experience along the way for us as pet owners and we will get wiser through it all. Hugs~
Like many others here, I read both reviews (and previous reviews for both parties) and I would have no issues applying for your sits.
You and your adorable Bailey should be just fine here !
Weāre sitters, if the sitter is in the wrong, then OUR eyes, if itās the odd bad review, it would not impact you at all in our eyes.
Weāve have sat for quite a number of HOās that have had the odd negative review which we have chosen to ignore, because we could tell by the way it was written, that the sitter was covering their backs, in anticipation for receiving a bad review from the owner. When the sitter is in the wrong, we can just tell, they donāt accept any responsibility either ! So, then we look at the owners review of the sitter, and how they worded it. As long as the HOās review is not offensive and sticks to the facts, then weāre on the owners side. Simple as that.
If your review isnāt nasty and horrible, and instead states all the facts of what happened, I wouldnāt worry too much. When we read both sides of the story, we get a clear image. If the sitter was in the wrong, weād be able to tell.
Itās clear that this has really upset and unsettled you, but please take reassurance that myself and it seems many other sitters would not be put off from applying to sit for you in the future. Your response to her somewhat āoddā review was clear, concise and at no point, a personal attack. It was well a constructed account of the sitters failings, none of which were minimal and I applaud you for being so honest in your review.
A single negative review doesnāt faze us, itās repeated ones. I think of it like the 1 star reviews for online shopping, thereās occasionally people that are upset about something or retaliate like you expereienced but again, a single bad review is no biggie. And weāve been sitting for 17 years now so Iāve seen a number of good/bad.
Try not to worry about the negative implications for future sits, @mtbikelover , since I canāt imagine there will be any! After reading both reviews, it suggests to me that this sitter realised sheād flunked it and been found out, so had no line of defence. That the only thing she could do was to make some vague, negative comments and leave the platform demonstrates what sort of person you were dealing with.
Youāve made a comprehensive response to this damning review and, perhaps more importantly, youāve left a factual review for this sitter, deducting stars and explaining why. Some HOs will respond to a poor review with accusations not mentioned in their own feedback, but with all your feedback being consistent itās pretty evident that youāre not the problem, here.
I read her negative review and your Response and while reviews Are the number one thing that I look at when applying to sits, In your case I was appalled at your sitter and I Completely agree with your review. I would sit for you in a heartbeat. Your sitter violated so many trust issues, Iām so sorry you had this experience and I would not worry about her negative review.
Sounds like she saw ānear major skiingā and wanted to do just that. Iām a bit surprised that sheās in her 50ās . Sorry for your bad experience.
I just have to ask. Are you surprised sheās 50ish and still skiing? Did I read that correctly? If so, Iām 63 and just got back from Beaver Creek yesterday and skied 10 days straight at Beaver Creek and Vail.
Iām going to say that while this wouldnāt put off your sit, and that she clearly didnāt behave well, I think some of your category ratings were lower than Iād expect for the issues you mentioned.
I think you need to be explicit before agreeing a sit that visitors are not allowed. I agree that shouldnāt be necessary, but unfortunately some people have the attitude in life that if something isnāt expressly banned, they can do it. I do sits at what would be a great party house because of the facilities and on our first intro call the HOs raised this and made it clear they do not permit any visitors, and I was able to reassure them that I had no intention of that. Itās a pragmatic approach when there are people who donāt see anything wrong with pushing the boundaries.
