I have rewritten this as too many people were simply missing the point I was trying to make
I recently left a sit early due to illness exacerbated by the unforseen fact the sitters home was at an intersection of a busy main road and had windows which couldnt be opened in the middle of summer. My health practitioner supported my decision to leave the sit
I felt a lot of angst and regret about leaving the sit early and went over and above in both trying to find a replacement sitter for he Homeowners and attending to details for finalizing the sit I
have clocked up 18 lovely 5 star reviews todate reflecting that I have taken my responsibilities as a sitter very seriously and it was unfortunate I needed to pull out of a sit early this time but it is what it is and Life happens
I learnt that the owners had been asked and had submitted a review before they have even had a chance to return to their home and assess all the variables that would qualify and enable them to submit a factual and accurate review of my services as a sitter .It seems to me a mater of integrity and principal that Trusted Housesitters would allow Homeowners the opportunity to return to their home at the original posted sit end date even if a sitter leaves early If I were a homeowner I would require the opportunity to return to my home at the originally posted sit end date to properly assess how my home had been left by the sitter before I needed to post a review .The issue of leaving reviews has always been a contentious one and this is just one scenario which I’m sure will come up many times in which the new having system of having to leave a report within 14 days does not properly fit the circumstance and Trusted House Sitters administrators might need to make allowances and adjustments accordingly
You left a Christmas sit prematurely because the property was smaller than anticipated and on a busy road? And now you feel the HO has left a review prematurely and subsequently might not have praised you sufficiently for the condition in which you left the property? Wow!
I suggest you check out locations on Google Earth in future. You must have caused that poor HO considerable stress and worry. I suspect their review might reflect that, as is their right.
I’m not sure why you think the new review system won’t work effectively in this case? You left the sit over 14 days early, they have submitted their review of their experience within 14 days of you ending the sit (presumably Member Services have amended the dates?).
You won’t know exactly what’s in their review until you leave one for them, or until 14 days after the (revised) end of the sit. Maybe you should detail what you’ve stated here, and hope for the best.
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No company, whether THS or otherwise, would be able to create any processes if they had to accommodate every case. It’s not rational.
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Why would THS want to make it easier or better for sitters or hosts who cut short sits?
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If you cut short a sit, that will be a dealbreaker for most hosts, regardless of leaving the home clean.
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From a community perspective, the sooner other hosts see that a sitter has cut short a sit, the better. That’s so they can make better informed decisions about the sitter.
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Companies like THS, which want to expand a lot, typically look to make fewer and fewer exceptions, especially for behavior it wouldn’t want to encourage.
@wendywindow , it sounds like a very unfortunate learning experience. As @Happypets says, make sure you use Google Maps to better scope out a location you are considering. You can also ask for cross streets before you accept a sit. And check the amenities list for an air conditioner, as well as prior reviews that might give you a heads up on the comfort level in the home. It might be a good idea to put ear plugs in your travel kit too.
The only thing you could have done here was send the owners a video of the home before you departed, as well as a note outlining all you did, but your leaving early might override the good that you did. I hope the review is not as bad as you expect.
iI is “fact” that you left the sit early, for reasons that seem unjustified. I think very few sitters would have left a sit because of traffic noise and windows that couldn’t be opened. If I were the homeowner, the fact that you left early (with no emergency as an excuse) would override anything else.
If the house is “not up to par” the sitter should have the right to leave.
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This is an unfortunate and strange story indeed, made very difficult for my organized brain to read due to the lack of punctuation! Wow! My head hurt reading that.
I agree that it is important to get all pertinent info in advance. If staying on a busy, noisy street is unacceptable to you, it is on you to gather that info before confirming the sit. We are also very light sleepers and this would be a deal breaker for us as well, so we make sure we educate ourselves on such matters.
Really sounds unfortunate all around.
It’s NOT about what the sitter might write I haven’t read what they have written and don’t really mind I can appreciate they probably did feel disgruntled that I left early but I had good reasons supported by medical advice and I certainly refute any inaccuracies in a r view they might write
But why should I need to I had flown down to their home at my own expense given them two weeks of .my time without charge and provided quality care for their pet while was able to Life happens People are allowed to get ill My point is and I stand by it All homeowners should surely have the opportunity to return to their home at their originally designated sit end date
To assess all the variables and aspects of a how a sitter has performed even if it falls outside of the 14 days If I was a homeowner in this scenario I would say sorry. Not able to leave a review until I have returned to my home and made sure everything was left in order That’s the point I am making which holds up in logic and integrity for me and the purpose of this forum is not to be judgemental towards others for airing opinions that differ to your own
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I that the combined circumstances of my own poor health at the time and a Unbearably busy main road
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No the sitter hasn’t seen her review and is confident that apart from needing to leave early for legitimate health reasons the home owners would have no reason to give an unfavourable review
Best not to say anything if your only reason for writing a comment is to tear someone down and be unkind
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I won’t repeat what others have said here however, I’m not sure how the owners could leave a review before the end of the posted sit date. You left early but presumably the dates weren’t changed on the system….The owners, and you, should only be able to write a review within 14 days after the sit ends when, presumably, they would be back home.
Am I missing something?
No People are not reading that I left the sit due to extreme fatigue and a health condition exacerbated by having to stay on a busy main road and I made a decision based on consultation with a health practitioner which was right for me and not unjustified at all. I stand by my decision and I am not looking for sympathy.Life happens people get ill and it was with great regret and angst I made the decision to pull out after flying to the sit at my own expense and giving the people 2 weeks of my time providing quality care for their pet free of charge
For sure its a good point that something you can do ahead of time is check out google maps to ascertain the exact location of the home you’ll be staying in
I have clocked up 18 beautiful 5 star reviews through TH and dont really wish to be vilified for being human and also for stating that it seems to align to a principle of logic and integrity for a homeowner to be allowed to return to their home to accurately assess al the variable before needing to submit a review
Hello everyone,
I am just popping on here as there have been a few comments that needed to be edited due to the posting Guidelines and terms. I think there has been lots of helpful advice and I don’t want to stop the flow of the conversation, so this is just a reminder to keep the kindness and respect guidelines in mind when posting.
Also what might help this discussion is to explain that if a sitter leaves a sit early then Membership Services will update the dates of the sit, so that the review reflects the accurate dates that the sitter was present at the sit and to free up the remaining days so that the owner can look for another sitter.
This means that the 14-day review window starts from when the sitter ends the sit, which in this case won’t be the end date that the original sit was due to end as the sitter left early.
I hope that helps explain the review side of things.
Thank you Carla
No you are not missing anything and yuo have got my point exactly
What is a sitter a bad person and a person of untrustworthy character because they became ill and couldnt continue a sit ?
As stated previously I have clocked up 18 lovely 5 star reviews which suggest otherwise
Besides which you have completely missed the point I am making that for me it is a principal aligned with integrity and accuracy for the purpose of writing reviews that the homeowner have a chance to return to their home at the originally specified sit end date before being asked to leaving a review The subject of leaving reviews has always been a contentious one and the new review system will not be a one size fits all remedy and I’m pretty sure its not the only time this issue will come up and its fair enough Trusted Housesitters consider the anomaly and allow homeowners the opportunity to return to their home when a sitter leaves early before asking them to leave a review
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Yes thats a good thought re checking Google Maps to scope out a location before
Actually the homeowners and I shared a lovely rapport and I did fill them in on everything Id be attending to to properly finalize the sit Apart from expressing their disappointment that I left the sit early I cant see they’d have any reason for leaving a bad review
it sounds like TH had the system update based on the new leave date then, so are you asking TH to change it back to the original date?
In truth, it sounds like this one may just be a bit of a cluster given the changes, etc. Hopefully you won’t have to leave like this again, but in future, I think the suggestion of sending vids of how you left the place, etc. will be helpful and continuing to act as you did is good practice.
The outcome of this sit is unfortunate but if the review does not end up being to your liking, it’s just one of 18 and you can post your side of it. I would still be honest and fair in your review as it does sound like the HOs were really good.
And then in future, now you know that those particular issues are dealbreakers for you so you can ask explicitly. Even 18 sits in, sounds like this was a learning moment and I’m sure we’ll all continue growing.
On the flip side, if I were the HO, I’d be annoyed by this as well even if it were out of your control. Ultimately, if you’re not comfy, you’re not comfy but it’s still a mid-sit cancellation.
Hopefully you get the rest you need and can put this in the rearview soon! X
Leaving a sit due to illness is a legitimate and valid reason for leaving a sit early
Yes I would like Trusted House Sitters to revert the end sit date to its original posted end sit date to give the Home Owners a chance to return home before being asked to submit a final review This reflects the opportunity for more integrity and accuracy in the final posted review and I see as fairer for both parties
With the greatest respect, you didn’t state you left the sit early due to illness, you said you left because of the property size and location.
As Carla has said, when Membership Services revised the sit dates after you left, the review clock started ticking for both parties.
I wouldn’t hold my breath if you’ve already asked them to update for a cancellation and there’s already a review from one party in the system. If I were to guess, TH probably ended once you were no longer there because that’s the end of their liability for that sit period…keeping it open would just extend their liability and may mess with the system/require a hack of some kind for the reasons @Maggie8K shared.
To provide another example, we cancelled our last sit on the first day of the sit after determining the HS was not a match/didn’t disclose health issues that affected their ability to care for our dog and we did not feel comfortable leaving our dog with her. TH let the sit dates play out even though we said we wanted to cancel and then we had an option to leave a review at the end. The difference is that we allowed the sitter to stay at our home while we and the dog weren’t there as opposed to telling them to find alternative accommodations (i.e. we went above and beyond). The sit dates correlated to the dates that the sitter was physically on premises so that even in an dogless house, we would still be covered.
Anyone coming will be able to see that this is clearly not a pattern for you and, assuming your response or review matches up with the facts of the HO’s, should figure out what happened. if you have 18 x 5-star sits,…I think your reputation will be fine and now you know better how to vet the next one. 