I urge you to send an e-mail entitled “Member Dispute “
Member services won’t volunteer to investigate unless you follow the member dispute process .
As outlined in this thread ….
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/member-dispute-process
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@Silversitters
…they do indeed here in the forum.
Thank you, I can see you feel very strongly about this, which is great. I’m already well aware of the option, and like many others, I unfortunately don’t have anything particularly encouraging to share in relation to it.
How so? I can only apologise if I didn’t make my views clear. What you’ve experienced sounds dreadful and goes against the THS ethos of reciprocal benefits for both parties. You didn’t make it entirely clear whether you realised the full extent of the negatives from the onset, but you did write:
This thread is potentially useful for any sitters who, going forwards, may find themselves in a similar situation and wonder how best to handle things so as not to fall foul of the membership terms. It’s surely important for every sitter to realise they have agency to terminate an agreement on arrival (when the HOs are still present) if circumstances do not reflect those portrayed in the listing and this is the point I was making when I stated:
Had you realised after their departure, you could reasonably have given 24 hours notice and left the sit. But, to be fair, we all decide our own personal thresholds.
From the perspective of support for sitters, I was interested to read:
As @Silversitters has pointed out, unless the email header includes the term ‘Member Dispute’, they apparently are not compelled to seriously investigate issues raised. Out of interest, did you use that terminology when you reached out to THS last year? One would hope that support would be immediately available to sitters under circumstances such as you describe in this thread, and that pet parents who ignore or who choose not to educate themselves regarding the terms of service (which basically just amount to common decency) are expelled from the site!
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Of course not - realistically, that would have required me to walk in, bypass all decency, and head straight to the washroom for a shower like a lunatic😅
I’d encourage to read through the thread, as I’ve already outlined the length, context, and what I would personally do differently now if being in a similar situation. (..though I doubt that’s possible)
I’m fully aware there are people far more astute who would have handled it all with much greater finesse(..from the laptop) - and I’m entirely at peace with that, qoute me as much as you please.
Unfortunately, no, sadly that was not the case - as mentioned earlier, I didn’t contact the urgent support line or raise a formal dispute due to a previous experience yielded nothing but added stress and making things even worse, including several 3am call-backs and no resolution.
So, for me personally, if the goal is only to alert THS afterwards of a listing that clearly violates their terms - reporting or flagging it directly through the app may perhaps be a more efficient and easy route.
As for the quoted passages from the T&Cs - (can’t really be sure as they contain grammatical errors). But even setting that aside, it’s stated in other threads that listings are reviewed before being published the first time. If that’s not the case - if there is truly zero verification at any stage, not at sign up, not a listing approval, not even once payment is made…then honestly, I’m glad I don’t have a twenty-something daughter relying on this while traveling solo.
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Why the sarcastic tone? It’s not about ‘finesse’ but rather to introduce an alternative viewpoint.
In 49 sits, we’ve experienced just one where it was evident soon after arrival - whilst the pet parents were still home - that things were unsafe. We informed the PP we would not stay under such conditions and left the sit. We confirmed with THS, who also communicated with the PP, and the sit was immediately cancelled. It meant we had to spend a couple of nights in an hotel before securing an alternative sit, which was a bit of a pain - especially as it was late in the evening and we had to scramble to make these other plans - but something we were prepared to do, for our own wellbeing. The PP’s son lived next door (so was actually aware of the presenting living conditions) and they said the dogs would have to go to him, which was inconvenient for them all. Ultimately, that was their problem to solve.
We all have a choice. You made yours, which is fine if it suited you best at the time. Let’s hope no other sitter has to encounter these PPs.
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@Happypets Glad to hear that was working out for you. No sarcasm intended, nor was anything intentionally done to invite copy-pasting out of context.
Perhaps you’ve misunderstood or skipped the part about why I posted in the first place.
When a thread isn’t actually read, responses tend to loop- which, for me, makes it rather pointless. Still, this place isn’t short on circular discussions, so help yourself. Cheers
I am not a sitter but a homeowner and I have to say after reading many articles that sitters are sometimes rescue angels. Your sit is made out of horror material. Your writing style on the other hand is amazing, have you ever thought about writing a book about the stories of your sitting experience?
I had dogs that were incontinent for one reason or another but there’s maybe a tip for the future for all sitters: there are dog nappies available at pet stores like the ones for babies. They make everything so much easier. Before they were available I once used real baby nappies and cut a hole for the tail into it.
Back to you: you’re are sitter with a big heart and I hope you never ever will account another sit like that!
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Definately report to THS and leave this review on THS to warn other sitters. Sad but this was not an even exchange pet sit. The homeowner clearly took advantage and knew it.
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That’s very sweet of you to say, thank you. I didn’t know about that, have only come across those blue pads. Same here - definitely no pro, just someone who enjoys travel and happens to care a lot about animals, especially rescues😊
I do editorial and commercial content through work, occasionally interviewed for magazines and such - a fairly different setting, but very much travel-related too, so who knows… this type of traveling is indeed an interesting experiment - Humans are German Shepherds😅
Yes this particular experience would likely read more like horror material …especially for the platform
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Regrettably, yes. They did indeed.
Yes - you definitely should at least write down your stories and keep them. Maybe some day you can collect them into a book I definitely would read!!!
Best of luck not only with with your future sittings but also with the ‘book’!
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Thank you so much and you too, have a lovely day 
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UPDATE; I’ve submitted a review and, despite prior experience, have decided to proceed with a formal dispute - primarily to prevent this listing remaining accessible to other travelers and animal lovers.
I’ll continue to share any developments here as they unfold.
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Thank you, @buttercup ! 
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@buttercup is there any update on the member dispute that you raised ?
@Silversitters Thank you for asking. The dispute outcome was as expected, and I have now submitted further questions, as multiple key concerns remain unresolved or ignored. These include:
• Why serious pet health issues and chronic diseases (e.g., blindness, enlarged liver, liver disease, medication side effects etc.) are not required to be disclosed in listings - and whether any veterinary staff reviewed this case.
• How TrustedHousesitters vets listings that may place non-professional individuals at risk of unknowingly breaching animal welfare or duty-of-care laws. Sitters are neither vets nor trained professionals. Should a medical or behavioral incident occur at such type of listing - even in good faith - sitters may face legal consequences (e.g., accusations of neglect or improper care). The lack of proper disclosure shifts legal liability onto those least equipped to assess the risk.
• Why the host’s public review and comment - containing provably false and defamatory claims - remains live and fully visible via search engines.
• Why my own review appears to have been altered after submission without notification or consent. This distorts my rating and undermines, not only mine, but the platform’s integrity.
• On what legal basis THS publicly markets paying members as “Our Pet Sitters,” implying endorsement and employment - potentially exposing sitters to immigration, labor, or liability risks.
These are not just personal concerns. It raises broader questions about sitter safety, legal-and public exposure, and platform accountability. If THS continues to avoid these issues, I will be forced to escalate through external channels (e.g., Google, regulatory bodies). As I will not allow public defamation.
I’m sharing this because others deserve transparency and protection, before accepting sits that may involve hidden risks far beyond what’s disclosed.
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You can appeal a complaint/ member dispute decision.
@Silversitters The majority of key concerns raised in the dispute remain unaddressed or ignored, with no clarification provided. While appeals are common in formal legal contexts, the nature of communication indicates that no substantive review or qualified assessment has yet taken place. Consequently, I am unable to comprehend how the dispute can be considered properly processed at this point, when critical questions remain unanswered.
Regrettably, the dispute process as experienced feels less like a mechanism for resolution and more like a continuation of the harm inflicted. In light of the absence of genuine investigation, ongoing public defamation, unauthorized use of my personal information, and alteration of my words in public, I am left with no option but to escalate this matter through external channels should it remain unresolved.
Like many others, I am neither willing nor able to allow my name, bio, pictures, or reputation to be publicly misrepresented, defamed, or exploited. My name, reputation and profession is already covered in public media, and as such, it leaves no room for such lapses to go unchecked.
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