@KC1102 so beautifully written and thought provoking, you have certainly given a very good, and from the heart, response and understanding from another point of view to the majority.
I will have to agree with you on so many of your points. For me, personally, it is really only the five rule that has me up in arms on the site. I understand it is working for some, and obviously it does for you, and I applaud that, but statistically I feel it isn’t working for the majority. But I don’t know the behind the scenes facts either!
But apart from that, what you have experienced sounds just so positive and enjoyable and I am really pleased to hear that. Nothing is guaranteed in life and having the odd bad sit is part and parcel of what we do.
Again, I really loved reading your story and your thoughts on this post, there is ALWAYS two sides to a story and you wrote yours beautifully.
@Southernsitter I have to agree with you regarding Airbnb also. It used to be a wonderful thing, meeting and sharing with homeowners etc, now it is simply a huge money making platform with little to no personal interaction. The fees are exhorbitant, ($AUD75 cleaning fee)! plus their other fees, it’s cheaper and more comfortable to now stay in hotels I think! I used to be an Airbnb host and I charged $AUD35 a night, double, including cooked breakfast lol No other fees. How things have changed!!! I think they are reverting back to the old ways now apparently, how it used to be, simply sharing space in someone’s home. I’m not game to look
@Twitcher you stated that perfectly. I’m not an “old timer” however I too see how its a sitters vs Homeowners game. In some case newbies not fully aware of policies or those simply taking advantage of a good thing. It seems so many businesses these day’s not valuing paid members enough to listen to their concerns, yet listening to the ones high up out for a buck. It’s definitely a catch 22. Companies need to grow, yet it shouldn’t be at the expense of It’s members.
I’d absolutely concur with what you’re saying. I’ve experienced some very appreciative owners in the past but that does seem to be in decline somewhat - at least in my own experience.
I’m currently on a sit where what little space I could actually find in the fridge was pretty filthy. Two of the shelves were also full of so many items already well past their expiration date. I also found the vacuum cleaner lying disassembled scattered on the floor in 5 different pieces.
These seemingly minor or even trivial irritations feel to me like not that much thought or respect has gone into making a sitter feel particularly welcome or valued.
That said, I have to admit the pets are adorable.
Whilst I have definitely had some amazing experiences on here and have some great memories, it really does enhance the whole experience when you feel valued and appreciated for lovingly caring for people’s treasured pets and homes.
Thanks @ziggy That is very kind of you to say all that. I am sure there are plenty of sits I missed out on but never saw.
But like I mentioned in my post, I would often look at various sits in review–on the computer I could see the dates of the listing–and I noticed that most of them were times we couldn’t have done them anyway, or would have been places we wouldn’t have gone during that time. So I realized that this rule wasn’t really having a huge impact on me, it was more about just disagreeing with it.
And when I saw we were still able to get some pretty great sits, I realized again, that it probably isn’t as bad as it appears to be. So I hope people seeing that it is still possible to get good sits makes them a little less upset about it.
@KC1102 I wish you well going forward and respect everything you have said. Pretty boring old world if we all thought the same as each other so kind discussion is always a good thing, regardless of whether people agree or disagree
I must be a newbie (or just basically a nice person) as I’ve asked both my sitters to come the nite before and stay the nite I return home to make it easier on their travels to and from. They have the guest room so it’s not a bother to me. I also ask if they need dinner and tell them to use items in the house. Can’t imagine asking someone to go buy salt/pepper, vinegar/oil if they wanted salad dressing when it’s already in my cupboard!!! Kindness is needed in todays world. This is my small way.
Hi @Smoretto you are certainly a very kind person. We are sitters and have also been invited to stay the night before and the night of the homeowners return. It’s very much appreciated
@Smoretto so lovely having kind people. Don’t know how long you have been with TH so I can’t call you an old OR new timer so we’ll leave at simply “lovely timer”
I am super-new to the platform and can say I was really surprised and disappointed when I heard about the 5-applications rule - both as a sitter and pet-owner. Shouldn’t the pet-owner be able to set the limit? TBH I wouldn’t have taken out the membership if I’d known and felt a bit scammed when I found out. This is not a cheap service so I don’t know why people are saying ‘hopefully’ THS will take note and update their systems. Am I the only one who thinks they are here to serve the needs of the people on the platform and not the other way round? I also missed out on an invitation to pet-sit because their email notification system is so bad, had issues signing up - not receiving verification emails, and issues making my profile go live - they wanted me to add my pet-owner part of the profile live, which would have involved creating a fake ‘pet-sitting-required’ date. All-in-all, I’m really underwhelmed and wondering if I wouldn’t have been better going for a smaller site.
I agree @Straykitten . I signed up in Spring 2022 just before the new system was introduced. The 5 rule has defintely reduced the number of sits I see available and also encourages people to apply without thinking through the sit, whether they are a good fit etc so I doubt it is helpful for many home owners. I was also disappointed to see that the available sits which show up as a non-member in no way equate to those actively seeking sitters at any given time. For example today for City of London (which incidentally comes up with a map covering a good 40 - 50 mile radius outside the city… why?) there were 812 listings if you went to the site as a non-member but just 298 as a member. When I queried this I was told all home owners in a particular area will show up to non-members to give an indication of ‘potential’. To me this is disingenuous and displays a lack of transparency. I am very doubtful I will be renewing my membership again.
I totally agree! I had the same experience when I first looked at listings before I joined - I forgot to mention that! And yes, I also thought that was purposely misleading. It didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth. Can’t they just get the owners to list some preferences that limit who can apply? And I totally agree that people who are not necessarily interested in a sit will apply first and decide later whether it really suits them. In the meantime, the perfect sitter for you has been locked out! Really silly system and clearly not thought through. But do THS actually pay attention to the comments here? Or, is this space simply somewhere they hope we’ll just let of steam, then calm down and keep paying? When I told my partner about all these things, he thought I’d been scammed!
I know it seems crazy and whilst you can zoom in on the map to screen out those sits no where near London why bother having a drop down menu which enables you to select “London” or “City of London” and then provide a selection which goes far beyond that? It is just another frustration which to me makes no sense if the intention of THS is to provide sitters with an easily usable and accessible website.
I love TH. But I have to say, only been on 2 years + see a BIG difference with the 5 max submissions. WAY more stressful! I am fine with a max, but think it should be 10.
It’s still a fabulous app + membership for me though.
I have been a member for less than 2 years but feel I must be an old style sitter - maybe because I am old . I have had lovely sits, but also some transactional, where I feel taken for granted - particularly through arbitrarily changing the dates. Practically speaking, what can you really do when given one week’s notice that the sit has been shortened by 2 days? For all of its perceived faults, I find TH much better than the more local Australian house sit site I also joined. Better descriptions of the home, better photographs, just better listings. The Welcome Guide is also well thought out I believe. Sadly, though, I am turning to the other site more due to the lack of opportunities here in places I want to go.
I feel exactly the same. I have to take breaks once in a while from the forum when it gets too much. I’ve sat for over six years and had no mega dramas, well one or two minor mishaps. What am I doing wrong?
Friend of mine in the UK (we’re in Australia) forwarded me this article. Not sure how many community members have seen it but makes for an interesting read given the conversation in this thread.
. I have had lovely sits, but also some transactional, where I feel taken for granted - particularly through arbitrarily changing the dates. Practically speaking, what can you really do when given one week’s notice that the sit has been shortened by 2 days? For all of its perceived faults, I find TH much better than the more local Australian house sit site I also joined. Better descriptions of the home, better photographs, just better listings. The Welcome Guide is also well thought out I believe. Sadly, though, I am turning to the other site more due to the lack of opportunities here in places I want to go.