I’m wondering what people would make of a 5-star review that was very short, basically one sentence like ‘Great house and pet-sitters’. I haven’t yet managed to secure a sit on THS (I’ve actually only applied for a few) and am considering a local sit with few applications in the hope that getting my first review will help. The sit itself looks very nice but one thing putting me off is that the homeowner has only left one-line reviews for all their previous sitters. All are 5-star reviews in all categories. I’m just wondering if it would actually put people off a sitter more than having no reviews, if their only review just said something like the above or even just ‘All went fine, no problems’. Would you assume that this person was not really a great sitter?
It’s still a 5 star review, which is better than no reviews. It wouldn’t make me assume the person wasn’t a great sitter, it would make me assume the host was a lazy review writer! If you like the look of the sit, don’t let this put you off.
Thanks for your reply. Once I read through a few reviews and realised it was a bit of a pattern, I definitely came to the conclusion that the homeowner doesn’t much like writing reviews! But when I first clicked on one of the sitters at random to see what the homeowner had to say about the sitters, my first thought was ‘what did they do wrong?!’ to receive a review like that. Damning with faint praise, I suppose you could say.
I probably will apply as it looks like a nice sit and the previous sitters have all left good reviews. If the homeowner accepted me and I ended up with one-line review, I could always address it in my next application.
@LauraT since you have lots of reviews from external sites , I would not let that deter you in applying ( have you checked what the previous sitters have said about the sit ? )
Your listing is a bit confusing as it gives your location as Paros but in your description you say you are in U.K.
I think with your experience you will have no trouble in being accepted for sits in the future .
Starting “local” in U.K. is a good idea - but we got our first 4 THS sits before we had a THS review with external references only.
All things equal, I’d pick sits where the homeowner is more forthcoming with appreciation for good sitters, especially if I were newer to sitting. If you’re going to put in similar efforts to care for pets and a home, why not do it where you’d probably get a more robust review.
I agree with @Lindsay You like the look of the sit so go ahead and apply. If you get to do a video call with the HO that should help make your mind up.
@Silversitters thanks for taking the time to look at my profile and for the encouragement! It’s great to hear that you were able to line up 4 sits so quickly without a THS reference. I’m mainly looking for sits in Paris and elsewhere in France and these seem to be quite competitive (Paris especially) which is why I though I’d try closer to home.
I appreciate my location is a bit misleading. I’m in the UK but for the dates I have open on my calendar, I will be in Paris or elsewhere in France. When I had my location as UK, I received several invitations to UK sits that I couldn’t do and I had one person get grumpy with me becuase they couldn’t understand why I wasn’t available when my calendar said I was. I really wish THS would let you put a location alongside the availability dates to avoid this issue but that’s a topic for another day!
@Maggie8K thanks for your reply. Yes, I do feel a bit like that. I do pet-sitting locally through other sites and I have a few (repeat!) customers who’ve never reviewed me. They are very nice people and are obviously happy as they keep coming back (and one non-reviewer actually recommended to me to one of the other non-reviewers in the first place ). But I can’t help but feel a little under-appreciated each time they book me and then no review, even though I completely accept that nobody’s obliged to review anyone or anything.
@LauraT Hi Laura. If you are interested in sits in France especially, you should join Nomador. The site was started there and the overwhelming majority of sits are for France.
You’re getting ahead of yourself. The first thing is to get a sit. Even just the stars will help you, not hurt you. Once you secure the sit, then you could chat with the HO before the sit starts about how you really want to do a great job because you know a great review would help and really ask them what a “great sit” would look like. Within this discussion, you could mention the need for the review to be a little longer.
Thanks, I actually did a lovely month-long sit just outside Paris this summer through Nomador. Im just hoping to widen my options a bit. There are definitely way more French sits on Nomador but some of the listings are a bit lacking, no photos of the house or very vague descriptions. I think listings on THS tend to be a better in that sense.
Thanks, it’s true that the first step is to get a sit. It doesn’t have to be this sit though, and the possibility that I put my all into a sit and end up with a lacklustre review is a concern to me. It’s a good idea to discuss it with the homeowner in the context of what a “great sit” would look like so I’ll certainly consider that approach if I do go ahead and apply (and the homeowner is interested, of course).
A five star review is not lackluster. While many HOs will avoid sitters with NO site reviews, a 5 star review, even a short one, certainly won’t count against you. And could be enough to encourage the next HO to take a chance.
I have many glowing reviews and feel I do an excellent job for all of my HOs but I still will not apply to sit for someone who can’t be bothered to write a nice review. It’s the only thanks a sitter gets for a job well done.
I’d avoid it if it’s reviews you are after. Go for ones that fit what you need, and what you need right now are reviews that say 1. how amazing you were with their pets 2. how tidy the house was 3. how you kept in contact with the HO sending photos.
As soon as you have about 3 reviews, getting accepted is much much easier. So yes, go for local to increase your chances of getting chosen to being with, but not when it doesn’t give you the thing that you really need right now.
@LauraT We used to be on Nomador and I didn’t renew bc of the lack of photos and information on the site. I had even read that HO’s can remove reviews they don’t like. Not sure it was true bc we had decided to leave anyway. It’s too bad bc they do have lots of sits listed in France where we spend a lot of time.
@LauraT
Another thought just crossed my mind. Perhaps, if you are looking at a sit in France on THS, the HO is not fluent in English and therefore not comfortable writing a longer review. Just one thought. (I know there is Google translate and such, but they are not tech savvy either…?)
@LauraT , I would also take into consideration the length of the sit , if it’s just a short one then maybe there isn’t much more to be said and you will go from a sitter with no THS reviews to one with 5stars which will mean that your profile will gain more attention.
On reading your profile HO will see the links to all your reviews from other sites .
However if it’s a week or more and the only reason you are choosing this sit is to get a THS review then that is a lot of effort for one line review.
Very possible that HOs who don’t also sit (most of them) and don’t read the forums (most of them) have no idea how important longer reviews are to getting sits – which is kind of debatable anyway. This is one of those areas where instead of assuming a homeowner is inconsiderate or that they are saying less to avoid saying something bad, why not communicate with the person before you take the sit. It seriously might not have occurred to them.
). But I can’t help but feel a little under-appreciated each time they book me and then no review, even though I completely accept that nobody’s obliged to review anyone or anything.