@Marion This was my first thought, too. Given their tone, I wonder if these new HOs do not realise that sitters are not paid by THS. . . .Horrible situation for Rainaire to be in - and having to consider going to a campsite in the middle of winter too. Hope you’re not in the UK @Rainaire !
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It is a bad situation, but also one that sitter’s need to be prepared for. I know there are a lot of sitters who depend on THS for housing, but it doesn’t make sense to do that unless you have some kind of funds available for these kinds of circumstances. There may be sits that get cancelled by owners or sits that are really terrible that you need to walk away from.
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She won’t be able to upgrade to premium membership then claim retrospectively for accommodation due to this sit being curtailed.
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Haha, not in UK, but interesting to know that it’s considered middle to winter in the UK already!
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Thanks everyone for your valuable inputs.
So far, I asked HO about if they’re willing to pay for alternative accommodation, they offered me a tip instead. Which I accepted and I will move out before their return and find myself a campsite for the 10 days before going to the next sit that I already booked. Meanwhile I saved a search for last-minute sits in the region.
I choose not to engage in further discussion with HO at this point about code-of-conduct, or try bring awareness about their decision’s impact on me: I just don’t feel the “vibe” is right. Somebody suggested that talking in person is better, I agree that in most circumstances it’s better: I get that text messages’s tones can be misinterpreted. But in this specific situation, I found it not quite suitable to initiate a phone call or chat, based on HO’s communication style so far.
Going forward, I will wait till everything’s settled to leave an unemotional review stating what happened. I plan to send an email to THS Membership service to flag this issue to them. I will remember to ask future HO what’s their plan for their sitter if they need to/want to return home early, in the video chat prior to confirming a sit. I am also thinking about upgrading to Premium.
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Sounds like you have made a good plan under bad circumstances. Glad you’re not wasting energy engaging in a convo. You likely already have enough written messages to support your side if needed. And it’s not your job to educate them on how THS works, it’s all very clear if they read the T&Cs.
Hopefully you’ll find a sit or a really sweet campsite for now. FYI I’d look into how THS insurance works before switching to premium. It is not as easy as applying and getting paid, there are strict requirements that could be hard to meet in some circumstances. When it does work, your costs are reimbursed, which might take months, so you still have out of pocket expenses. Seems like it works once in a while though. You can find more posts about it using the search bar and decide if it’s worthwhile.
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In your unemotional review @Rainaire, you will need to acknowledge the HO’s tip that you have accepted as they could well bring this up that you asked for money to go towards alternative accommodation. Also, ensure you mention them cancelling for nearly half of the sit duration for a “non-extraordinary” reason which violates 5.1.15 of the Terms of Service that all members agree to when joining.
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It may be worth reaching out to your next host to let them know that your schedule has opened up and you are available to arrive sooner, in case their plans change.
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Definately review (even if you’d rather not) and mention the “tip” and how it came it be. This is protection for you, as they could write a review painting it another way. I would love to see an honest review because it sounds like they really treated you like someone “sent” by a service and have little idea of this as an equal exchange.
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Cool, thanks for the tip. Yeah I’m hesitating on the Premium. My original plan is to upgrade to Premium if I go for sitting internationally.
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Yes that sounds like a great idea. The next host has even offered for me to come a day early on our first call, of course I didn’t know this sit could change, maybe I’ll let her know. But I’m interested to see if there’d be other sits before the next one popping up first.
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thanks, I’ll copy these words on the review!
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Thanks, I will reach out to Membership after the reviewing process is done, just to be sure the HO does not get a message from MS about me raising an issue and give me a bad review to retaliate.
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Kudos on evolving an action plan with a Plan A (camping site) and a Plan B (last minute sit). We’ve faced two cancellations and it is difficult. But stuff happens.
Should you determine to raise this via email to THS MS then we believe there to be two pathways … feedback to THS MS, or initiation of a Member Dispute. In the event that you seek the latter then state Member Dispute in email subject and include specific information that is prescribed in the related webpage (above).
Keep smiling 
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Think carefully about upgrading to Premium membership. Should a sit be cancelled just before you start and you’re far away, you have to stay in accommodation within 20 miles of the sit in order to be reimbursed some of the cost. Would you travel to be near the sit to get the money? Probably not.
I don’t have premium and have only had 2 sits cancelled before the start, and one time when the hosts returned 3 days early due to their cat being ill. One sit was cancelled because the dog suddenly died, and I managed to get another sit for the whole period. The 2nd was cancelled as the pandemic just started. The early return, the hosts said I could stay but I decided to stay for 1 night & booked alternative accommodation for the other two. While the woman was fine, her husband was not easy to get on with.
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Absolutely with you on this one! I think they should pay for 10 days at a hotel, airline ticket home or whatever it takes to repair this situation for the OP. We as HO don’t want our sitters to suddenly end a sit 10 days early: Why should the HO be allowed to do that?!?
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While I agree that premium is far from perfect, in this case it would have provided protection. Last summer I had to cancel a planned sit (as a sitter) because my own pet was ill. The homeowner had premium and was able to use it. While there are also other solutions that might work better, in a case like this where the homeowner is not particularly open to those solutions, it makes sense.
Regarding the cost – it is more, but it’s not that much more on an annual membership AND if you are able to use coupons and extend the membership, your “premium” is also extended.
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But have they actually cancelled so you can get another sit?
As a host, I wouldn’t dream of doing this to a sitter. We’re fairly new to THS and have tried to be very accommodating all round as we’re so grateful to have somebody willing to look after our dog for free.
So far our 4 Sitters have been wonderful and we were happy for one sitter to stay on an extra few days as they were between sits.
Obviously it may be an emergency but I would expect an explanation.
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How’s it going @Rainaire did you find a replaacement sit ?
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