I’m a long-time user of THS and long-time lurker when it comes to the forum.
We’ve all read horror stories about horrible sitters or homeowners and how they go at each other in the feedback section just to tarnish one another’s reputation. And here’s where my issue is and where I’m hoping someone in charge will read and think about this.
These are the review guidelines stipulated by THS:
“We also operate a 100% tamper-proof policy to ensure all reviews and responses are genuine and reliable. This means you cannot remove or amend the content. It will only be removed by us if it violates member guidelines, the code of conduct, or our Terms and Conditions.”
It’s very generic and the subpage also mentions the “Acceptable Use Policy”, which reads as though it only applies to homeowners creating listings. But the “Acceptable Use Policy” actually has some very interesting points that I feel like should be expanded to the review guidelines:
"You must make sure that anything you upload is:
Fair
Balanced
Factual
Accurate
A genuinely held belief"
Specifically this part of the AUP should be implemented to the review guidelines. I read many stories about homeowners/sitters leaving untrue reviews just to spite the receiving end. Despite the affected party being able to provide hard proof to debunk any lies or false accusations THS wouldn’t even consider fact-checking or removing the review in question.
I’m currently on a sit where things have gone south and I have solid evidence in text and photo form that the homeowners have violated the T&Cs. I also know that if the homeowners decide to leave a bad review because I brought the T&Cs up to them THS won’t do anything about it (and that surely can’t be considered a factual review then).
So what I’m asking for:
A sitter or homeowner should have the right to leave a review revoked if they violate the T&Cs, based on evidence
THS has to do a better job a monitoring reviews and dealing with removal request; reviews shall only be removed if the affected party has solid proof
Implement the AUP to the review guidelines
For everyone thinking: “If you get a bad review just comment on it and move on with your life” - this is not how it works for sitters. It works for homeowners because homeowners are more in demand than sitters. And homeowners with mixed reviews will still get applications. And I personally would never select a sitter with mixed reviews if I were a homeowner. And yes, there are homeowners who take the time going through reviews and reading between the lines, but most people these days have a TikTok attention span (myself included) and merely take a look at two reviews, if at all.
@lumionaeon i would disagree with a couple of your points
if an HO has mixed reviews from previous sitters I would avoid the sit. I read every single previous review and also cross reference how the host reviews their sitters. I also take note of any missing reviews on either side and responses to reviews on either side. I want the full picture! I’m also perfectly aware that even with a poor track record some sits in popular areas will still get applicants (who don’t research so thoroughly, or don’t care) and who may/may not have a good experience. But I don’t, knowingly, take those kind of risks anymore.
Regarding poor reviews for sitters. If a sitter has one or two (unfair) poor reviews in the context of many excellent reviews this should be taken into consideration, and seen in context. I don’t agree that most people have a ‘tik tok’ mentality like you say you have, and if a host only reads a couple of reviews (including a bad one) and makes judgements on such minimal info I would not want to sit for such a host anyway!
the best sitters and the best hosts are those who present themselves, and what they offer, honestly and accurately. Those who write honest, factual reviews and if they receive an unfair bad one they respond calmly, factually and gracefully.
I’m sorry your sit has gone south. I think the best course of action is to contact THS Member Services immediately and share the proof you’ve got about violations, not wait until you get a bad review and then try to dispute it. Ideally there won’t even be reviews because an HO will be removed from the site for egregious violations. Of course you need to be prepared to vacate the sit. If that’s not possible, be prepared to leave an unemotional, factual review and respond the same way to the review you receive. As an HO, I do read all prior reviews on both sides, I read everything I can find. I have ended up with sitters who had been dinged in prior reviews and it’s always been okay. I don’t consider one crazy sounding review solid evidence and would likely ignore it or ask the sitter for details.
@lumionaeon THS don’t routinely read reviews but they do take action and investigate when a “Member Dispute” is raised .
I agree with @Shafofo and suggest that
the best thing to do in this situation ( homeowners broken T&Cs ) is to raise a “Member dispute “ with THS member services - state the facts which T&Cs have been broken , present the relevant evidence-( photos, screenshots of messages , screenshot of original listing / Welcome Guide etc ) THS will investigate all disputes raised officially- you must call it a “Member Dispute” to instigate this process.
There’s no need to wait until the end of the sit to do this . This can be done after, during the sit or even before a sit has started if it’s evident that the member has broken the T&Cs in a serious way that has negative impact .
I don’t think we can draw generalized conclusions from the global number of sitters or HOs. It’s not the same a sit in London or NY as an isolated rural sit at Christmas. This is all about matches, if nobody is interested in my sit it doesn’t really matter much if there are thousands of sitters looking for other sits. The same goes for sitters, it doesn’t help me to see thousands of sits in the UK if I want to sit in Costa Rica.
I wouldn’t mix T&Cs violations with reviews and sitters/HOs ratio.
IMHO, problems are better solved by focusing on what is bothering us and see if it can be changed or avoided.
In this case, I am not sure if the problem is the violation of T&Cs or the perspective of possibly having a negative review.
If the main issue is the review there’s not much you can do apart from being honest and factual in your review and response to their review. You won’t be able to prove that you haven’t broken T&Cs by providing evidence of them breaking it.
If, as it seems, they are breaking T&Cs and that is your concern right now, then, as others have said, you should report them to THS right now and see what can be done. If it’s a serious violation, you will be able to leave, the sit will be cancelled and there won’t be reviews.