@Jenny or @Carla on the basis of the last message received from the owner do I have grounds to cancel this sit? I don’t particularly want to because it would be a shame for the dog & I’d likely have to pay for accommodation but she’s unnerved me.
She seems to think you work for her.
On the basis of her refusing the reasonable request to fully complete the obligatory Welcome Guilde - would you not also have grounds for cancelling the sit? I am assuming you have written responses from her, where she instructs you “not to ask again”.
Hello, @Smiley I’m sorry you find yourself in this situation, it’s never nice feeling uncomfortable. The Membership Services team are the place to get help and advice in this situation. I would reach out to them as I am sure they will be happy to help 
@Smiley I absolutely feel for you. What a horribly uncomfortable situation. And, I agree, that last message to you is downright rude.
She sounds super complicated and probably now pretty irritated that her sitter ‘slave’ is not going to pick her up at the airport. (I wouldn’t drive at that time either) I don’t see this ending well (especially not a great review) I’d feel the same and want to cancel if I could. I really hope you get a good resolution to this situation. Good luck!
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@Smiley so sorry that you are having this stressful situation .
If owner is insisting on extra responsibilities that are not in the listing when you agreed to sit I.e. demanding that you drive her car to the airport for her - when you have said that you are not comfortable doing so ( and she has told you the excess you would be liable for if you had an accident) . In addition not providing any form of written Welcome Guide despite your repeated requests then this seems unreasonable and I am sure that if you explain it this way to member services including the relevant WhatsApp messages they will understand why you feel that you need to cancel this sit .
All the very best 
and please let us know how you get on. 
Try to get through to an actual human who will have more understanding than Frankie the chatbot.
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Yes I have all her responses on WhatsApp
I knew you’d say that & don’t have much faith as they always seem to side with the owner, from what I’ve read. Will they be able to read this posting so I don’t have to repeat it all. I have all WhatsApp messages.
Thank you for your understanding
Thanks @Silversitters for your kind words & advice. She has filled in some of the Welcome Guide but nothing about the dog’s routine, just pictures of her with the dog, in emergency contacts she’s just repeated the vet info (she hasn’t an account set up of course!). When I pointed out the gaps she just ignored me. My WhatsApp messages tell the story & how she’s changed her mind constantly. If I were to drive her car I feel as if she’d find the slightest scratch or dent & blame me. I feel extremely uncomfortable & will see what Membership Services come up with but think they’ll give the standard reply & side with the owner
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@Smiley how long is the sit? It might be really nice once the owner is gone. Did you like the photos of the listing, the pets? If you can put the car thing aside (if you can!), hopefully the rest will be fine. You have loads of experience and you would have picked this based on intuition and experience. Declare it will be fine.
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It’s from 22/12-3/1. The thing is that I’ve told her I won’t use her car & she’s ignored that. Chauffeuring or dropping off a car isn’t part of the job, although I’d willingly do it for owners with better attitudes and have done. I offered to drop her off at her airport hotel in my rental car before I drop that off, but she wants to drive her car there as well & for me to drive it back so I don’t have the hassle of public transport. But that’s my problem & I don’t mind. I feel thoroughly uncomfortable about it
Hello @Smiley, sorry we can’t help more here on the forum, we are not in the position to make those calls, but Membership Services will know more.
They are there to assist all members and each scenario is taken on a case-by-case basis in line with the T&Cs, they really are there to help, so I would reach out and send copies of the WhatsApp messages and you can also copy and paste your original post into an email for them as the forum is separate from the Membership Services department they would need all of the information sent to them there.
I hope you get the help and advice you need, you have had some very supportive comments from other community members which I hope has helped as well
Thanks Carla. I’m communicating with Marissa at membership services atm
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@Smiley I’m sorry you find yourself in this difficult and stressful situation. I know you are a really experienced sitter and have successfully completed lots of sits without issues. This home owner sounds like a bit of a bully, who expects others to do as she demands. The problem with this is that she probably won’t take it well if she doesn’t succeed in getting her own way. She must be something else to have unnerved you to the degree that you are considering cancelling.
If membership services can back you up, they could remind the home owner that you are a house sitter, not a chauffeur and that you do not have to drive her car to the airport.
An alternative option might be to call her bluff. Politely reply that you will not be able to drive her car to the airport, and that if this is a deal breaker, she should unconfirm you and look for an alternative sitter.
I really hope a satisfactory solution can be found and that you can relax and enjoy your Christmas and New Year. Sending hugs.
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Thanks Debbie. Yes she’s coming across as entitled and obviously used to getting her own way. She cannot make me drive her car!
This is response from Membership Services:
‘Thank you for waiting. We ask that you communicate with —-, but you do not have to continue with a sit if you do not feel comfortable. We hope you are able to resolve and countinue the sit, but f you would like to cancel, please communicate this with —-as soon as possible so they can make alternate arrangements’
I’m also escalating it as a complaint.
Just reading through the ts & cs before I reply to her last message.
Thank you everyone for your input, it’s nice to know I’ve got your backing and understanding
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I quite recently cancelled a sit due to information only coming to light after I accepted the sit. I would not have applied for the assignment, had I known beforehand, this deal-breaking condition. For a few hours, I did try to line up with ‘making the best’ of the situation because I felt that I had now committed to the sit. However, I simply could not accept the disrespect and the feeling of having been taken advantage of by the HO. Added to this, was the employer/employee tone of the Welcome Guide. I had also earlier given the HO the benefit of the doubt when I saw they had poorly reviewed a sitter who, from what I read - even in the HO’s review - appeared to have jumped through hoops for the HO.
I could now see trouble ahead . . .
A few hours after receiving the Guide, I politely told the owner I was withdrawing interest due to the new information coming to light - and that my decision was not up for discussion. I added that, if the HO did not cancel the arrangement, then I would contact Membership Services, and request that they do so.
There was a delay in the cancellation process, so I did contact Membership Services (with evidence). The sit was subsequently cancelled. I am unsure if this was done by THS or the HO. I did, however, receive a nice message from THS, saying they were pleased to hear the situation had now been resolved.
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I have just received a call from the HO, and she was quite friendly. I explained she obviously hadn’t seen my message that I didn’t want to use her car and I explained the reasons why. I have decided not to cancel. However, I still don’t have information about the dog’s routine nor emergency contacts so I’ll hope there are no issues!
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I haven’t had to cancel so far although almost did recently with a sit on Facebook. That turned out to be fine and I’m quite friendly with the owners. However, it is important to read between the lines and I do generally get a sense of those that wouldn’t sit right with me. Sadly there are a few owners who aren’t honest and disrespectful to sitters, but they are only a small minority.
Well done to you for having the courage of your convictions
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