Oh, I see. Although I haven’t needed the insurance and I suppose my homeowners would cover most things, I did like the idea of it. Annual membership is still a bargain compared to hiring a sitter in my case, so… I guess we will see how it goes.
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No problem 
99 pounds on mine
You’ve raised some very pertinent questions @Itchyfeet re the new tiered memberships so hopefully we can have some clarification from @Katie_Mc. I’ve just read the link from Katie to the description of the new tiers and was interested that the Standard Tier was the most popular one. As it has only been trialed (and we don’t know by how many), I’m wondering how this was decided!
As sitters, I’m wondering what the new tiers will be for us. Will we be asked to pay more to see more listings available to us than a Basic membership??
The pandemic has affected most people financially and any rise in premiums may hit members quite hard, especially where they have been fully paid during this time and not been able to use the service. Yes, there is a choice but are all of the inclusions necessary?
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Is there a link to see what the possible sitter tiers will look like?
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Hi @temba to answer your question about listings, nothing is being taken away from any member. Should a member decide not to upgrade they will still have access to all site listings.
Members will not be disadvantaged by the introduction of the tiers, everyone will still be able to enjoy their membership and lifestyle, just as they do now.
Having read all of the comments in this thread I am really confused.
@Katie_Mc states that we are all on Classic Memberships.
@Angela_L states that nothing is being taken away from any member.
When I look at the new model the Basic membership has only 2 features with no mention of Home and Contents Protection nor Member support
The Standard has more features including Home and Contents Protection and Dedicated Member support which we all have at the moment
This must mean that our Classic Membership will become the new Standard Membership.
The cost of standard will be US$ 169 for a HO.
This is more than my current membership
So, as I understand it, HOs will go on Standard but not be asked to pay more?
Or, we won’t pay more until our membership is due to be renewed when we will be asked to pay more?
Would it make sense to send out an email to everyone clarifying the cost and features of our current membership as only Forum members are aware of the new tiers?
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Thanks, Angela, for clarifying some of my queries. Perhaps some of the sitters on the forum could be asked to trial the new tiers?
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Hi @Reubendog thank you for your post and questions, there will be informational emails sent to all members outlining the new tiered plans once sitter testing has been completed.
Thanks @Angela_L , what sort of time frame?
There are still a lot of unanswered questions on HO membership and as this is now up and running shouldn’t THS be emailing all owners now with a full explanation of this new tiered system?
HO’s should be aware of what the changes mean to them and also how it affects the sitters; visibility and insurance cover for example.
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Itchy feet: wow, I’ve just stumbled across this thread. I’ve got so many questions.
I’m probably going to be shot down for this, but, THS, why are you changing things? The cynic in me would say it’s price-led and you’re trying to increase revenue.
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Good to know, @Provence. I will look into my insurance and be sure I’m giving them the info they need and have the coverage I think I do. The insurance and vet hotline are major things I tout when I recommend THS to friends, so that could be a disappointing change. That said, I did have a sitter break a $250 bowl and never thought about asking THS if it was covered … I guess I need to read more and see what I’m losing before so get too nervous LOL
I will ask CRM team on Monday regarding the email journey on tiered memberships as there will be informational and updated emails sent to all members about any changes to their membership, including the tiers.
Thank you
I have had a slow start. Did finally get a sitter for one of my trips but I have worked at it sending out lots of invites and working on an excellent sitters guide. I still have a sit I haven’t had an application on. I’m not sure an increase in dues would be worth it for me. At least so far. I’m hoping for increased interest in my home, my pets and my area.
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My heart sank when I saw the new membership plans. I just feel sad that everything has to be ‘classed’ and if you have more money you can be a ‘premium’ member (which will probably mean that you get more sits). I am an excellent sitter (I don’t just sit with this company) genuinely caring for people’s pets and homes but I feel I’m becoming priced out. I initially joined TrustedHousesitters for a reasonable amount but this has got rather expensive, especially as sitting was extremely limited over covid. It’s a shame that all companies have to make more profit by dividing people by the amount they pay - jump queues, take more luggage, and it’s more of a shame that’s it’s being done with petsitting when the quality of what is offered is not dependent on whether we can afford to be a ‘premium’ member or ‘standard’. Disappointing.
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I have been reading the forum, investigating on premium and I read very few are upgrading the account and sticking to the basic.
In my opinion it’s a stronge price difference for little service upgrade for a sitter
How to make it more attractive:
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insurance: as a sitter you are only covered when something happens because of the pet you are taking care of doing damage to somebody else. LIke when is that going to happen…? To really comfort the HO this should be extended. The housesitter should also be covered if he brings damage to the pet, house or even to the car he is using. That would be really premium worthy. It seems thats the extra premium house protection is ONLY for premium HO. This extra should be added for premium sitters at least protection to the house!
https://support.trustedhousesitters.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360018236798 -
Cancelation insurance: this is an empty box. This is only valid when a HO cancels on you 14days before the sits starts this should be at least 30 days.
What is also not covered: " 4. The sitter has not incurred any financial loss as a result of the sit cancellation."
Or in other words… If I planned to drive to the housesit I can expect THS to tell me that I didn’t make any costs so the cover for a replacement accomodation isn’t valid. So no holiday!
Even if it would be covered then you have this one…
“5. The claim is for accommodation in an area not local to the original housesit.”
What can be considered “local”, what if there isn’t a hotel in the same village?
Under premium option its says that terms and conditions apply, but there isn’t a link provided and they are tucked away far far away. I actually needed to use Google to find them.
Here they are:
So in short I think that premium is an empty box and it should be improved with more benefits and better conditions.
Rubos does make a very valid point that the terms and conditions are extremely hard to find, which is very annoying.
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There have been several discussions about insurance in the past. (Use the search feature to read these. ) THS sitter insurance would be attractive to me if it covered loss, damage and theft in the home during the sit. Unfortunately it does not.
My own insurance agent said you would need commercial insurance for this kind of coverage. The catch 22 is that what we do is not a commercial transaction.
I strongly support Rubos view that premium membership for sitters doesn’t offer added value. We actually upgraded to premium membership after one of our sits has to be canceled due to HO positive covid test on arrival day. We thought that cancelation cost are covered by premium terms for future sits. After reading through the small print, we found out that cancelations due to epedemic causes (like corona) are exempted. Yes, I know, always read the terms&conditions before sign in; our fault. We downgraded to standard membership again.
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I have my own Public Indemnity insurance through Cliverton Insurance. Fantastic company - covers me for loss/replacement of locks of HO’s keys, damage to my and their property, other people trying to sue me if the HO’s pet harmed them or their pet while the pet was in my care the transport of pets etc., I’ve even used it for a HO when their dog had to to be taken to the vets and stayed overnight for observation… she was SOOO greatful as it was just taken care of immediately and without much hassle at all.
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