I am really disillusioned with two sits that I have done very recently & have cancelled my auto renewal based on them, neither was a positive experience for me unfortunately due to no fault of my own.
Hi @Fluffball - That is really disappointing to hear - As we are dealing with the public there are always going to be sits that don’t meet our expectations but these are not common and I think you have been really unlucky to have had two in a short space of time.
I know how you feel as we had a bad experience on a sit recently and it really knocked our enthusiasm, however, we stuck with it, have done a few great sits since then so the bad one is already forgotten!
Can I ask what were the issues with your sits?
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That is disheartening @Fluffball. When I find myself in a situation that is not to my liking I reevaluate the process to see if there were any red flags I missed so as to be on the look out next time. Got me it’s a learning curve and a bit of a game.
Did I settle? Do I need to change my criteria? Look elsewhere?
And I remind myself to make the best of any situation because in a week or so, it won’t matter.
All the best
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Please don’t give up, third time lucky. Now you know what to look for and what you want and don’t want you have a better chance of finding something that fits. This is truly a wonderful life, it’s just finding your feet to begin with.
Elsie
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Thanks all for your replies, I really appreciate it!! I will put some details of what happened on the sits in a further message. As I am really interested to get other sitters perspectives. It’s worth noting I am not new to sitting, I have been doing sits for Trusted House sitters for five years & the two sits in question were my 33rd & 35th sit!!
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Cool. Fail forward and upwards. We are in unusual times but this too shall pass.
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Yep, it’s completely put me off using the site though unfortunately. I have noticed a significant shift in Home Owner behaviour & attitudes since I first started five years ago.
I am very new to TH and it would help to know the problems that you had on your most recent sits. Sorry that you had this experience.
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I’ve been a sitter for seven years with THS. I recently did my first sit since the pandemic and can certainly say that my homeowner was an excellent and caring host. I’m hopeful that homeowners collectively aren’t changing, but rather that you had two bad experiences close together. Of course your decision as to whether to continue is a personal one. I just want to point out that there are still many excellent and grateful homeowners who truly care and work hard to show their appreciation.
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HI @Fluffball welcome to our community forum and I’m really sorry to read your post about being disillusioned to the point of giving up, especially since you have been a member of THS since 2015, having completed many wonderful sits.
I’m going to Direct Message you to get more details …
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Thanks Snowbird, it doesn’t feel like it sometimes, recently I feel like I have experienced absolute lack of care, value or any thought from Home Owners. I feel really devalued & it feels really demoralising.
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I’m so sorry to hear that. Given that we’re all volunteering our time, I think there is a basic need to feel appreciated. Whatever you decide, I hope things improve for you. 
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I can’t understand what people think! I am so grateful that there are volunteers out there who love animals and that I can be sure that my two cats will be in the best hands while we’re away.
I used to have mixed feelings about our neighbors feeding them twice a day and I was right. I found that they must have forgotten to feed them several days, because there was definitely too much food left…poor babies.
Now that I found THS I really hope that each sitter will be as dedicated as we wish them to be.
I am sure there are so many HO doing their best to make their sitter’s stay as comfortable as possible.
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Human beings ie Homeowners and Sitters … are only human and as such are flawed individuals. We all are. I’ve done about ten house sits now and only one of those Homeowners was, I’d say, completely unappreciative of the Sitter. But it was only a few days and the doggy was lovely so I just sucked it up and got on with it. It’s such a shame that these two experiences have affected you to this extent. I can almost feel the despair in your words. But don’t give up. There ARE really appreciative HOs out there.
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What I have noticed over the years is the disappearance of a “kitty” left by the HO to cover unexpected expenses. At times, we have had to replace pet food, batteries and other incidentals for which we have not been re-imbersed, usually when the HO returns after we have left.
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I just finished a sit that I am completely upset over. She comes home and thanks me profusely for taking such good care of her house and her animals. Now the next morning before I was about to leave she actually offered me to take her cat home with me. I was tickled because I fell in love with both of the animals so I went on to make room for a cat carrier and then she comes out and tells me she changed her mind!! HUH?. This upset me because I was excited to take him with me and then I wasn’t and in the middle of all the CHAOS I left one of my bags behind and it happened to have my dentures in them. Her behavior got very erratic and she started saying rude comments to me. In a word, bizarre!. She called me just a little while ago in a very negative tone and told me that she’s not going to send me any of my things I couldn’t get out of her house fast enough. I’m certain that’s why I forgot my bag. Can someone please help me deal with this woman I just need my things and she’s going to throw them in the trash she said can she do that? I don’t know I’m just so upset I can’t even think
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Thanks Snowbird, I appreciate your kind words. Yes, I think feeling appreciated for all that you do when House & Pet sitting as part of an exchange is a big part of it. 
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Hi as a housesitter I am sorry to say that there will always be HO that are difficult and unpleasant, but that is the general public they can be very difficult as can we at times.
The thing that upsets me is the reviews that sitters give when the HO is to say the least unpleasant some HS give a glowing review which throws you a false impression I know its difficult to give a bad review but if don’t feel you can do that then don’t give a review at all that can sometimes speak louder than words. There is also the fact that although you may have spoken over the phone etc., the HO just takes a dislike to you and there is nothing you can do about that.
We’ve had 30 sits over the past 18 months (in UK and 1 in Costa Rica) and none have been bad experiences. There are a few we won’t go back to for minor reasons. All of the house owners have been likable (though a few a bit odd). If one sit in 10 is bad it is perfectly possible that we’ve just been lucky and 2 bad in a row is can happen by pure chance.
I’d be interested in what others see as red flags? I’m very suspicious if there are few pics of the house and I would avoid anyone who says that smoking is allowed in their home.
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