Hi has anyone had to “recover” from a bad sit? Any tips? I realize I probably just need to write the review in order to get it out of my system:
Ughh. Trying to snap out of it, but still on my mind because its my final day to leave a review 
Yes! I really feel for you. I recently had a bad sit where I was bitten and the dog cried and barked at night a lot so I was lacking sleep amongst other issues. If im honest I actually went to stay with a friend for a week to decompress and catch up on my work.
What helped me was writing down questions for the next sit based on the things I’ve learnt along the way (still quite new to this), I guess it just made me feel a bit more empowered. X
Definitely get the feelings out of your system verbally to anyone before writing the review. Having negative experiences on a sit needs to be shared with a friend/this forum as we have all had them.
As @Travelingtails mentioned, we think about what we can learn to ask to avoid these situations in the future. This is a positive step to a better sit next time.
We decompress with a hotel stay between sits, or stay with friends between sits. A place we can sleep in, treat ourselves and only think about what we want and need without being responsible for pets, plants, and the running of a home.
Don’t postpone it any further, because it may be unclear with timezones.
There is the new review system, with categories, so this way you do not need to write that much text to explain what you deducted stars for. Basically what you wrote here.
I would suggest you write a review as soon as possible or you will miss the opportunity to do so.
You are able to score several categories (this is a new facility).
Explain the reason why you have deducted any stars.
In future ask for a video tour of the home and ask lots of questions about the pets you will be caring for.
Not sure exactly what you mean about losing a week of your vacation . Did they return early?
Also they continued to text you even though you told them to stop. Was it because they wanted an update on the pets or did it feel like harassment?
All your concerns should be mentioned in your review.
Hello @Travelingtails I am just checking in on you as you said you got bitten. Did you report it to Membership Services? I hope you are okay!
You should write your honest factual review before the expiration. With the new blind review system, we should all do that. Looking at every member only having 5 star reviews is weird and artificial
Poor thing. The bad memories will fade with time. It does get better after a few weeks. We also stay in a hotel/airbnb between stays, with no responsibilities. This helps. Good luck.
I just wrapped up my first horrible sit in which I gave 3*. This was very generous considering I had to sit in a dirty, pest infested apt for 15 days. I messaged the HO (included videos) of the infestation to no resolve. They didn’t send an exterminator or anything. I had to throw my groceries in the outside trash bin and order takeout everyday because the kitchen was infested so bad I couldn’t cook meals. It was mentally taxing. I contacted member services included screenshots of the messages between the HO and I plus the videos. I received the canned response regarding not abandoning the sit. After the sit was over I checked into a hotel and had to wash all of my clothes, even the clean ones, in fear of the pest following me to my next sit. So many lessons learned from this horrible experience.
That sounds horrible. Can you share the lessons learned?
That sounds horrendous @kimshady. Were there any previous reviews or were you the first sitter? Are they still on the site?
I wouldn’t abandon pets but I would definitely be looking to have got out of there at the earliest opportunity.
Very traumatic for you and I also feel for the poor pets.
The most important lessons I learned from this horrible sit are:
Always thoroughly review the pictures like you’re investigating a crime scene. Any sign of untidiness abort. There is a difference between being a little messy (leaving your coat flung over the living room chair) and being outright nasty.
Be cautious of those listing that have pictures of a particular room from only one angle. I say this because this could be a sign the HO is purposely omitting the unflattering parts of the home that would make the sit less comfortable (this was the case on this sit).
Ask if there are any impairments in the home you should know about in advance (example: the air conditioner leaks water if left on over night etc)
Ask if the amenities you need for comfort are available in the home - stove, fridge, washer, dryer, etc (the apartment for this sit did not have a stove in the kitchen which should have been explicitly mentioned in the listing since a stove is a basic kitchen amenity in most homes).
Ask for clarity on how to access the home. For example this sit required walking through multiple levels in a parking garage to reach the elevator that would take me to their building. It was pretty creepy navigating at night like the beginning of a scary movie.
I was their fourth sitter. The sitter before me did not leave a review for the HO and the HO didn’t leave one for her either. I looked back over the reviews left by the first two sitters and they were the generic 3 line review - love the pet, good neighborhood with no mentioning of the home (RED FLAG). They both left a 5* review. I really wish they would have been honest in their reviews as it would have saved me the pain and suffering. I also noticed the sitter before me gave reviews for all of her previous sits except this one (another tell sign). I left an honest review that included the good and the bad so others sitters can make an informed decision. I’m thankful this was not a long 1-3 month sit. I never would have survived. This is why I do not apply for long sits. The HO is still on the site but THS said they would be monitoring her account presumably for more complaints and such. In spite of the lack of hospitality I still provided the best care for the cat he is so adorable and a good companion. I really felt sad he had to stay in that mess. He deserves so much better.
Yes, had two back-to-back sits that were not good between Jan & Feb. One, the dog had serious behavior issues, which were not manageable since it was an 80lb. dog. The second also had behavior issues, neighbors barging in, and constant “renegotiation” by the owners after confirming.
I’d say, do some things for you to recoup - a hike, yoga, whatever works for you. But then, write a truthful review. Not mean, not emotional, but to-the-point factual. A lot of sitters - including myself - have just not reviewed bad situations. Although no reviews, if enough people do so for the HO/sitter, are a red flag, it doesn’t address the issues. I won’t do that any longer and did write a 4* review for one of the above HO’s. Future sitters need to have honest input to make choices and HO’s who aren’t upfront or respectful need to be curtailed. And vice versa.
@kimshady
You can raise a member dispute
Include your videos THS have to investigate when a member dispute is raised .
3* sounds very generous if that was your experience. Thanks for sharing your lessons learned. X
Just wanted to say I love you guys.
Everyone has made me feel so much better already 
I mentioned in the review that I had wanted to give 2 stars … and ended saying I don’t recommend them …
@kimshady Don’t feel too bad, I too have over looked red flags and ended up with an unpleasant sit. Generally when back to back sitters don’t leave reviews but those same sitters review other sits, its a huge red flag. After my unpleasant sit I went back and read over the HO’s profile and there were multiple sitters who did NOT review them but
went on to RAVE about OTHER sits 
. (check the review dates as well) A BONUS red flag was that their many 5 star reviews only came from REPEAT sitters which really means their glowing reviews were just padded… We’ve all been there! We for sure won’t make those mistakes again. Sitters can be at great risk if we excitedly accept sits without combing through profiles with a fine tooth comb. 
Another thing I noticed about the 5* reviews given by previous sitters for my horrible sit was they were short 2-3 day sits.