Some people are super fussy. I would never deduct a star for those things, although the not stripping the bed would annoy me a little. Certainly not enough to deduct a star tho.
I also had a recent experience where I got a couple of 4star ratings in areas i rpide myself on (communication and reliability) which bothered me hugely for a couple of days, especially since I went above and beyond in that particular instance. I have managed to get sits no problem since so its not as big deal as I had initially thought.
I agree with you about the home owner. Some people have low EQ and are unable to appreciate and tend to use gaslighting reviews to put themselves in a position of judgement. It happens in hospitality as well as Trusted Housesitters. Fairness isn’t something spiteful people looking to feel important take into account. They don’t care about your costs and times to make it to the sit, the quality of care to their pets, or where you went over the top detailing their home, all they care about is twisting anything real or imagined to tear you down in a review to feel better about themselves. I’m very picky who I sit for because of it.
The HO you sat for on Spain are the worst and the ones I’d like to avoid. I can’t imagine the international travel expense to sit for her.
Karenlet I hope you feel better for unloading it here. I had a similar experience last year, and I posted about it here, and got absolutely slammed for being so ‘petty’ about only getting 4 **** instead of 5.
I had been given 4* because I didn’t send a notification that I had arrived the minute I arrived at the house. I had sent them a whatsapp half way through my journey when I found a service station with wifi (it was a 4 hour drive) and said I was nearly there (as they had said there is no phone signal at their place). When I arrived I took the dogs for a walk, as they hadn’t been for one all day, and then connected to the internet and let them know we’d had a quick walk first, and fed the chickens and guinea pigs, and all was good. I sent them photos every day.
So I was stunned to get the 4* review.
Try not to take it personally, it won’t affect you overall, as I have had many more sits. If anyone doesn’t offer you a sit because they see a 4*. in amongst the many 5*, then it’s probably not someone you want to sit with anyway.
Thanks for your reply. I wouldn’t say she was an awful HO, she seemed like a nice person but I do think some people can be a bit harsh and very picky. Luckily this is the first time this has happened to me, all of the other HOs have been lovely people who appreciate what you do for them. We do have to remember it’s a transaction where both sides are getting something out of it. However, this was a 10 day sit and I put a lot of energy into the logistics and then the pet and house care while I was there.
Thank you for your reply, it does help to share these little setbacks! Agree a 4* is probably not so bad and I’m happy to take it if I feel it’s justified, in this case I don’t think it was. It seems like you feel the same when you got the 4*. Glad to hear you’ve been able to get lots of sits even after that annoying review!
You feel quite hurt, because we pride ourselves in the care we give, and take great responsibility and measures, to ensure we do everything we can to make the pets feel happy and contented. Totally get how it made you feel.
Wow, you didn’t fill the bird feeder and got docked a star. That’s terribly harsh, especially after such a good connection, that you gave hugs at the end. I love when a connection happens like that, so I too would have felt stunned by that response.
I’ve alao had lovely pet parent humans and always fall in love with the pets and take great care of their property regardless. I do this because I love animals, hospitality and travel. I’m also a people person who makes friends along the way. You can’t expect fairness or friendship from people who see you as a subordinate to control. Sometimes these toxic people invite friends or family to ‘manage you’ in their stead, and that’s not what I agreed to or signed up for. My profile communicates my expectation.
Communication is key and lack of it is a tell.
I don’t consider control freaks good people so that’s a matter of perspective, as I consider it a toxic trait and have healthy boundaries. I will not accept a sit if I think the pet parent is toxic.
It’s far from an even transaction when you’ve invested time and money to get to the sit. I’ve spent upwards of to 2000.00 to get to and from a sit before (or including groceries while there), and two days of travel. I do not agree to be a subordinate or have my healthy boundaries crossed.
I literally would not be here except for the great pets and humans I’ve met and love for this community. However as in life, there are toxic people to avoid.
HOs are not evenly invested in a sit and have zero out of pocket cost for you’re being there, as well as time invested to get to you… unlike the sitter. It’s not a transaction, it’s a living and how ving house sit where hopefully new friendships are forged.
You underestimate the level of trust and commitment a host provides to a complete stranger when handing them their most precious possessions and valuable assets to care for.
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