Honestly, I think the classic longer videos that THS used to have and may still have showed this pretty well.
I’m sorry you feel this way. I’m a combined member and I feel at times that THS is a great deal for both sitters and homeowners, but when I hear about some of the stuff that happens, I fell like it’s not a great deal for either. To me the difference is that a terrible sit for a sitter might feel like a waste of time or two “miserable” weeks stuck in a dirty home that smells of dog urine. A terrible sit for a homeowner might have even worse consequences – loss of a pet, thousands in property damage. The problem when something is not working right, is the tendency to blame others for it not working right, rather than dealing with the systematic problem. Hence for example in some countries a group might be blamed for causing a problem when the problem may be the system itself.
The case is they have to cater to the their lowest denominator and that’s idiots.
I also worry that the AI selection process may come to favor premium accounts over standard accounts or even directly offer more visibility in exchange for higher fees. For example-- for an extra fee the HO can have their sit appear at the top of the sitter’s search results.
Hey everyone,
Great news, I know this is something that you’ve asked for.
The option to report listings and/or profiles is now available for all members on our web and app.
EDIT: adding link to supporting blog
That’s great news . Thanks.
The example you have shown seems to give reasons to report a sitter. Could you please share the display of reasons to report a host?
oooo so there is a report feature for the sitter and the listings. That is actually very interesting
I don’t know but “sitter asked to be paid”
“Offensive behaviour from sitter”… sounds like that’s the case. It’s a bit confusing.
That is true
@Newpetlover You’re right, the middle image shows the options for why a sitters profile is being reported, whilst the 1st and 3rd image are specific to reporting a listing.
The intent was to outline the process, but I should’ve kept them consistent. 
The image below is taken from web and is shown when reporting a listing…
I also worry that the AI selection process may come to favor premium accounts over standard accounts or even directly offer more visibility in exchange for higher fees. For example-- for an extra fee the HO can have their sit appear at the top of the sitter’s search results.
I don’t worry about this in particular because sitters still search for dates and locations and kinds of pets so it would be like invites. Not that useful. As it is the “sits we think you’d like” feature is useless.
I do worry that they’ll do something even worse. I base this a lot on experiences with a gig-referral company that starts with a T and operates in the US. Not he one that starts with a B in the UK, but I think they’ve done something similar as well. I worry that they’ll make the matching itself automatic and sitters and homeowners will be forced to pay for matches they don’t even want or some other equally stupid stupid nonsense.
I just worry because it feels increasingly clear that the question for new products is never: "How do we solve a problem? or “How do we make this work better?” but “How do collect more revenue per sit?”
It would have been be good to have
“This listing breaches terms of service “
as an option -
This would cover the reasons that I have most frequently seen for reporting a listing.
- Third party lives at the property and will be there during the sit .
- Listing has a prohibited/ aggressive pet .
Just what I was going to say. I completely agree that the two cases you mention are, by far, the most frequently reported in “listings slipping through the net”. Non compliance with T&Cs would also cover the use of internal cameras and sitters asking to be paid.
These two, however, represent something different, because they can only be reported after being experienced (not on the listing or the profile) and would probably need additional evidence.
IMHO, there’s a mixture of reporting listings/profiles and something very close to members’ dispute.
“Home has internal cameras” is, in fact something that cannot be reported. What is against T&Cs is the use of internal cameras during a sit.
That’s good there’s now a report button for all members to use @Mark_B. Just looking at the reasons given for a listing, I know the two main ones I report are no internal photos and if a third party is mentioned. These issues are far more common and simply understood. “Offensive behaviour from pet parent” would NOT show in the listing; only perhaps in a video chat or from their past reviews. That reason could be in the “Something else” instead.
I see none of these options on the app. Do I need to update?
@Cat-ophile The options only come up after you click Report Listing which is below the Pet Parent Name.
If you don’t see Report Listing, you need to update the app.
At last, something we have asked for has been delivered. Thank you.
Got it. Update successful. Thanks.
For owners, finding the right sitter for your pet is one of the most important decisions you’ll make and we want to make that a little easier.
We’re testing a new feature that surfaces a sitter’s experience directly in the app, so the most important information is right there when you’re reviewing applications.
Here’s what to expect
To start, we’re highlighting sitter’s previous experience with specific pets and breeds, pulling details from reviews and past listings.
As we learn more, we may look to expand this to include things like experience with pets who need specialist care, or sits in the local area.
Why we’re testing this
Even experienced sitters can sometimes use a little help showcasing what makes them a great fit.
This feature is designed to spark better, more informed conversations between owners and sitters from the very first message.
As an experienced sitter with 60 5* reviews I don’t have an issue with this.
It did make me think that when the 5 application limit was brought in one of the reasons given was to give new sitters a better chance of securing a sit.
How will this new introduction help the inexperienced sitter get started?