Hi All!
I have been a Premium Member on TH for more than 7 years. I have hosted more than 20 Pet Sitters and have had only positive experiences, and most have exceeded my expectations. I have referred at least 5 new members to TH and very grateful that this platform exists because it has enabled me to travel knowing that I have peace of mind that my pets are being well cared for.
Unfortunately, I had my first negative experience 2 weeks ago when a new to me Pet Sitter invited an unauthorized guest into my home within 12 hours of my departure. Not only did she not inform me she was having a Guest, but he arrived at 11 PM and left at 3 AM, which was caught on my disclosed video doorbell cam as well as footage of her fully naked in my fenced in backyard. As you might imagine, I was distressed about this and quickly scrambled to find alternative pet care for my home and she was gracious enough to be willing to leave as soon as I messaged her about my concerns. (Additionally, thereās no evidence on the doorbell cam that she walked my dogs during her 24 hours at my home, but that is a separate issue.)
From what I understand, this is a violation of the TH Code of Conduct, but also was explicitly noted in my Welcome Guide that no guests are permitted without prior notification and permission. I emphasized the importance of security with her during our initial home walkthrough and we even talked about how important this is given I live alone.
All that said, I filed a claim with TH and they approved it and are sending reimbursement for the cost of the alternative pet care. My issue is that I am being held accountable for the ācontribution feeā of $150.
Why am I having to pay anything, when I am not the one who violated the policy in the Welcome Guide AND the TH Code of Conduct. Why is the Pet Sitter not being held accountable in this scenario?!
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Is that not the excess by another name. Most insurance is cheaper if you pay an excess amount upfront I am guessing this works in a similar way for a person making the claim. I imagine the insurance is through a separate company on behalf of THS
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Even though the sitter is the one who utterly failed here, the dog and its arrangements for care are still ultimately your responsibility. In an ideal world, the one responsible for the problem would have to rectify it, but since this isnāt a formal contractual set of obligations between PP-HS, weāre each ultimately responsible to take care of ourselves when the other lets us down. Iām just grateful that there is insurance to cover most of the costs in these situations.
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Iām sorry about your experience. I also have premium. As far as I know there is a deductible on the premium no matter why you are claiming it. You are paying the deductible on the policy. If you didnāt have the premium and you had ended the sit because of the sitterās violation of the rules there would be no pay out available to you at all and you would be stuck paying the full amount for alternate care. It doesnāt matter who violated the rules. Iām surprised frankly that you even got a payout in this scenario. My understanding was that the policy could only be used if the sitter wanted out of the sit, not if you basically told the sitter to leave because they violated your agreement.
Normally, the insurance doesnāt have to do with who is āat faultā. It has to do with who cancelled.
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An unfortunate situation but that is how insurance works. Itās the same the other way, if a home isnāt as described or a HO cancels last minute the deductible for the insurance is $150 out of the sitters pocket for something that isnāt their fault.
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Yes thatās how it works you pay for Premium
Cover to āinsureā against a sit cancellation. There is $150 deducted from all claims .
You can also raise a member dispute about this sitter bringing overnight guests into your property which you had clearly stated was not to happen . This is a security breach . For THS to investigate you must call it a Member dispute , show them the camera footage as evidence .
This wonāt result in the sitter paying the $150 but it may be that the sitter receives a warning or if deemed serious enough is removed from the platform .
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@car, bravo on 20 successful housesits. Sorry to hear of recent challenge.
The US$150 deductible applies to Sit Cancellation Insurance terms for both pet parents and housesitters. THS has purchased a related insurance policy and those are the terms - not aware of any actions that you can take other than, if you think appropriate, to politely request US$150 from housesitter - any payment would be voluntary.
As experienced housesitters then two pet parents have cancelled international sits on us at the last minute (day of arrival). Each had their reasons and stuff happens in life. Each situation was stressful and one resulted in a successful claim to THS Sit Cancellation Insurance. But the US$150 deductible still applied.
Only way that you can influence THS insurance policy in future is to provide feedback to THS on terms of their insurance. In prior threads on THS Forum then we have encouraged better terms for THS Sit Cancellation Insurance (e.g. geographic terms).
Hope that you secure super alternative pet care. Suspect that you, like us, have to consider the insurance deductible in broader terms and re-appreciate that situation was eligible for Sit Cancellation Insurance, and that this is the first time of need in 20 sits. Keep smiling.
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Iām figuring out that āexcessā may be a term that we do not use in the US. I believe this is synonymous with a ādeductibleā. Since this is insurance, that makes sense that thereās a deductible. My complaint is not the terms of the insurance per se, but that I, as the Pet Parent and Homeowner, am being held accountable, or rather punished financially, for the poor behavior and policy violation of the Pet Sitter.
What is being done to hold the Pet Sitter accountable in this scenario?!
I respectfully disagree with this perspective. TH provides this matching platform, we pay them for the service, and there needs to be a mechanism in place where the accountability for a violation of Code of Conduct and a Welcome Guide Homeowner policy has consequences. I will always ultimately be responsible for my own Pets, that goes without saying, but TH has created a membership model (that they are paid for) that requires members to agree to the terms of the TH platform. And we, as members, all agree to abide by those terms. When those terms are violated, we need to place accountability with the person who is in the wrong.
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Thank you and yes, those are the terms of the Sit Cancellation Policy insurance, a deductible aka excess is due in order to have the claim paid. My complaint is that this does not penalize the offender. How do we hold people accountable? This was a violation by the Pet Sitter. The Homeowner should not be accountable in this scenario, regardless of insurance coverage. As the Pet Parent/Homeowner, I not only had to scramble to find alternate pet care, I had to pay out of pocket, spend hours drafting a claim and more hours following up. Meanwhile, the Pet Sitter goes about their day, with no consequences. How is that right?!
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Thank you - this is the most helpful response. I was not aware of the member dispute option and will ask TH support about it. I have already provided a detailed report in my claim filed with the Sit Cancellation Policy, including videos. TH has also claimed that they are in touch with the Sitter and monitoring them and I suppose they are putting this violation on her record. But in the meantime, her profile remains live, and she is able to Sit for others. Iām not sure how this is fair for Pet Parents/Homeowners. We are the ones bearing the most risk, offering our most valuable asset to a virtual stranger. I think the protections should favor Pet Parents/Homeowners, not Pet Sitters.
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Thank you - I do understand how the insurance works. I do not agree with it. I have also had experiences where itās impossible to avoid cancellation. That is not the case in this scenario. This is a Pet Sitter who violated TH policy, my house rules and basic decorum honestly. And they are not being held accountable by TH, instead, I as the Homeowner am paying for the problem that they created. I do appreciate the insurance, however, itās something I paid for with my Premium Membership, AND I am certain itās one of the most important value propositions that gives Homeowners peace of mind to join a platform where they are trusting strangers to care for their homes and pets. When I refer friends, their first concern is āwill my home be safe?ā and ācan i trust these people to take good care of my pets?ā
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Iām not sure youāll find many here that agree with you. The sitter is a member like you. They donāt work for the company anymore than you do, so the company isnāt going pay because it is somebodyās fault. This is between you and the sitter, not you and Trusted Housesitters. There is nothing when you join about either party paying the other in the event the terms arenāt met or there is a cancellation. It could work both ways and each would have a story to tell. I guess you could take the sitter into small claims court, but it doesnāt seem like you have any kind of written agreement that would hold up. It would be pretty horrible if members were suing each other. Personally, I wouldnāt take a sit or be sitting if I was afraid I was going to be sued and I certainly wouldnāt have sitters in my home if I was afraid theyād sue me!
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You might not agree, but THS made you no promises to make you whole. If you think the $150 deductible makes your home and pets unsafe, then youāll need to find alternative care.
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This is definitely between the Member and Trusted Housesitters and the Sitter. If it were not, we would not be paying to become members of the TH platform. The insurance is meant for exactly this purpose - when there is a cancellation. The agreement between the Sitter and the Pet Parent is an agreement of the TH Code of Conduct when you join the platform. If this was an off-platform agreement, you would be correct.
It can be extremely costly for sitters when homeowners cancel. Iāve had 4 cancel, all cost me money. Only one had a valid reason. Itās often not possible to find another sit, especially if itās last minute. That means paying hotels and the THS āinsuranceā only covers up to $150 a night. If itās peak season in a popular area $150 isnāt going to cover it. The insurance also only covers if the cancellation is within 14 days of the sit start. If the sit is cancelled 15 days out or more, the sitter is not covered at all.
THS is just a matching platform, we all take a risk and majority of the time it works out beautifully.
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When you raise a Member Dispute the sitters account will be suspended whilst THS investigate the evidence that you have provided and allow the sitter to present their side of the story .
They will not be able to apply for new sits during this time .
This is separate to the sit cancellation plan - so you need to raise it separately and call it
a Member Dispute ( not complaint ) to trigger the investigation process .
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If thatās the case, what is the TH Sit Cancellation policy for? Itās to cover members in the scenario where the unexpected could occur. I donāt think the $150 deductible has anything to do with making my home and pets unsafe. I think the issue is not about the insurance, itās about how to hold Sitters (or any member for that matter) accountable for violations of the explicitly stated Code of Conduct written and provided by TH. What is the purpose of having a Code of Conduct, if members are not being held accountable? The membership fees pay for the platform software, and the assurances that TH offers through their member requirements. Otherwise we could join one of the many Facebook groups who are matching Sitters and Pet Parents. Under those conditions, thereās no safety nets, no expectations. Those agreements are direct between the Sitter and the Pet Parent, no TH Code of Conduct or otherwise.
Then it comes down to talking directly with THS support @car and raising that member dispute @Silversitters has advised and proceeding from there. We have had three owners cancel in 50+ sits, two broke code of conduct, one was held accountable & thrown off the platform. We used the insurance and paid the $150 excess for another and the third helped us out with the loan of a car so we could seek new sits in neighbouring countries. It still felt it was worth paying for. There is only so much THS can do to help. Everyone pays fees, everyone trusts the people they match up with and 99% of the time it all works beautifully as @systaran says. Itās good to vent but there isnāt a perfect solution. #talktosupport
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Itās not a question of no support or all the support you might want. THS offers very limited support.
And you seem to be most bothered by the the fact that sitters can just get away with poor behavior in some cases. Yes, thatās absolutely the case, because theyāre not employees.
If you want greater accountability (which @Silversitters has mentioned), you could pursue such, but even then thereās little that THS can do to sitters or hosts. They could kick them off the platform, for instance, but in reality THS is a business thatās a platform for matching and they ideally want to maximize memberships and do as little intervention as possible.
They do more than say a Facebook group or such, but if you find that unsatisfactory, you could go with such avenues instead. Or pay for sitting.
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