It’s simply spinning, whose textile definition - a twisting technique to form (a) yarn from fibres - seems just as appropriate (if not more so) than the one to which I’m referring
The deeper issue is that we are watching TH join the ubiquitous mindset of Greed, Profit uber alles, “Consume the Consumer.” Just keep adding fees. Just keep exploiting wherever and whoever will let you. I can afford $12 anytime, but the principle is wrong! We already pay plenty to this company. What exactly are they doing with the millions they get from us? Feel proud that you can pay $12, be judgmental if someone doesn’t want to, but it’s still the same state of affairs. Companies get bloated on the customer’s willingness to be more and more exploited and drained of their money. Unless we all wake up and see the unregulated greed at work, we will content ourselves with arguing over who is right , the person who says No thanks, or the one who smiles and says, sure, take more of my money.
We are experienced sitters with many repeats, and are finding it’s the homeowners that are asking us to do their repeat sits not through this site.
We have become friends over the years, and have no hesitation in doing this.
I am a sitter and I agree with this host. Also I like to get another 5* review! 
I’ve had 4 sits from 3 different hosts offered to me in the last few days. Unfortunately, I’m only available for one of the four and we’ve confirmed with one another. None of the 3 hosts are premium members, they don’t see the need or benefit.
As long time premium owners who usually have 3-5 sitters a year, we were wondering what would happen with these new booking fees… And what we’ve been reading is exactly what we feared. When we heard about the fees (which was thru the forum and we had not received any communication from THS about it), we were shocked. Why not just increase the membership fee?? We usually have our sitters booked 3-5 months before a sit and lately we’ve had way less applications… we just returned from a 2 week trip and we’re actually going on a trip next week and we’re not able to book a sitter for either trip. Luckily we have a good friend who is going to watch our baby for us, but we’re worried that paying for THS and not being able to book quality sitters is going to become much harder… and we would not be willing to do it “off platform” because why pay for membership if you can’t get any of the benefits of it?
We hope the folks at THS figure something out because it appears that a lot of good sitters are leaving the platform since they rolled out these new booking fees… Don’t mess up a good thing people…
@haitianspartan I’m having the same issue. But I think it’s more than the just the booking fees, I think the price of gas is causing a huge problem. I know people saying the problem with international sitters trying to get into the US, is one issue, but I’m in the US and usually only have US sitters apply. My sits have always hit the 5 applications in the first day and this time I had one application in 2 days. My sit is for September, so I decided to take it down and repost it later thinking it might be a little too soon.
I was going to take the same approach, post a sit for September and take it down if it was crickets out there. I think the price of gas/airfare but also general uncertainty. Lots of layoffs going on and people who feel uneasy about their job situation likely won’t travel at all, even domestically.
Wouldn’t it be smart of THS to step in, put their big boy pants on and announce something like “we realise that sitters and hosts are faced with additional challenges since the introduction of sit fees e.g. the war in the Middle East, fuel prices, the collapse of Spirit and to make things just a little easier we’re going to suspend the sit fees for 3, 6 months”. Sure, it will hit the bottom line in the short term, but wouldn’t it help a lot of people and create some goodwill?
I don’t think they are interested in “good will.” It’s a business and the new business owners clearly looked at the model and decided they needed to add ways to make more money. Depending on the company to do anything is losing strategy. Sitters need to figure out their own strategies to save money. Your interests and the company’s don’t always align. This is true whether you are a sitter or a homeowner and pertains not just to fees but to safety and vetting and all aspects on both sides. There’s not only a false sense of security with stuff like background checks, there’s a false sense of security that the company “cares” about anything other than bringing in more member dollars and now fees.
I really think uncertainty is a big thing at the moment. I need to travel at the end of the year but flexible about when and route. I am looking and thinking but not booking or committing. How long will the Iran situation drag out? It affects us all, feels a bit like COVID waiting to see how it pans out.
I think you took my post too literally. I understand how PE and investors work, it’s one of the reasons I’m not going to renew my membership. My post was intended to be more of a thought experiment. I don’t see the actions of THS as anything other than greed and that’s something I abhor
Last day of membership today, after 4/5 years this will be it, out of principle we will not be blackmailed by THS in accepting huge changes in T&C, have received 3 begging e mails from THS already over last few weeks to renew, it will be to no avail. Their latest changes are going to cost them …
@Dutchy sorry to see you go.
You will probably receive an offer to renew as premium for the price of basic. Please update us if that’s the case, just to enlighten forum members about the current strategy to retain members.
It happened to me but that was 3 months ago.
Same here, mine expires next week. Only a member for two years though. Didn’t get any of those emails..but probably 'cause I cancelled those too, not sure 
Once we have joined our main “value” to the company isn’t going on or hosting sits. It’s not even renewing membership. Our main value is disseminating discount codes to entice new people to join who will pay fees or join at premium. Hence, some members won’t face the fees for several years and many legacy members will avoid them for a year or more with “free” upgrades.
They are scaling up numbers not quality.
Hosts, sitters and pets are all suffering as a result.
Why should sitters pay to volunteer?
Why don’t you pay the sitter’s fee? You’d have to pay a boarding place much more and your pet won’t be at home.
@LongTimer since you seemed to address this to me, let me answer you.
There are 3 reasons why I sit for other people’s cats or walk dogs:
- Sometimes I sit for my neighbors’s cats in exchange for their sitting for my cats.
- Often I feed and play with my neighbors’ cats, rabbits, etc. or walk my neighbors’ dogs for a small amount of money which I exchange for stuff like food.
- Sometimes I sit on THS in exchange for travel accomodations. I’m very selective. I only take sits that sound like they will be doable and fun and allow me to explore a location.
I have been a “volunteer.” I won’t go into specifics. I have also had paid jobs where I worked with volunteers. Volunteers are generally doing things because they want to. It helps them to feel useful and they gives them something that is important to them. If I wanted to volunteer to walk a dog for a friend in need who couldn’t do it, I would. I wouldn’t pay for the experience but if they needed me and I had to pay a toll or something to get to them, I wouldn’t ask them for it. If I wanted to be around animals as a volunteer, I probably wouldn’t pay for it although I might if it was some kind of fabulous exchange opportunity such as “volunteering” at an animal rehab place that required donations to stay opened.
If you feel the fees take the fun out of sitting for you or you already believe that this is unfair unpaid labor then you shouldn’t do it. If you sit frequently and you can’t afford to upgrade your tier or are against doing so on principle then you shouldn’t do it. If you will only sit for homeowner’s who will pay your fee then good luck to you. We are not well matched because I fundamentally view the exchange as “voluntary” in a small v sense for both sides and fundamentally fair. You seem to view it as unpaid labor that is inherently unfair. For me as a host, that’s a giant red flag. If someone is an unsupervised guest in my home with my pets and thinks I am being unfair and exploiting them a lot of things could go wrong.
You are also wrong about my individual circumstances which are none of your business but the truth is I woud probably not be paying anyone to take care of my cats if I wasn’t using THS. I would use another similar site, or I would exchange services with a neighbor, or if I had to hire someone, I would be taking fewer and shorter trips because my financial resources are limited.