I’m a pet owner and yes, like most, I started to complete the survey and after a couple of really intrusive questions deleted the entire thing. It’s a terrible survey and it cannot be relevant to THS how much we earn, if we are house owners, have a mortgage etc. I’m not asking them for a loan!
On the other hand after all the stupidity re sitters being responsible for repairs to accommodation and vet bills maybe there’s a reason… 
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I contacted member support services regarding the survey to ask more about the reasoning behind it, why there was reference to paid sits etc and this is the response:
Unfortunately, member services did not participate in creating this survey and I am unable to answer exactly who within our team has created this survey and why certain questions were asked. Based on the information that is made available to me, the confidential information that you will be provided is solely for the use of TrustedHousesitters and is intended to help our team understand what changes and improvements need to be made in order to allow for a better experience from all members as the platform continues to grow.
Not exactly helpful. Surely the point of “support” is to find out the answers if they don’t know them. So a pointless waste of time trying to follow this up.
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Hi @LizBCN
I just wanted to pop on and confirm that @Carla and I have been collecting feedback from this discussion, as she’s mentioned a bit further up, and we’ve already passed it on 
We’ll be happy to post any insights and updates here when we get them.
Jenny
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OK thanks for letting me know. Still, I would have expected a more reasoned response than the one I got which was basically saying “I don’t know and I can’t find out”. Only a small proportion of members are on this Forum so it is important that there are other ways for them to get feedback and I thought it made sense to go direct rather than expecting you to filter things back.
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Companies don’t typically answer the types of Qs on this thread. That’s because that would reveal their plans to outsiders, including competitors. And it’s not at all usual for various teams to not know everything that the company is doing, especially as it grows.
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Yes I do understand the commercial sensitivities but surely they should be able to explain why they are including a question about payment for sits which currently aren’t applicable to THS sits. That was why I wrote directly to the support team.
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Why does this statement fill me with dread. Every “change” over the past few years has definitely been for the worse.
(edited to meet Community Guidelines)
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Hi everyone
Just a gentle reminder of our Community Guidelines around kindness, and our Terms of Service around inappropriate content directed towards THS staff, in this case the wider team.
We know you feel strongly about the survey, we’re passing along your feedback to make your voices heard, and we’ll update you if we’re able to get any answers for you.
Jenny
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I’m another one not completing the survey! Having worked in marketing, I realise that establishing demographic profile categories is important for a company, along the lines outlined by @Maggie8K. However, I had already been questioning the wording in the question regarding visits to places outside your own town. Did this mean all visits or only sits?! I’ve done 18 visits (one non-sit) just this year so when asked to break them down into how many over how many days, I just gave up as it was going to take too much time to go back through my diary.
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I gave up too. I’ve been travelling/housesitting in New Zealand and Australia over the last year and tried to enter 365 days but it wouldn’t allow me. So really my survey isn’t worth much as it’s not true!
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I agree with Ziggy that frequently those with the most spend the least. I sat at the largest home I had ever sat at for a few days this year, It was in acres of grounds. They had a full time gardener and a cleaning lady twice a week for three hours. She was being paid just after I arrived and given three £10 notes for three hours work. I wasn’t even offered a drink on arrival and fridge etc. was empty. Not left anything, whereas there is usual some milk, butter, bread, pasta etc. Definitely my experience that those with the most give the least.
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That is exploitation!
I gave up after 3 or 4 questions thinking it had been sent by mistake in its design stage
.I genuinely could not understand the questions and it was not accepting the answers i was giving.
One of the first questions was " how would you describe your living condition?" With options renting, mortgage, living with parents etc… oddly for a THS survey there was no option for full time sitter!?
There was a question asking how many nights i had been away from my home city in the last year…i answered 300 which is roughly correct…it said I could answer no more than 100! Why not if I have?
Obviously no market research whatsoever had been done on the survey before sending it out!
A complete unprofessional, shambles - THS should be embarrassed that this was ever sent out.
What on earth is happening to THS?
It seems to be stumbling from one PR disaster to another …
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I think I mucked it up as answered I own my house outright, although it’s been rented for the past 2 years and, like you, am a full time sitter! Also, like you I couldn’t enter over 300 days, so yes it’s shambolic. I’ve not had any problems with the other 3 platforms I belong to. Originally I thought that THS had the best website but I’ve changed my mind! Considering we pay far more to join THS than any of the competitors it really is disappointing to be constantly bombarded with changes that won’t work (apart from the review system) and pointless, ill conceived surveys.
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If it’s been paid cash then probably neither the home owner nor the cleaner pays tax and social security contributions and then this is definitely not exploitation but tax evasion.
In Germany for 30€ to spend you need to earn 60€. Half of one’s salary is tax and social security, people without children contribute even more.
Re the above reply received by LizBCN
IMO this will NOT help give a better experience, why on earth would knowing if I have a mortgage and how much I earn etc etc and other intrusive questions help improve my experience? What would improve the experience from what I can see on this forum is someone listening to the actual issues raised. eg the 5 applicants cut off, sitters being responsible for vet bills to name but two!
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I haven’t had the survey, but it sounds from comments here as though ‘desirable’ sitters are about to become commodities.
This is not what I joined for; I don’t recognise THS any more.
We’re booked for 10 months with repeat sits, but I’m going to let my membership run till Oct 24 in case I need it. This will give me time to get alternative plans in place, as I’m not renewing.
THS was wonderful - until it wasn’t. So sad.
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I thought the survey was designed by someone who has never done a sit or was a HO. Dreadful design , no opportunity for NA
No explanation about why questions were being asked…. I answered the questions but thought the design was dreadful.
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I wish they would stop their constant “changes and improvements”.
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I am SO very thankful to find this appeared to others as it did to me! I really came to check if there was a weird fake study being spread about, as SURELY our THS would not allow such 1) ridiculous 2) highly invasive and 3) irrelevant questions of busy sitters. WHY would THS need to know (me as a sitter) the size/worth/ Mortgage amount/ finances and more in regards to MY house? If I was a future THS home owner and received this I would have been gone in a flash. After I added some “really not relevant” and “highly inappropriate personal question” I was very glad when it suddenly disappeared completely.
IMO this needs to disappear quicky with apologies. There is no earthly way any of this could possibly reflect on my sit skills or styles. It is invasive and highly inappropriate.
And YES: I recommend THS daily, I think I gave out the info to two people today. But PLEASE: No more of this!
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