Realistically, unpleasant surprises / violations in terms aren’t enforceable / punishable by THS in most cases.
All they can do is talk to hosts and hope they’ll shape up or they can boot people off, which wouldn’t help if you’re a sitter facing an immediate issue. They have no enforcement power over hosts (or sitters) in most cases.
It’s best to not count on THS for much. And if you don’t have a backup plan and aren’t comfortable setting boundaries and upholding them, you have much worse odds of having bad experiences as a sitter or host.
Personally, I realized the power dynamics at the outset of joining THS. That’s why I always screen very carefully, have a fallback plan, uphold boundaries and am prepared to document and quit sits if needed, giving 24 hours written to notice to the host and THS to arrange alternative care.
Ultimately, in any relationship, the party who’s prepared to walk has the most power. And as a sitter, I know that THS can do little. Like it can’t force me to go on any sit. And it can’t force me to stay. THS can boot me off, but if it came down to enduring sits that are exploitive, abusive or otherwise unreasonable, why would I want to continue to pay and voluntarily take crap from anyone?
As long as THS sits work for me, I’ll stick. But otherwise, why? It’s not as if they’re the only way in the world to sit.
On THS, sitters and hosts set themselves up to risk major problems if they lack a fallback plan. That’s a choice. Relying on help from THS isn’t a backup plan.
I admire your attitude and recognise that’s where I’ve been going wrong: failure to walk away from sits that are exploitative or unsafe for fear of repercussions, as well as the reliance on a service which, as you say, can do little. As a beginner sitter, this was true. I’d like to think the situation would be different now, but I would likely still be concerned about the implications of walking away and how it might reflect upon me as a conscientious house sitter. Hence, I believe it is up to THS at the very least to provide more assurance and support for sitters that find themselves in challenging circumstances, while recognising this is unlikely to happen!
Hello @RR12345 as @Jenny is offline at the moment I have passed this across to Membership Services so please do keep a look out for an email from them.
cheeky.
Sounds more like home help doesn’t it? Maybe someone could tell the owner about ‘Workaway’, thats free help, and probably a more appropriate platform than THS.
Dear @Silversitters
Please could you tell me where to find the Terms & Conditions with the clause you quoted.
We’ve just declined a sit where there’s a lodger which instinctively didn’t seem appropriate to me. I’d like to go back to the Pet Parent and let them know about this clause.
Many thanks
in the Help section to search for the answers to any questions you have