Hello everyone!
Just a gentle reminder to please be kind and respectful to one another. We all come from different walks of life, with unique experiences and perspectives.
Hello everyone!
Just a gentle reminder to please be kind and respectful to one another. We all come from different walks of life, with unique experiences and perspectives.
Some employers require that their employees who work from home lock away sensitive information and laptops .
We sit in a home where their office is locked . We don’t need to access it . There are many other rooms unlocked and we don’t even go into most of them .
There is a cleaner and gardener that come on a set day of the week and have access to the home for a few hours . So it’s for everyone’s benefit that the office is locked .
I had exactly that same experience. I found it on the second day after I had used the bedroom the night before. I simply turned it around to face the wall. Later I found another one in another room, which I also turned around. Very annoying.
Again, I wasn’t addressing your particular house.
I’ve no idea why this has hit a nerve for you
I am a sitter only, not looking for sitters myself because it’s way too much stress for me to prepare my home for a sitter! When I see HOs say that certain rooms are locked, or upon my arrival the host shows me areas they’d prefer I not use, I don’t take it as a lack of trust, I assume rather that they have areas of their home that are cluttered or at the very least not fit for visitors. So this never offends me.
Oops I did it again… have confirmed a sit. In the call when asking them about cameras, they said no cameras indoor, but outdoors. Received Welcome guide and no mention of outdoor cameras. Would you say something?
Hi @Fatamorgana
it’s good that this was mentioned during the video call, so it’s certain that they will be there.
Personally, I would mention it (before starting the sit) ASAP.
Not because of the , you already have that confirmed, but just in case something else hasn’t been updated or taken into account.
Whenever I receive the WG, I always send a message confirming that everything has been checked and asking any questions I might have.
In a case like yours, I would write something like: “While reading the Welcome Guide, I noticed that the outdoor cameras you mentioned are not listed. I’d like to know if the WG has been updated or if any other information is missing.
Would you please double-check it for me and let me know so I can have a look at it again?”
I asked them explicitly during the call if they have any indoor cameras and they said no. Also, they said when sending the guide over, that they updated it. Fun thing is, that there is barely any information in it. We talked about the most important stuff in the video chat. Now I’m not so sure if that is a good or bad sign.
I don’t trust if a host has a skimpy welcome guide. If that happened, I’d make sure to discuss specifics with them, then send my notes to them to review and correct if needed. That way, I wouldn’t risk getting stuff wrong because they neglected to relay enough info and so they know what I’ll be doing. That’s especially the case if the pets require special care or medication. I did that early days with a set of hosts.
Since then, I’ve set clear expectations during video chats that I’ll need a welcome guide well ahead of a sit. And they know that I won’t make travel arrangements unless I get their welcome guide. If it were skimpy, I probably would just decline at this point in my sitting experience.
I’ve done 24 sits so far and have a couple booked (I scaled way back on sitting this year), and I’ve never sat without a welcome guide. I don’t plan to, either.
Yes, you’re right. This and there was another red flag now and I am going to cancel it…
I’m currently on a sit and upon arrival, noticed that there are about 3-4 internal cameras that I can see in the home. I am brand new to the app, so I’m not sure if this is allowed, but it definitely makes me uncomfortable.
I am a little apprehensive about bringing it up to the owner in case they decide to retaliate because I will not have anywhere else to live if I’m not staying at this sit.
Additionally, I don’t think the house was cleaned even remotely before I arrived; there is trash everywhere, the guest toilet is stained and moldy, and the sleeping mat I was given (in the listing it showed a raised air mattress but in reality it’s a foam mat on the ground) had dead bugs on the sheets.
Again, I’m scared the owner might ask me to leave if I complain and they have been very nice, but I’m a little confused about the rules and standards that owners are upheld to.
House should be clean and welcoming @thriftstorebarbie and internal cameras are a total no-no. Against all THS Ts & Cs. You have every right to ask for a nice place to sit so contact THS support asap and ask for assistance and also contact the host and say you have 24 hours to clean the house and remove or turn off the cameras or am leaving. #adiosamigos
Welcome to the forum @thriftstorebarbie .
The terms of service are clear - no internal cameras during the sit . No third parties staying in the home . Hosts must provide the sitter with a welcoming and hygienic home .
It’s up to sitters to enforce this themselves as the agreement is between you and the host . THS won’t intervene. The most they will do , if you ask them to , is remind the host of the rules. However realistically THS can’t force the host to make changes .
When the sit has finished you can leave an honest review to warn future sitters. You can also raise a member dispute for THS to investigate and potentially remove the host from the platform.
Probably not what you want to hear but everyone should have a
Plan B so they are not trapped in a situation like yours.
Internal cameras are not allowed and the people are not nice by any stretch of the imagination.
I don’t know what to suggest if you have no alternative.
Hopefully it is a short sit and please ensure you leave a review to warn other sitters. Reviews are blind so no fear of retaliation.
Same. One sit it was clear they were listening in on us too.
I’m so sorry you feel trapped with no place else to stay, Are cleaning supplies, laundry, clean sheets available to allow you a more comfortable stay? Are the cameras the type you can unplug or cover? Have you checked to see if their are any last minute sits in the area? You wont be able to apply to dates that overlap your sit, but member services may be able to assist if another sit is available.
Take photos of mold, dead bugs, etc., so you have proof if you need to lodge a member dispute after the sit. I say after, because you lack a backup plan.
I’ve been using THS for ten years, and sitters’ motivations and consequently behaviours have certainly changed in recent years.
I would also love to see a copy of this checklist; did it happen to get posted at all? (Little late to the party)