Hi! The lovely home owner gave us $200 for dinner etc. do we accept this gift?
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@Adgebarker what a generous gesture. A yes from me as well.
Interested to know if that is on arrival or after the sit.
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Why wouldnât you @Adgebarker?
Itâs their way of expressing gratitude to you and a reflection of the service you provide.
Allow them to.
And keep being wonderful
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Hmmm⊠I donât know about this. We would have to think long and hard to accept or not. Thatâs a substantial amount of money.
Now, Iâm not saying you are not worth it, but thinking it somewhat blurs the lines a bit. THS is intended to be mutually beneficial, a trade between parties of equal value. Does the âtipâ not change that relationship? Are you, as sitters, then expected to somehow reciprocate in some way, of equal value?
Then again, not accepting may cause an unintentional insult, if not handled appropriately explaining why you have chosen to decline.
A meal together is one thing, some with a bottle of wine or some chocolates, but $200 is a large sum of money. My jar of home made granola would pale in comparison.
Just being devilâs advocate.
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It was handed to my daughter and we appreciate it! He did change day so I had to book hotel. Maybe he knew I would have refused to accept! Thanks everyone!
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Yes, accept gracefully. Youâre obviously appreciated and presumably the owners can afford it
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Yes, then they owed you. Accept!
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Itâs a gift, accept it!!! You didnât ask for it, itâs no different to them leaving a bottle of wine or a loaf of bread⊠just pricier! Take it!
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Thank you!!
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yes ! what a lovely gesture. I recently got a huge surprise after a sit. The lady had found my empty bottle of perfume in the glass recycle bin and bought me a new one as a thank you. So sweet
Not that they should but I wish some HO were more considerate. I have a sit coming up and I already of course had to pay for flights etc. But then the HO said yes we have a spare room but we use that for storage so youâll have to find a hotel. So this bumps up my costs with about another âŹ75 which is a bit of a downer
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@Adgebarker Letâs think about this for a moment.
The THS exchange â free pet sitting for free accommodations â is an equal exchange.
Now youâve been given $200. All of a sudden, itâs not so equal anymore.
How does accepting tips influence the review a sitter will write?
How does it influence the HOâs view of sitters?
Does this put pressure on other HOs to âkeep up with the Jonesesâ by now feeling compelled to provide a similar tip?
Does it create a sense of entitlement by sitters that â darn it, they DID do a good job sitting â shouldnât we be tipped to reflect that?
We are HOs and sitters and we view this warily. It fundamentally changes the concept of an equal exchange and â by what we see discussed in the Forum â sends a ripple effect throughout the sitter and HO community.
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Not exactly the welcome that you were expecting!
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@KenandMary1998 - when THS are marketing sits as âjobsâ it will only become more confusing and ambiguous.
@Twitcher Yes, agree. And I did respond in that original thread and tagged one of the moderators in my response.
I think that since the Owner changed the date which resulted in the Sitter having to book a hotel, that the $200 is totally appropriate.
Sitters should not expect money or gifts, and Owners should not feel obligated to give gifts, and I donât think it changes anything.
I also donât see any difference between cash and a gift card to a restaurant or grocery store. Cash is much more flexible!
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Itâs great to receive some sort of gift during or after the sit and Iâll happily accept. I will say I had a HO recently ask for my venmo and sent me $50 as a token of their appreciation then immediately after they sent the money they requested I leave feedback. I would have left a 5 star feedback without the money but I felt almost obligated to leave them a nice reviewâŠâŠ
Maybe you could have worded your question better?
Asking, « Is it ok to accept $200 as we had to book an extra night in a hotel » would have sounded better.
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so thatâs simply paying for his mistakes, thatâs not tipping, so pleaseeee accept it. On behalf of everyone of us who had to book a hotel due to unforeseen circumstances (I am being polite), and never had the opportunity to be helped for it, even if it wasnât our fault, please accept it.
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No wasnât really too pleased with that but sometimes you just have to go with the slightly unfriendly flow. Just hope its not a gateway to more red flags