Is it better to review and leave a negative/constructive remark or refrain from reviewing? Sitters and HOs, would like to hear from you thanks!
Hi @mollsyA 
From a sitter perspective, I do think honest reviews are important… even when they’re a little awkward to leave.
We’ve had sits where most things were great but there were also aspects future sitters would probably appreciate knowing. In those cases, I’d rather leave a balanced, constructive review than say nothing at all, because the review system only really works if people are candid as well as kind.
I also think tone matters enormously. There’s a big difference between:
“the sit wasn’t quite the right fit for us because the pet routine turned out to be more full-on than we expected”
and
“we arrived expecting one daily walk and accidentally joined a canine boot camp” 
Or:
“communication before arrival could have been clearer”
versus
“a few important surprises were revealed only after the HO’s taxi disappeared around the corner” 
For us, it comes down to whether the issue is genuinely useful for future sitters to know, rather than just venting frustration in the moment.
Reviews are the cornerstone of what makes THS a legitimate platform. The fact that reviews are now “blind” means HOs and Sitters have no excuse not to provide a review. Reviews should be unemotional and factual. Everyone should review, it protects fellow sitters and fellow homeowners.
Always review. Wouldn’t you have liked to know whatever made the sit negative for you before you confirmed? In the kindest lens, if you were making mistakes, wouldn’t you want to know so you could correct and improve?
And yes, emphasis on the constructive remarks!
Please review. You are doing it for all sitters and HOs, more then for the person you sat for (or who sat for you). If you don’t review, future sitters and HOs are left wondering why you didn’t review. Even if they assume that it was because something was wrong, they have to guess what went wrong. It might be something that wouldn’t bother them.
As a sitter, I think honest reviews are invaluable, especially where pet behaviour is concerned. I need to be as confident as I can be that Fido isn’t going to wrench my arm out of its socket.
That’s what we thought. I don’t like to talk about this because it’s rather unpleasant but sometimes I am compelled to bring it up when someone says there are no consequences to writing a bad review.
We had bad sitters this one time. We came home to several broken items that were not found until after the sitters departed because efforts were made to hide them. There was pet feces in a few inconspicuous areas and pee spots including behind a couch and partial ON the back of the couch, which meant that not only did the sitters do a poor job of cleaning but they didn’t allow the pets enough time outdoors.
Our pets were somewhat timid and reactive for the first few days after we got home and this is not how they typically act after we’ve been away which indicated possible mistreatment.
There were a few other issues as well including dead plants that were not watered. So we dutifully put this all into a review not recommending this sitter thinking it’s best to warn others and we were protected by the “double blind” review system.
When the sitter read our review the harassment began and got steadily worse to the point of thinly veiled threats. They suggested that they not only know where we live but they know the layout of the home, where the spare key is kept, easy ways to get into the residence etc. They also said in their reply that “they were being nice” in their review but then proceeded to list all these fictious horrible things about us and our home that may raise doubts in the minds of future sitters.
THS customer care “looked into the matter” but declined to intervene. Local law enforcement said there wasn’t enough to do anything, we should keep records, take precautions, report if anything serious happened, etc.
We blocked all the numbers and methods they used to contact us (there were many), we had to find another place for our key lockbox which wasn’t nearly so convenient and even then if someone knows there’s a lockbox it’s only a matter of time until they find it. We paid a locksmith to reinforce the locks on the doors and got a window company to fix loose latches. We upgraded our exterior camera system. All at great expense! Criminals sometimes “case” a residence before they rob it. These sitters LIVED in the home for weeks, they know it inside and out!
We lived in fear for months until things finally quieted down but to this day we still look around when leaving the house and when we return especially at night.
For the safety and security of others, can you identify these psychos for us?
You do of course realize that were I to provide that information on the public forum, there’s a reasonable possibility that once that information is out there, the sitter could be somehow made aware of it and the entire cycle would start all over again?
Understood. I just hate that there may be others that have, or will, experience the same abd these people will get away with it. I would hope THS booted them from the platform. Even so, such people could still sign back up if they’re a couple - use the other’s name and info.
Anyway, so sorry you had to go through such horror.
They didn’t do anything.
This tone is starting to sound all very familiar 
Yes, I see where you are coming from
Hi! Thanks for the input…
Thanks for the chuckle!
You’re funny
wow that is a crazy story!! OOOof sorry you had this experience. That they are still on THS is terrifying. Did you go through the proper THS channel to work on getting them removed? I haven’t had to ever do such a thing but Ive seen other forum members outline the info for a Member Dispute which is very specific and sounds like it might be a worthy endeavor. TrustedHousesitters' Member Disputes Process | TrustedHousesitters.com
What a terrible experience. They should have been blocked from THS.