I’m considering joining THS but am hesitant to as I don’t feel my residence is in a highly sought-out location. If I’m unable to confirm a sitter for an upcoming request, is there any kind of refund; even partial, for membership?
(Edited to remove false information, as rules have changed)
@noparrish5678 Welcome to the Forum! Sitters sit for all kinds of reasons. They might pick your place because it could be close to family or friends, or an event they need to attend, or a half-way stop to another location.
But please make sure you do a good listing: good descriptions with good photos. This will maximise your chances of finding a sitter. Read through the forum to get some tips, for example when photos show an untidy home, most of us won’t apply. It’s worth spending some time making everything look spick and span, before taking your photos.
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Or even for no particular reason at all. Just for a change of environment. Or to find out what it is like there.
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I believe the refund guarantee is if you get no applicants in 14 days. If you get a single applicant you cannot get a refund even if they are wildly unsuitable.
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@cawosey - or even if they are not applying and just asking a question. Not sure on that - perhaps @Carla could confirm if that is correct?
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Hi @Twitcher
Thanks for tagging @Carla - she’s offline at the moment so I thought I’d help out!
@noparrish5678 you can click here to see our refund policy, and there’s a link you can click to check if you’re eligible for a refund.
For anything outwith that, I’d recommend dropping Membership Services a line.
Hope this helps 
Jenny
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We appear to be going off topic but the rules appear to have changed with regard to refunds. I have screen shots stating a homeowner can claim a refund if they do not receive any applications within 14 days of posting.
Now it states they cannot claim a refund if they have a live listing.
Please feel free to move this to a more relevant thread @Jenny
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There are a lot of sits and a lot of sitters. You’re definitely taking a chance if you don’t live in an area that people would be interested in traveling to and/or you have many or difficult pets. But sometimes it’s surprising. You could use this forum which has members who are sitters, homeowners, and combined members to discuss your location and pets a little more and people could tell you if it would be appealing to them or if it sounds like it might appeal to others.
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Jenny, this is indeed a change. People on this (and external) forums are probably giving out the wrong information all over the place! THS should announce this change in newslettters and on forums. People recommending the site to friends also needs to know this. It makes joining much more risky!
I’ve asked the team for clarification around this, and we’ll pop back with an update when we can.
Jenny
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Hello everyone @Twitcher @Marion
I can help more with this one.
Sorry if there is any confusion as these are two slightly different things. One is for new members to the site where there is a 14-day money back guarantee
The other is the general refund policy for all members which @Jenny shared.
If you have any questions about which specific terms apply to your membership then please reach out to the Membership Services team and they will be happy to help!
Thank you also for jumping on to help the OP 
Reading the link you provided, it looks to me as though the refund applies to having a live posting in the 14-day window, not whether or not a sitter applies or interacts with you. Am I understanding that correctly?
You don’t say how out of the way you are, but I’ve taken sits in non-touristy areas for the opportunity to try somewhere new or to fill in dates between sits in more desirable locations.
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Hello @noparrish5678 Jenny is currently offline but I can help. Here is the section from the Money Back Guarantee which should answer your question:
With our Standard and Premium Pet Parent memberships - if you do not receive any sitter applications within 14 days of posting your first listing, you’ll receive your money back with no strings attached.
Membership Services will be happy to explain the terms more, so feel free to reach out to them
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@Carla - I understood that was the case but the T&Cs were amended in June 2023.
I assume just asking a question of the host is classed as an ’application’ and would no longer entitle them to a refund.
9. COOLING OFF PERIOD
9.1. We will refund the Sitter Membership Fee and/or the Pet Parent Membership Fee if you notify us within 14 days of the Activation Date that you wish to cancel your membership. However, you cannot cancel within this 14 day period if you have either applied for a Sit or have published live dates on your Home Listing during that time.
As requested previously please feel free to move the comments to a more relevant thread as it has gone off topic. Thank You
Location only is not a reason for me to choose or not to choose to apply for a sit. It will always be a balance of several factors (that can change depending on my changing situation too). Usually, there are some factors in the sit proposal I like and some others I like not so much. And what you perceive as undesirable, may be what someone else is looking for.
@Twitcher Thank you for your question, the general refund policy and the money-back guarantee are up to date as shared in my above post. If anyone has any concerns about whether a sitter application counts as an application or question, then membership services can look at that individual case for the member. However, you are correct if anyone is thinking they might like a refund then it is probably best to not submit any applications, even to ask a question.
Membership Services is always best placed to help with these types of queries and will be happy to answer specific questions and look into individual members accounts to see if the refund or money-back guarantee applies to them.
@noparrish5678 apologies that your post went a little off-topic, but hopefully you have got some helpful information about the refund and money-back guarantee policies, that will help with your decision to join THS. The forum and Membership Services are happy to help if you need any more information.