We have had a wonderful experience with THS until our last couple who sat for us over a long weekend.
To date we have had 10 plus 5 star reviews with several sitters looking to return again.
The couple claimed our shower did not work which is untrue & they were showed all the schedules / workings of the house the evening before we left.
They never once communicated to us over the 3 days that there was any issue with our shower & they had access to another bath & shower downstairs should they need it. The shower was working perfectly they just couldn’t operate it we have never had any issues with other sitters in any operational areas of the house.
I text them the next day to ask if they had left the dog lead somewhere as I couldn’t find it - no response so I resent the message a day later & asked them if they could leave a review as they were relatively new to housesitters - still no response … several days later I dialed the number to see if it was the correct one & working as I thought it very odd they had not responded once.
The next time we heard from them was when they posted a 2 star review having said they were going to give us a 5 star review but the fact we requested a review plus they got automatic generated reminders from THS to post a review they said it left a sour taste in their mouth so they gave us a 2 star ! We are dumbfounded and upset that we cannot withdraw our original 5 star review of them as they have been untruthful & damaged our 5 star reputation- we feel there should be more that TSH should do when a host is reviewed poorly without justification so to that end beware of these type of people as they can ruin your credibility & to be honest our opinion of TSH has changed since this happened ….
If you felt that they deserved five star review originally, and there were no issues with how they looked after your home and pets , why do you want to change that review ?
You can reply ( factually and unemotionally )to their review of you .
Blind reviews were introduced to encourage both parties to leave honest reviews and not so that reviews could be change in retaliation.
You highlight an issue with THS that I will ping @Jenny about - the automatic reminders for THS reviews are SO BLURRY about whether the review is for the sitter/host, or for THS itself. I, too, find the automatic reminders demanding a review of THS to be so annoying. And if I were a relatively new member, I might mistake those automatic reminders to be from the other party, not from the company. They really need to either stop entirely, or be modified in their format, to make it clear WHO is asking.
Anyone with any sense will see that your sitter is out of line here, and not hold it against you. Especially if they SAID in the review that they were going to give a 5 star but the reminders changed their mind. As a sitter myself, I’d just roll my eyes at that, feel sorry for you that you had such a sitter who didn’t understand the system, and apply to your sit anyway.
As @Silversitters says, you can post a REPLY to their review. Be short, tactful, and factual. Maybe “We’re sorry for the misunderstanding — the reminder emails were sent automatically by THS, not by us. We enjoyed having you and wish you all the best.”
We were unaware that they had any issues with thd shower as they never once mentioned it to us during the 3 day sit. They then ignored our texts in relation to the missing dog lead & then proceeded to say they were hassled by us to submit their review when in actual fact the automated reminders are generated once one party has submitted their review by THS & not the other party which in this instance was us the hosts. They were disingenuous in their review & had they highlighted or responded to us we would have sorted it out easily without this disappointing & unwarranted review ….
I noticed you tried to speak to someone via the chatbot at the start of the week - I’ve passed the ticket over to the team along with the details from your Forum post.
Someone will take a look and then reach out to you, but do feel free to keep chatting here for advice from our lovely members.
Well that’s just silly and any reasonable person who reads it won’t hold it against you. In fact, it is more likely to reflect poorly on them if future HOs look at the reviews they’ve left. I’m sure it stings but I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
ETA: I am assuming they said this in their review, not in a private message to you
You get to respond to their review. Don’t be petty, or personal, keep it factual, state the facts, about the leader, and about them not asking how to use the shower, and also about how they rated you what they did because of the THS reminders. Sitters WILL read not just their review of you, but how you respond to them, so write it for all the good sitters there are, not for them. Stay nice, calm, and factual in that response. As sitters we can tell when it’s a sitter that is out of order. Plus most sitters wouldn’t see going without a shower for 3 days isn’t the end of the world, as we understand these things happen, we’re used to different properties and problems occasionally, but we also know a lack of knowledge on the sitters side is quite often to blame too.
I’m sure it stings to loose your 5* streak, especially if it isn’t warranted. But I, like I’m sure most sitters, look at all the reviews to get a wider perspective. An unemotional factual response to their review will work in your favor and show sitters more about you, totally negating the bad review.
Since you already have 10 great reviews, it was probably not in your best interest to encourage a sitter to leave a review for such a short sit during which the sitters had misplaced your leash and not responded promptly to your message, and they had issues operating your shower (not sure if you found out about this issue only when you read their review, or before that?).
All red flags should be taken seriously.
Sometimes people who are genuinely worried that they may be reviewed unfavorably—preemptively manufacture a negative review of the other party.
Example: An owner was an hour late getting home, to let us into their home for a home exchange. They had been out running errands which took longer than they expected, and then they were caught in traffic getting back home. They kept texting us (20 more minutes, uh, 15 more minutes, etc). We waited in front of the house, in our car. They apologized profusely when they got home, and we were very kind and gracious (“no worries, no problem, life happens”).
Everything else went smoothly. When it came time for review, they expected that we were going to say something about their lack of punctuality (which we didn’t even mention), so they actually put something in their review which made it sound like WE were late, like WE were at fault for the timing. I just had to laugh! Some people…
If it makes you feel any better, as a homeowner I read both the sitter reviews and the reviews the sitter has left. If I saw a two star review and you left an objective, factual response stating that they never discussed the shower issue with you during the sit, you couldn’t find a problem with the shower when you got back, and they could have used another shower or gotten help from you in operating the shower, and then mention their “sour taste” remark which is completely not your fault, this will hurt them and not hurt you.
I would also make sure in your reply to mention the other 5 star reviews you recieved and not to turn the response into an attack on the sitters in any way or even to mention previously unmentioned flaws as that will turn off future sitters.
I sit as well and was recently considering a certain sit. There was a review left by a sitter. I don’t even remember the stars but they mentioned an issue – tidyness – which other sitters had also mentioned even though they gave it 5 stars. In any case, the homeowner just laid into the sitter and insisted the house was spotless and called the sitter a liar. It was so ugly and dramatic that I decided not to apply. So avoid drama.
Thanks Steve - We have replied to their review in a factual manner outlining the facts & unjustified review on their side , we will be extra vigilant next time we use THS if we do in fact use it again.
As a sitter, I think that although the amenities should be in working order, it is a minor thing for a weekend, and they should have asked you.
For other members, that could only lead to a question to you on how to work the shower or ask if it is working. A 2* for that would mean nothing to me.
It would be much more important to me how a host and fellow member would adress an issue and/ or such a review, as the approach could to a much larger degree influence my possible sit. Is it a reasonable level-headed host or a petty, vengeful or nasty fellow member. Reasonable people can set boundaries and say «no» to stuff. It is not about being a «push-over», but how you handle situations and other people. From your description only (I’ve only heard your side of the story) I’d think you are good.
Actually, I just thought a couple of days ago whether it would be a good idea to write something down on how to operate our shower. It can be quite puzzling, for some models!
reviews with several sitters looking to return again.
It can be quite puzzling, for some models!