I posted recently about a rather exceptional situation (‘Difficult situation, advice needed’) where I had to cancel my holiday last minute, but still allowed the sit to go ahead – and ultimately it was a bit of a disaster and the sit wasn’t a good fit, and I had to cut it short.
I asked TSH if we could just cancel/delete the sit (the sitter was happy to do this too) but they have informed me it against their policy to do so if the sit actually went ahead.
So I am now being prompted to review the sitter, and I really don’t want to. I am inclined to just not leave a review, but I’m worried the sitter will then leave ME a negative one.
Hi @Loobyloo, why don’t you ask chatGPT to write you one as your situation was so unique (following on another thread) and see what it comes up with. Might list out the facts and take the emotion out for you? Leaving a review is always more help to future hosts & sitters than an empty space! #aiassistance
The sitter will do what they decide to do regardless. Reviews are blind so neither of you will know what the other has written (if anything) until you both write a review or 14 days have passed.
The sitter may leave you a negative review ( even if you don’t write one ) - in which case it would be best to have written a fair and factual review of the sitter .
Then future sitters will be able to make up their own minds as they will be able to read both sides of the story .
As @Twitcher has said, reviews are “blind” this means that neither party will be able to read the others review before they are published .
The review system is the core of what makes the THS platform work and both sitters and HOs need to use it for the platform to stay credible. The review system is now blind which stops retaliatory reviews. In your situation I urge you to provide a brief unemotional review describing your experience with the sitter and rate them accordingly. Good luck.
What you do will have no impact on what the sitter does, and reviews are blind so no one will see the review of the other party without submitting one or the window for reviews are up.
The THS community rely on honest and factual reviews. Please give the info to the community that you yourself would have liked to have before the sit. Even hard things to say can be said in a kind and nice way. How you handle your reviews of sitters is part of how the rest of / many of us vet other party. Many would see it as a red flag if the host does not leave reviews. We are not afraid of things coming up at sits - that can happen to everyone. What is important is how such things are handled.
I, too, encourage you to write a factual, unemotional review @Loobyloo as other members have stated.
You might not realise that if you do not leave a review, that will have no consequence for the sitter as there will be no evidence of your sit on her profile and other owners will have no warning about her.
Should she NOT write you a review, it will appear on your profile with just the sitter’s name, photo and dates of sit. When you next advertise for a sitter, prospective sitters may wonder why there’s no review by her and cross-check to see the review you gave her. Of course, they will find no evidence of it.
As she is likely to give you a less than positive review, for your own sake and that of other members, please write her a review.
It will be more impactful if you are able to give her positive ratings on some of the categories, and then negative on others. Be thoughtful!
I recall that she was not self-sufficient, but perhaps she was very clean, organized, good communication, and good pet care (at least when she was responsible for the pet).
I don’t think that you can blame the sitter completely for everything that happened. I recall that you welcomed her to stay in your home, even after your trip was cancelled? Then you decided that it just was not working out that way you had hoped, as the sitter kept asking you to take care of your dog.
@Loobyloo . . . I recall on the other thread you said you both ended the sit on good terms. Perhaps you can have a discussion with her privately beforehand and take it from there? There is no obligation to leave a review - do what feels comfortable for you.
Are you aware that if no review is left, there will be no trace of this sit on the sitter’s profile? Future owners will not be able to see that this sitter did a sit, and no review was left.
While I disagree with how this works on the THS site, it allows sitters to get away with poor behavior. And it blindsides future owners.
I would rather read the facts and draw my own conclusions.
I would if there was anything seriously wrong, but if it’s just little things - untidiness of kitchen on return, a bit of unhelpfullness, not quite enough photos and communication, doubt about veracity of a delivery, unchanged bedsheets, and everything else is ok, then I let it go
You can let it go and still leave a review, which is an important part of using THS.
I have had only one sitter that wasn’t stellar. Nothing seriously wrong, but I don’t think she actually likes cats or knows how to interact with them, and communication was terrible. There was nothing concrete to mark the sitter down on, but my written review was, as they say, damning with faint praise. It is helpful to future HOs.
This helpful. I’m in the midst of a sit now that isn’t great. Several details were not include in the listing or the guide and only when I arrived was there a lengthy note on the counter.
I want to let other sitters know to ask some specific questions, but I don’t want it to lead to negative feedback for me.
Do you think it’s being kind to the sitter to not leave a review?
It’s really not. A balanced four star review is better than no review at all. Refusal to review is often interpreted on THS as a flag that the sit was appallingly bad.
