I don’t understand the equation. 
(That’s supposed to be a confused smiley but in fact I don’t know what it’s original purpose was).
The 230k “members “
are the number of pets - not the number of sitters and hosts ….
THS don’t publish how many sitters and hosts there are - just the number of pets .
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Ah, I was trying to add and subtract using the + and - in what I thought was a mathematical equation using words. Brought me back to Junior High School for a minute there.
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@catscatscats24 . . . You could do a short response stating/responding to her reasons for the docking - though that would probably bring more attention to it. . . . Ach, nowt as strange as folk! 
The laser focus on 5 star reviews and some sitter’s despair (in general and not referring to @catscatscats24 specifically) over falling short of 5 stars across all categories illustrates dysfunction in the great big world of star ratings. I think the concern and despair are understandable and reasonable for new members. But once you get beyond 5 or 6 reviews, the star rating enters the realm of irrelevance. Especially in the THS world where the overwhelming majority of reviews are 5 stars. If everyone is 5 star, who REALLY is 5 star? That’s actually impossible to know from just the star ratings.
It is possible to read between the lines of THS reviews and glean the best. Toward that goal, we read ALL the review and response verbiage for both the sitter and from the hosts they’ve been reviewed by. A 5 star review with NO verbiage we consider a very bad sign. We ignore as mostly meaningless a host’s 5 star sitter review when that host rates all of their past sitters 5 stars using the same platitudes. OTOH, a 1 star review of a sitter whose reviews are historically good definitely draws our attention and increases our interest in that sitter when the writeup to the 1 star review strikes us as implausible or unfair.
My point is that it is the written part of reviews and responses that we value much more than star ratings. Those write-ups are also where sitters actually have some real control over their THS reputation.
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Wow! Had no idea the total wasn’t “memberships.” That’s a very different spin!
”
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I’m a HO & Sitter & I don’t think this will tarnish you at all, you are allowed to respond to reviews - you may want to provide some clarification. Also do not feel bad about the cat not coming in, they should have warned you this could happen. Sorry you got docked some stars, but as a HO I would not at all be put off by one not so great review, you have nearly all 5* reviews so I think you are safe in that category.
@catscatscats24, we suspect that most experienced housesitters have at least one housesit experience that they regret accepting. We all learn from experience. On upside, your learning-experience was only a single night (imagine it had been a great deal longer duration).
Your disappointment is understandable. But it will pass in time.
While situation is fresh then we encourage you to reflect on any red flags, listing attributes or otherwise of note. Then incorporate related questions into your new-and-improved application criteria and due diligence process.
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Always trust your gut.
Separately, I would automatically skip any listing where the host mentions needing respite, etc., because a good host doesn’t need to use emotional pleas, manipulation and such — they understand that it’s about a fair exchange. And people who are “woe is me” tend to be self absorbed.
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@catscatscats24 - no wonder you wish you hadn’t bothered - this doesn’t seem like it was a mutual exchange from the start !
As it was a local sit and only one night ( with not much sleep ) not sure what benefit you got from it ?
Was this a listing that you saw and applied for the sit or did the host invite you ?
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THS “We welcomed 77,244 new pets to our platform and rounded off 2024 with 234,389 pets in our community”
That 230k figure is certainly misleading then!! Or is it a mistake??!! I have ALWAYS thought it referred to the HUMAN membership of sitters and hosts!!! How very strange that they would give an animal count but not disclose actual membership numbers??!!
@Mark_B or fellow forum staff members..
Can you confirm if that quote above is correct? I.e 234k pet? How many Hosts and how many Sitter members are there?
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This didnt really occur to me, but its a fair point and def a learning curve for me!
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According to this site, there are 260k members on THS.
TrustedHousesitters Review - 10 Years of First Hand Experience
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So i get very little respite myself and sometimes like to have time away from the fam!
I did a lovely solo sit in norwich over summer when visiting a friend, and realised local 1 night sits could be a good way of getting that little break as not keen on hotels (the air always feels stale to me, i don’t know why!) and don’t often have time for a full wkend away.
I won’t do it again though, more hassle than its worth and definately not respite in any way. Cats were nice tho!
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This is what THS says from the first page of the webpage
The 2024 Impact report says
“ [quote=“TrustedTeam, post:1, topic:61840”]
We welcomed 77,244 new pets to our platform and rounded off 2024 with 234,389 pets in our community”
[/quote]
The number of human members is not mentioned .
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I asked AI this question: It appears that number count refers to human members. If it was pets, the number should be higher (imo)
quote
"That is a popular question, and the exact number of human members is often debated in the house-sitting community!
According to the official TrustedHousesitters website and their 2024 Impact Report, the platform has over 240,000 members worldwide.
However, it is important to note a few things about this figure:
- Combined Count: This figure includes both Home/Pet Owners and Sitters who hold a current, active membership.
- Not Active Users: The number represents total paid members, which is not the same as the number of users who are actively searching or posting sits at any given time.
- Pet Numbers: The company often publishes statistics related to the number of pets on the platform (around 243,000+), which sometimes creates confusion, but the 240,000+ figure is intended to represent the human membership count.
In short, the official number of human members is over 240,000. "
/quote
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I completely agree. In fact that’s what I just wrote in another thread. What people write, the words and tone they choose speak volumes. Stars are just a conventional symbol which, as we have seen on this forum, may have many different meanings for different people.
For example
Is unemotional but very revealing.
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Look for a sit with a hot tub - friends of ours started with one night sits - local with hot tub and cinema room . They had a lovely relaxing “spa” break with the company of pets and gained a lovely review in the process.
(PS If you want peace and quiet , don’t tell the family about the hot tub 
)
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Oh yeah, if a sit has a hot tub i’m there.
I ruined my kids by taking them to a few airbnbs with hot tubs (pre THS times!). For a while the first question they asked when i said we were going away was ‘Is there a hot tub?!’ And if not, they didnt want to go!
Thankfully now they just ask about the cats, because even if we arent cat sitting, our holidays tend to be in places with a lot of stray cats 
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