HelpX?

[JanuaryBell]

Just had a bad HelpX experience. Not horror movie bad where you have to escape in the middle of the night from the mafia or from a organ harvest farm. No. It just sucked. The woman hosting me had some issues that she needed to deal with.

My last helpX situation back in Portland went alright. But I was wondering if anyone out there ever did HelpX and what their experience was like.

 

[landpirate]

I've not helpx'd but I have woofed and it's really hit and miss. i would say though that if you are able to give a review for your host then you should say that you had a bad time because it might be able to stop somebody else having to go through it. there's definitely people out their acting as hosts who don't really want to be but need the help and they can be a right pain in the arse.

I had a really bad woof boss and in the end had to leave on pretty bad terms. He was routinely making us work 50 hour weeks. We were exhausted working in some of the worst weather in years and all of us were suffering injuries because of poor health and safety practices. I don't mind hard work or living in a crappy damp caravan, but to then be provided with a packet of noodles for dinner was the last straw. He intimidated people into not giving him a bad reference but I wrote directly to the people who run the WOOF UK website and made a complaint. Now he's been thrown off the Woof website.

 

[JanuaryBell]

That's definitely good that he got kicked out. I did send a bad review through HelpX, only anonymously though I'm pretty sure she'll send me a bad review. My problem was that there wasn't enough work, and she didn't lay down clear guidelines on what to do. I cleaned house some, but that was about it while she went off to talk on her cell for hours or leave to go into town. So by the time she confronted me, she raged that I was useless with no real skills and that I didn't put in any effort.

She got mad pretty easy and slammed stuff around in the kitchen, and all I could do was look on. What could anyone really do? She would talk shit about her previous employer, other helpxers that she accused of stealing, and at her ex boyfriend that she threw out sometime during the summer. She could've saved me a trip down there if there really wasn't work to begin with. Maybe we could've got on better if she weren't a basket case. All I know is that it could've been the next unsuspecting helpxer who could've been in my shoes, and I don't think this person should be hosting if she is liable to go off on other people like that. I left after a week.

 

[Deleted member 2626]

I've done it once in KY last winter. And am probably headed there again soon for s week or so. I left them kind of quickly but they understood being old travelers. So for me good. My dad did 3 weeks in Hawaii on a macadamia nuts farm and had a great time.

 

[scrutable]

I've heard a few bad stories, basically hosts expecting too many hours of work and not providing food. Nothing really terrible though.

You really should put up an honest review though, it warns others and makes the whole thing work.