Dealing with overbearing owner wanting to chat on phone everyday, what do I do?

What do you mean you went over there two days early and haven't been paid for that? No way you should have gone there without a confirmation from Rover that the client paid.

While I don't offer house-sitting, the prudent thing to do is tell the client you will be at their home the majority of time (especially at night) but that you will be coming and going, performing other jobs/responsibilities. Your house-sitting rate is incredibly low. If anyone wanted me to stay 24/7, they'd have to pay a huge premium.

As for dealing with her constant calling, there's probably nothing you can do about it at this point. Setting out guidelines at the beginning would be the way to go about the frequency of updates and pics. I have heard of people having friends/family stop by to check, but as a regular occurrence, it is not something that makes you uncomfortable and I understand.

How much longer is the stay? Pretend that being nice to her no matter what is the most important thing in the world, like your life depends on it. And obviously never accept her as a client again. I might even call Rover Support just to let them know about her crazy requests. Maybe they have some ideas for how to respond. And you know what? If you still get a bad review, you get a bad review & you can respond to it knowing you were as patient as possible. I would also recommend that you learn to pick up on this kind of neurosis at the meet-n-greet and reject these clients upfront

For future how to avoid this: I insist during my meet n'greets that all communication be on the Rover app or website. I like to point out that it's more organised to keep communication through one format, and also Rover keeps a record which is important for insurance in the unlikely case of any issues. I also mention I pay for may phone as I go, and have it only for emergency use. I do not like the distraction during my visits, and will not be texting when we're out walking, so the pups can have you full attention, you should always be "reachable" but not constantly online. I tell them to expect photo updates daily and a message recap each day. I also make a point to say they can respond as they wish, but the updates are just for their peace of mind.

I had one very stressful client who kept re booking, he was a nervous first time owner of a puppy. he sent so many texts and also had a camera aimed at the pup. The messages were just too much, and told him to expect my updates and confirmation I'd read his messages but that I just didn;t have time because of also having other clients to work with and often being outside walking that I couldn;t be in constant communication.

It's harder since you've already begun a visit, and they're used to calling you each day. I'd not accept their booking request in the future, and mention another sitter might fit better for them when they do request again. But for future bookings you can try a bit of a different approach and inform them what to expect and stress phone communication being for emergency only. Hope this is helpful :)

This does sound a bit extreme, but owners feel that they have a right to check in however they choose and that is fair - it is their pet after all. I would discuss with her that, while you are doing your best to accommodate her and send pictures and updates, that you are not there 24/7. Suggest that you check in with her at a set time each day over the phone if she wishes (perhaps set this for a time when you are at her place with the dog) and that you are happy to have a quick phone call (5-10 minutes).

Also, I am not sure how you are keeping her updated otherwise but - if you are not already - try being super proactive and sending her texts and photos every time you drop in to see the dog. Reassure her that there is no reason to not trust you as a responsible sitter. Give her updates about the dog's walks, eating habits, etc. to let her know that all is normal and you are on top of things. Try something along the lines of "Hi [Owner], just took the dog for a walk and he had a great time at the park down the street. He did all of his business and is good for a few hours. I will be back to check in with him in a few hours." Attach a photo each time. It may seem like overkill to do this every time you go over there, but being proactive about it usually prevents issues and this would be excellent customer service. She would certainly have no room to complain.

I do not think that it is a good idea to tell her that you will not accept any of her phone calls - it sounds like this will make her even more anxious. If you tell her that you will not speak to her on the phone at all she will likely feel very anxious and worried and I don't think it will be a solution but may even create more problems. I think the best thing for you both may be to set boundaries around the time and length of calls and nature of the updates and to go from there. Who knows, if she is getting updates throughout the day then maybe the phone calls will stop altogether. Fingers crossed!

How did this booking wind up going for you? I'm sorry you had to deal with this. She sounds like someone with absolutely no boundaries or understanding of the service she's paying for, and I really wish there was a system through which sitters could make notes so future sitters wouldn't go in blind to what I know to be an extremely stressful situation that's not at all worth the money. Been there. :/

Treat it like your daytime job. Just swallow your words and get through the task. I couldn't imagine how you feel but just stay strong through it. Once the jobs done you don't have to go back. Maybe its her first time doing this? It might get better.

You have accepted the owner's behavior to this point (and it looks like it's been a week) so she has not had any reason to change. Because the stay ends Monday, I would just suck it up and answer the owner's communications until the stay is over.

In the future, discuss your update process with the owner at the M&G and set expectations at that point. I always tell potential clients that I usually update once or twice a day and will send photos once a day at night. I ask if this is acceptable to them and then ask what they prefer. You are the business owner and set the tone and rules for your business.

Providing customer service is an important aspect of being a Rover sitter, sure this one may be a pain and demanding. You need to control your reactions and get over it