A week ago, I had a 9-year-old dog scheduled for daycare, and she ended up ruining one of my belongings. When I told her owner, the owner left a false 1-star review.
Hi Kimberly, in the future you should know that it makes you look much better to not stoop to the bad reviewer's level.. everyone already knows by reading her long review that's she's probably unhinged and her dog had major problems; you have many other positive reviews so obviously this person is a serious outlier. In the future you should write something like 'I'm sorry you had a bad experience. I strongly disagree with the accusations here and I hope you will find a sitter that better suits your dog's needs in the future.' It makes you look rational and polite amidst the difficulty & highlights how difficult the customer seems.
People pay much more attention to the number of stars than one bad review. Most potential customers will have sympathy for the fact that you had a very difficult client, they know it can happen to a sitter. You'll move on and get enough reviews to bury this one.
I would report the review to Rover as I don't think the review should stand seeing as though she tried to accuse you of yelling at her dog and putting her dog's safety in jeopardy when there was no proof of that taking place. However, I have heard that Rover doesn't seem to care for helping their sitters in this regard. When hosting dogs who I was told were anxious I have always met the client outside so the dog could go to the bathroom before doing anything else, just an idea for the future for you! Also, I use Urine Off, a product that comes with a black light to help you find urine stains and it has been wonderful so far. I also have covers for my living room chairs and couch. I close off rooms I do not want to take chances having accidents in. While it can be quite annoying to have to put money towards dog-proofing your home, I have found it well worth it!
Getting a bad review sucks, sorry it happened to you, but from what I have read and heard there is little you can do about getting it removed from your profile. You've done the right thing in contacting Rover support, but they probably told you they can't or won't remove it.
I've read the client's review and it is so long most won't bother to read it entirely. However, I felt your response to the review was poorly written and accusatory; when these things happen its best to write a brief reply and let it go. Best of luck in the future but this one will be on your profile for a long time.
It's a learning experience. And a good reason not to let new-to-you dogs on your bed, especially when the owner told you they have an anxiety/fear-based peeing problem. I agree you would do well to change your response to the negative review. The review is rational & mature regarding the specific event, so maybe speak to that & offer remorse & gratitude for the learning experience. People will eat that up.
I had a similar experience with the owner stating in her review that I put the safety of her dog and home at jeopardy even though I was following the written instructions she had left for me. I contacted Rover about this and all they said I could do was respond to the review and that they do not remove reviews from profiles.
It's a sad situation. Owner "thinks" you were angry and extremely freaked out by the situation, and you say otherwise. That's exactly what happens with text message. Been there so many times when people "misread" the tone of a text message.
I would think this review will not affect how your regulars think of you and your services. She expressed the way she felt, you did too, but in my opinion I would just let it go. Your clients should not be worried about this. Maybe you should not publicly state you think she rated you bad because she owns a kennel too, that's not a really cool thing to say, it's a false accusation, but I do understand why you are upset.
Just forgive this lady, she was probably really stressed out and anxious and took it out on you. Good luck :)