How do I handle an upset owner who never canceled their booking?

In my opinion, it's the owner's responsibility to initiate the cancellation. If they got too busy, forgot, or chose not to take that step, I believe they shouldn't be refunded. However, if they tried to cancel but couldn't (I have had clients have technical or user issues), that is different. As Walt said, you can call Rover. You can also send them a message through the Contact page - this is what I usually do. I've always had responses within a day from them. If it's a long-time client or one I really like, had some emergency, or something, I would ask Rover to do a full refund and explain what happened. Otherwise, I would explain and ask Rover to refund 50% according to my cancellation policy. If you're worried about a bad review, you may want to offer a full refund, despite the fact the owner clearly just didn't bother. Let Rover know what happened and they will process it; after Rover confirms they will initiate the refund, message the person and let her know that you contacted Rover and they will be processing a refund and they should see it on their card in the next few days. You might want to let her know that Rover sitters cannot cancel on behalf of a client. Good luck!

Rover support is available 24/7 so I'm unsure why you stated it is hard to get in contact with them, just give them a call @[Edit: Rover’s contact options have changed. Visit the Rover Help Center at https://support.rover.com/ to find the phone number, help articles, or chat with the team] You didn't mention the service for the booking so I'll assume it was house sitting so the client would only get a 50% refund but only if they cancelled the booking. If they didn't cancel the booking you will be paid 100% for the booking. So it's your call if you wish to offer a refund your only option is to call [Edit: Rover’s contact options have changed. Visit the Rover Help Center at https://support.rover.com/ to find the phone number, help articles, or chat with the team]