Hello Everyone,
An update for you all. As you can imagine, I received a two-star review from the TH client plus a “do not recommend” statement at the close of her review. It’s quite painful and therefore a reminder of being far more discerning in accepting any future house/pet sitting job. In many ways, this particular gig was not at all a good choice for me … or the client. Thank you all for your input when I reached out.
Her previous sitter gave her a 2 star rating but you felt able to leave her a five star review with no stars deducted in any category.
The HO’s one and only previous sitter gave the HO a 2 star review (1 in communication).. That is about as far as I would have gotten.
And you gave the sit 5 stars in every category and wrote positive comments @Honeybear2158???
Yes, what on earth @Honeybear2158?! You said she was a nightmare and then gave her 5 stars 
all round so no other sitter will know that she was exceptionally demanding and difficult 
. It’s also double madness as she gave you such a poor review that was at least her honest viewpoint. #beggarsbelief
Thanks for the update. It’s always nice to hear from OP and see how things develop.
You have already admitted that you have learned a lesson and will be
So I would just like to mention the importance of reviews. Both ways.
In the case of this HO, I can see red flags in the listing as it shows now, especially the tone. It’s not at all welcoming, everything is about tasks and requirements, there’s also language requirements. I don’t know if the previous review was published before you accepted the sit but both the sitter’s review and the HO’s show that there’s a problem with communication (not a language issue) To me, it’s clear this person expects to have sitters waiting on her to decide when and even whether she’s leaving and when she comes back.
I would really like to understand why you gave a 5 star review with mostly positive comments. You clearly didn’t enjoy the experience, you complained that
You even anticipated a bad review from her
So, what’s the point of giving 5stars across?
The five-star review was a disservice to other sitters. Plus, it gave a bad host the same as hosts who are actually good, so it unfairly puts the bad host in the running for sitters.
That especially makes no sense when the previous sitter reviewed the bad host accurately.
Good post. I agree it’s difficult to leave a less than stellar 5 star review but as a fellow cat sitter I always appreciate an honest review. Helps sitters decide if they can accept such a sit.
An accurate review of your experiences on this sit would have reflected better on you, especially to explain and deflect the scathing review this HO has left for you (and, when added to her previous single review, would have left other potential sitters in no doubt regarding what they could expect).
I’m sorry to learn you had such a demanding sit. This type of entitled HO is certainly not the type of person we’d like to partner with, so your 5 star review is unfathomable.