Not paying for garden work

After a few weeks experience of this forum it would have amazed me if there wasn't a long queue of people lining up to say the stupidest possible thing anyone could imagine.

He's a gardener, don't you know - a manual labourer! It's unthinkable that someone who can post here, who can read and write, could have less money than a working class type of person like a gardener! They are practically servants!

You were only away for a week so this concept of ‘benefit’ is ridiculous.

Considering the recent weather. I hope he hasn’t damaged your lawns by cutting them too close….. Our gardener is not cutting too low in case we don’t get rain soon.

You owe him nothing, the previous owners owe him the full cost, this is entirely on them.

Nobody on here knows whether the gardener is on the breadline or raking (see what I did there ?) it in.

As this was his first appearance this year he should have checked he was still wanted.

YABU. You don't care about the gardener either. You've had a bargin. Bet you get paid no matter what.

I cannot believe people think you should pay half for a service you did not agree to or need/want. His contract is with the previous owner and he needs to take it up with them. He is in a crap position but it is not of your making. What if he had undertaken work you did not want, such as removing plants etc you wanted untouched?

This is the previous owner's oversight and they are being totally unreasonable not to put this down to experience and admit it was their fault. I imagine they do not have a leg to stand on. Maybe check there are no window cleaners, jetwash companies who will be kno cking on your door for payment in the future!

I'd plan to pay half as I'd benefited and out of goodwill, my wife would say don't pay it's not your contract and I'd be more scared of her so wouldn't pay, and I don't think that would be unreasonable either.

I think it depends on the cost but I think I'd personally pay the half. You've effectively got half price gardening, which you'll enjoy and get the benefit of. Obviously it's an oversight on their part and they should've cancelled them, and the gardener probably should've knocked/checked, but actually you win out of this. Contractually the old owners owe him, but if it's less than £50 for half, I'd just pay and thank him but ask him not to do any more work - you never know when you might need a gardener too.

I'd feel bad for the bloke too. But I wouldn't pay for a service I hadn't ordered and didn't want. This is perfectly reasonable. If I was a millionaire, I'd pay.

Or maybe showing you're a reasonable person, who is exercising some common sense. I would feel bad for the bloke but that's me.

No they should pay. I did similar when I told the window cleaner we’d moved but forgot to tell him when the date got put back. Of course I paid the bill even though I didn’t benefit from the windows being cleaned.

Why would you want to introduce yourself to your neigbours as being a mug and a pushover.....

All of this.

Do not pay this. You don't owe it, didn't order it and didn't want the service.

I’m totally calm and not being rude at all, whereas your “smart mouth“ comment is beyond rude!.

At what point is does it say the gardener isn’t making much money?. I think you’re adding the details here unless I’ve missed some posts?.
I’m not at any point taking the mickey out of some ‘poor’ gardener and laughing that he isn’t getting his money!?
I was laughing at some of the comments, perhaps you need to lighten up a little and read some of them, as (some) are ridiculous (and yet none of them laughing at the gardener that I can see, including mine!)

The previous owners should be paying it all. The OP doesn't owe a penny and doesn't need to do anything as a 'goodwill gesture'. She isn't running a business where that would be applicable.

As has been said what if the previous owners have contracts with other service providers? The OP could end up paying for a gardener, a window cleaner, a bin cleaner and goodness knows what else.

No, a gesture of goodwill just means that somebody has done something friendly or helpful. Its use isn't limited to business arrangements.

Gestures of goodwill are for business to show to customers who have given them work in the past and may do agin in future.

They are not for individuals to show to tradesmen whose business they have no interest in.

No, the idea of paying someone who likely doesn't make much for manual labor, which you benefitted from, who wasn't at fault either, and who might well be your neighbor, is actually quite far from "batshit" or "madness." Calm down and quit with the smart mouth. It's not appealing, you know.

It's not really on you but as a gesture of goodwill and because you've benefited from the work I would pay half, unless you really can't afford to

Of course you don't have to pay for a service you didn't order or even know about.

But if I had the cash to spare, I'd probably give the gardener half anyway.

It's not his fault, either. And, if he's doing the gardening himself, that's pretty hard manual work for low pay. Also, you did get the benefit of his labor.

So, while I agree with you in theory, I also feel like you're bordering on being difficult and insensitive. So instead of answering your question, I'd ask you one: Is this really the way you want to introduce yourself to the neighborhood?

Obviously not for you to pay, if you'd wanted to spend money on a gardener you would have booked one.

His contract verbal or otherwise is with the previous owner. Nothing to do with you. They’ve put him in a dodgy position as he might have damaged your own plants and was actually trespassing. I’m sure you aren’t affected by the last sentence but that’s the position they put him in

OK, agreeing to differ. I'm saying what I would do.

But it’s not a hassle for op and she prefers to do her own garden. Or she’d hire a gardener…

It would be a huge amount to me 🤣 Even though you could afford it I bet there was lots of other things you could have spent that money on. The blimming cheek!