Not paying for garden work

Technicality? What the fuck?

So if a window washer rocks up, sprays your windows and then presents you with a bill, you’d pay it? What if a former house cleaner had a key to OP’s home and dropped in for a session? Or a painter decided to do her fence or garden shed ? Are you saying she should be grateful and pay them too?

How weak and silly to suggest this is anything but the former owner’s problem.

Wrong.

Expecting a victim of trespassing and grifting to be grateful for the “benefit” is absurd.

Well going to a civil court with such a silly claim would get you a penny in damages and a flea in your ear from the Judge. I have advised clients against such high handed sentiments in the past. Usually what then happens is they are made to pay their own costs, and they're out of pocket due to a bout of self aggrandisement.

Well possibly nothing, but there was an inkling of a little bit of historical annoyance. Apparently the old owners were a bit awkward over the conveyancing. It's still bothering her two years later. So what do you think ? . . . . .

Well possibly nothing, but there was an inkling of a little bit of historical annoyance. Apparently the old owners were a bit awkward over the conveyancing. It's still bothering her two years later. So what do you think ? . . . . .

And? What are you implying that the OP is hiding from us?

How much is the bill? I think you should pay half. You have benefitted in so far as he has saved you doing it yourself for a while and pulling weeds etc is no fun!

The previous owners are totally in the wrong and it’s cheeky of them to only offer to pay half the bill, but you haven’t really got any redress against them.

If you refuse to pay, the only person who loses out is the gardener who has done the hard work in good faith and through no fault of his own. I would suck it up, pay half and enjoy your neat and tidy garden with your feet up, as you can leave it for a couple of weeks now!

It’s not a good deal if you didn’t want the service.

Well, we both only know what we're told.

Of course he should be paid - by the people who failed to cancel his contract. They are trying to get the OP to pay their bill.

There wouldn't have been that much work as the OP had been working on it - the gardener was expecting a place untouched since last Autumn but that's not what he would have got.

Yeah, honestly, you're really not at all convincing. Not sure who you think this works on.

OP gardens and, I assume, enjoys it. Why on earth isn't he the one that should be the bigger person - apologising to OP and compensating her for her lost leisure activity?

Yes you're correct - he did it for the old owners who forgot to cancel him, and he arguably didn't show due diligence to check they hadn't moved house without telling him, but the OP still received the service, which I can't believe has come as a hindrance and the mistake is reflected in a half price deal from the old owners. I think the OP has really reacted indignantly to being ambushed as it were by an unexpected cost, even if it's a good deal . Looks like we won't come to an agreement on this issue. I suppose it could be about temperament, personality and what your conscience is telling you.

It's just that one word in particular that sounds so off to most of us - maybe because we usually associate it with domestic pets and farm animals rather than humans.

'Socialising' is fine imho; maybe 'upbringing' or 'background'?

But if that's the sentiment, how else would you say it ?Alright if you don't like ' breeding ' because it reminds you of a Patricia Rutledge character how about it being a question of how one is ' socialised ? '

I'm not sure it'll ever get through but keep trying

I'm also doing No Mow May and leaving most of the weeds (only pulling up the ones that grow between paving slabs on the drive because once those take hold you need a flamethrower to get rid). Plus, our front hedge is looking super scruffy - DC reckoned they saw a couple of birds going in to it, could be a nest. If somebody came along and trimmed our hedge, I wouldn't be thinking "I'm soooo grateful for my naice tidy garden, please take my money you poor poor gardener!" I'd be absolutely raging and pointing out that it is illegal to disturb a wild bird's nest.

how many more times? she may not have wanted the work done, she may have wanted to do the work herself like I do, she may have wanted the weeds left and be doing no mow may, also like I do. The only person whose fault it is NOT is the OP's so why should she pay? OH and PS the person who might have redress is the gardener. It remains between them and the house sellers and no one else.

How much is the bill? I think you should pay half. You have benefitted in so far as he has saved you doing it yourself for a while and pulling weeds etc is no fun!

The previous owners are totally in the wrong and it’s cheeky of them to only offer to pay half the bill, but you haven’t really got any redress against them.

If you refuse to pay, the only person who loses out is the gardener who has done the hard work in good faith and through no fault of his own. I would suck it up, pay half and enjoy your neat and tidy garden with your feet up, as you can leave it for a couple of weeks now!

But if that's the sentiment, how else would you say it ?Alright if you don't like ' breeding ' because it reminds you of a Patricia Rutledge character how about it being a question of how one is ' socialised ? '

Yes you're correct - he did it for the old owners who forgot to cancel him, and he arguably didn't show due diligence to check they hadn't moved house without telling him, but the OP still received the service, which I can't believe has come as a hindrance and the mistake is reflected in a half price deal from the old owners. I think the OP has really reacted indignantly to being ambushed as it were by an unexpected cost, even if it's a good deal . Looks like we won't come to an agreement on this issue. I suppose it could be about temperament, personality and what your conscience is telling you.

It's very Hyacinth Bucket language - hilarious in a nightmare fictional character who is set up to be laughed at; but I agree, not something you'd expect to hear from an actual real person.

No idea what you mean by real. I have plenty of world experience. I never used the word ' posh ' nor am I trying to affect such a persona, whatever that is. I think you may mean socio economic class. Breeding and socio economic class are two distinct concepts. Out of interest though, what makes one posh ? Apart from posh spice.