Think plumber has stolen knickers

[Washingbasketchair]

WWYD in this situation.

I am having my boiler replaced. A three day job. I have used the plumber before and he seems lovely, is recommended by others too.
He was here yesterday whilst I was at work for most of the day and he was alone in the house. He is coming back today.

I have just come out of the shower to get dressed, and can’t find the knickers I planned to wear today. They are a specific pair that I wear with the dress I will wear today.
The matching bra is there. And the knickers were there the other day. I wore them last week, and remember putting them back when I put the washing away. I have checked the dirty and clean laundry and the washing machine and they are not there.

I know it’s ridiculous but my mind has now moved to the possibility that someone has taken them, and the plumber is the obvious suspect. I have zero evidence apart from the missing knickers. But the thought is obviously sickening as is the thought of him rifling through the drawer (which doesn’t just have underwear in it 😬).

WWYD? Am I being mad? I can’t lock the door to the room or put a camera in there in the 45 mins between now and when he is arriving. I can’t confront him with no evidence. I can’t stop him from coming. Argh! They are nowhere to be seen and a man has had access to my house alone.

Please tell us what your job is, hooters waitress? 😂

Blimey OP, what job do you do ??

I am equally bemused at the need for matching bra and knickers everyday. Is this a thing now? Mind you i quite often don’t even bother wearing a bra so maybe I’m not the best person to judge !

lol cross posted

I’ve had this happen twice, OP, once with 2-3 pairs of ‘nice’ knickers from a drawer, and once with some cash that was on a table. Both disappeared while workmen were in the house, and I subsequently couldn’t help but feel suspicious that they may have been taken, especially after I’d wracked my brains and searched high and low for the items.

All of it turned up. The knickers I found months later (the chest of drawers had been moved by the tradies, and the underwear had somehow slid down the back and was inside the carcass of the cabinet where it couldn’t be seen). The money turned up about 2 years later, sandwiched between two old letters. Thank god I didn’t say anything at the time - I felt bad and guilty enough just having even thought it.

A friend had an expensive bracelet go missing when a plumber was working in her bedroom. Her DH was livid and absolutely went off on one over it. Turns out he’d hidden it himself in a sock drawer at some previous time when they’d gone away for the weekend, which was where he found it months later. Never seen him so shame-faced and cringingly apologetic about anything. Mortifying.

Just saying that it’s very easy to get an idea in your head with stuff like this and convince yourself there’s no other explanation because you’ve logically covered all the options, when it’s highly likely you haven’t.

Recent combi boiler fitted. Two man job. Twelve hours day one, 3 hours day 2. Back boiler removed, tank in airing cupboard removed, radiator installed in there. Gas pipe diverted from cupboard under stairs outside house into walk in cupboard.

I had to go into the shed to pee into a jug because no water to flush the toilet! I didn't watch them as they worked because they didn't need an apprentice so at any time they could have taken a pair of Tesco plain white knickers from a drawer and I wouldn't have known. My dirty laundry box was empty though.

A covert camera is the most obvious answer here. Just buy one so you have something you can set up for next time. I think there is a high chance he has not only taken your underwear but potentially masturbated in your home too. Im not suggesting I’d actually want to see that happen on film but I would most definitely like to give that evidence to the police.

Or the op is absolutely right and this bloke whilst home alone has indeed rifled through her underwear drawer and taken something.

That's ridiculous, I've had a couple of boilers replaced over the years and both have been done within a day. The only time it went over a day was when we changed from a cylinder to a combi, and that took a day and a half. All three times, it was a "one man" plumber, not a firm.

Sounds like he's doing other jobs/quotes on the days he's claiming to be working at your home, and probably charging 3 full days' labour too!

My plumber said three days for our new boiler and it was. He was alone and he had to cut some pipes around outside ( which held it up ) but it is an old house and was up and down in the loft too. I suppose it all depends on type, if they have help or not and if the pipes are ok, but three days isn’t terrible. He was good though and didn’t steal anything or stand around chatting! I guess it’s the luck of the draw with some trades isn’t it.

Nail on the head. We never leave any tradies in the house without one of us being in. It's not just the risk of theft (or jacking off in knickers!), it's the risk of damage, mess, etc. We keep an eye on what they're doing.

Yep, entirely possible, and it’s not like that never happens. But if you have no concrete proof I’d err towards letting it go and buying some more pants rather than blaming a potentially innocent man because you’ve convinced yourself there’s no other explanation.

I was pretty damn sure one of those blokes had helped himself to a handful of knickers, and nothing would have persuaded me otherwise until I actually found the feckin things and felt like a right judgy bastard.

Goodness me!

I would t have jumped to the conclusion it was the plumber.

However 3 days for a new boiler? I had a new one fitted including changing the flew pipes in the roof and it took 2 people 5 hours including testing!

I work from home full time, on camera a lot of the time, but not the sort of camera work where anyone sees my underwear. 😳

I almost always wear matching bra and knickers. It is simply a personal preference, that is all. No need for bemusement.

I wasn't claiming to be qualified, but I do work in a related job and was just commenting that a straightforward boiler replacement as op stated it was wouldn't normally take 3 full days, with the testing taking up an entire day of its own!

No way should you have left him in the house alone...insurance probably invalidated by that. Missing item will probably turn up....but don't use him again as you have concerns.

What an absolutely insane and full of nonsense response. Invalidates insurance?!

Is the clue there that it took 2 people whereas the OP only has 1?

I've just recently renewed my home insurance, I wasn't asked any questions about people being in the house alone. Is that a standard clause that I should be checking with my insurer? I've not heard that before

Surely he could do all that in one day? Why the hell would he need to come back another day to test it?!

I think this is a bizarre conclusion to leap to.

Don't be too hasty to accuse him OP.

1 It's a hell of a thing to be accused of, and you have no definite proof, and

2 It's very difficult to get a decent plumber nowadays.

Surely you're just having a laugh and winding people up here?
This is absolutely ridiculous.

It’s not a new thing -I’ve got to the age of 67 and have worn matching bras and knickers since I first started work at 16.

The only time we ever left builders in our property on their own was about 45 years ago when we lived in a converted flat and the house needed to be underpinned and all the flats redecorated. There were countless different workmen from different subcontractors coming and going for several months. A week after the work was finished, all five of the flats in the house were burgled and none of the entrance doors had been forced. We’ve never left anyone in the house alone since then and have always had a proper security and CCTV system.

But I suppose one benefit of leaving tradesmen in the house alone is that you won’t get wound up about them spending 15 minutes in the toilet having a dump like o the other thread I’ve just read 😆😆