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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be annoyed dh was scammed

41 replies

Panda90 · 29/04/2019 11:26

We had all our gutters cleaned in January by a professional company with good reviews. We use them every year, they use a pump (not sure what it's called) and clean out the drain pipe as well. Takes them about 50 minutes to do it all. At the weekend my DH opened the door to a door to door caller saying he has been cleaning the neighbours gutters and noticed ours needed cleaning otherwise our house will get damp. He will clean our gutters for 20 quid. Dh said yes. I was in the shower while all this was happening. He took 5 minutes and then demanded 20 quid and that the back gutters would be another 15 if we want that. I said we shouldn't pay him as he is a scammer and didn't clean anything. Dh ended up paying him. Grrrrrr. I thought my DH was better at detecting scams and I have told him in the past never say yes to people at the door selling anything. I try to be so careful to not get scammed. So annoyed. I was tempted to tell him to f**k off and threaten to call the police but dh just wanted to pay him.

OP posts:

Lllot5 · 29/04/2019 11:28

Did your DH not know they’d just been done? Surely they won’t want doing again? Should’ve just said no thanks.

DianaPrincessOfThemyscira · 29/04/2019 11:28

It’s ok to be annoyed. He wasn’t scammed so much as wasn’t assertive enough to say no thanks, our gutters were cleaned in January.

Original poster

Panda90 · 29/04/2019 11:30

Lllot5 yeah dh knew, he organised it with the company we use every year

OP posts:

Original poster

Panda90 · 29/04/2019 11:30

Should I have told him we arnt paying him and threaten to call the police?

OP posts:

Lllot5 · 29/04/2019 11:33

Well trouble with calling the police is that your DH had agreed to them being cleaned so it’s his fault really should’ve just said no.

BiscuitDrama · 29/04/2019 11:34

Your DH said yes, don’t think you can refuse to pay him.

WeeDangerousSpike · 29/04/2019 11:34

Yanbu to be pissed off at the scammers. YA a little U to be more than mildly pissed off at DH - assuming he doesn't have form for being dopey. Hopefully DH will be more careful from now on, now that it's not just some hypothetical situation, but he's actually experienced it. However this does require him to accept he's been ripped off - does he think the gutters have been cleaned?

It could be worse - at least it was only £20. My DP got scammed out of £10k last year - and it was a loan so there was the prospect of paying back money with interest that we had lost. We got it back thank god, but it was a fucking awful fortnight. (and yes u was royally pissed off with him - I see the irony! )

Original poster

Panda90 · 29/04/2019 11:35

BiscuitDrama but he was just 5 minutes, went up ladder probably pretending to clean

OP posts:

pasturesgreen · 29/04/2019 11:36

Should I have told him we arnt paying him and threaten to call the police?

And what exactly do you think the police would have done? The bloke asked, your DH said yes despite knowing very well the gutters didn't need any cleaning. Not the police's problem your husband couldn't or wouldn't say no.

PinkHeart5914 · 29/04/2019 11:37

Threaten to call the police? Why?

An adult knocked on your door and offered to clear the guttering, your dh another adult said yes and offered to pay the man. What law has been broken here?

thought my DH was better at detecting scams and I have told him in the past never say yes to people at the door selling anything LOL at telling an adult never to say yes to anyone selling stuff at the door 😂

Notcontent · 29/04/2019 11:38

This is why I hate anyone coming to my door selling stuff, charities, etc. Because you are put on the spot, asked to make a quick decision about something without having all the information and time to consider it.

Original poster

Panda90 · 29/04/2019 11:38

pasturesgreen could we have told him he is a scammer/ lier and we arnt paying him? What could have happened then?

OP posts:

Seeline · 29/04/2019 11:39

Well if you'd already had them cleaned there probably wasn't an awful lot the bloke could do - 5 mins seems reasonable!

I don't think you've been scammed. Your DH was offered a service, he accepted it, and had to pay up. It's his fault he didn't need the service in the first place!

slipperywhensparticus · 29/04/2019 11:40

I think of it like this, if you said I'm calling the police and he legged it then if was scam most likely if he didn't then you owe him money because it only takes one person go look at the gutter to prove the work was done 🤷‍♀️ (my local police probably would get up the ladder and check they are a bit full on really but we appreciate it,)

MiniMum97 · 29/04/2019 11:40

The police would be interested because people like that prey on the old and vulnerable. He obviously hasn't done anything in 5 mins so was seeking payment for doing f all. And was also doing the typical scam thing of now wanting more money for something else.

PinkHeart5914 · 29/04/2019 11:44

Well to be honest 5 minutes is probably about right seen as the gutters were cleaned recently. OP dh decided to say yes to this mans offer anyway so 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m sure some people do prey on the old and vulnerable but that is not what happened here

Original poster

Panda90 · 29/04/2019 11:47

MiniMum97 he probably will be trying to also prey on old and vulnerable people and then intimidate them into paying more or paying more with more work that doesn't need done. We will be fine losing the 20 quid, lesson learnt for dh. But it will hit an elderly women struggling to pay her heating bill in winter alot more.

OP posts:

Lllot5 · 29/04/2019 11:48

Well you could call police and see what they say. But I wouldn’t think this is on your DH really.

HennyPennyHorror · 29/04/2019 11:48

Are you saying the man didn't clean them at all? You said "He took 5 minutes" did you look to see if he'd actually cleaned them?

pasturesgreen · 29/04/2019 11:53

I’m sure some people do prey on the old and vulnerable but that is not what happened here

^ This. Your DH is, presumably, a competent adult and not old and vulnerable. He knew the job didn't need to be done, all he had to do was say 'No, thanks' and close the door.

Yet he chose to avail himself of the bloke's services of his own free will. Of course the job took hardly any time, the gutters had been cleaned only recently.

LillithsFamiliar · 29/04/2019 11:54

Your DH wasn't scammed. They asked if they could do it and agreed a price.
If the gutters had just been cleaned by the company you usually use, then a clean would only have taken five minutes. Also, unless you were up the ladder with them or watching closely, you don't know if there was something blocking the gutter that only took two minutes to lift out.

JessieMcJessie · 29/04/2019 11:55

Locally we have been warned about gutter cleaning scammers who actually rip up tiles and flashing from the roof and then come and tell you it needs to be repaired. Doesn’t sound like this happened here but your DH is daft- has he explained what possessed him to say yes?
Write off the 20 quid and see if you can get to the bottom of how he got sucked in.

Butchyrestingface · 29/04/2019 11:58

There is no scam here. Your husband agreed to a service. He had the opportunity not to compound the decision when the bloke asked him for another £15 if he wanted the back gutters cleaned. But noooo, he went ahead.

As you say, he’ll know better next time.

powershowerforanhour · 29/04/2019 12:02

opened the door to a door to door caller
Call me a cynical bitch but my default answer to doorsteppers is no. From religion to driveway tarmacking, if I need something I'll actively seek it out.

caller saying he has been cleaning the neighbours gutters
Quickly gaining trust he hasn't earned by citing people he thinks you are likely to trust

noticed ours needed cleaning
Unsubstantiated claim

otherwise our house will get damp
with a "buy now or else bad things will happen" threat attached

He will clean our gutters.... Dh said yes.
Work to be done not precisely specified by either party (yes you would reasonably assume that to mean all the gutters...but need to be crystal clear and never assume)

for 20 quid.
If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.

Look on the bright side- that's a lot of valuable lessons for 20 quid. I wouldn't be annoyed at your DH, if he has the grace to admit to himself that he was duped and learns from it.

Goldmandra · 29/04/2019 12:03

Have you seen what he removed from your gutters?

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