to think maybe I should report this to the police?

[chakra2]

Last week I moved home and I booked a moving company via a website called Shiply. Basically you post details of the job and a bunch of supposedly "vetted" moving professionals make bids. You choose which bid to accept.
I accepted a bid from a guy who had reasonable reviews. The price was confirmed and I paid the deposit.
On the day I noticed the guy seemed bizarre. He was flirting with me horribly and demanding I go on a date with him. His helper was a lovely guy and seemed embarrassed by this behaviour.
During the move the older guy just slammed my sofa and bed frame down on the dirty street. He seemed in an enormous hurry.
Right at the end of the move I paid the agreed amount and decided to add a £20 tip (mainly because the younger guy had been so hard working and helpful). The older guy then went mental.
He said that the fee I'd agreed to was not the fee he felt inclined to charge and he wanted at least twice that amount. It got really ugly. At one point he said he was disappointed in me (???) because he'd found me so attractive (WTF?). Then he said I'm a scammer and that he's going to drive away without accepting the cash I was offering him. I asked why on earth he'd do that and he said "don't you worry -- I'll be back to get my payment using other means."
It was HORRIBLE. He kept gaslighting and lying and asking for more and more money and telling me I should be ashamed of myself. I showed him the email confirming the agreed price, and he just tried to gaslight and say I was seeing things!
Eventually I got him to accept the cash payment but he demanded I make contact to send him more money at a later date.
I reported him to Shiply who did nothing at all besides email me his home address.
The guy is now bombarding me with calls and texts demanding more and more money.
He's a REALLY thuggish type of person. Not sure what to do.
I've now read every single one of his hundreds of reviews on Shiply and several previous clients of his reported feeling afraid for their personal safety and having been extorted out of 100s of £ by him

[chakra2]

@AnAbsolutelyShower Will do. Thanks x

[Redred2429]

Call the police and report him he is threatening you x

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

Please call the police, and get in touch with Shipley again - and if necessary go on Facebook/ Twitter - anything you can to leave a review on about him.

He seems to be targeting lone/ vulnerable women. He's vile and needs to be stopped.

I'm so sorry you have gone through this- what a horrible experience for you.

[Basil90]

Oh that's terrible OP, I'm so sorry you're in this situation. I completely sympathise with your reluctance to phone the police - you don't want to aggravate him into kicking the shit into you or sexually assaulting you. However I'd say that risk is probably negated by the fact that he's not likely to let this go without getting his money. Please please phone the police, at least to get advice as others have suggested. Do you have anyone who can stay with you for a few nights? I would definitely invest in some pepper spray. The risk isn't contained to your home security - he may lurk outside your property and try to get you that way.

[MoonlightBonnet]

I’d tell Shiply you are contacting the police.

[AnAbsolutelyShower]

@chakra2 you're welcome x

[Bluerussian]

This is awful and frightening!
Definitely report to the police if you haven't already.

I don't think much of the company for not doing anything about him - he should have been dismissed. I doubt you're the only customer to have had problems with the man.

[chakra2]

@Basil90

Are we allowed to carry pepper spray here in the UK?

A truly vile man. You know when you get a strong gut feeling that you're in danger? I got that the second i encountered him

[saraclara]

Ugh. I've used Shiply with no problems, and it never occurred to me that this sort of thing could happen. I'm going to be wary now, and definitely read every review first!

I don't understand why Shiply can't remove him from their membership. Though I suppose he could re-register with a different name.

[MollyButton]

You can't carry pepper spray - but you can carry body spray or even hot sauce for your lunch.
You flats seem to have good security. If you have a photo or anything of him, you could do a note for your neighbours warning them not to let him come in.
But the Police should be able to give you good advice - and you can ask for a security review.

[Windydaysuponus]

I am a cleaner.
Any funny business and it's Mr Sheen in the eyes!!

[SilencedFemale]

Yes, call the police. You're not in Manchester area by any chance are you?

I had a similar horrible scenario when I used Shipley. The guy broke my bed frame and when I left him a review stating this he replied to the review that not only was I lying but that when he arrived I was in tears because I had no money to pay him! As bloody if!!!!! It was an absolute total fabrication...I paid him cash as requested. There were no issues at all. If you need someone again my advice is to look on Shpock. The van and man people on there are excellent and I've never had a problem with them.

[EmeraldShamrock]

Call the police on this scary loon.
This is why I don't sell the DC toys and clothes on local sites anymore.
The general public with no job to loose or vetting are to be avoided.
Please log this. I know it is scary as he has your new address.

[FAQs]

Most Police forces have an online reporting option if you are worried about calling, you don’t need to be.

If they have the option provide as much detail as possible, you should receive a reference number. As he is so threatening I wouldn’t warn him first.

[FloatingObject]

To anyone reading: whatever service or product I am paying for, I go to the reviews and click to see the negative ones only. If it's just a bunch if people whining, fair does. But reading the negative comments are always more important than any other glowing reviews they might have.

Good luck OP he sounds awful. Call the police.

[WhentheRabbitsWentWild]

God that is shit scary OP

I would personally either send him a text with words similar to a PP , or I would report to police . I do understand your concern and fear that he knows your address now but it sounds pretty secure your block and your actual flat.

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

Are we allowed to carry pepper spray here in the UK?

No - but perfume/ hairspray or similar is legal and can be used defensively.

[chakra2]

@SilencedFemale

What the actual.....?

I'm not in Manchester, am in London.
Some real cowboys out there though, eh?
Reading through this bugger's reviews I saw one where the woman said he was an abusive nightmare. He's had the audacity to reply to her review, accusing her of being "drunk and out of it" the entire day. I doubt it! LOOOL.

[chakra2]

@FloatingObject

Normally sites allow you to read just specific reviews (i.e. negative reviews). Shiply doesn't. You have to trawl through them all manually. This geezer has 40 pages of reviews and before hiring him I only read the first 5 pages or so. Now that I've read all 40 pages I see that he's been preying on unsuspecting people for quite some time :(

[Lipstickandlashes]

OP, Shipley is terrible - I used them a few times when we moved house recently (bought some pieces of antique furniture on eBay that we needed delivering). Two of the deliveries were fine. One was AWFUL and Shipley was zero help. Just seems to be one woman answering the phone. No oversight, no data protection - it's just an app linking you to fuck knows who. Never again, and I would caution anyone on here against using them in the strongest possible terms.

[Jayaywhynot]

I was harassed on FB messenger by someone on the other side of the country UK, (ex BIL) so no immediate danger. Late night, drunken?? threats, harassment. I rang the police, they wont do anything without you agreeing, it will be discussed 1st. In my case they contacted the police force where my harrasser lived, arrested him in the middle of the night, kept him in the cells all night. It went to court and he was given a restraining order, never heard from him again, btw, he now lives round the corner from me but does not even look in my direction. Ring the police and at least get it logged

[MotherOfLittlePeople]

@chakra2 you defiantly need to report to the police and trading stands. They will set up a fraud case if needed.

The concern here is what if next time it's an elderly old lady with family that rarely check on her and he's returning each week for more and more money...

Horrible thought but happens a lot.

[Gruzinkerbell1]

Police. Immediately. You should have done this already.

[BlastEndedSkrewt]

did you get a receipt for the cash you gave him? How are you going to prove that you paid him anything OP?

[Prawnofthepatriarchy]

Really glad you're calling the police. This guy needs stopping and it's reports like yours that will stop him. Shipley needs to take him off their books and if it takes reporting him to the police then please do so.