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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Someone has cut my grass and now wants money

384 replies

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 22/03/2023 14:07

I'm working from home today today and heard the noise of a lawn mower out the front. I didn't really give it much thought and just moved into one of the back rooms.

I've just had a young bloke knock on the door and he explained that he's accidentally 'done my garden' instead of my neighbours. We live in a semi and it's the neighbour we are attached to. Our front gardens are separated by a knee high wall. Neighbour is out (car is gone and they aren't answering their door so I assume they're out) but the lad wants paying for cutting my grass. Since neighbour pre-paid him and they're aren't in, he's now saying that I owe him money because he has provided me with a service.

Neighbours garden is just grass surrounded by the wall. My garden is a bit more wild with plant boarders all around and a couple of small trees and bushes. The lad has cut my grass, trimmed the edges, tidied some of the bushes etc. It's obviously a bigger job than what he was hired for.

I don't want to pay because I didn't ask him to do this. Nor am I too happy with the job he's done anyways. He's saying that his time needs compensating and if our houses were clearly marked then the mistake wouldn't have happened. He's also saying that since I'm home and could hear the lawn mower, I should have said something instead of 'letting' him carry on 'doing my garden'.

AIBU?

OP posts:
Moveoverdarlin · 22/03/2023 14:54

I wouldn’t be furious, but yeah it’s a bit of a cheek. If you were pleased with the work and it was an improvement, I’d say I’ll give you half if it’s a young lad. If you think he’s made a hash of it, stand your ground.

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 22/03/2023 14:55

KnottyKnitting · 22/03/2023 14:49

He actually damaged your plants? I would be asking him for compensation not paying him!

Well he's trimmed them or pruned them. Basically they looked dense and now they look naked. I mean they weren't exactly pretty before but I liked them.

OP posts:
Drfosters · 22/03/2023 14:57

I had that once with a plumber. I lived in a house split into flats and we were having work done arranged by the bottom flat who managed the freehold. We had scaffolding up. So did next door. I had a person ring my doorbell asking if could flush my toilet, which I did and didn’t think anything of it. A while later he rings again and tells me he got the wrong property. We had the same fault he was employed to sort next door so had just cracked on thinking he was in the right place as we had the scaffolding. He then asked if I could pay because he had fixed our problem. I just told him to talk to downstairs but I don’t think he’d be happy! Never found out what happened but I did feel bad for him as it had taken him a few hours to do.

viques · 22/03/2023 14:57

ReedRite · 22/03/2023 14:47

Can you DM me your address? Because I've got a funny feeling if I come round, I'll find you've got some loose tiles on your roof and the whole lot will need replacing. Or perhaps I could tarmac your drive? I'll just do it and knock on your door and demand payment (of twice the going rate) afterwards. I'm a nice, young, hard-working person.....

Watch out with those tiles! I am just getting my paint brushes out to give Vivian’s house a bit of a touch up. There, that looks good. Oh, sorry, cash only……..

BreviloquentBastard · 22/03/2023 14:57

There's a beautiful official name for this young man, he is an Officious Intermeddler - you have zero obligation to pay him for services rendered that you didn't ask for or want. Tell him to do one, he has no legal leg to stand on at all if he tries it on.

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 22/03/2023 14:57

Moveoverdarlin · 22/03/2023 14:54

I wouldn’t be furious, but yeah it’s a bit of a cheek. If you were pleased with the work and it was an improvement, I’d say I’ll give you half if it’s a young lad. If you think he’s made a hash of it, stand your ground.

Not so much a hash. I mean the grass is shorter and the edges are straight. But, I didn't ask him to come. And I don't have any cash in the house other than my son's tooth fairy money which I absolutely will not touch. I could ask for bank details but I don't want to...

OP posts:
Sweetpeasaremadeforbees · 22/03/2023 14:58

Why would he do that if he was an obvious scammer! Not much to gain doing both and risking not being paid for either!

Because if both were like you, he'd make money! Bangs head against keyboard.

VestaTilley · 22/03/2023 14:58

Absolutely not. Not your problem.

Jewelanemone · 22/03/2023 14:58

BreviloquentBastard · 22/03/2023 14:57

There's a beautiful official name for this young man, he is an Officious Intermeddler - you have zero obligation to pay him for services rendered that you didn't ask for or want. Tell him to do one, he has no legal leg to stand on at all if he tries it on.

That's a fantastic name! 😆

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 22/03/2023 14:59

BreviloquentBastard · 22/03/2023 14:57

There's a beautiful official name for this young man, he is an Officious Intermeddler - you have zero obligation to pay him for services rendered that you didn't ask for or want. Tell him to do one, he has no legal leg to stand on at all if he tries it on.

Oooh, I might put that on a certificate and give it to him if he comes back

OP posts:
ReedRite · 22/03/2023 15:00

viques · 22/03/2023 14:57

Watch out with those tiles! I am just getting my paint brushes out to give Vivian’s house a bit of a touch up. There, that looks good. Oh, sorry, cash only……..

Soffits and fascias will need replacing, as well as the paint, I reckon. You won't be able to tell unless you're up the ladder... 😉

WeDoNotTalktoPennilynLott · 22/03/2023 15:00

I had similar, I did pay somebody to cut my grass regularly, one day while I was out he took it upon himself to do an extra job. He then rang me after he did it to say
"I've cut your grass and I've also done this other thing"
like he had done me a favour. I'm like ooookkkk, he said
"So that will be an extra £20 please"
I told him I'm not paying for work I didn't ask him to do and never once mentioned so he bad mouthed me to the whole village telling everyone I wouldn't pay him for his work 🙄

Itsneverwhatitseems · 22/03/2023 15:03

What a cheek.
Hes cut your plants back ,criminal damage and trespassed.
Id threaten him with the police.
Warn him if he comes back and tries it on again you will call the police, if you don’t now .
Id be absolutely furious

viques · 22/03/2023 15:05

ReedRite · 22/03/2023 15:00

Soffits and fascias will need replacing, as well as the paint, I reckon. You won't be able to tell unless you're up the ladder... 😉

Sucks teeth and shakes head at state of soffits and fascias. Luckily I have a friend who can get me a good deal at a local warehouse. Unfortunately I will need to get there in the next half an hour before my friend goes on holiday for six months, they only take cash and my bank card is in my other wallet…….

JassyRadlett · 22/03/2023 15:07

vivainsomnia · 22/03/2023 14:43

Sounds like OP is as much a scammer. Pretending she didn't know what was going on in her front garden (despite moving in the back of the house), letting her garden being cut, trimmed, what she herself admits is quite a bit of work, and then throw the guy out because he dared asking for something when she thought she'd het the service for free.

Surely if he was just a scammer, he would pick gardens that are easy and quick, not those overgrown.

Of course OP didn't need to pay for something she didn't ask, but maybe he genuinely did confused the two gardens and I prefer to give the benefit of the doubt when ultimately, I get some work done on my property that I benefited from.

How big is your front garden that when you hear a lawn mower you assume it's mowing your lawn, not a neighbour's?

OopsAnotherOne · 22/03/2023 15:08

I don't employ a gardener because I can't afford a gardener and I don't want to pay for something I can do myself. If someone decided to do my gardening without getting my consent or having me agree to a quote, I wouldn't pay them. If he wants to cut grass for people he's not sought the permission or agreement of, he can't expect payment for the work. He'll be more careful in future not to cut the wrong garden.

jaffacakeany1 · 22/03/2023 15:09

Threaten to sue him! You loved your garden as it was, and now he's ruined it. Also, he trespassed whilst ruining it 🤣

Cerealkillerontheloose · 22/03/2023 15:10

Hahaha. Tell him to take you to small claims and that you’re refusing to pay for him. Record anymore times he comes round too in your phone.

Cerealkillerontheloose · 22/03/2023 15:10

Oh and tell him to send you in writing what happened. IE that it was a Kushan’s and wants paying. Bet he won’t do either

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 22/03/2023 15:11

DH is going to do some serious scowling when he gets home. Apparently he had big plans for the garden this year

OP posts:
GonnaGetGoingReturns · 22/03/2023 15:13

Lots of people have tried this on post covid. I’ve had a man doorstep me asking if I needed gardening help (no thanks) and a couple of guttering and brick pointing doorstepers.

I just say no but I’m always wary if they’re cowboys who’d do a bad job anyway.

ReedRite · 22/03/2023 15:16

viques · 22/03/2023 15:05

Sucks teeth and shakes head at state of soffits and fascias. Luckily I have a friend who can get me a good deal at a local warehouse. Unfortunately I will need to get there in the next half an hour before my friend goes on holiday for six months, they only take cash and my bank card is in my other wallet…….

You'll have to get there quick, and pay the cash. Then it'll take 90 minutes to get back, even though it's only half a mile away, and that time's chargeable....

kitsuneghost · 22/03/2023 15:18

vivainsomnia · 22/03/2023 14:25

I can't believe the responses. What a nasty nasty world we live in. Here's a young lad who is cutting grass for a bit of pocket money, who made an understandable mistake that ultimately benefited you.

Are you that heartless that you can't give him at least something? I wouldn't have thought twice just because it's a nice thing to do to a young hard working lad.

Gosh - I thought I was Naive

Greeno999 · 22/03/2023 15:19

ReedRite · 22/03/2023 15:00

Soffits and fascias will need replacing, as well as the paint, I reckon. You won't be able to tell unless you're up the ladder... 😉

No joke. This happened to my mate. She was running late for work, someone knocked and said ‘your down pipe is hanging off I’m working next door, shall I put it back on for you’ she hurriedly said please… came home to full soffits and facias done and an Irish man stood on her doorstep demanding £2500!

ReedRite · 22/03/2023 15:21

Greeno999 · 22/03/2023 15:19

No joke. This happened to my mate. She was running late for work, someone knocked and said ‘your down pipe is hanging off I’m working next door, shall I put it back on for you’ she hurriedly said please… came home to full soffits and facias done and an Irish man stood on her doorstep demanding £2500!

Oh yeah, it's a well-worn scam. As we've seen from this thread, there are some so naive/gullible/scared, that they pay up, instead of slamming the door shut and calling the police. To be fair, it usually comes with a side order of intimidation and coercion. 😡

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