Someone has cut my grass and now wants money

[SliceOfCakeCupOfTea]

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?

This is a bloody good point and I wish you’d had the chance to get him to answer it OP!

I’m naive enough that I’d have believed it was a genuinely innocent mistake but I’m not stupid enough that I’d have paid for work I hadn’t asked for. I’m really surprised to see a few people say they’d have paid something. They must have more money than sense.

If he comes back, break out into a song and dance routine. Then ask him for £20 because he got to watch you.

No way should anybody get to enjoy a step-perfect Mr Pastry for such a derisorily low price!

It would be interesting to find out how much your neighbour had prepaid him. Bet it was nowhere near your quote.

I definitely would have gone ballistic at him pruning my shrubs as he would have cut off all of this years flower buds😮

Lol!! I bet you've given £80 to a bloke who says your gutters are blocked. One born eeeevery minute

In a van, with his own gardening equipment. He is an adult doing his job who made a mistake a chanced his luck at getting paid when he realised his error. When she said no to his request for payment he left as he knew she hadn't entered into any form or verbal or written agreement for the service he provided.

He probably uses the same story o lots of people.
I'd tell him to do one

If he wasn't sure what house it was, why didn't he knock on the door and ask, then you could have directed him to the correct house. If he hasn't got the gumption or brain to do that then he probably shouldn't be operating a lawnmower.

Did you mean to be so blunt?

Because the answer to your post is "it's called having a job that requires concentration." 😂

vivainsomnia
*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.*

What a lesson to teach any young person- If you make a mistake someone else will pay for it. I’d send my son straight back and get them to apologise (but op said it’s a grown up- who definitely should know better!)

Scam

Tell him you were actually growing your grass out so he's done you a disservice and will be charging him for new grass seed.

Me too. You are entitled to call the police if he won't leave.
Yes he's a scammer most likely.

Sounds like he’s trying to run a scam. DON’T PAY HIM!!!!

I'm with scammer.

If he was a proper business person he would have

A) mentioned he does neighbours and offered to do yours at X cost at same time via a business card.

B) know kid and said he's doing neighbours but could do yours at C cost if you wanted.

Accidentally cutting grass you weren't meant to is actually worrying when it's someone in charge of a lawn mower.

So a note came through the door from him basically saying I was rude followed by a sob story and saying that he didn't realise the garden was ours, thought it was hers.

DH has taken it next door (I was in the middle of cooking tea) and spoken with neighbour. Turns out the lad is a mate of her Grandson who's going through a rough time. She had sent him £50 to mow the lawn and a couple odd jobs on her house.

She's quite shocked he did our garden as well. So far she hasn't heard anything from grandson or his mate.

How ridiculous. If I came round to your house and, without being asked, washed your car badly, would you feel you had to pay me even though you could have done it better yourself and paid nothing?

Just to mention, I had a guy come onto my property, wander around it for a good 15 minutes and take measurements for a new roof and never noticed he was there when downstairs watching TV. And I knew he was coming that day and have ring cameras. Just saying as it's very easy to miss people if you are not looking or paying attention or have earphones on

It’s not your fault he’s so fucking dim that he didn’t think to check the surrounding houses for their names/numbers if yours and next doors are so mysteriously cloaked ?! Nor is it your fault he’s having a rough time or did work you didn’t ask for. Don’t give him a penny.

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.

Awwww @vivainsomnia, play your cards right and I reckon there might be a Bahrain-based, tragically-widowed, oil rig working, ex-military hunk-in-waiting winging his way to your Facebook DMs ready for you to top up his Steam Card so he can come over and marry you!

Ah, it's a young lad finding a way to get himself out of a difficult situation. This is to be commended in this day and age. He made a mistake, and I'm sure that you have no obligation to pay him, but if it was me and if I had the money, I would pay him the same as the neighbours have. After all, the garden is now done, saving you a lot of trouble. He won't make the same mistake in the future.

He made a mistake
His fault.
Lots of people like to grow out their grass for the wildlife, he should have double checked what he was supposed to be doing

Hopefully he won’t make the mistake again as he’s wasted his time ruining your garden

True but he's a young lad by comparison to me. He's easily mid 20s

This

It’s his fault and you certainly don’t have to pay him a penny but honestly, I would have. Maybe I’m a soft touch, but at the end of the day he has tidied up your garden. I wouldn’t dream of paying him £100 for work I didn’t want but I would happily slip him around £30-£50 as a goodwill.

Depending on what they are, he's probably cut all this year's dormant flower buds off.