Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Original poster

AIBU to deduct stolen money from payment?

181 replies

cocoloco117 · 24/04/2023 15:21

Name changed and tin hat on for this. We recently had someone working in our house, after which I noticed a large sum of money had gone missing. It was a pile of notes that was left under an ornament on a bookshelf in the room in which they were working. Now I don’t need any lectures on the follies of leaving large sums of money lying around the house, stupidly I forgot to move it before they came. But whilst it is a stupid thing to do, does that mean I deserve to be robbed?

No one else has been in the house in the time between when the cash was last definitely seen and when it disappeared, apart from me DH DCs and none of us took/moved it. I haven’t raised this with the company, yet, as it will be an extraordinary awkward conversation. And what would the response be? The worker’s undoubtedly going to deny it so it comes down to my word against theirs.

I was about to let it go and chalk it up to bad experience. But since the day of the work/theft, there’s been a few other issues so we haven't paid the invoice yet. In that time I have spent stewing over it, searching the place upside down and thinking about who else could have been in the house or what else could have happened. Post-stew I am now certain that the only explanation can be that it was taken by the worker. Would it be unreasonable to unilaterally deduct the amount stolen from the invoice and tell them to recover the rest from their light-fingered employee?

I’m almost set on this course of action now, but I’m after a sanity check via the unique brand of constructive criticism only available on MN. So: AIBU to proverbially cancel the cheque?

Thanks in advance but I don’t need any elaborate hypotheticals asking whether the cat/dog/baby might have eaten/buried/hidden it. They haven’t. And tell me that I’m wrong if you like but I am convinced the only reasonable explanation is that it’s been stolen.

OP posts:

Blossomandbee · 24/04/2023 15:50

You can't prove they stole it so the company will expect you to pay in full. From their point of view you could be trying it on. They could take you to a small claims court for payment, which in the absence of evidence they would likely win.

TheKobayashiMaru · 24/04/2023 15:51

YABU. You think they stole it but you have no proof.

They could turn round and say that your DH or DC took it while they worked in that room to cast suspicion on the company.

Nordicrain · 24/04/2023 15:51

If you genuinely think it was stolen by the employee then report it to the police and tell the company.

WaltzingWaters · 24/04/2023 15:52

report the stolen money to the police and the company and see where to go from there.

IsItThough · 24/04/2023 15:56

Grow up
You should report this to the company (and, potentially, the police) if you are certain that the worker took your money
Unless this is pure speculation, in which case pay your bills

EsmeSusanOgg · 24/04/2023 16:02

WaltzingWaters · 24/04/2023 15:52

report the stolen money to the police and the company and see where to go from there.

This is the sensible course of action.

Also, the company (and OP) could look at civil/ non-criminal action for recovery, where the bar for guilt is lower (on the balance of probabilities, not beyond reasonable doubt as per criminal cases).

But OP needs to tell the company and give them fair warning of the issue before reducing payment.

PrettyMaybug · 24/04/2023 16:02

Why the F did you let them back in? And also you cannot be 100% sure.

We had decorators and painters in some years ago, and some expensive collectibles went missing from our double bed divan drawers. Some £300 worth - 25 years ago! Also hard to get hold of again. We were steaming as they were nowhere to be found.

DH mentioned it to the company, and said we suspected one of their men may have taken some stuff. He asked/questioned them all, and they all said they hadn't taken anything. We didn't believe them. Couldn't prove it. So we left it.

Some 3 or 4 months later, we moved the bed to try and find an earring I had dropped, and these things were under the bed! They had fallen/been shoved from the top of the divan drawers over the weeks, and were in between the 2 sides of the bed/between the divan drawers. (Under the bed!) SO fucking embarrassing.

I wrote a really contrite and sincere email to them. The boss of the company laughed it off and said it was OK and don't worry about it. He took it particularly well, considering we had virtually called his men thieves!

You absolutely should NOT deduct from the balance of course @cocoloco117

Senorfrijoles · 24/04/2023 16:03

How do you think this would play out? The company aren't just going to let you not pay your bill. They'll pursue it surely. Do you think you'd win in court? I doubt it. Sounds like a lot of stress and you'll end up paying in the end.

IncompleteSenten · 24/04/2023 16:05

The company would simply take you to court for the unpaid bill and they'd win.

Original poster

cocoloco117 · 24/04/2023 16:06

Hm, wide range of responses there. 🤔
There’s no issue with the work itself this company has done work for me before.
Doubt I’ll get any joy out the police they not interested when the whole house gets robbed or people get assaulted.
Didn’t report it before because as you’re all saying I can’t prove it and initially thought to chalk it up to experience as you’re all saying.
We moved some stuff around in the room so there was a tiny little chance it got moved so had a thorough search just in case. To make sure. I’m sure that it’s been nicked.

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 24/04/2023 16:07

I haven’t raised this with the company, yet, as it will be an extraordinary awkward conversation. And what would the response be? The worker’s undoubtedly going to deny it so it comes down to my word against theirs.

all that will be exactly the same when you send in the reduced amount in payment. Awkward conversation, no proof...

Zhougzhoug · 24/04/2023 16:07

How much is the money relative to the job? Is there a chance that if challenged they will say they thought that was their payment? (They'd be trying it on, for sure, but if they took £200 and the job was costed at £175 or whatever...)

Lasouthpaw · 24/04/2023 16:07

You can't do this. If you have agreed in writing, a set amount you will pay, you need to pay it.

For you, there is no doubt the money has been stolen. But this is why contracts exist, to protect each party. How many customers would claim this happened to them otherwise and get money off their bill?

I would pay and report to the police.

Etoile41 · 24/04/2023 16:07

If you are sure that the money was taken you should have raised the missing money with the police and company already.

In any event how can you be 100% that it wasn't taken by your DH or DC or you moved it and can't remember?
I had money go 'missing' twice. The only other person in the house apart from DH and DC was the cleaner. First time they swore blind it wasn't them and it turned out my 9yr old had taken it and pretended she found money in the garden. The other time, I put the money in such a safe place that I couldn't find it and only remembered one of the last places it had been. I then found it looking for something else. I can't imagine how embarrassing it would have been if I had accused my cleaner!

PsychoHotSauce · 24/04/2023 16:08

Tbh unless ypuve followed the proper channels with both the company and the police then you'd be completely unreasonable.

I can just imagine people hiring trades for £000 and deducting all or most of the bill citing "theft of xyz cash" now!

NotQuiteHere · 24/04/2023 16:09

cocoloco117 · 24/04/2023 16:06

Wide range of responses?

PrettyMaybug · 24/04/2023 16:11

Hardly a wide range of responses @cocoloco117 Everyone is saying YABU!

Conkersinautumn · 24/04/2023 16:11

In the immediate event I once asked the company for a receipt for the money that had been left "for them" out that had gone. After what was presumably their own investigation/ bollocking I got the receipt. But that was literally the same day. If you've not taken immediate action then you're more obliged to pay the invoice you have, but is it worth a chat with the company - calmly asking if they'd had to move the money?

MargaretThursday · 24/04/2023 16:12

I was going to say similar to @PrettyMaybug
When dd1 was 10yo she was in quite a big performance of Annie. We bought loads of tickets for family and friends, and stuck them to the noticeboard in an envelope.
They went missing while our extension was being built.
We had everything out from the room we had the noticeboard in and searched everywhere.
I suspected that one of several contactors that was in over that time had thought it might be notes (similar size/shape/weight) and had slipped it, or had taken them hoping they might get a return.
I contacted the theatre and they put a note on the tickets to say they couldn't be returned without phoning my mobile.

No one tried returning the tickets nor did they turn up to use them. So I forgot about it.

Around 10 years later I was sorting out a set of drawers in the garage-that had been there since we'd moved in. And there they were, sitting obviously on top of the rubbish in the middle drawer. The only thing we could think was they'd dropped off the noticeboard and been picked up with something else that had been put in that drawer and later removed.
It certainly was nothing to do with the workmen as they hadn't been in the garage.

Aria999 · 24/04/2023 16:13

Even if the police aren't interested then if you haven't formally treated it as a theft, (or at least told the company you believe there was theft) you can't withhold the money.

Think how you would feel if you ran a company and a client did this.

If this was us it would turn out to have been DS7.

leatherchaps · 24/04/2023 16:14

Yeah not seeing the 'wide range of responses'.

You can't jyst decide someone is a thief without any proof to back it up. Don't be ridiculous.

LadyPenelope68 · 24/04/2023 16:14

Unless you can prove it, and have the police involved, then there’s nothing you can do. You would be absolutely unreasonable to deduct it from final payment/cancel the cheque. Take it as a lesson learnt and don’t be so stupid as to leave large sums of cash lying around.

CaroleSinger · 24/04/2023 16:14

Annoyingly suspicion is simply not enough. You need absolute proof beyond doubt.

Pipsquiggle · 24/04/2023 16:16

You should've brought it up with them straight away when you realised the cash had gone missing.

You should have also reported it to the police and the firm. Yes, the talk with the firm might have been awkward but you are a grown up and should have this skill set to deal with this.

You have acted completely nonsensically and just to not pay them the amount they expect and accuse them of theft after the event is really poor.

Maves · 24/04/2023 16:18

It's a bit obvious if they took the whole lot? Surely they'd only take some so you wouldn't notice?.....how old are your kids? Can you not ask the workmen if he moved it see what the response is?......you should have at least reported it to the company/police strait away. If you search high and low and dont find it then I'd ring company if he has nicked it may not be the first time.....

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Swipe left for the next trending thread