To ask you how on earth I go about getting my money back?

[unreliable]

Booked a cleaner who came recommended on local groups to do a one-off cleaning service on our new house. Her policy is that she charges 50% of the total as a deposit and 50% on completion. Fair enough. I bank transferred her the 50% trusting the good reviews and had no reason not to believe her

I first felt unsure about her yesterday as she said her car had broken down so requested we left a mop and vacuum there. I told her we couldn’t do that as ours is packed away from our old house (waiting out the rental notice period and all our stuff is in boxes ready to move across in a few days). She said no problem, she will put the stuff in a taxi.

She has claimed she’s had a major emergency and has had to get out the taxi part-way and be collected by her dad. Apparently her head is a shed.. send her my details and she’ll transfer me the money back. I’ve not had it. £70 down. How do I get it back or am I scuppered? What can I even do? How long is reasonable to give her?

I feel so naive as usually I’m so careful before transferring people any sort of money but I just took it on good authority she would be fine

Yes Yorkshire .. I'll make it slightly more specific, a part of Leeds?

Nooo 🙈 indeed it is. I’ll DM you.

I think your jumping the gun chasing her already I'd give it to tomorrow at least. If you don't get it back might be worth contacting your bank? Small amount they might refund.

This happened to us in Leeds as well! We did get it back after a few days!

Can I also DM you?

Yep.

I’m really curious if this is going to turn out to be a repeating scam of a person who uses these deposits for short-term loans. Seems so silly when just doing the cleaning work would yield more money and solve the cash flow issues in the long run.

I think you're being very hasty. She could be in hospital with a very sick child, someone in her family could have been in a car accident. Anything could have happened and you're not even giving her 24 hours.

Just saw your message but couldn't write a reply for some reason. It was a different company to the one you named.

They just sent it back a few days later. I think my partner did chase them once.

If it turns out this is habitual, I would pass it along to Trading Standards at your local council.

Well it was the same company that did this to me and @FawnFrenchieMum so clearly she’s got form for it. I’m really cross :(

Yep, see below

Blimey why are people so awful?

I dunno. But now I know she’s not had a genuine emergency I really just want her to give me the money back pronto. I don’t know how my best method is to do that- whether I tell her I know what she’s done, or whether I just have to wait it out… or threaten small claims, I really don’t know

Chalk it up to experience.

She could be genuine but it’s strange that she was hit with so many disasters, one after another, and now she can’t come at all. I’d be doubting her story tbh

Update further up. She’s not genuine, she’s done this to somebody else locally too. PP did get her money back though so I can hold out hope for that.

Does she advertise on social media? People hate getting named and shamed. I’d threaten with that to start with. And I know money issues are civil, but if she’s doing this to multiple people then surely it’s also a crime, might be worth reporting to the police

Yes. She also has our address though. I don’t know what kind of person she is.

I don’t know whether to

1. Tell her I know she’s done this to other people and this needs to be transferred back asap otherwise I am going to small claims court

2. Try and play her at her own game and suggest to her if she refunds me now, we’ll rebook next week and add another service on

3. Threaten to post on social media?

4. Just repeatedly but politely ask for it back and be persistent

We definitely don’t want services at a later date, from speaking to other posters (now two of them) she was not very reliable to them either and messed them about, and to one of them did the same thing with the deposit as she has done to us.

I'd start with option 2 and see if it dies the trick and then progress to threats of options 1 and 3.

Do you have hard proof that the other poster got their money back? If this woman is a scammer then shes no going to return it is she! Is it worth all the claims etc for the same of £70?

I'd go for the polite approach.

I am not sure it is a true crime if she does refund.

I suspect what she does is advertise the discounted rates when she is short of cash, gets all the cash deposits in / takes on too much work. Then cancels on half the clients but gets more bookings to use to refund those clients.

It is me, I am happy to send the OP screen shots of the messages / refund. Not going to post them on here. Just a total coincidence we live in the same area.

If she still hasn't refunded you after 72 hours then think about next steps.

For now you need to give her a little bit of time (and yes I have read the updates about her not being genuine, but still, she has refunded others so likely will refund you).

This is highly likely whats going on - suggests shes not great at running a business so once OP gets a refund.. go elsewhere!