Scammed at the front door!!!!

bromleymum

I'm upstairs bathing youngest about seven last night when the doorbell goes. Husband answers and I hear a man's voice and within 30 seconds the door closes.

Twenty minutes later I go downstairs and darling husband says I've paid the window cleaner for you, £9!!!

First of all, the window cleaner hasn't been for weeks, secondly I only pay £7.50. I am pretty angry at husband but to be honest, our usual window cleaner does occasionally call for payment in the evening and if a man tells you he's the window cleaner and like my OH, you only see him once in a blue moon, I can see why he just paid the cash.

Anyway, turns out this 'window cleaner' got £9 from next door's husband as well but at the next house along the wife answered and said "That's not my normal amount?" and the man apologises and says he's got the houses mixed up in the dark.

Bet he gets enough money to carry on doing it and never has to visit the same street twice. And most window cleaners come while you're at work and you don't see them that often.

Will always check twice now on making sure the window cleaner is who he says he is.

raineshoe

We had the same scam with milk. A man was going around the milk round ahead of the milkman and saying he was with the milkman. We were lucky as we always paid by cheque left out in the morning once a week, but several neighbours got caught out. Because he came on the same night as the milkman no-one questioned it. It was only when the real guy turned up that they realised they'd been had.

I don't think you can blame your husband as the guy was probably very plausible and convincing like ours was.

I think its difficult to be sure unless you onlly pay your window cleaner when you see him and only him face to face. Alternatively, you could set up a bank transfer with online banking and pay directly into his bank account after every visit (only ever use the bank account that he and only he has given you). You can be sure then that the person who should have the money does. He can just pop a note with the amount owed through the door when he's been. As only you and him would know about this set up so less chance of being conned.

Tupperware_Queen

my first thought was...a hubby who pays the window cleaner???? how bizarre!!!!

sorry, don't mean to trivialise it. Have you contacted the local plod? so they can warn others

aloise

£7.50 for a window cleaner !!!!!!!!!! Ours is only
£2.50 and dh always pays that.

ab7167

Our is £15... Am I being done?!? Oxfordshire region...

C_Mababejive

This is supposed to be MSE.
Clean your own windows.

LudaMusser

£15 to clean the windows, I take it he does them daily?

bromleymum

C_Mababejive wrote: »

This is supposed to be MSE.
Clean your own windows.

Yes, this is MSE...all about living within your means, not denying yourself any services or goods because they, gasp, cost money.

If I want to spend £7.50 a month on cleaning my windows, I will. If I didn't have a spare £7.50 a month I wouldn't.

I once had a cleaning lady as well. Tee-hee.

bromleymum

aloise wrote: »

£7.50 for a window cleaner !!!!!!!!!! Ours is only
£2.50 and dh always pays that.

That's fantastic. Where are you? I thought £7.50 was pretty cheap around here.

mulled_wine

We had a window cleaner in our old house. He always called when I was at work but one day I had a word with him because he never cleaned our back windows - we lived in a terraced house and he had to go through an alley to get to the back of the houses - he maintained he always cleaned them. I replied that they were filthy, he said, I know, I do, as I always speak to your pet rabbit, lovely thing it is.

I said - we don't have a rabbit.

Sure you do, he said.

Come through, I said, took him through the house. To the back and he said - Oh! I've never been in this garden... turned out he was cleaning next door's back windows as he had miscounted the houses. :rotfl:

Made me pmsl and he to give him his due, cleaned our windows free for a few months.

moonbeam2007

aloise wrote: »

£7.50 for a window cleaner !!!!!!!!!! Ours is only
£2.50 and dh always pays that.

£2.50?? how small is your house lol [only joking] wish I had your window cleaner

Mine is £9 but before this one I was quoted £15 for Hampshire area.