Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay my colleagues £500 for looking after their house and cats?

ToniBennett_2

You should not pay them anything.  You have looked after their fur babies and their house for them.  I would have charged £25 a day for that through my business.  You have saved them a lot of money.  Politely explain that had they told you at the start you would be paying them for the privilege of looking after their pets and house then you would have declined their offer.

Emerion

I think they thought this little gem up whilst away, and are trying it on. They can’t just ask for some random sum that was not agreed to in advance. Your response should be that you had assumed that as money was not mentioned at all, it was not expected. You kept their house inhabited and more secure, and their cat watched and fed for several months. In return you got for a reduction in commuting costs. That seems fair enough to me. If they still insist that you owe them something from your savings, ask them to cost a cat sitter, or cattery fees, and increased house insurance costs for that period, and get back to you. There won’t be trouble at work, but if there is, you just have to tell interested parties what you said here.

GBX

Absolutely no payment. If no expectation stated at the outset by the requester to consider each way, then it is entirely one sided. 

Presstotest

Totally out of order, don’t pay a penny.

TinkerCharlie

Wow. I'm almost lost for words, but not quite. Absolutely ridiculous they are asking you for money, it should be the other way around if anything. Absolutely bonkers. Nuts. Bizarre. Jog on springs to mind.

lharri09

So they get free house sitting and pet sitting and then you’ve to pay them £500. I mean it really sounds like you should have agreed to the terms of the deal before hands. 

Tell them that £100 per week for the cost of the cattery savings equates to £1200 so they actually owe you £700. But you’ll call it quits at £350. 

kate1irwin1

How cheeky! I’d tell them it’s £20 a day for cat and house sitting services so they can deduct the £500 from your bill and pay the rest within 14 days.  They are properly taking the mic!

fern37

I've dog sat in the past and lived at the person's address whilst doing so. They made sure I had plenty of food, left spare money in case I needed it and thanked me profusely, and a gift. I did it as a friend but had they had asked for money, I would have told them how much boarding would have cost and how much I saved them, although my friends wouldn't do that to me. I even took the dog to the vet myself as I was concerned and he was given treatments.

diggingahole

I would have thought they should have bought you a good quality bottle of wine and also taken you out for a nice meal as a thank you.

But asking you to pay them? Not sure if this is genuine post as it seems too ridiculous to be true?

Grouchiest

I’ve never heard of anything more ridiculous.  You saved them some cash and improved their security.  House sitting never comes free, except to the sitter.  After all what would be reasonable, £500, £5000. Where does it stop.  If they felt you should contribute they should have made that clear. You can renegotiate the arrangement after the event.  Tell them you want £500 for the service you provided.  Clowns