Petty theft

[Nomad]

Would love input.

We are out of town. We have an older dog. When we go for about three days, we Board her with the vet. This time will be slightly longer.

So....I hired a pet sitting service for the first time. Licensed and bonded. I met the sitter for my general area twice beforehand. Lovely. Company did a good background check on her.

Due to having been burglarized in our previous home, I got one of those doorbell cameras when we moved at this new home.

She comes and walks and feeds the dog. She sends a report each visit and often some photos. It’s been really nice. Professional yet friendly.

I can tell when she is coming as the doorbell alarm detects nearby movement and notifues me. Begins recording.

I always look at the video for a quick moment when she comes and leaves.

Today, something caught my eye. She only had her keys in her hand coming into the house. Leaving my house twenty minutes later, she had a small shopping bag and inside the bag appeared to be the outline of a roll of paper towels. It certainly seems she took a roll of paper towels.

We return Fri afternoon.

Ok...not a huge deal. BUT, a violation non the less.

Questions:
1. Has anyone ever hired a pet sitter like this?
2. Would you report her to the owner/boss?

Right now I’m in quiet mode. I suppose I’m hoping she will bring back a roll of paper towels...even though I know that is extremely unlikely.

Thoughts?

 

[BusynMember]

Oh, Nomad....wow. I am sorry.

It's kinda d of pathetic that she would feel the need to take paper towels. I know myself. I would be torn between talking to her about it in private and asking for her to replace it and telling her boss. That isn't okay though. I think most will say to tell the boss. I am just a little too softhearted.

 

[Lil]

I'm kind of with SWOT on this. Maybe she just needed some right away and she'll buy a roll and replace it, but it's still not really alright. Also, are you sure it was JUST a roll of paper towels? I mean, other things could be missing when you get there. You don't know what's in the bag, right? I assume you'll still have the footage, so you'll have some evidence...but...if it was just the towels, I might just confront her. Or I might call the boss and say, "I have a recording of her coming in empty handed but leaving with a bag."

 

[Nomad]

Thank you. We are keeping our fingers crossed she will replace it.

If not, I definately won’t be using the services again. Even if she replaces it, I might not.

Haven’t decided yet if I will confront her.

We planned on changing the locks anyway. We want the type of key that can’t be copied. So, that’s not a big issue. Her alarm code and password is special to her and expires. I will double check on that.

Geeeez. Never a dull moment.

 

[Pink Elephant]

At no time is it okay to borrow (or steal) anything from anybody. Even close friends wouldn't do such a thing, so all services with the company in question would immediately be ended, and a complaint filed.

 

[RN0441]

Ugh. Let us know what you decide.

I am getting the same doorbell camera for our condo in Florida. Glad to hear it works so well!! The cleaning people seems to have helped themselves to a bin of our shoes. Mainly husbands expensive shoes. Also some other small things missing.

And they didn't change sheets etc. Long black hairs on nicely made beds - inside on sheets. Some other stains on sheets. I took it all to the laundromat this week.

We know it wasn't the renters. They are elderly couple.

Made sheriff's report. We are in a country club and many of us rent seasonally and use the same management company. They won't do anything for us to reimburse. We have changed the locks and will not be using them anymore. Many have had luck renting on their own. We already got ripped off so.....

 

[AppleCori]

In my opinion, the employer needs to know that they have an employee who takes things from the homes that they enter. This isn’t a small thing. Often small thefts become larger ones when the person become more emboldened.

Are you positive nothing else has been taken? Can you be sure?

I would take the video to the company and I think they should give you an immediate refund and an apology and a thank you for bringing this to their attention. This could save a lot of people a lot of problems in the future.

 

[wisernow]

hmmmm.......maybe I am out of whack. Is it possible she took some paper towels to clean up dog poop that had been left behind on a walk? I have done that when out for a walk and forgot supplies. I went home picked them up and took care of the dog's business. I don't know. I always like to think the best. I think you should talk to her first. There may be an explanation and then again there may not be. Either way once asking her you will know.

 

[BusynMember]

I would ask first too. I think that's my soft heart. But I wouldn't use that service again. That's likely all I would do unless I found out, say, that more went missing.

But I would definitely talk about it with her, probably in too wussy a way.

 

[Copabanana]

I would want to speak directly with her, to tell her what I thought I saw, that she might have borrowed something, and hopefully for clarity to give her the opportunity to replace it. I would do so by phone.

I would not have the expectation she would confess or show remorse. But I would want to feel I spoke up.

 

[RN0441]

Like someone else mentioned, what else was in that shopping bag? You don't need a shopping bag to carry out a role of paper towels!

 

[BusynMember]

I would hope for remorse. If she only took paper towels that is more a crime due to need than malice. I would expect that the person would be ashamed.

If more is missing, all bets are off.

 

[Lil]

hmmmm.......maybe I am out of whack. Is it possible she took some paper towels to clean up dog poop that had been left behind on a walk?

Like someone else mentioned, what else was in that shopping bag? You don't need a shopping bag to carry out a role of paper towels!

You don't need a whole roll of towels to pick up poop. If it was an empty plastic bag and a handful of towels, I'd assume that was what it was for and it wouldn't be an issue. But a bag with a whole roll?

My other question would be, are you sure she never came IN to the house with the bag and left without it on a prior visit? Maybe she just forgot her own property one time and picked it up the next? You want to be sure it was your property.

 

[Nomad]

We checked all the footage and she never came into the house with a roll of paper towels.

It was a small bag and you could see the outline of a paper towel roll. The bag swung right by the camera.

So far, I haven’t seen her return this item or one shaped like it. However, yesterday she came with a largish canvas bag . Too thick to make out any shapes. She stayed longer than usual. When she left, her hair was styled and in one hand was the bag and in the other was a hair styling wand. There is a tiny chance in the canvas bag was a roll of paper towels. I doubt it though. Although, it’s obvious there were hair products in the bag like the styling wand. I suppose it was too hot to put back in the bag when she was leaving. I don’t mind this terribly. But I don’t know why people can’t ask!

My neighbor is watching her and has made this known to her. She may have been trying to get a roll back in that canvas bag with the hair stuff. I don't know. I kind of doubt it. Just goes to prove that ANY stealing is stoooopid.

Still haven’t made up my mind if I will speak with her.

She seems to be doing a good job with the dog.

IF I do this again, I will use someone else and I will have cameras in the home.

 

[AppleCori]

This behavior is totally unprofessional (and really is kinda creepy).

Using a client’s house as your dressing room is way out of bounds.

Let me put it this way: when my older kids were teens, they would often make money by doing this same thing—taking care of vacationing neighbor’s pets, plants, yard work, etc.

I made sure to let my kids know that they weren’t to touch anything in the house, and to act professionally at all times. I would have been extremely embarrassed if I had found out that they were doing their hair in the house or if they took anything, no matter how small.

I hope that you will let the business know why you won’t be using them again.