Advice Needed, Suspect Our Cleaners Are Thieves

racerm911 on 16/12/2015 - 20:58
Last edited 16/12/2015 - 20:58

Hi good people of the ozbargain community,

Need some advice, although I think I know the answer.

We just started getting some cleaners in to do some basic cleaning around our modest unit. They are not a registered business as far as I know, as we decided to go with them on recommendation from a friend. They come with a group of about 3 people with one of them managing the others, who also is the person who we are in contact with.

They did a good job on their first visit, and again on the second.
However after the second visit, we noticed that one of our portable hard drives connected to my television had gone missing.

Thinking it was our mistake, we turned the house upside down looking for it, we had last used it a week before, and were quite sure we had not moved it since then.

As such we suspected the cleaners had taken it, so we asked the manager if he could check if any of the teamid they had taken it, he said he checked with them and advised none of them did.

Anyways, we are now uncomfortable using them again and will most likely stop the service, but I just wanted some advice on how to proceed with this situation.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • nocure on 16/12/2015 - 21:05
    +2

    Set up some surveillance cameras.

  • sraymond on 16/12/2015 - 21:11
    +4

    Only thing you can do is not use them again. If you decide to get another cleaner put up some dummy camera domes and tell them the unit has surveillance. Plus probably lock your expensive portable gear away on the day they come.

  • kipps on 16/12/2015 - 21:20
    +6

    Stop using them. Count yourself lucky it is only some portable hard drives. Find someone else. Surveillance cameras won't achieve anything.

    • ozhunter on 17/12/2015 - 05:40

      This. Do it before they clean you out.

  • p1 ama on 16/12/2015 - 21:46
    +2

    We just started getting some cleaners in to do some basic cleaning around our modest unit.

    Do you really need to pay someone to clean a unit? I don't mean to be jackass, but I think when you're letting people unsupervised into your house, especially people who are not professional and not a registered business, you're asking for trouble.

    The truth is, you don't even know who these people are - for all I care, they can be giving you fake names (unless you're checking their ID) and they can easily clean out your entire house and you'll never see them again and you'll have no recourse because you have no idea who they are and if you don't have surveillance, you have no chance of ever getting anything back or catching them.

    However after the second visit, we noticed that one of our portable hard drives connected to my television had gone missing.

    I find it strange that they would steal a portable hard drive, like how much can you pawn it off for, like not even $30, so I don't understand why they would do that. It doesn't seem very logical to me.

    • racerm911 on 16/12/2015 - 22:29

      This is true, all the most reason I'm unsure how or why it went missing.

      • mmd on 16/12/2015 - 22:41

        Its also how they could possibly get away with it.
        If they steal a TV or PS4 then its too obvious.

        Is the portable HD cable still attached to the TV? Perhaps a family member/ friend 'borrowed' without asking?

        • racerm911 on 17/12/2015 - 08:57

          No chance of that as no one else has been on the premises since.

  • barginsarelife on 16/12/2015 - 22:20
    +2

    Use the money to buy cleaning products and clean yourselves, save money!!!

  • GameChanger on 16/12/2015 - 22:27

    What if they threw the portable drive away?

    When theft occurs its usually food/small items that wont be noticed.

  • racerm911 on 16/12/2015 - 22:30

    Thanks gang, I think we have a consensus.

  • captobvious on 16/12/2015 - 23:34

    Wait till they do nasty shit to your toothbrush

    • Flowerbomb on 17/12/2015 - 08:01

      That's right. The scene from horrible bosses 1 and 2 where the cleaner does something nasty.

  • iratepirate on 16/12/2015 - 23:38

    I think they were hoping to find evidence to unmask "Racer X" Perhaps if you tell them your real name is Rex Racer they'll give the hard drive back

  • Cheeper on 17/12/2015 - 00:17

    If no one else has been in your appt then you have your answer. Asking them is pointless even if they did not take it, thieves will lie anyway.
    Err on the side of safety and don't use them again.
    If there is a chance they could have made a copy of your door key then you have more problems…??
    When you tell them you don't need their service any more just say that you are going to do the cleaning yourself, don't confront them over the theft.

    • racerm911 on 17/12/2015 - 08:53
      +1

      I did consider that, and also that maybe taking it was a test to see if we would notice, and then move onto bigger things.

      Anyways, lesson learned.

      I guess in the scheme of things as many of you have said, it couldve been much worse.

  • Flowerbomb on 17/12/2015 - 07:58

    Devote 2 hours a week for cleaning, make it a fixed time every week, so you can't get out of it. Count it as exercise. No one stealing your stuff then. Done.

  • zrach on 17/12/2015 - 09:36

    Out of all the things you possibly have, why hard drives?
    Unless they didn't know what they were.. and thought they were valuable

  • Mon Gol on 24/12/2015 - 08:48

    Just recently newly purchased jewellery set went missing. I turned the whole house upside down… Last time i saw it it was in lounge room as i was showing it to friend of mine. After that we had visitors, but the thought that someone could steal it did not even hit my mind. After a few days of searches i went to a bin for recycle rubbish and started looking in there. Found the set at the very bottom of the bin! My 2.5 yo son must have been done that - we have a bin for recycles in the kitchen and our son has a bad habit of throwing things into it.
    Luckily, decided to search the bin just a couple of hours before rubbish was collected)

    Are you sure you looked everywhere?
    Children and pets are able to find places you would never think of to hide your belonging))
    Hope you will find the drive soon

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