Quote:
Originally Posted by Travelingal702
(Post 1833134)
A mother and daughter team had been cleaning my house for a few weeks. Suddenly, they stopped coming, with no explanation. I've just discovered that two items, worth over $1,500.00 have gone missing. They have been the ONLY outsiders in my home. Now I know why they stopped coming. I know exactly where these two items were and now they are gone. Do I have any recourse of action? Or would it be their word against mine. I am so disappointed. I trusted these people and now I've been betrayed.
|
I’m sorry for your loss. Let’s remember, though, that there are hundreds of people cleaning other people’s houses every day in The Villages. Maybe a thousand. This sort of accusation is surprisingly rare. Sometimes (not yours), it’s a case of the cleaning person putting something away for the client, but more often the client forgets where it is. If there is dementia involved, the “missing” item may have been given away years ago. Some people have many thousands of dollars worth or jewelry, or coins, or stamps, or figurines, or toys. It’s a huge temptation, yet nearly all cleaners just say NO to that temptation. Some temptations can be lessened a lot if valuables are put away, especially when the cleaners are coming. (I know that when I’m at a resort in Mexico, I keep all valuables in the room safe, including phone, wallet, jewelry.)
My girlfriend’s parents were both hospitalized with Covid-19 in early August down in Stuart, Florida, three miles south of The Villages. He died after three weeks of agony. She survived after the same agony, tested negative finally, and is back home making a partial recovery (having to give up car, home, furnishings, now on oxygen, being moved north to Pennsylvania to live in a dementia unit).
For some reason, he took his entire fat wallet with all his credit hands to the hospital. That disappeared. It finally turned up after he died. He had been moved to a hospice unit in a different hospital, but the nurses were keeping his wallet in a safe. He always wore a gold cross on a gold chain around his neck. He said the x-ray tech made him take it off for a chest x-ray, and he never saw it again. Was it stolen? Was it misplaced, did it accidentally end up in the trash bag of used protective gear? Who knows? It hasn’t been seen again. Did this cost the x-ray tech his job? Maybe. Did he steal? Probably not. But my girlfriend’s dad was barely conscious much of the time. Why wear jewelry to the hospital? Because he thinks the cross will keep him safe?
As for my girlfriend’s mother, she wore her wedding ring and a $15,000 ring with a fancy stone to the hospital. She has dementia. She claimed they were stolen. Actually, they were in the hospital safe. They were returned to the family when she left. But they had to ask about them, and meanwhile there was worry and arguments and fighting. When I’ve had surgery, I’ve been told to NOT bring any jewelry, or wallet, etc. If I forget, they are locked up.
So, people, be wise—don’t advertise. (Your wealth, that is.)
