Maid Service Scam

[InVinoVeritas]

Hello everyone, I was just wondering if any of you have come across maid service scams and if you have any ideas how to respond to such a situation and also how to avoid them in the future.

My last experience was with a maid service that has a website in English, it's run by an expat. He provides maid service but requires to get paid in advance for a month in his private account (comes to ~350 THB per time). I was desperate so I paid and the fact that he was an expat with an informative site made me think he should be serious. The maid would come for 4 hours per time, extra time was paid extra to the maid directly. After about ten days he asked to get paid again for the same amount, saying my first payment was a "deposit" and now I had to pay for the month. Of course I refused and immediately he stopped sending the maid. Although, one or two days later I found out that the last time the maid was in my house a small gold cross and some cash went missing. They were both locked in a drawer and the key placed in another part of the house but apparently she found it. Nobody else had come into the house for more than a week, so I'm sure it's her.

Did anything similar happen to any of you? I am thinking now this maid service is a total scam and this person had planned it all along, to get the maid in the house and see what they can steal. Many times I would see her speaking on her mobile for a minute or two, but only when I was not present - for example I would see her in the garden through the window or when I'd go and check her work I'd see her again talking. I'm worried she may have been giving information about the house and what is in here to someone.

I'm not sure what to do, I will definitely go to the Police and make a statement about the missing items. Tried to reach the guy but he refuses to talk to me. Does anyone have any suggestion? I want this cross back, it's a very personal item, don't mind much about the cash. Please help

[dumball]

Hello everyone, I was just wondering if any of you have come across maid service scams and if you have any ideas how to respond to such a situation and also how to avoid them in the future.

My last experience was with a maid service that has a website in English, it's run by an expat. He provides maid service but requires to get paid in advance for a month in his private account (comes to ~350 THB per time). I was desperate so I paid and the fact that he was an expat with an informative site made me think he should be serious. The maid would come for 4 hours per time, extra time was paid extra to the maid directly. After about ten days he asked to get paid again for the same amount, saying my first payment was a "deposit" and now I had to pay for the month. Of course I refused and immediately he stopped sending the maid. Although, one or two days later I found out that the last time the maid was in my house a small gold cross and some cash went missing. They were both locked in a drawer and the key placed in another part of the house but apparently she found it. Nobody else had come into the house for more than a week, so I'm sure it's her.

Did anything similar happen to any of you? I am thinking now this maid service is a total scam and this person had planned it all along, to get the maid in the house and see what they can steal. Many times I would see her speaking on her mobile for a minute or two, but only when I was not present - for example I would see her in the garden through the window or when I'd go and check her work I'd see her again talking. I'm worried she may have been giving information about the house and what is in here to someone.

I'm not sure what to do, I will definitely go to the Police and make a statement about the missing items. Tried to reach the guy but he refuses to talk to me. Does anyone have any suggestion? I want this cross back, it's a very personal item, don't mind much about the cash. Please help

You say you will go to the police but only to talk about the maid and the missing items ? How about the perpetrator of the whole apparant scam as is seems to be ?

[stephaniee]

just change the locks on yr house and be done with it.

you may be a bit paranoid.

the guy is scum , but u nay be reading to much into the situation.

[lazeeboy]

tell the police and try and check where the farang is and get him arrested,this type of thing pisses me off

[Firefan]

Naturally theft is theft and should be pursued w. police or whatever.

Meanwhile believe it is ok to request a 1 month deposit deposit for maid services - I paid that to my maid service company too. A couple of times I have been a few days-2 weeks late in paying the monthly dues, but since the service company had my deposit the maid service continued un-interrupted - I much prefer that.

Cheers!

[InVinoVeritas]

Thanks everyone, hopefully I am reading too much into the situation. Guess I will change the locks though, just in case. It's just that when you think you can trust someone, especially a fellow expat and they turn out to be dishonest, this is the worst I think.

BTW does anyone know how I can get good maid service? Someone who can do the job without much checking and things will not disappear from the house. I live in middle Sukhumvit and I'm in serious need of someone cleaning the house. Thanks

[Jimjim]

To really catch them you need to set up a sting. However this would only net the stealer which would be the maids.

[Scott]

I would doubt the owner of the service is involved. Don't know why, but it would seem like pretty small peanuts for someone who is in business. Also, if he's a thief, he has to rely on other thieves to be honest--and even thieves are that dumb (usually)!

Check his website. Find out if he has a legitimate license, work permit etc. You might want to pursue him that way. He should be able to get a hold of the maid, if she was hired legally and get your cross back.

It's hard to find good domestic help. A lot of them are petty thieves.

[Johpa]

It's hard to find good domestic help. A lot of them are petty thieves.

All you lazy arse neo-shaibs should learn to make your own beds.

But ya gots to love the country club tone of the conversation of all these Hampton wannabes.

[t.s]

It's hard to find good domestic help. A lot of them are petty thieves.

All you lazy arse neo-shaibs should learn to make your own beds.

But ya gots to love the country club tone of the conversation of all these Hampton wannabes.

agreed, i hope you get a good chuckle while cleaning your toilet. ya gots to love it.

[dingdongrb]

It's hard to find good domestic help. A lot of them are petty thieves.

All you lazy arse neo-shaibs should learn to make your own beds.

But ya gots to love the country club tone of the conversation of all these Hampton wannabes.

I agree, or else get married and split the chores..... I like how the OP states, "I was desperate".... Since when is needing a maid service started being a part of desperation? I mean for Christ's sake, can't you clean up after yourself? I can possibly understand sending someone in once a month to really give everything a good scrubbing, or even perhaps sending your clothes out to a laundry service. But to have someone come in on a daily basis or even a couple times a week is a sign of pure laziness.

[keestha]

BTW does anyone know how I can get good maid service? Someone who can do the job without much checking and things will not disappear from the house.

If I would need a maid, I wouldn't even contemplate going to a maid service. You don't only pay for the maid, but also for the service's overhead and profit margin. I would just ask Thai people ( neighbours, colleagues, shop/restaurant owners, whoever you get in touch with), if they know anybody who is interested in a few hours of cleaning work per week.

You will get offers soon enough. Sure it is a gamble if the person is reliable and honest or not, but as you have experienced hiring someone through a maid service doesn't solve that problem.

[skippybangkok]

a small gold cross and some cash went missing.

Seems you had a swift initiation. Is the norm with most day laborers. If it aint bolted down, its gone.

[InVinoVeritas]

About the deposit, the guy never told me I'd have to pay any deposit, he didn't send any terms and conditions to acknowledge, nothing. This is pure fraud.

Also, if he would take the money without sending the maid it would be one thing, now he got the money and stopped sending her after a few days, exactly when these items were stolen and of course never returned the unused part of the money for the service either.

My lawyer thinks this guy may be the boyfriend of the "maid" and he will get it in the neck really bad. Also, if you consider they got about 4,500 for the service and another 7,000 stolen plus the cross it's not so bad for a few days' work part-time. Maybe in another house they'll find an expensive watch or more cash.

About his site, he made to look like a company's but there is no company name, he gave a name to the service to make it look official. Also he gets paid in his own private account.

I mean it's so stupid, is he so deluded to think I would not report this or is he so arrogant to think he can get away with it? And then expats in Thailand should support, not defraud one the other. What a low-life this guy is.

[fred2007]

It's hard to find good domestic help. A lot of them are petty thieves.

All you lazy arse neo-shaibs should learn to make your own beds.

But ya gots to love the country club tone of the conversation of all these Hampton wannabes.

I totaly agree with you, I am married live with my wife ,mother in law and nephew, we have a home stay and a small hostel 20 km away. I do all the cleaning in my house and the the other ones I do all the washing every day( for every body) I clean dishes many times a day and I still have another business to run and I don't have a house maid. So how come I can do all this? For you to answer

[Shotime]

"I agree, or else get married and split the chores..... I like how the OP states, "I was desperate".... Since when is needing a maid service started being a part of desperation?"

Really. What up with that?

The only time I get desperate like that is when I need to get my nails done

Never trust anyone, much less someone on the internet. Whether or not he's deluded, arrogant, a low-life, or stupid, you're the one who went for it.

[basjke]

And then expats in Thailand should support, not defraud one the other. What a low-life this guy is.

My mother always taught me.

"The only things to be wary about when abroad are heavy weather storms and expats"

[InVinoVeritas]

It's hard to find good domestic help. A lot of them are petty thieves.

All you lazy arse neo-shaibs should learn to make your own beds.

But ya gots to love the country club tone of the conversation of all these Hampton wannabes.

I totaly agree with you, I am married live with my wife ,mother in law and nephew, we have a home stay and a small hostel 20 km away. I do all the cleaning in my house and the the other ones I do all the washing every day( for every body) I clean dishes many times a day and I still have another business to run and I don't have a house maid. So how come I can do all this? For you to answer

Maybe we just don't have the same amount of free time. Maybe you get a lot of help in keeping the house in order by the other 3 household members, I just can't picture you cleaning after them too. Maybe our other friends here who "clean after themselves" have a small studio they rent, which can be perfectly clean in one hour. But most probably you people have a lot of free time.

[onnut]

It's hard to find good domestic help. A lot of them are petty thieves.

All you lazy arse neo-shaibs should learn to make your own beds.

But ya gots to love the country club tone of the conversation of all these Hampton wannabes.

I agree, or else get married and split the chores..... I like how the OP states, "I was desperate".... Since when is needing a maid service started being a part of desperation? I mean for Christ's sake, can't you clean up after yourself? I can possibly understand sending someone in once a month to really give everything a good scrubbing, or even perhaps sending your clothes out to a laundry service. But to have someone come in on a daily basis or even a couple times a week is a sign of pure laziness.

what are you on about? you might have the time to scrubb the toilets, not everyone does. me and the wife work full time plus have a kid to look after. having a good live in maid has been a great help. and yes, good domestic help is hard to find and lots of them are petty thieves.

[Scott]

Some of us have schedules that don't afford us the luxury of doing our own cleaning. I leave at 5:45 a.m. and I get home from work at 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. I work on most Saturdays and I work every Sunday. I have several pets, who need to be attended to a bit during the day. The maid really doesn't have much to do (when I have one), has easy hours 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. I do all laundry related chores except ironing--which consists of 5 shirts a week.

The maid is/was paid well, including all transportation costs as well as food. Need a holiday? No problem, because there simply isn't that much work to do, but it's really not a good idea to leave a house unattended from fairly early morning until late at night. At least the 'thief' is someone I know!

I don't have a lot of valuables in the house, but they still manage to walk off with things like the mobile phone charger, extension cords, tapes etc. On more than one occasion I called the last maid and told her to bring things back--which she promptly did!!

I don't go to any country club and have never paid golf, so excuse me, but I don't think I deserve to be stolen from.

[dave111223]

What's the website?

[dantilley]

Post a link to his site and then we can do a "Whois" search on the domain name and see if that brings up the guy's credentials, address, etc. If the information is fraudulent it's illegal and could probably have his site shut down. Still, that wouldn't get your possessions back.

For a good maid, best way is word of mouth I think. Friends and relatives of (Thai) friends, or if you have a friend with a very good and trustworthy maid, ask her if she has any other similarly honest friends looking for work.

[G54]

It's hard to find good domestic help. A lot of them are petty thieves.

All you lazy arse neo-shaibs should learn to make your own beds.

But ya gots to love the country club tone of the conversation of all these Hampton wannabes.

I agree, or else get married and split the chores..... I like how the OP states, "I was desperate".... Since when is needing a maid service started being a part of desperation? I mean for Christ's sake, can't you clean up after yourself? I can possibly understand sending someone in once a month to really give everything a good scrubbing, or even perhaps sending your clothes out to a laundry service. But to have someone come in on a daily basis or even a couple times a week is a sign of pure laziness.

Maybe some 'Mothers Boys' have no idea how to cook, clean, iron and do such simple chores? Heaven help them.

[polecat]

Maybe some 'Mothers Boys' have no idea how to cook, clean, iron and do such simple chores? Heaven help them.

Yeah, because real men use fabric softener, right?

If I can afford to have someone come in and scrub the loo and wash my socks, hel!, I'm going to do it! I mean, have you seen the state my underwear gets into? It's disgusting.

I also recently asked my maid to cook dinner for me. Oh lordy, it's good. Get home from work, open a beer, pop the dish in the microwave and hey presto! Don't even have to doi the washing up. I love it.

Life's too short to be spent folding socks and picking tissues out of jeans pockets.

[Luckgu]

Anyone knows about this maid service site: www.getmaids.com

Is this one good? Anyone knows?

Seems the maid service here is not very reliable and not promising. I just had a bad experience with one in Sukhumvit.

[popmybubble]

Maybe some 'Mothers Boys' have no idea how to cook, clean, iron and do such simple chores? Heaven help them.

Yeah, because real men use fabric softener, right?

If I can afford to have someone come in and scrub the loo and wash my socks, hel!, I'm going to do it! I mean, have you seen the state my underwear gets into? It's disgusting.

I also recently asked my maid to cook dinner for me. Oh lordy, it's good. Get home from work, open a beer, pop the dish in the microwave and hey presto! Don't even have to doi the washing up. I love it.

Life's too short to be spent folding socks and picking tissues out of jeans pockets.

I agree. If I could have someone cook and clean for me I would! Can't stand ironing. I iron as and when, you'd never get me stood for hours ironing piles of clothes.

To the OP, I hope you get your cross back, it's gutting.

[desertrat]

To the OP, I hope you get your cross back, it's gutting

Foe sure, Can you imagine how the Saudi prince and princess felt when the Thai worker stole

75 kg (two sacksful) of their hard earned baubles....which for those who don't know resulted in a

farce/tragedy/saga of nearly epic proportions.

[jackr]

Personally, I wouldn't have a stranger in the house no matter how busy I was, but each to their own. Hope you get the perp, op

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

If you want a maid to clean up after you, why not. One of the reasons for living in LOS is the low cost of help. It's your money and is your decision only on how you spend it.

Our housekeeper comes in 6 days a week. She is a very hard worker and very very honest. She has been with us a little over a year and we would hate to have to get along without her. She came recommended by a friend.

My wife and I are both retired and have absolutely nothing we have to do. So it is not a matter of not having time to do the cleaning it is a matter of not wanting to do the cleaning. Part of the joy of being retired is having the time to do the things you want to do. When you do nothing properly it can be very time consuming.

Do agree though finding a good and honest one can be a challenge. If you can get a friend to recommend someone possible works best.