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  1. - Top - End - #31
    Dragon in the Playground Moderator
     
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

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  2. - Top - End - #32
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    I was thinking about this thread while driving yesterday and this is what I came up with.

    Do you know if the college student was only spending one hour per day in your apartment? Perhaps to get away from his overbearing, domineering father, the student was actually spending 3 or more hours in your apartment. He would come over, feed the cats, play with the cats, read your books, use your playstation, etc. Or maybe he was going out with his friends and didn't want his father to know about it.

    So the college student comes after being gone for 2-3 hours and the father asks "how much are you getting paid for this?" The student tells him $180 and the father blows his lid.

  3. - Top - End - #33
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Personal belief the father should have stayed out of it and if he felt strongly about it he should have spoken to his kid and given advise about how he would have handled it and turned it into a learning experience.

    However I think I will play devils advocate for the father here as there are a few negative comments on the guy.

    He presumedly thought his son was ripped off and felt that he should make it clear that he felt that was unacceptable - he didn't show up banging on the door, he didn't include vague threats in the letter, nor did he include a load of profanity, nor take to twitter to publicly 'shame' anyone, etc.

    A private letter of displeasure is unwanted but it isn't exactly a damning offence against the man's character - particularly when it comes to something as potentially sensitive as believing that his child was taken advantage of.

  4. - Top - End - #34
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    So I have an update with the situation (The college student has not responded to any of my messages. I also found out that he just recently graduated high school, so he's a freshman in college). I finally got around to talking to the front desk, around the time another resident of the complex was talking to them as well. I asked about how the college student was when he was watching my cats and they said he was pretty good. They remarked how he would always spoke highly about my cats to the front desk and how much he enjoyed being with them. I then decided to tell them the situation about what the father did and everything and asked them what they thought. The front desk thought $180 was a lot, comparing what she got paid and how she would happily get paid $180 to check in on some cats for 15 days. The other resident there, who owns a couple of special needs cats in his unit, said that $180 was a little on the low side, but still fair. He told me that he pays someone $20 per visit per his 2 cats and they visit about twice a day, so he says it adds up quickly. But he also points out that who he has coming in to check on his cats has a formal veterinarian degree due to the special needs nature of his cats, whereas I hired someone unskilled and something that only required the most basic of activities, so he said $180 was fine.

    I then told them how originally the College student said $150 and both the front desk and the resident looked at each other with disgust. I was confused, but the resident said, "So that's $10 an hour for someone unskilled, and he set the price in the end, AND you increased the amount by 20%? Yeah, I don't feel bad about yelling at [college student's] father." The front desk said, "Me either." I was doubly confused and asked what happened. Apparently what I feared was going to have happen did happen. The college student's father was trying to badmouth and spread awful rumors about me to the entire complex behind my back about the situation. When they told me the rumor, interestingly he didn't change any facts, he just spun them in a negative light and that I'm a horrible person and he was trying to tell everyone in the complex with a pulse he meets in the hallways about me, specifically mentioning my unit's number so they know exactly where I was. Except however, his plan apparently backfired. This guy apparently has a reputation among the complex for "Being an *******" as the front desk told me. And apparently every person he tried to complain about me to yelled at him and shut him down. They told me that yes, practically everyone yelled at him to shut up and settle down and no one cares or even believes for a second any of his lies. So ever since that awful message, there has apparently been a war going on behind my back of this College student's father and the rest of the residents of the complex to which a vast majority I don't even know were fighting on my behalf against this guy. The front desk and resident then told me that he screams and yells at everyone, delivery people "not doing their job right", contractors to work on his unit "not doing their job right" (To which now all the regular contractors in the complex refuse to do any work in his unit now), and how he says awful things and yells at his son (the college student) even in public some times. So they told me do not worry about it and just avoid him. No one believes him at all that cares.

    Then the resident there told me his unit number, asked for mine (which I told him), and then said that the next time I need cat checking up on, to just let him know and he'd be happy to do it, for free. He said he loves cats and compared to his special needs ones, if all my cats need is the occasional food, water, litter boxes, and play, just being able to interact with them was all the payment he would require. So, a happy ending to this whole mess I think. I do feel bad about the college student. Hopefully he gets away from his father soon and lives on his own.
    Last edited by Silverraptor; 2021-04-10 at 01:04 PM.
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  5. - Top - End - #35
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Quote Originally Posted by Silverraptor View Post
    Then the resident there told me his unit number, asked for mine (which I told him), and then said that the next time I need cat checking up on, to just let him know and he'd be happy to do it, for free. He said he loves cats and compared to his special needs ones, if all my cats need is the occasional food, water, litter boxes, and play, just being able to interact with them was all the payment he would require. So, a happy ending to this whole mess I think. I do feel bad about the college student. Hopefully he gets away from his father soon and lives on his own.
    The funny thing is I was thinking about this and thinking that here one would naturally ask neighbours if they could pitch in on the check on cats thing. Something of an informal agreement cat owners around the street existed. Usually one would bring a bottle of wine back as a token of appreciation.

    Also, clearly you got a front desk that won't mind an easy 200 dollars. Something to keep in mind for the future.
    Last edited by snowblizz; 2021-04-11 at 06:55 AM.

  6. - Top - End - #36
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Ignore the dad. You didn't make a deal with the dad, you made one with his son. If the two of you have been amicable, don't punish the son for his overbearing father.

    I do agree that working out payment beforehand would be ideal in any case, and probably is the way to go in the future, but giving him what he asked for and a bit more as a tip doesn't seem awful. When I was a student, I would have considered this an entirely fair deal. Yeah, it's a great deal less than a professional service would ask, but he's not running a professional boarding service, so that hardly matters.

    I do hope his father doesn't normally involve himself to such a degree, or it may be why the fellow is unemployed. Most employers don't look kindly on such parental involvement. The dad's kind of putting his son in a hard place here. Even if he did take issue with the arrangement, that's something he should discuss with his son, rather than blowing up on you. And it's definitely crappy for him to try to spread rumors around, trying to start something.

    If he did a good job, just have the money chat beforehand next time, and ignore the dad altogether.

  7. - Top - End - #37
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    I have another update from the college student this time.

    -"Hey I want to apologize for my father's actions. I am honestly embarrassed. The payment you gave me was totally fair. There is no need for a revisit. I loved your cats and would be glad to do it again. Once again I apologize."

    To that I responded that it was fine, how we don't have control over our relatives and how I did enjoy his company the few times we met. So I think the situation is resolved. The dad sounds like a piece of work though...
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  8. - Top - End - #38
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Quote Originally Posted by Silverraptor View Post
    The dad sounds like a piece of work though...
    Talking about poultry compensation was a dead giveaway. The word is paltry. Making big swings with big words one doesn't know seems exactly in character.

    The fact that he actually is in your building if I understood it right is almost a point of concern. That he is known as "difficult" to many others however, doesn't come as much of a surprise.


    My gut says the man had some influence at some point, like middle-management or maybe police/military person but no longer is and has trouble reconciling this with current reality. Bonus points if it was his abrasive personality that caused him losing it too.
    Last edited by snowblizz; 2021-04-13 at 06:53 AM.

  9. - Top - End - #39
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Quote Originally Posted by Silverraptor View Post
    I have another update from the college student this time.

    -"Hey I want to apologize for my father's actions. I am honestly embarrassed. The payment you gave me was totally fair. There is no need for a revisit. I loved your cats and would be glad to do it again. Once again I apologize."

    To that I responded that it was fine, how we don't have control over our relatives and how I did enjoy his company the few times we met. So I think the situation is resolved. The dad sounds like a piece of work though...
    Seems like you handled it well. The dad sounds like was looking for someone to lash out at for whatever reason, and you just happened to exist and have two degrees of separation from him. I wouldn't pay it much thought, and I hope that your parents and cats are all doing well, though it sounds like you met some people who might be less of a hassle to get in touch with if an emergency pops up in the future.
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  10. - Top - End - #40
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Quote Originally Posted by JNAProductions View Post
    The fact that he actually is in your building if I understood it right is almost a point of concern. That he is known as "difficult" to many others however, doesn't come as much of a surprise.
    Yeah, my initial reaction was that it was best not to engage with the father at all, but if one chose to engage, the proper response would have been, "This matter is between your son and me. You have no part in it, so f*** off". However, the fact that he's actually physically in the building makes not replying directly to him an even better decision. Frankly, given that the father apparently lives in the complex, I'm consider formally filing a complaint about him with the apartment management for harassment.

  11. - Top - End - #41
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Quote Originally Posted by dps View Post
    Yeah, my initial reaction was that it was best not to engage with the father at all, but if one chose to engage, the proper response would have been, "This matter is between your son and me. You have no part in it, so f*** off". However, the fact that he's actually physically in the building makes not replying directly to him an even better decision. Frankly, given that the father apparently lives in the complex, I'm consider formally filing a complaint about him with the apartment management for harassment.
    Erm... I think you somehow goofed the quote. What you quoted is not something I said.
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  12. - Top - End - #42
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Quote Originally Posted by JNAProductions View Post
    Erm... I think you somehow goofed the quote. What you quoted is not something I said.
    I think that's the Forum, not the person. It's rare but I've seen others do the same thing (and it's also happened to me as well) - quote a post but name and post ID refer to a different post. Only thing I can think of is a glitch in the system.
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  13. - Top - End - #43
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    I think that's the Forum, not the person. It's rare but I've seen others do the same thing (and it's also happened to me as well) - quote a post but name and post ID refer to a different post. Only thing I can think of is a glitch in the system.
    Fair enough. Hopefully that glitch doesn't cause any major issues.
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  14. - Top - End - #44
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Quote Originally Posted by JNAProductions View Post
    Fair enough. Hopefully that glitch doesn't cause any major issues.
    Seen it maybe a dozen times in as many years. That's why I'm not even certain what causes it - its super uncommon.
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  15. - Top - End - #45
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    Quote Originally Posted by Silverraptor View Post
    So I have an update with the situation
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    (The college student has not responded to any of my messages. I also found out that he just recently graduated high school, so he's a freshman in college). I finally got around to talking to the front desk, around the time another resident of the complex was talking to them as well. I asked about how the college student was when he was watching my cats and they said he was pretty good. They remarked how he would always spoke highly about my cats to the front desk and how much he enjoyed being with them. I then decided to tell them the situation about what the father did and everything and asked them what they thought. The front desk thought $180 was a lot, comparing what she got paid and how she would happily get paid $180 to check in on some cats for 15 days. The other resident there, who owns a couple of special needs cats in his unit, said that $180 was a little on the low side, but still fair. He told me that he pays someone $20 per visit per his 2 cats and they visit about twice a day, so he says it adds up quickly. But he also points out that who he has coming in to check on his cats has a formal veterinarian degree due to the special needs nature of his cats, whereas I hired someone unskilled and something that only required the most basic of activities, so he said $180 was fine.

    I then told them how originally the College student said $150 and both the front desk and the resident looked at each other with disgust. I was confused, but the resident said, "So that's $10 an hour for someone unskilled, and he set the price in the end, AND you increased the amount by 20%? Yeah, I don't feel bad about yelling at [college student's] father." The front desk said, "Me either." I was doubly confused and asked what happened. Apparently what I feared was going to have happen did happen. The college student's father was trying to badmouth and spread awful rumors about me to the entire complex behind my back about the situation. When they told me the rumor, interestingly he didn't change any facts, he just spun them in a negative light and that I'm a horrible person and he was trying to tell everyone in the complex with a pulse he meets in the hallways about me, specifically mentioning my unit's number so they know exactly where I was. Except however, his plan apparently backfired. This guy apparently has a reputation among the complex for "Being an *******" as the front desk told me. And apparently every person he tried to complain about me to yelled at him and shut him down. They told me that yes, practically everyone yelled at him to shut up and settle down and no one cares or even believes for a second any of his lies. So ever since that awful message, there has apparently been a war going on behind my back of this College student's father and the rest of the residents of the complex to which a vast majority I don't even know were fighting on my behalf against this guy. The front desk and resident then told me that he screams and yells at everyone, delivery people "not doing their job right", contractors to work on his unit "not doing their job right" (To which now all the regular contractors in the complex refuse to do any work in his unit now), and how he says awful things and yells at his son (the college student) even in public some times. So they told me do not worry about it and just avoid him. No one believes him at all that cares.

    Then the resident there told me his unit number, asked for mine (which I told him), and then said that the next time I need cat checking up on, to just let him know and he'd be happy to do it, for free. He said he loves cats and compared to his special needs ones, if all my cats need is the occasional food, water, litter boxes, and play, just being able to interact with them was all the payment he would require. So, a happy ending to this whole mess I think. I do feel bad about the college student. Hopefully he gets away from his father soon and lives on his own.
    Quote Originally Posted by Silverraptor View Post
    I have another update from the college student this time.
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    -"Hey I want to apologize for my father's actions. I am honestly embarrassed. The payment you gave me was totally fair. There is no need for a revisit. I loved your cats and would be glad to do it again. Once again I apologize."

    To that I responded that it was fine, how we don't have control over our relatives and how I did enjoy his company the few times we met. So I think the situation is resolved. The dad sounds like a piece of work though...
    Woohoo! Thank you for coming back to let us know the happy ending. (^_^)
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  16. - Top - End - #46
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    Default Re: How much should I have paid a person to house sit my cats?

    EDIT: Totally need to need the rest of the thread before I respond and effectively rehash what has already been beaten to death ;) Good to hear all worked out in the end and you handled yourself with poise and common sense.

    Anywhoo, the father sounds like he needed the extra cash himself (maybe for a chicken dinner?)
    Last edited by Maelstrom; 2021-06-04 at 03:24 AM.

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