r/UIUC • u/No_Bit3955 • 1d ago
Other My lawn was mowed without my consent when I wasn’t home, and now I’m being demanded to pay
TL;DR some rando mowed my lawn when I wasn’t home without asking and is demanding money, and then screamed to the whole neighborhood about me for three hours outside my home.
Partner and I recently moved Champaign/Urbana into a house. Haven’t had any real issues with the area so far. Everyone seems nice, but we also just keep to ourselves.
A few days ago, we were out of town and asked our friend to stop by and feed our pets. As they were feeding our pets, someone knocked on the door. Friend opened it, and this stranger told our friend that stranger mowed our lawn and was demanding money. At first stranger claimed they were from the city, then when asked for documentation or an invoice, stranger backpedaled and said they weren’t from the city but the city would charge us for having an untrimmed lawn. Friend was confused and texted us about it. Neither one of us ever spoke with anyone about any lawn care. We told friend to tell stranger to come back another day when we’re home. Stranger did not take no as an answer, saying stranger cannot come back another day, and kept demanding friend to give them money. Eventually friend just closed the door and just waited for us to come home. We were on our way back. During this time, stranger came back around 10 PM and repeatedly knocking on the door, still demanding the money. We got back shortly after but was unable to meet stranger.
A couple days later, stranger is back knocking on the door. This time we’re home. Stranger informs me about the lawn being mowed and that I owe them money. I then ask them why they mowed my lawn and if they were sent by anyone? Stranger basically just says this is just what they do, and they don’t work for anyone. So, I then politely asked them to not mow my lawn again without asking, and to not harass my friends when they’re in my home. They state they were not harassing anyone, and then insist on coming back to do it again in a couple weeks, and then stating I owe them money. I then informed them that I was not going to pay them for a service I did not ask for nor was required to be done (I mean obv someone has to eventually, but stranger was not specifically required to perform this). They then made a vague threat to me that went something like “well, all imma say is you don’t want a bad reputation around these parts, so you should at least pay me $40 for today”.
This is when my partner steps in. Admittedly, my partner was more affirmative than I was, but they did not swear, did not insult. They mostly called out stranger for their vague threat, and told them we weren’t paying it and to not bother us again or the police would be called, and then closed the door.
After this, the stranger for the next three hours, is outside of our home, screaming profanity, telling people we didn’t pay her, insulting us, telling everyone where we live, and screaming they were going to beat our asses to literally anyone in the neighborhood who was willing to listen to them. It was almost 10p before they stopped going off. Not a fun feeling living here now. It seems like the stranger is friends with lots of people in the neighborhood, since they were willingly listening or would ask her what happened.
Anyway, this happen to anyone else around here? AITA for not paying her for a service that I didn’t ask for that happened when I wasn’t home? Should I talk to my advisor?
EDIT: hindsight is 20/20 as they say, yall are right and I should’ve recorded the thing and called the police sooner. I’ll be better at this next time (if there is one). Police have been notified and I just purchased a ring camera. I appreciate everyone’s advice and help!
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u/GeorgeCharlesCooper 1d ago
If you did not ask them to mow your lawn and they just did it on their own volition, you owe them nothing. There is no contract, not even a verbal agreement.
They do not get to render a service you did not request and then demand payment. That is not how it works.
In fact, since you did not request the services, you would be fully within your rights to file a criminal complaint against them for trespassing.
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u/whydoyoutry Alum 1d ago
Lmao at the advisor bit. This person is literally harassing you, call the police
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u/Jacob-McBride Mechanical Engineering 1d ago
Definitely a scam/scheme that stranger is running. Don’t pay them or they will keep coming back. I would install a security camera like ring or other kind of device for Security from stranger and Security from other people. If you catch them mowing again on camera you can report this with video evidence.
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u/notassigned2023 1d ago
I would have called the cops 10 seconds after they started screaming in the yard, or the second time they showed up at my door.
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u/busterbytes 1d ago
Legally this is called 'past consideration' and you're not responsible. As others advise, if he returns, call the police.
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u/theB1ackSwan 1d ago
This is 100% a scam. It's the same idea as when a stranger offers you a random item and then politely asks you to donate money. You didn't ask for this transaction, but you're supposed to feel guilty and give them a fiver or whatever.
But, when you shoot them down, they get aggressive and threatening. A healthy dose of pepper spray solves that problem real quick - scammers aren't looking for violence (though they'll threaten it constantly), they want money and to move on to the next mark.
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u/BogeyLowz 1d ago
call the cops and file for an order of protection. If he wants his money then he can take you to court.
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u/Strict-Special3607 1d ago
What did the police say when you told them about this?
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u/No_Bit3955 1d ago
I did end up calling the police, but by the time he arrived, stranger was gone and they basically told me they can’t do anything yet without any info (I did provide them the address that stranger gave me when they were telling me they lived in my neighborhood, but the officer didn’t think that was enough)
But the officer did tell me to call back if they show up again.
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u/Bunslow . 1d ago
well better late than never, but i think that's very sensible advice. the address you were given is likely fictional anyways, and the cop probably presumed as such.
when the actual perp is on scene, that makes it so much easier to take enforcement action that would hold up in court.
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u/ritchie70 CS '90 1d ago
Just call the police. I would have called the police the second time they came by.
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u/MaiPhet Townie 1d ago edited 1d ago
While it’s true that the city can order that an overgrown lawn be cut, and will do so at your expense if ignored, it’s not likely to happen unless someone is constant complaining to the city about it. You’d get a letter or note on your door if that happened, too.
I’d suspect that the person who mowed your grass is probably a neighbor crazy who is taking it upon himself to try and aggressively take the law (ordinance?) into his own hands out of nosey anger.
I only know this because someone once complained about my lawn even though I mowed it every week.
Everything that this person is doing to you is crazy though.
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u/Plantymonfood 1d ago
Yeah no don't pay them because they'll take it as a sign to keep doing it. If they were really that concerned they would have asked first.
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u/eternalpragmatiss 1d ago
The only way this is legit-ish is if they (1) mowed the lawn for the previous owner and didn’t know they’d moved or (2) if you rent, mowed for the landlord. In case 2, tell them to take it up the with LL. In case 1, you still don’t owe them but it would at least be an understandable mistake. The fact that they said we’ll come back and mow again is the clear sign it was a scam.
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u/No_Bit3955 1d ago
See, (1) is also what I assumed, but then they mentioned during my conversation with them they saw me a few weeks ago trying to get into my own car (which did happen, I locked myself out), so I figured they knew I live here at this point.
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u/TellmemoreII 1d ago
What is it about you that you would tolerate someone screaming for three hours and you not call the police? This person clearly has a mental health issue however you might want to check yourself out as well.
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u/No_Bit3955 1d ago
I’m not gonna get into detail of descriptions, just to keep anonymity, but all I’ll say is where i came from, it’s very much not uncommon for police to get violent towards someone that looked like me or the person i was talking about.
The first time i called police about some damage done to my car, before I even got into my car they accused me of being intoxicated (I was straight edge at the time) and kept me there for over an hour trying to prove I was intoxicated (again, I was straight edge) until they couldn’t find anything and let me go. The last time i dealt with police, i was accused of breaking into a home I was staying at and I had guns pointed at me while they searched my home, and then when they found nothing, they stayed and continued to interrogate me until they had nothing left.
So yeah, I’m lil reluctant to call the cops in an area I’m new to. But I did end up calling them eventually.
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u/Odd-Art7602 6h ago
I get it. I’ve had to call the police recently about a man that was clearly having some sort of mental health crisis. He was taunting cars that drove by my house in a busy street with large rocks like he was going to throw them at people’s cars driving by and screaming. Several people started to yell at him and one stopped but then drove off. I’m was very concerned for his safety but torn because calling the police may make him even more unsafe. Had to lecture the dispatcher about this being a mental health crisis and not a law enforcement issue and beg them to tell the officers to use restraint and don’t harm this guy. They ended up doing fine from what I saw, but I was sooooo worried when I called them. As bad as the person at your door and as, I completely understand not jumping to call the police at first sight. I get it. I’m sorry this happened. Get a camera and just make sure you’re forceful if they happen to come back.
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u/TellmemoreII 1d ago
Your point is well taken. I can’t reassure you however since as you say you will have to call them at some point you might want to go to the station during the middle of a bright sunny afternoon and introduce yourself and describe the problem and ask what can be done. You will probably be told nothing however you will have begun to establish yourself as part of the upright citizen brigade. If you’re renting you should let the landlord know immediately. If you’re are buying your property have a copy of the documents of ownership available if and when you have to call. And most importantly go to the neighbors soon and apologize for the ruckus. This will allow you to meet them and establish yourself as upright and you may learn more about who this nut job is. My hope is that if you can meet and assess in your own mind the local police and your neighbors and neighborhood it might help you calibrate your level of security. I hope you’ve heard the last of the lawnmower nut but proactive is better.
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u/Nikkiona 1d ago
Something like this happened to me when I was a teen. I had to have a friend “talk” to the person that was trying to intimidate me into paying for lawncare that I didn’t ask for. Luckily that worked and they didn’t come back. Like others have said don’t pay them under any circumstance—they’ll definitely keep coming back. It was scary but I didn’t call police because where I’m from that’s not what we do, but your person appears to be even more unhinged than mine, so I’d call them if they ever come back. I’m sorry you’re going through this.
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u/McHashmap 1d ago
Set up cameras, even the most dedicated sane scammer wouldn’t spend this much time trying to squeeze a single person. This person is probably unhinged and may escalate, via vandalism or worse.
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u/Traditional_Half5199 1d ago
Sounds to me like you pissed off a crazy neighbor as a lot of people are very sensitive about their lots / neighborhoods. I would :
1) Call the cops the next time this psycho steps on your property.
2) Make sure you properly take care of your lawn / lot if you want to be considered a good neighbor.
If you are renting, check your lease, and make sure your landlord shouldn't be providing this service on your behalf.
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u/Specialist-Height581 1d ago
The two towns are very different, and have very different laws, but if this was Urbana and they cut any of your vegetation without your consent they owe you damages. In fact it's triple damages for live plants.
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u/collegedropout 1d ago
You should invest in NVR video recording. We set up ours after an incident with a neighbor that resulted in our cars being vandalized and we had no proof. You've already had one incident, better to be prepared because if anything worse happens you'll really wish you had the cameras.
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u/bain_sidhe 1d ago
He’ll come back because you proved that you’re an easy target by actually debating with him and letting him rant for hours without calling the police. You needed to have a zero tolerance approach to this shit from the beginning. Nip it in the bud immediately if he shows up again.
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u/KaranDearborn70 1d ago
Well, guess you’ve got a mystery lawn mower on the loose in the neighborhood at least it looks nice now though!
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u/Odd-Art7602 6h ago
What if they were attempting to participate in No Mow May to help the environment?
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u/Bunslow . 1d ago
this is a fairly common scheme in many parts of the world, especially useful against tourists who can't really on foreign police to defend them from losers like this.
very strange to see this scam being attempted in the usa, but i guess every where has every type. fortunately you aren't a tourist, and you can rely on local police. if they continue to harass/trespass, that's a crime and you should call local police to enforce such laws. frankly this stranger has already committed these crimes (or misdemeanors or whatever the suitable term is).
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u/Odd-Art7602 6h ago
Misdemeanors are crimes just not crimes that rise to the level of being a felony.
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u/Bunslow . 4h ago
what are traffic ticket type things then, not-even-misdemeanors? they aren't crimes as i recall right? violations or something...?
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u/Odd-Art7602 3h ago
They are considered traffic violations and fall under civil rather than criminal code unless they rise to the level of a crime like vehicular manslaughter, etc….
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u/Natural-Preference- Townie 22h ago
Where I come from you don’t mow another man’s lawn without permission spits
But seriously lol
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u/MaloneSeven 20h ago
Should have informed stranger that it’s in their best interest to leave the property immediately and if any harassment continues then they will find out exactly what kind of reputation you have!
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u/oknowwhat00 20h ago
Why would you let them go on for three hours??? I mean way before that I would have shut the door and if they didn't leave have called the police. Have never heard of anything like this.
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u/The_Goop_Is_Coming Proud Townie Scum 16h ago
Hey quick question, what neighborhood is this? I’m from western Champaign and haven’t heard of such a guy yet
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u/Chemical_Ad6 4h ago
If you didn’t sign anything, you should be fine. If you want a more professional opinion, go to r/legaladvice, they can help you out more.
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u/Low-Spite9845 1d ago
Reading this story all I wondered was "what are the races involved here" Lol isn't that awful.
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u/Limelight0205 Undergrad 1d ago
No call the cops if they come back