Forum Index
»
Off-Topic
Weird situation with former babysitter (long)
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
OP here again. Just to clarify, no, I have no contact information. She wasn't a nanny so I didn't do a formal background check. I hired her as a college student babysitter, and I checked four references when I hired her, which was sufficient to me. (I don't have the references' contact info because it was a while ago.) She was a college student who babysat for us, so no, I didn't withhold taxes or anything. I paid her in cash--she was a student babysitter! I never tallied it, but I very much doubt that she would have earned over the threshold for taxes anyway (although it was a regular gig, she worked only a few hours a week). She used to live on campus, but she happened to mention to me near the end of her work for us that she was moving "to a group house in Bethesda." That's all I know.  I think the idea of sending her a message saying I'm worried about her (which I am, and yes, I am also concerned about my car key--I don't feel guilty about that) and if I don't hear from her I will stop by her workplace is a good one. Thanks again to the constructive posters! I will update you all when/if anything happens!
|
Anonymous
|
Dear _________________,
I am ready to come to your home to pick up our car key. If you no longer have it, that's okay, just tell me it's been lost. But if you have it I really do want to come pick it up. This is the last time I'll call. The next person to call you will be a lawyer. I just don't have time to play one-way phone tag. Thanks so much, and sorry for all the bother. |
Anonymous
Speaking as a lawyer, I was sick the day they taught key-retrieval law. As she didn't steal the key, what in the world would a lawyer do for you? I would RUN, RUN, RUN from this case.... |
Anonymous
|
OP, you're not paranoid or overly neurotic to want your key back. I'm not sure what is going on with all the PPs who are disparaging you for what is a perfectly reasonable request. Would they make the same argument if the former babysitter had your housekey and ducked any effort to get it back? You should continue to call her, and yes I think it's perfectly appropriate to go by her workplace if that's the only way you khae to contact her. I posted here recently about a burglary at my home; the lesson for us from that experience is that you should never blow off taking reasonable precautions where your family's safety and security is stake.
One point where you've messed up - you really should have the address and contact information, as well as payment records, for anyone who babysat for you on a regular basis. Even "a couple of hours a week" adds up over the course of a year, and unless she was making less than $140/month from you than you either hit or had a reasonable expectation of hitting the $1700 limit. The fact that she was a college student is irrelevant as far as the IRS and state and federal laws are concerned. I really don't understand how you'd trust someone enough to let them drive your children and give them your car keys, but not do any due diligence (background check) or even get a home address. Consider yourself lucky that all you're worrying about now is the car key. |
Anonymous
Thank you, that's comforting. I'm also glad to hear that Goddard has such dedicated janitors keeping space clean. |
Anonymous
|
She's not answering her texts and her phone goes to voicemail. I would assume something happened to her phone (she lost it, it died (it would still go to voicemail), her battery is dead and she lost her charger). I think it's fine to try to contact her another way (drop by her part-time work), if the key is bothering you. Just be prepared for a calm reaction if she did in fact lose it.
If she did lose it, I find it hard to believe that someone could match the key to your car. |
Anonymous
| OP-why are you so worried about the car key? Are you afraid the car will be stolen? |
Anonymous
i agree with this post. She might be away, might be swamped with balancing part time work and full load of school work. Id just call her and ask to either email you if she lost the key or to mail it back. |
Anonymous
| she probably has some kind of online profile somewhere. why not try to find her that way? |
Anonymous
| also its very possible that this baby sitter did not go over the limit. Pay her $15 an hour for 3 hrs of work a week - about $200 a month but she probably is not working when on her month long winter break, her summers (which is college is early May - end of August) or during exam periods. For this reason think we should lay off the judgement of the OP. |
Anonymous
OP did this. Quote from the original post: I have since texted her over and over and left several phone messages for her, and she has simply not answered any of them! |
Anonymous
We're all busy - no excuse for not returning something that does not belong to you. |
Anonymous
| Not saying the babysitter did the right thing, but the OP seriously needs to get on with her life. If this is her biggest worry in life, she should count herself very lucky. |
Anonymous
| I think OP is fine, I like having a spare key for my car, what if I lost mine or locked it in the car? It can cost several hundred dollars to get a new one made. OP, I think it's reasonable to assume that she lost the phone and that she forgot about your key. I'd stop by her work and also see if she is on Facebook. Do you have an email or was your only means of contacting her through her cell? |
Anonymous
|
OP here with an update. Friday I went by her work and she wasn't there so I left a note saying in essence, "Hey, did you lose your phone? You haven't answered my messages and I'd really like our key back, and if it's easier for you I can come back again to your work to pick it up or you can mail it to me. Please call me." Well, no call, but today it was in our mailbox with a note from her saying, "Here's your key, sorry for the delay." So I guess I will never know if she lost her phone and just forgot about it until she got my note at work, or whether she was ignoring me the whole time and then decided to return it finally once I tracked her down at work. In any case, I have the key, she apologized for the delay, case closed with resolution.
|