A Threat at 'Mi Domicilio'
Years ago, I was mugged or robbed on Loja Street and in Parque la Carolina. Tonight, however, was the first time in Ecuador that anyone ever threatened me or my property while inside my condo complex.
The threat came from Melba*, a middle-aged woman who had been doing cleaning and other part-time projects for me over a period of about six weeks. She doesn't live in the complex, but is "administradora" for the owner of two connected apartments a couple of doors down from my Centro Histórico apartment.
After a couple of weeks, Melba started showing occasional odd behavior.
One day she knocked on my door early, waking me up, saying she was worried about my health.
She started talking about how good a friendship we supposedly had, and how she was my family in Ecuador. When I sent her to IESS to correct a billing error, she told the agency rep that she was my fiancée. She wanted me to take her to a restaurant to celebrate her birthday in a few weeks.
When I would come back from the bank or other 'tareas', lately I would find her waiting for me outside my condo unit -- we had no appointment. She would walk in behind me, uninvited, and start cleaning. Was she stalking me?
---
Last night, after some cleaning, she interrupted me repeatedly during the telecast of the NBA Finals, ignoring my instructions not to disturb me from the other side of my bedroom door. Without permission, she again interrupted, opening the door to my bedroom where I was sitting on the bed .. entering the room without my permission. I told her for a third time not to disturb me. She backed off and left my place.
---
Tonight, she showed up demanding immediate payment for the two hours of cleaning the night before .. plus money for painting supplies. She had used the supplies for a ridiculous 15 hours of cleaning and painting of my car's exterior, which had a few paint scratches on it. The charges she was asking for now were inflated; she wanted payment for three hours instead of the two she had worked .. and the paint-materials charges (in Colombian pesos for unknown reasons) were overcharges based on the xe.com exchange rate.
When I told her the billing needed to be adjusted via email before I wanted to pay, she threatened to contact the police, then threatened to break the window(s) of my condo unit's front door.
"I will break the window, you don't know me," she said.
I told Melba to go ahead and call the policía, that I would tell them about her threat to smash my windows.
At this point, she stopped talking about the police and again threatened to smash the windows.
---
Eventually, I got her to agree to accept the correct payment, 132 USD, with the understanding that this would be a final payment and no more work would be authorized. When she agreed to those terms, I paid her in cash.
Her final words as I closed the front door: "I don't understand this treatment. You are in Ecuador."
----
I followed up promptly with an email to my attorney, the Quito police and the condo administration about the Melba confrontation. I wanted to document the threat in case of trouble going forward, I wrote. I also wanted to alert those parties to the misbehavior of someone with access to the condo complex premises.
---
I checked my car in the parking lot several hours later at midnight. There had been no new scratches or damage.
cccmedia in Quito
*Her name has been changed on this thread for legal reasons.
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318
That's unusual behavior.
Is it possible she had an unrequited crush?
Or was setting you up for a con, to fleece or extort?
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I think the crush part is correct.
But also... she was repeatedly overcharging me for services and supplies the last week. So that IS a con.
She charged me for 15 hours of work on the exterior of my car .. instead of the hour or two I might have expected.
She bought -- or had someone buy -- paint supplies in Colombia .. and then charged me at a rate that was quite a bit higher than the actual exchange rate.
She cleaned in the apartment for two hours or less on Wednesday and the next day tried to collect for three. I paid her a corrected amount for work and supplies, but not before she threatened to break my front door window.
---
in light of the window threat, condo management has invited me to write them a letter requesting that she be prohibited from bothering me .. and I have just written it.
cccmedia in Quito
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As for setting me up for extortion, the threat to destroy my windows if I didn't pay her inflated charges 'de inmediato' was actual extortion, not just a setup.
cccmedia
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1After pondering the condo administration's offer this weekend, I decided not topursue the matter by submitting additional paperwork.
As I explained to the administrator in an email last night, I don't want to do anything to further provoke La Loca, unless I encounter more problems.
I kept a low profile at the condo during the weekend. I am enjoying peace of mind that was lacking during the past week.
cccmedia in Quito
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Not entirely unusual for people to do work for you, unrequested then ask for payment, or a contribution. By the definition it's a con, but...
People washing your car whilst it's parked. Yes it was filthy, but I have an 1hour drive home through the same conditions that got it filthy and I have kids I can get free childlabour from so ... but ok can throw you some dollars, but probably not the $$$ you were expecting from some foreigner who obviously must be made of gold (yet driving a beat up filthy car...)
Old land lord was a nice enough bloke, but would turn up, do some work in the garden then ask for payment - more of a chancer really. Had to admire the cheek of it. Told him next tell I'll get my daughter to wash his car without permission and we can call it even
But your case seems a bit different with threats. Probably hoping it goes away won't work and need to tell her in no uncertain times you'll put a denuncia on her for the threat and if you see her anywhere near your car or place again you will be going straight to the police and who will they believe, a respectable foreigner or some cleaning woman. I know it feels wrong and bad form to state it, but it wasn't you the crossed the line to start with in this ordeal and anything less than firm and she'll be back.
Good luck :-)
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A denuncia and stern warnings?
It's well-intentioned advice, but I'm not buying it .. not when there has been no contact with the individual since last Thursday, five days ago.
The threat to smash my front door window is evidence IMO of a severely imbalanced individual who could be set off into violence by strong language.
I already told her, during the incident, that I could go to the police with the fact that she threatened physical damage.
As long as she refrains from further action, I don't see the need to do anything that might provoke her. If she shows aggressive behavior, I can seek a denuncia later.
cccmedia
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It's one thing when someone cleans your car window or cleans for an hour or two on the exterior of your property and then asks for 'plata'.
It's another thing when she tells you she cleaned the exterior of your car for 15 hours and expects payment. In this case she showed smart-phone photos of her working on the car, as if a couple of photos proves she worked for 15 hours. Then on top of that she wanted $120 more for supplies used in the process.
I paid for the labor, but from that point on was watching her behavior carefully. When she overcharged for the materials and barged into my personal space (the bedroom) against my instructions .. when she subsequently tried to extort me .. I don't chalk it up to a bad week No, this is someone whom I have allowed into my personal life and my apartment who is acting against my best interests. Can't have it.
I researched stalking on the Internet last week .. and have followed the advice of counselors who say to cut off all contact with the perpetrator.
cccmedia
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The ideal Expat lifestyle in Ecuador, IMO, does not
involve the Expat cleaning his own home or
doing certain other chores that Ecuadorians can do.
So, no, Norv, I won't be doing 'mis propias tareas'
much of the time. I'm not advocating laziness,
just selective delegation. The bonus feature
is that delegating tends to allow an Expat
to improve his language skills.
---
As for the remark about using "proper filters,"
that's a puzzling comment .. since I don't see
any earlier reference on this thread to filters
or a job that would have required filters.
cccmedia
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Upon further reflection, I think you may have
been referring to hiring 'filters'.
Perhaps you would like to educate us.
When I hired her, part-time, I knew she
was a bi-lingual person, evidently
intelligent, who had lived in London
for seven years. I knew she was
on-site managing two apartments
for ownership in an AirBnB-type
arrangement; I had visited the
clean, well-decorated apartments.
What did I miss in the filter process
aside from the unknowable fact
that she would turn out to be 'loca'?
cccmedia
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@cccmedia exactly… and “chores that Ecuadorians can do” as gainful employment in a current state of economic recovery where entry level employment opportunities are needed. The financial contribution to Ecuadors economy of these jobs is crucial, jobs created by expats to some degree, but (btw) largely by Ecuadorians returning from successes in the US, Canada and Europe, etc., and reinvesting in their country: building hotels, creating nature preserves, starting restaurants, building and selling / renting out homes, and operating AirBnB’s… most new construction and business entrepeneurship in Cotacachi is being financed by indigenous Ecuadorian families from what I’ve been told, I suspect this is true elsewhere… all create jobs in the service industry to do the “chores” required to maintain them …Let’s hope Ecuadorians take advantage of these opportunities to earn and save money, which allows them to take advantage of the opportunity recently provided by the governments new low interest loans to invest, start their own businesses, buy homes, and improve their personal financial situation… but also to create more “chore” jobs opportunities and give other people in the community a helping hand up to find work and start their own journey to make a better life.
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