Yes, it's another cleaning company thread...and it's an annoying one.

My mom has a favorite necklace. It's a gold chain with a pendant that looks like my dog. (bought it for my mom right after my dog died. She LOVES this necklace. It's her favorite. It's a chunk of solid gold that's not very big, but it really does look like TinyMonsters)

She wore it last saturday. I dont remember her wearing it sunday or monday.

We had our house cleaned on monday. We have a new cleaning lady, and that was only the third time she and her employee cleaned our house.

Today, mom was looking for her necklace. This is where things get weird. She found the dog pendant, but she cant find the chain. She never takes the pendant off the chain. The chain is long enough she can put the necklace over her head without touching the clasp.

It's just really weird that the chain is nowhere to be seen. I looked. I used a flashlight on the carpeting to look and see if could find the chain if it was broken and on the floor. (was hoping the chain would reflect from the flashlight) Didnt find anything.

I dont know why the pendant was taken off the chain. Mom swears she didnt do it. She's not missing any other pendants or chains that I can tell.

If someone took the chain, why didnt the pendant get taken? (really glad the pendant is still here. We can get a new chain, that pendant is irreplaceable)

Does it sound like the chain "walked away"? (i.e., kidnapped, chain-napped?)

I cant just accuse the cleaning lady or her employee without any proof. I'm seriously considering telling my parents to fire this particular cleaning company, just because of the suspicion. (it's a lady who has an employee that helps her clean. Not sure she has other employees, so I'm pretty sure the company is just the woman and her helper) My dad isnt planning on saying anything. He said we'd just watch next time they're here.

I'm more of the opinion that we fire their as*ahem*...rear ends, and tell them we dont need them anymore.

It's just a been there, done that kind of feeling. We were ripped off once before about 5yrs ago by another employee of a nation-wide cleaning company.

Anyone else think the chain was stolen? and, do you think we need to fire this cleaning company?

I guess we can live in filth for awhile...it would certainly save us the $100 that we're paying them every two weeks, and I havent been particularly impressed with this company's work anyways.

I think that it's more likely that the chain caught on something, broke and fell, especially since the pendant is still there.

Where did she find the pendant, perhaps the cleaning people found it and put it on the table or something. Ask them to check their sweeper dirt to see if they may have picked it up in the sweeper.

The pendant was found in her jewelry box (well, drawer, in her dresser) where she keeps her necklaces

I looked. The pendant doest look damaged. I can't find any sign of the chain in the room. I even walked around the house barefoot on the carpet trying to see if it dropped somewhere. I've been shining a big flashlight on the floor to see if it's laying on the floor somewhere.

It's just weird that the chain is missing. You would think if it broke, I'd find it on the floor or in the drawer.

I think I remember you saying that your mom was having some dementia issues. Maybe she did something with the chain and really doesn't remember doing it?

It seems really odd that the pendant is still there. If the cleaners were stealing, why wouldn't they take both the chain AND pendant??

put a panty hose loosely over the end of the vacuum hose and drag it over the carpet in the area. it will suck up whatever is there, without it ending up in the bag.

the chain more than likely broke. it is the habit of a theif to make it a quick snatch. it would raise questions to see a pendant and not the chain, so why not just sink both in your pocket? even if you had no intentions of hocking the dog pendant because its so specific you could toss it, and hock the chain. its much more likely the chain broke.

When the cleaning lady shows up tell her this is missing. Ask if she has seen it, and if she will help you look for it. it may be under the dresser, or edge of the couch, or behind a cushion. Since you didnt see her take it, you cannot accuse of of the crime. You can suspect all you like, and be prepared in case you think her a thief, such as locking away your valueables, or putting in a nanny cam, or sitting in each room with her while she works, but the best you can hope for is that IF she took it, she will have an attack of conscious and drop it on the floor and say HERE IT IS! or ...I broke it and took it to have it fixed....or I sucked it into the vacuum bag and here it is! covered in dirt.

I hope you find your treasure.

Another suggestion: check in her bed and under the bed. If she sleeps with it on it could have broken and fell off. She could have found the pendant and put it away and just doesn't remember doing that.

Maybe someone stole it. Maybe your mom just can't remember. Maybe some other freak thing. But it brought back something to my mind:

A zillion years ago, when I was in high school (1964? 65?) my best friend's sister got married, and the family hired me to come tidy up the house while they were at the reception.

I got a call later (don't remember if it was that evening, the next day, whenever) that they were missing an envelope with about $200 in it. That was a pile of money back in the sixties. They asked if I'd happened to see it anywhere, seeing as how I was the only one that had been in the house while they were gone and all...

I hadn't seen it, of course, and I was MORTIFIED as it dawned on me (and my parents) that they suspected me of stealing it! A couple of days later they called and said they had found the envelope amongst some mail or something, and they CERTAINLY hoped I didn't get the impression they thought for a moment that I had taken it!

Well, of course they thought that. And stranger things have happened. People steal things. It's very possible that it happened to the chain. But I still remember how that hurt. What if the money had been thrown in the trash accidentally and never found? They would probably still think I'd stolen it.

Whether they took it or not (doubt you'll ever know) next and every time they come you will be on edge, listening and feeling suspectful and anxious and all this stuff is icky. Let them go, you are not emotionally or anything obligated to them and there are tons of other cleaning people out there. Been through a lot of them, lucked out and have someone who cleans like I did, is flexible and knows cleaning needs change with the season, etc. she brings me flowers and chocolates, I get her special bagels, we giggle and cyper-stalk on computer and stuff. No, this is NOT the usual. I've had terrible cleaning people, 2 good ones only. Life is short, eliminate potential anxiety now, before any potential issues arise.

My mom isnt that demented (dementia-al?) She's very careful with her jewelry. If she wanted the chain off of her pendant, she'd have me do it. (she's sometimes forgetful, but it's more of a "I cant control my anger" kind of dementia right now. She yells a LOT...and has a hair trigger temper)

I looked in her bed. You cant get under her bed because it's a pedestal and there's no access under there except thru the drawers (which I checked) I'd get on my hands and knees to look if I thought I'd be able to get back up off the floor. (It's disturbing how quickly I lost the ability to crawl around on the floor looking for lost stuff under things)

They use our vacuum for cleaning the floor, so if the chain is in the vacuum, I'll have to do an autopsy of the vacuum cleaner bag. I already looked to see if it's wrapped around the beater bar. Didnt see anything.


I dont want to accuse the cleaning lady, because I'm sure they're always the first person suspected. I've been there. (was accused of a theft once when I worked at McD's...someone opened my drive thru window, squeezed thru, and popped the cash drawer open and took the entire plastic drawer. I came back to the drive thru window to find my cash drawer missing and wondering what happened. It was actually another employee who did it. cops found the drawer in his car with the money still in it.) It's not fun to be accused of something you didnt do.

I'm thinking of saying that I think my mom dropped a chain on the floor in her room, and asking them if they could look on the floor before they vacuum the next time they're here. Maybe it is on the floor and I just havent found it yet? Might ask if they remember if the vacuum made any weird noises when they were cleaning my mom's room.

We have had stuff disappear out of our house before. Enough that we think there's someone in the neighborhood that's watching the houses and sneaking in thru garage doors or open front doors. I've gotten to the point where I'm obsessive on making sure the front door and the garage door are locked even if we go around to the side of the house.

It just drives me batty whenever stuff disappears or gets stolen out of our house. (not everything that's disappeared in my house has been stolen, but some has)

If you decide to let them go because of your suspicions, then don't mention the missing chain.