ArraDreamingSenior Contributor
Slandered online
I'm so upset. I have just been slandered online, on a community Facebook group.
for background: I used to run a what I would call successful landscaping business and worked hard to build this up, 2021 has been hectic with a new baby, moving house and a mountain bike injury where they thought I'd have a spinal cord injury (did not) that has left me with back pain so bad some days I struggle to neel down and pick up our baby off the floor. I couldn't do much more than just a walk around the yard for about 6 weeks.
About mid year I started a landscaping job for a local family, it was going to take a while to finish and everything was ok, but in the throws of COVID, looking after a baby and a toddler and then getting injured I had to take some leave to look after myself especially because after the accident I physically could not work. I told them this and that I was unable to complete the job in the time frame they wanted, and that I was taking some leave to look after myself and when I returned (only a couple of weeks at that stage, I thought things would progress faster than they did) I would be able to finish it. They were fine with this... but I ended up closing my business completely because it was too difficult to run during COVID and basically shit just hit the fan especially with my injury. Not explaining all of that now.
I communicated with them about this. A lot of times. In fact I did not get a response and my calls went unanswered. I left messages. I told all of my customers. I didn't hear from those people but I stupidly assumed that meant they got my messages. They were seen on iMessage though?
Today:
I'm called lazy, dishonest, that I do not work finish work in the time frame I said I would, untrustworthy and unreliable. They said they expected this to be done and now they are "left in the lurch" and needed this done months ago and now won't have a finished backyard for Christmas
None of this is true about me.
Not only has my business which is closed been slandered but my name personally. Using pictures from my own personal Facebook page to name and shame me for something I did not do. They took photos of their yard and said that I did that and left them with that mess.
I did not do that. I am so hurt. I am at home with my kids today and I got a call from my partner about it at lunch time. This couldn't be any further from the truth but now I am being spoken about like a criminal. The comments on the post all support the original poster saying how horrible that was and how dare I do that, only one or two people bothered to search for my page and see that I am closed and comment that. I feel so upset and hurt by my own community right now.
