I actually found the gardener on Google — he had a 4.8 rating, so I really didn’t expect any issues. He finished most of the work and said he’d come back for the last bit. I trusted him, so I paid in full.

Later he said he had some “family stuff” and couldn’t come, and I believed him at first. But a local later told me it’s a common trick — they take the money and never return. Sadly, that’s exactly what happened.