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Original poster

Has a spiteful/ vengeful act bought you joy?

125 replies

SpitefulOldBag · 04/08/2019 21:53

I’m currently contemplating doing something pretty spiteful to someone who is making my life very difficult. My very sensible and rational dh is telling me that it won’t make me feel any better about the situation. I think it definitely will and even if it doesn’t make me feel better it certainly won’t make me feel worse.

Its an incredibly long and not very interesting story but this person is absolutely awful and I (so far at least) have done nothing at all to warrant her behaviour towards me.

OP posts:
RockinHippy · 04/08/2019 23:31

It really does depend on a lot of different factors.

I have done it, yes, but then there has been other times when equally bad things have been done to me, where I've realised that the best revenge is to cut them out of my life & carry on making a success of the things that they were jealous of & act like they had never existed. I can't even be bothered to fantasise about hurting them anymore, they mean that little to me. I hear of them occasionally & crack the occasional wry smile that they are still stuck in the same rut they were 20 years ago & they weren't happy with it then.

I have thrice had revenge on exes who continued to cause me problems after we'd split, due to their behaviour, one becoming a stalker, van parked outside my window everyday, turning up outside friends houses etc. The police were worse than useless, so I took things into my own hands & spiked his tyres, causing 4 slow punctures. I didn't know he was off on a long weekend with the woman he wasn't having an affair (ha) with when I kicked him out. I heard later that his car broke down in the middle of nowhere & it was pre mobile phone days & been the useless flaky git he was, he didn't have AA cover or the likes, so they ended up having to sleep in the car & it cost him a small fortune getting it recovered. A few more tyre spikes whenever his car was parked outside my house & he stopped his antics

I haven't felt in slightest bit bad about that ever. I don't really think of him anymore & if I do, I can still giggle to myself about getting my own back. Same with the others

CrazyCatLady159 · 04/08/2019 23:33

Yes - my ex!
I loved every single second of it

Reported him for benefit fraud and his parents for tax evasion as they was enabling him to avoid paying child maintenance

Still don't feel guilty.
Would 100% do it again if need be

ThanosSavedMe · 04/08/2019 23:38

An ex owed me money and kept coming up with excuses on why he couldn’t pay. Saw him in tow with his new gf so phones his mum and asked to speak to him (we both still lived with parents - were still fairly young) knowing he wasn’t there and when his mum asked if was ok (which I knew she would do) I mentioned the money he owed me. I had it the repair in full the next day.

ThanosSavedMe · 04/08/2019 23:39

Paid in full - bloody autocorrect

spongedog · 04/08/2019 23:47

I did when a contractor really messed me about - shoddy job, poor timekeeping, water leaks, adding extras to the job. I reported him to the VAT office. I have no idea if they investigated but I felt it was a reasonable action to take. I am now older and will never use anyone who offers a cheap job, no VAT.

Adollop · 05/08/2019 00:32

Don't do it. It'll make no difference to what happened, you can't change that, and you could ruin someone's life.

Original poster
SpitefulOldBag · 05/08/2019 18:32

Well despite your advice I did it anyway. I feel pretty pleased with myself about it at the moment.

It’s a long and boring story but basically a woman has been giving me constant grief about our house renovations. Her gma used to live there and she spent a lot of time there as a child but it was sold out of the family decades ago. Her complaints have been getting more and more ridiculous to the point where the police have warned her not to contact me as it’s becoming harassment. A few days ago all our neighbours were sent a note saying that I’m abusing my kids and that the police won’t do anything about it. Police know it’s her but have no proof so can’t do anything apart from tell her again to back off. Today I cut down the tree that she’d planted in my garden as a child with her gma. Which makes me an incredibly awful person. And idgaf.

OP posts:
Pillowcased · 05/08/2019 18:36

That sounds awful, OP. And as you own the property now, I don't think you were being spiteful to cut down a tree in your own garden. If we all respected the planting decisions/sentimental preference of people who used to live in our houses, I would still have a row of giant Leylandii on my border and some very weird topiary out front, which were clearly lovingly tended but absolutely hideous and twee.

Original poster
SpitefulOldBag · 05/08/2019 18:38

Thanks pillowcased. She’s completely obsessed with this bloody house. She started off lovely and we were happy to show her around. As soon as she realised that we weren’t decorating the house to look exactly as she remembered in the 60’s she lost the plot.

OP posts:
Pillowcased · 05/08/2019 18:40

God, that's mad. She sounds quite unwell. Fortunately, you seem well on top of things apart from attacking her favourite tree with a chainsaw Grin but I can imagine someone less together being desperately upset by the child abuse allegations and harassment.

IvanaPee · 05/08/2019 18:40

Oh my god. She’s unhinged!

I actually think cutting down the tree is a stroke of genius 😂😂😂

Will she be able to see it do you think? Like, is there a concern that she’ll actually try to harm you?

Rachelover40 · 05/08/2019 18:43

No and I can't imagine it would. I did feel quite vicious towards somebody many years ago but I realised that person was still controlling me, I felt so ill. It passed and I'm glad. I wouldn't have done anything anyway - what would be the point? However I felt vicious in my head. I wasn't ashamed of the feeling but it was good when that feeling disappeared. I was free!

I've not been a spiteful adult; I remember saying some nasty things when I was a kid, feel quite ashamed now.

CruellaFeinberg · 05/08/2019 18:45

You should have cut slices off it, making it smaller and smaller....

Rachelover40 · 05/08/2019 18:47

The allegations of child abuse are outrageous! I sincerely hope the police at least whispered in her even if they could do nothing else.

She is a sick woman but that isn't your burden. You're bearing up well as it is. I would be far less sanguine had I or my husband been accused of child abuse.

DragonMamma · 05/08/2019 18:48

She sounds barking and I would have done that for telling my neighbours I was abusing my kids!

WombatStewForTea · 05/08/2019 18:50

Haha I think that's genius OP! If only you could guarantee you'd see her face when she saw it

Original poster
SpitefulOldBag · 05/08/2019 18:51

I am pretty upset by the child abuse claims. Luckily I know most of the neighbours as she’s tried to recruit most of them to object to my planning permission applications and she’s constantly lurking and moaning at the builders.

The tree is very obvious, she could see it from her house on the other side of the harbour which was apparently one of the reasons she bought the house she lives in.

She won’t try to actually harm me or anything. She’s a very pleasant, respectable woman in her late 50’s (as long as you’re doing absolutely everything she wants). She’s never even shouted or been rude to me. She asks me if I could please paint my house a different colour/ use different roof slates/ put up different shutters etc, then I say no, sorry also very nicely and politely. Then she complains to absolutely everyone in the town and accuses me of causing her emotional distress (via letter). I always think of that scene in Fleabag where Olivia Colman is very lovely to the priest then screams and calls him a fucking cunt the minute he’s out of earshot.

OP posts:
UserNameDeletedShortly · 05/08/2019 18:54

Oh no. I feel your anger towards your neighbour and I KNOW why you did it, but I feel a bit sad a tree has paid the price for her stupidity and harassment.

MothratheMighty · 05/08/2019 18:55

I’m supposed to say no, but it would be a lie. I have enjoyed planning and carrying out several acts of revenge. Each one enabled me to move on, rather like a cat scratching dirt over the poo it just had.

Contraceptionismyfriend · 05/08/2019 18:57

I'd turn it into chippings in your front garden so she can see.

Yes I've done something purely petty and spiteful. It brought me immense joy. The person the act was against never knew it was me and I've never told someone what I did so I've gotten away with it.

Contraceptionismyfriend · 05/08/2019 18:57

I'd turn it into chippings in your front garden so she can see.

Yes I've done something purely petty and spiteful. It brought me immense joy. The person the act was against never knew it was me and I've never told someone what I did so I've gotten away with it.

IvanaPee · 05/08/2019 18:57

Ooooh I wonder what she’ll do when she sees it! 😂

PicsInRed · 05/08/2019 18:58

Full credit 😉 to Redannie, amazing, love your work.
🤗👏

AnneLovesGilbert · 05/08/2019 19:02

Genius @Bastable I love a villain. Can you PM your book title? Grin

Good decision OP. She’s an evil nutter, what a revolting thing to do.

PicsInRed · 05/08/2019 19:03

A few days ago all our neighbours were sent a note saying that I’m abusing my kids and that the police won’t do anything about it.

Today I cut down the tree that she’d planted in my garden as a child with her gma.

Threaten a mother using her kids, that's what you get. 🤷‍♀️
👏👏