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What's your most expensive moment of stupidity?

422 replies

HangingOver · 18/07/2021 17:51

Cheer me up MN.

I visited DF for the first time since moving a loooong way away on the train this weekend. The train fares were over £200 all in but worth it to see DF. Raced to the station today to get the connecting train home and realised the return journey I booked was, in fact, yesterday. Minutes to spare and only first class seats available. £198. So my two days with DF cost me over £400. What an absolute wally! Am trying to channel my inner Love Islander and just say "it is what it is" (and obviously being grateful I actually had the money in my account to buy it). I was trying to think back and I think this is probably my single most expensive incident of stupidity (the one time the waiter accidentally charged my card €300 instead of €30 not counting as that was his fault).

Tell me yours while I drink my fifth cup of free tea.

OP posts:
Saggybaggyaggy · 20/07/2021 16:20

Didn't take an outward flight to New York and wrongly assumed I could get the return flight no problem. Round trip had cost circa £400 and virgin wanted around £900 for the single flight to get me home.

So I thought fuck them, stayed in new York for a few extra days rather than give them £900.

DP stayed with me (he'd got the outbound flight).

We spent £1500 on two flights home, probably £500+ on the hotel plus dinners, drinks, entertainment for the extra days we were there... So yeah at least £2k+ for my ignorance and pettiness to not give virgin a single penny more!

Debetswell · 20/07/2021 16:22

@MrMucker

As a smoker I can reliably say that life is a string of accumulatively expensive moments which at this stage add up to a large yacht in Florida and a Penthouse apartment in Chelsea. Kids-don't smoke.
I read that if someone invested the price of 20 cigarettes a day from age 16 to 60, keeping up with current prices, they would be very wealthy.
VickyEadieofThigh · 20/07/2021 16:28

@CrankyFrankie

Oh I meant to add, not me but some absolute numpty at my friends’ kids’ BMX club who recently spent £6K on a puppy and it died the same night they got it home. So the excited kids basically just got to watch it die. Did they at least get their money back? Not a chance, as they’d picked the dog up from a random wanker at a service station in Wales. So awful.
These stories continue to astonish me. It'd be bad enough paying £6K to a reputable breeder for a puppy - but the 'collect it from a ne'er-do-well at a service station' routine and they fell for that one?
InsanityOf2020 · 20/07/2021 16:32

Was lovebombed, fell for it hook line and sinker, wasnt cautious about security around him and within 3 months he had nicked off with £15k that was in my bank account never to be seen again. I havent made an expensive mistake since because i dont have the means too....

Buddywoo · 20/07/2021 16:39

My mother bought me the most beautiful long cardigan/jacket from YSL in Paris. I loved it and wanted to wear it for a particular occasion but it wasn't quite dry. I put it in the tumble dryer..........

MdNdD · 20/07/2021 17:02

Agreeing to relocate to a different country with cheating husband (and children) for the sake of the family. Has cost me so much more than money. Happiness, fun, family, career, self worth, confidence, my kids happiness, the list goes on.
On a brighter note, once got on the writing no train in France which ended up costing a bomb to get back to where I needed to be!

JackGrealishIsMyNewManCrush · 20/07/2021 17:13

@CrankyFrankie

Oh I meant to add, not me but some absolute numpty at my friends’ kids’ BMX club who recently spent £6K on a puppy and it died the same night they got it home. So the excited kids basically just got to watch it die. Did they at least get their money back? Not a chance, as they’d picked the dog up from a random wanker at a service station in Wales. So awful.

@VickyEadieofThigh

These stories continue to astonish me. It'd be bad enough paying £6K to a reputable breeder for a puppy - but the 'collect it from a ne'er-do-well at a service station' routine and they fell for that one?

This. ^ What dog costs £6,000 anyway? Even the most expensive dog in the UK - a bulldog - goes for £3800 tops. So that person who forked out £6000 for a 'puppy' must have had rocks in their head - and especially so, to have given £6,000 to some random nobody at a petrol station. Confused

And what, did they give him cash??? Because if it was some kind of bankers cheque, there would be some comeback. If it was cash, then more fool them. Like these 45 y.o. (and older) women who give everything they have (sometimes £75K to £100K plus,) to some random bloke from Morocco, who says he needs it for medical treatment for his mother/grannie/auntie Fannie, or his fucking gerbil.

I know I sound a bit harsh, but FFS come ON!

Seriously, how can people be so ridiculously gullible?! Confused

Lonel · 20/07/2021 17:13

Travel mix ups seem to be very common. Maybe we need to go back to using Travel Agents!

Lanique · 20/07/2021 17:39

@SpiderinaWingMirror sorry to hijack thread but my dd has a Yaris which I use for the occasional supermarket trip. Whereabouts is this magical button? I can't find anything online!

SecretWitch · 20/07/2021 18:18

Our child requested a visit to NYC and a baseball game for her birthday. ( we live in Massachusetts which is only a three hour drive to New York)
Booked the hotel and bought game tickets. On our way to Yankee Stadium my daughter fished the tickets and said “ Dad the game was yesterday”....

Husband bought new tickets at the cost of $500.

thatmakesmehappy · 20/07/2021 18:20

@Gerwurtztraminer

Many years ago a friend had vouchers for a photo shoot with free hair & makeup makeover and one free photo each. We thought it would be a fun but cheap girly thing to do together.

Very slick operation. They plied us with cheap bubbly, took loads of shots in various outfits and were very very persuasive - £150 each later we had a CD collection of photo's we hadn't expected to pay for. Felt very stupid by the time we'd sobered up and now (of course) I've misplaced the damn CD.

Omg! This happened to me and my friend too! We were only just 18 at the time. Agreed to a CD of photos and a finance plan to pay them off. Got home and both our mums (they were also best friends) were absolutely furious with us for paying all that money and we were in the dog house for weeks! What's worse, as I felt I couldn't even enjoy/share the pictures we got because I was in such trouble over it! 🤦🏼‍♀️
TheRobotsAreComing · 20/07/2021 20:17

Left our DD (aged 2.5yo at the time) to play upstairs in our old house while we packed up last bits to move house. Called her downstairs then left the house. Came back to old house to make last checks before handing keys over and walked in to 2 inches of water. DD had been playing in the bathroom, put the plug in the sink, and left the tap running... for 2 days!! Ceiling caved in. Goodbye less-than-12-months-old DFS sofas and goodbye £2k rental deposit.

Moral of the story: Always keep an eye on your toddler. Who knew... Blush

Bargebill19 · 20/07/2021 20:31

@TheRobotsAreComing

Not just toddlers- best friend 9 year old did exactly the same😱

tragic · 20/07/2021 20:44

Not sure if this counts because its other people who think I'm stupid for doing it! Almost a grand for a portrait tattoo, Not saying who it is a portrait of as I would get murdered on here as they are not well liked.

Ddot · 20/07/2021 20:49

tragic
Is it trump

tragic · 20/07/2021 20:55

@Ddot

tragic Is it trump
No, there's two of them. I don't mind saying if people want to know, I'm used to people hating it by now lol. Comedians..
Ddot · 20/07/2021 21:14

Two Ronnie's

ReginaaPhalange · 20/07/2021 21:15

@tragic the two Ronnies?

Ddot · 20/07/2021 21:15

Morcom and wise

Ddot · 20/07/2021 21:16

Please do tell

Lonel · 20/07/2021 21:22

Ant and Dec?
Reeves and Mortimer?
The Krankies?

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 20/07/2021 21:23

The Chuckle. Brother?

Creativenina · 20/07/2021 21:28

My DH was stupid enough to give our 5 year old the remote control to the garage door. We were driving out of it and my DS kept pressing the remote so the door kept hitting our car as we were trying to reverse out. Cost us over $1000 to repair the car.

RaindropsOnRosie · 20/07/2021 22:07

Spent nearly 12k getting out house re-painted after we stupidly trusted a cowboy painter. The same week we had to pay for a new roof. The week after that I lost my engagement ring, a month later I picked up my new one and on the same day I got a call from the roofer that my ring had ended up in his bag in his van.

FML.

Camphillgirl · 21/07/2021 09:38

Any of those ads that pop up in MN for footwear and clothing. Check carefully as most are Chinese, although they give the impression they are UK . Goods nowhere near the advertised goods in colour, size, materials or quality. You have to return at your own expense to an address in China and they don’t guarantee receipt therefore don’t guarantee refund. BEWARE