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DD12 - being scammed by friend?

341 replies

Doopersuper · 25/06/2023 22:08

Hey, a bit of a wwyd!…and sorry, tried not to be too long but don’t want to drip feed! DD12 swims 4-5 times a week with a swim club. She & a friend have a locker that they share (we rent it on a yearly basis) so that we don’t have to worry about trailing kit around. In the locker they have their own stuff that they keep separately and a basket/bag of kit they don’t mind sharing. Friend was off for a week and in this time DD12 used a shampoo that was in the shared bag. It was in a supermarket own brand bottle. When friend returned they (and their parent) went nuts because DD had ‘stolen’ their expensive shampoo….apparently it’s a ‘designer’ brand that they had decanted into the own brand bottle and they deny leaving it in the shared section and claim dd took it on purpose (worth noting here it would not have served her hair type well in any way!). We have already stood our ground (it was ugly😬) and thought it had gone away but they’ve started demanding a replacement again after today’s training session. They want DD to give them £30!! Part of me thinks we should just give them the cash and never have dealings with them again but the other part of me is questioning what example that sets for DD - just acquiesce every time you’re accused of something wrongly?! It’s all bloody daft but has become very unpleasant which is very sad. Actually, don’t tell me what to do, just persuade me that this sort of bonkersness is rare!!

OP posts:
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GarlicGrace · 26/06/2023 03:01

MonumentalLentil · 26/06/2023 00:19

Normal price £69.45 😂 One born every minute!

MrsMikeDrop · 26/06/2023 03:07

Rainbowqueeen · 25/06/2023 22:11

Can you suggest a compromise - find out how much the shampoo actually costs and offer 1/10 of that price. It’s not like she would have used the whole bottle.

If they won’t accept that then they are dickheads. And I’d end the locker sharing arrangement.

Excellent advice

Primrosefrill · 26/06/2023 03:16

Sorry but I would not even be entertaining this, they are absolutely mental. So what if she used a tiny bit of shampoo? They sound like utter scum. As my mum would say, "take a step back", cease contact if you need to, but don't be giving them money.

They will sound completely nuts if they tell this story to anyone else.

Interested in this thread?

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oakleaffy · 26/06/2023 03:18

MumblesParty · 25/06/2023 23:54

What reason are they giving for wanting a whole bottle when your DD only used a small amount?

Exactly this...
It's absolutely barking mad.

@Doopersuper
Your daughter used probably 20mls tops of that shampoo.

£30?? She's really trying it on. Crazy woman.

Once I did some consumer 'Testing' using some shampoo that was given to me in plain white bottles.{Market research} Very long hair at the time.

I loved the smell, it had a nice consistency but otherwise, it was unremarkable.
When the name was revealed, it was Molton Brown ! {now £20 a bottle}

It showed how much packaging and advertising {and aroma} count.

I'm sorry you are having to deal with 'Crazy'.

Tabitha1960 · 26/06/2023 03:32

Doopersuper · 25/06/2023 22:40

Hi all, thank you - didn’t think I was that out of touch but blimey, this teeny issue has taken on the drama of a mega soap opera. It’s totally insane that they won’t take cash for the proportion used and just keep demanding a replacement bottle. I’m sorely tempted to just buy them a bottle of the supermarket brand it was in! The locker sharing has already ended - was untenable to continue after the first face off😬… Thing is - how do I even know that what they’re demanding was in the bottle in the first place?!… it’s totally crackers. And I feel awful for dd who is being labelled a ‘thief’ to all and sundry by these numbskulls.

Tell them to call the police on you, or sue you in the Small Claims Court.

And do not pay a single PENNY to them, they are nasty or nuts.

Doingmybest12 · 26/06/2023 03:58

Any normal person would not begrudge a good friend using a bit of their shampoo under any circumstances. Was it the last bit? In which case I'd consider buying another if I'd used it if I'd forgotten mine etc. I can see why you might decant a bit of expensive shampoo if you don't want to give your child the whole bottle. As PP have said stick to saying you are able to replace once you know the brand and then decant a little bit (pretend to). Pretty sure any on lookers will think the friend and parent are totally unreasonable. Think I might be tempted to tell someone at the club too.

Theos · 26/06/2023 03:59

One thing I have learnt as I got older is that when something doesn’t make sense, there’s something you’re not being told about. I wonder if you’ve got a complete story

johnd2 · 26/06/2023 04:05

Theos · 26/06/2023 03:59

One thing I have learnt as I got older is that when something doesn’t make sense, there’s something you’re not being told about. I wonder if you’ve got a complete story

I was going to say the same.

It's not about the shampoo.

The friendship/locker sharing is over by their preference, but breaking up a friendship is not something they allow themselves to do, so it's been made officially Your Family's Fault.

DeflatedAgain · 26/06/2023 04:59

Give them the same cheap brand bottle of shampoo and just tell them you've decanted the expensive one in there.

If they don't believe you, that's fine, because it'll prove you don't have to believe their ludicrous story either.

CF!

Slutdrop · 26/06/2023 05:10

If they can afford £30 for a bottle of shampoo, why are they trying to save money by sharing a locker? They sounds nuts. Give them a wide berth from now on.

pinkginfizz9 · 26/06/2023 05:49

This shared basket thing sounds unlikely to me Can't think of a situation where it would he ok to use someone else's shampoo without asking.Abd you are showing your ignorance regarding the price of premium shampoo

DD12 - being scammed by friend?
oakleaffy · 26/06/2023 05:50

pinkginfizz9 · 26/06/2023 05:49

This shared basket thing sounds unlikely to me Can't think of a situation where it would he ok to use someone else's shampoo without asking.Abd you are showing your ignorance regarding the price of premium shampoo

Think we have found 'Crazy shampoo lady' OP!

Dustybarn · 26/06/2023 05:57

No way I’d bother to buy the shampoo. I’d give them £10 in their postbox and tell them to take a hike.

ThePM · 26/06/2023 06:06

Under No circumstances give them anything. Because it validates their narrative that your daughter did ‘steal’ it and that she is, in-fact, a thief.

Don’t do that to her. You have to face these people down.

BillyNoM8s · 26/06/2023 06:13

Does DD usually use her shampoo, or has she only done so while she's been away?

Seems weird that it's suddenly a problem in the space of a week?

Pansypotter123 · 26/06/2023 06:38

Who paid for the locker share? How did you end the sharing arrangement - are you out of pocket now as I assume you'll be paying for another locker?

Cucucucu · 26/06/2023 06:51

I would be very petty and ask the brand buy a whole bottle and leave just a bit on the end to give it to turn since your daughter only used a bit .

pilates · 26/06/2023 06:52

Sorry if I have missed, but are you paying for the locker? If so, I would bung them a £10 and say that is my contribution for the shampoo. I would not be renewing the locker with them again.

DataNotLore · 26/06/2023 06:57

We need to know the brand,

£30 for a bottle of shampoo is insane

mindfluff · 26/06/2023 07:00

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 25/06/2023 23:56

Buy them some Aldi’s own at 70p and tell them to shove it up their ass!

Or get some of that deodorant that instructs you to 'twist and push up bottom' Grin

If they really somehow did they didn't spend £600 on a bottle of mega-posh shampoo (going on your DD using say 5% of it hence the £30-worth they're claiming), there is no way on earth that they would then decant it into a cheapo nondescript bottle.

People who aren't particularly bothered pay £1 for the basic stuff; people who like the really decent niche ones might pay £5 or £10 or so; anybody genuinely paying £600 for a bottle of 'HEY EVERYBODY, LOOK AT ME AND MY FANCY RIP-OFF SHAMPOO!!!' would be taking out an advert in The Times to tell the world about it, not disguising it as Alberto Balsam from Asda!

My shampoo is pretty expensive (not quite £600 though, as I'm not Medusa herself 😁) and I use plain travel bottles of it outside. I don't think the cost of shampoo is the issue... Like you said, it's the 5% thing. I'd be tempted to chalk this up to a misunderstanding (albeit still unreasonable on their end) if they weren't demanding the price of the entire bottle. That's the scammy bit

ButterCrackers · 26/06/2023 07:06

Your dd used the shampoo from the shared box and used what she thought was cheap shampoo. It’s their fault. Tell them that you’ve noted their thirty pound demand. Do report this to the police and the swim club. Tell them as well that you’ve reported them to the police and swim club. It sounds like a scam as no way does one shampoo use cost thirty pounds. Tell them to get another locker.

Raindancer411 · 26/06/2023 07:07

Buy a bottle of the expensive stuff, decant into an empty one and top the expensive bottle up with supermarkets own brand and give it to them 😂

aperolspritzbasicbitch · 26/06/2023 07:12

I don't think the cost of the shampoo is the issue here - there loads of shampoos that cost that amount, and I happily spend it on my own shampoo. Can't imagine spending it on my teenage daughter to keep in a swimming locker, but there you go.

What's bizarre is the decanting in to a supermarket own brand bottle, and demanding the cost of a whole bottle for a single use.

Absolutely insane! I don't believe it was expensive shampoo, would be more inclined to if it was decanted in to a small, travel size bottle. What is the benefit of putting it in to a different brand bottle?

And why do they want the cost of a whole bottle? Did your daughter use it once, or each time she went swimming that week? Regardless, she's not going to have used a whole bottle.

underneaththeash · 26/06/2023 07:21

Next time they ask - you simply say, "I'm not taking part in this conversation any more" and walk off.

HorribleNecktie · 26/06/2023 07:27

I wouldn’t pay her anything, this is stupid as hell.