To expect at least a thank you for doing this?

[chickenmadcat]

About a month ago my SIL and her DH went away to a holiday cottage for a few days. The cottage was on a complex about 2 hours' drive away from the town where we live.

On their last morning there they phoned us and said that they had managed to lose their car key, they couldn't find it and that they couldn't get home unless we picked up their spare key from their house, and drove it to them.

We had plans that day, it was a Saturday, but DH said he couldn't leave them stranded (a train home would have cost a fortune and taken hours and hours) and so we drove the 2 hour trip to the holiday complex. When we got there, they were nowhere to be found. I phoned SIL and she said they'd walked into the main town for lunch, and just to leave the keys at the reception of the holiday complex.

DH and I were a bit peeved at this point that they'd gone off out, and we decided to drop off the key at the reception, and then go off and do our own thing for the rest of the day.

We made the trip home, and heard nothing from SIL or her husband. Eventually that evening I sent a text asking if they got the keys and just got a "Yep, we got them" type reply, with no thanks or anything like that.

And we've not heard from them since, at all!

If I was in their position, I'd have been very grateful and at the very least dropped a card and bottle of wine or box of chocs round. They haven't even thanked us!

I'm cross; we do a lot for them and it seems that they totally take us for granted.

YANBU

Are they normally so arseholey?

They do have quite a sense of entitlement I have to admit.

This is the final straw for me though.

Good grief . I would be incandescent at the lack of appreciation. How rude of them.

It would ,of course ,be the last thing I ever did for them .

Well, you'll know another time. Just say "Sorry but we can't I'm afraid..."
YANBU, I'd have been livid.

I would be eternally grateful if someone did that for me and would gush all over them for weeks to come. I would probably have waited for you to arrive then insisted on buying lunch instead of buggering off without a care in the world to sort myself out.

YANBU.

OMG. They are beyond rude. Please promise you will never do anything for them again.

Are you seeing them at Christmas?

Did they even offer to pay your fuel costs for a four hour round trip?

I might be tempted to brazen it out and text them with a 'you know we did expect at least a thank you for driving down, did you forget?'

No, definitely not seeing them at Christmas after this.

SIL is a spoilt little madam; the in-laws run around after her like some sort of pampered little princess.

No, no offer of fuel costs :(

Yes you must remember this and refuse all future requests of help.

How rude. I don't think I'd have the balls to ask anyone to do that for me. In fact, it wouldn't occur to me to involve anyone else -DP and I would just work it out somehow brick and wirecutters

I seem to remember that the AA and RAC can be called to sort out a key for a car? (If you're a member of course) It's telling that the in-laws that run round after this pampered little princess weren't in evidence that day!

I very much doubt I would do a thing for them again.

I would save this up for an occasion when lots of other family members were around and call them up (politely) on it along the lines of "X - do you remember when you mislaid your car key and DH and I had to abandon our plans to travel two hours to get spares to you - because actually I'm surprised and upset that you haven't bothered to thank us at all".

Raggle, I would absolutely love to do that! I'd never have the guts though!

"DH said he couldn't leave them stranded "
Well, next time he feels guilted into dancing attendance on the pwecious pwincess - this will be a great reminder as to why you are NEVER doing anything for them EVER again .

So how come they never asked the in-laws to bring the key to them, if they usually do the running about? Did they refuse to do it and so you were asked?

Couldn't they have approached the nearest dealership (less than two hours journey away) of their cars' marque and request that a replacement be programmed, if it's that kind of key?
Mobile locksmith?
Fully comp insurance with key cover?
There are a few options they could've explored before dragging you out, and away from your plans, on a TWO HOUR journey ffs. I'm guessing it was 100 miles or more.
Cheeky cunts. I'd be incandescent at their entitled rhino hides and am stunned at their brass necks.

I would be tempted to take the passive-aggressive route of a multiple person text message or a Facebook status. Something like,

"Still worn out and behind on work since doing a 4 hour round trip to take Sue and Paul's spare car key to their holiday home after they lost the original. They were in a restaurant when we handed the key to reception and we've not heard from them. Does anyone know if they received it and got home ok?"

Then I'd sit back and watch the pretty fireworks go off.

The in-laws were on holiday abroad at the time, otherwise they'd have no doubt done it.

I like hoobys idea!

Wow, what fuckers!

Next time leave them stranded OP, they deserve it.

Greedy fackers. Ask for a thank you and then reward yourself by never doing a favour for them ever again.

and what does your DH (SIL's brother, I presume) think of all this? Why hasn't he spoken to her about it? Cheeky pair, the both of them.