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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Cheeky requests that make you want to scream

431 replies

MeMySonAndl · 22/04/2016 20:35

What is wrong with people?

This morning, a friend I have not seen in almost 2 years called me. I didn't see the call until lunch time, rang her back and send her a text but didn't reply.

She has just texted back saying that she needed me to give her a lift to the mechanic (WTF?)

Had another one this week, when I had to tell "no" to another mum 14 times as I couldn't have her kid around and take them to an activity because I was working.

She took offence that I couldn't understand that she couldn't take him herself because she was working. Why on earth does she think that I should take time off and earn less money to entertain her kid???

Hmm
OP posts:
MeMySonAndl · 22/04/2016 22:29

Muddlewitch... ShockShockShock

I bet they are related

OP posts:
RaspberryOverload · 22/04/2016 22:34

Your reasoning is right, and what I think myself, why do they have to ask a single
Mum, who have more on her plate than they do, to take care of the child every week, especially when they have now the means and time to do it themselves?

Because they are freeloaders, users, or other words people might choose to describe those who try to get something for nothing, to get others to do stuff so they get to do what they want, or to get out of something they don't want to do.

They don't give a shit that you're working, don't care you might be struggling or might lose pay to accommodate this demand, they see you for what you can be used for, in this case to ferry or look after their child.

MeMySonAndl · 22/04/2016 22:34

CallaLi, the friend who texted me today to ask for a lift to the mechanic, rang me with a list of things I could get her from John Lewis while I was there for a conference.

Apparently she couldn't find black tights in our city. She has also asked me to bring rubbing alcohol from America in the past.

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EverySongbirdSays · 22/04/2016 22:34

Son The very least they could do is offer to take turns, they've offloaded their responsibility onto you and now they have their son whinging and crying to your son about it? Damn cheek of them. And feeding him every week as well !

Gide · 22/04/2016 22:40

A parent came strolling onto the yard where I used to keep the horse one day. She asked if her son could just 'have a little sit on one of the horses'. She was told no, it's not a riding school, all the horses are privately owned. 'Oh, go on', she says, 'he's bored'. This was a very flashy BSJA yard, with some very expensive horses (buggered if I know why I was there!) so the owner she was talking to just gave her a horrified but very firm no. I told her about a really lovely teaching stables, but she didn't want lessons, just a little 'sit'. I honestly don't think she understood why no-one was leaping at the idea!

MeMySonAndl · 22/04/2016 22:43

King... Shocked about the cat owner but now thinking of it... Same friend with the lift to mechanic request today, went to work abroad for 3 months and when she came back she was very angry because her neighbours had left her cat to practically starve, even when she asked them to take care of him.

She locked the cat out when she left and didn't leave any food or money for it. The neighbours said that she just told them "to keep an eye on the cat" when she was living, and that they tried to bring the cat in during the winter but were unable to catch him.

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MeMySonAndl · 22/04/2016 22:46

Gide, that is mental. My boyfriend has a thoroughbred, lovely and flashy horse, would be let a child he doesn't know sit on his horse? Nope. he is not mean, it is just not safe.

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ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba · 22/04/2016 22:46

Not quite the same level of annoyance (especially that it starts off as a genuine compliment) but I get increasingly annoyed with people asking me to make stuff for them. For free . Ffs.

Ummm, let's see, the wool for this blanket cost me about £50 (DD's birthday present) plus hours and hours of crocheting it at night so it would be ready on time.
why the fuck do you think I'd make one for you for free, even if I had the time!
Yes I love crocheting and thanks for telling me I'm good at it, but why on Earth do you assume I'd work for free just because I love my hobby????
you want one? I'll happily teach you how to do it and you can make one for yourself or you can pay for the wool and for my time! Cheeky buggers.

OP

That woman is beyond BU. Good luck

CallaLilli · 22/04/2016 22:47

Raspberry, no but she herself is in Paris now, barely a month after my trip. So why TF she just couldn't wait and get the stuff herself, I really don't know!

MooPointCowsOpinion · 22/04/2016 22:47

I've given a friend a lift once to then be asked to pull into a shop on the way back, to then be left in the car with my child and her child while she did her weekly shop --for
Fucking ages-- and then to help her squish it in my tiny car to then drive her home.

This friend also decided to tell me everything 'wrong' with me because she was doing me a favour apparently.

We are no longer friends.

RandomMess · 22/04/2016 22:51

Just Shock at the freeloading out there!!!

Someone helps us out massively giving DD a lift to hobby each week for the last year, offered to help out with their ddog but it wants to kill our cats so that's a no go. So when they needed to raise sponsorship (non charity) for their hobby I made a very "generous" donation and iterated what they have saved me in time and £ in the past is truly appreciated and recognised.

I still hate that we rely on their kindness to enable DD to partake though!

glueandstick · 22/04/2016 22:52

A 'friend' asked if I could teach her a skill 'when you've got time'

That would be in about 18 years as this was A WEEK after I had given birth. It took me a decade to get to a good standard.

When we met for coffee three weeks later she even brought a picture of the thing she wanted to make which was quite complex and expected to be taught there and then. I still didn't have a clue which way was up and as far from capable of teaching as possible.

MeMySonAndl · 22/04/2016 22:59

Sunny, that reminds me of a long string of friends who asked me to do their webpages, they couldn't pay me but that would help me to get some experience and build my portfolio. It got to the point where I started telling them: no, no, no, I just work for the money, if there is no pay I much rather spend the time reading a book or doing the gardening, OK?

Or the mechanic lift woman asking me to proof read her latest book, she wouldn't be able to pay me but she would add me to the acknowledgements. I felt like asking her, what do you mean? That I need to spend two months doing corrections to your book in exchange of seeing my name printed? No, thanks.

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allowlsthinkalot · 22/04/2016 23:06

I have a cheeky fucker like this.

She texted me once to say "is miniowls free this afternoon?" as though she was going to invite him over And then promptly saud she'd drop her ds round to play with him! She had to go shopping and "he'd prefer to come to you"!!

This week she texted me to say "miniowls says you're camping this weekend, hubby us away so I could drop my dc off to join you"!

She never turns up to collect until hours after she's supposed to.

When we went to the theatre she first assumed that my dh was going to look after her ds along with mine while we took the younger ones, then when told he couldn't as he was working from home and my ds was going to be doing something quiet...she brought an extra child along, picked our tickets up from the box office and nicked one of mine because she didn't have enough tickets. Fortunately I got away with sitting youngest dc on my knee but otherwise I wouldn't have been able to go in!!!

YourLeftElbow · 22/04/2016 23:06

DS had a birthday party a few years ago with 5 school friends. About 15 minutes in, there was a knock on the door. Two tiny kids saying they were there for the party- one had overheard the 5 boys chatting about it at school. So the parents of tiny kids droppes their kids off at a party they weren't invited to and drove off before anyone answered the door! I didn't know the family at all and just had to suck it up- I could hardly leave the kids on the doorstep!

RedOnHerHedd · 22/04/2016 23:10

When I found out I was pregnant, one of my (long gone) "friends" asked if I would give her a sample of my pee so that she would be able to get a house with the council.
I refused.
She got pissed off because apparently I was being unreasonable.
Hence the fact she is no longer a friend.

Pinkheart5915 · 22/04/2016 23:11

14 times to say no Shock some people are so cheeky

The friend that texted me loads when I was in San Francisco for my wedding saying what she wanted me to bring back for her didn't even ask how the wedding was

The friend that that got rid of her car to save the planet and now wants to borrow the car twice every week to go shopping Hmm

ollieplimsoles · 22/04/2016 23:17

I used to hand paint designs on to canvas shoes (like converse style) I would do bespoke designs mostly and people would pay a lot of money.

One woman once purchased a pair I had painted from a craft event my friend was running. The following week I walked passed a seamstress's shop window and there they were on display, with a little star label next to them saying 'bespoke shoe designs!'

When I went in the ask her what the hell she was doing she said she was planning to take 'orders' from the customers who came in her shop and then ring me, describe what they wanted and I could paint the shoes, drop them off and we could share the money. Only I wasn't to put my business card in the boxes as it would 'take business away from the shop' she was apparently only taking £35 per pair from the customer too, she would get £15 of this. The cheapest pair I ever sold was £80

I was totally Shock through her whole speech, then just said please take the shoes out of the window and just enjoy them in your spare time.

What's worse is she was actually annoyed because she already had orders- some woman wanted her grandchildrens faces on her shoes (not the sort of thing I did) and this seamstress was actually angry with me because she would have to cancel the order!

I had never ever met her up until this point!

ollieplimsoles · 22/04/2016 23:21

MeMySonandI I get this all the time

'we cant pay you but it will be great exposure'
'once the book sells we can organise a payment plan'

No. No. No. No. No and No

DameSquashalot · 22/04/2016 23:21

m.youtube.com/watch?v=EsqE6YoMPKA send her this next time

MeMySonAndl · 22/04/2016 23:22

The borrowing car demands is an interesting one. I have only had one person asking to borrow it regularly but she never offered to insure it for the day.

I simply cannot replace the car if something happens to it, so I normally need it when she asks.

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GasLightShining · 22/04/2016 23:24

allowlsthinkalot

I had a friend who would call and say 'what are you doing Saturday'. Stupid here thinking she was going to suggest going out would say 'oh nothing'. You know what follows

EverySongbirdSays · 22/04/2016 23:26

ollieplimsoles Jesus that's fucking outrageous - cheeky fucking bitch. I'd have put forty pounds on the counter taken the shoes and walked out. That's the sort of thing that would have me itching to hit someone and wanting to scream that I couldn't.

Witchend · 22/04/2016 23:27

We know someone that we don't bother with social niceties when they phone, just ask straight away "what are you after?"
They haven't worked out that is not actually a "we're longing to do whatever you want" but actually a "you only ever phone up when you want an unreasonable favour so we're going to say no".

Frikonastick · 22/04/2016 23:30

A mom at school had a sudden death in the family. So she asked another mom, who was a friend, to have one of her three kids for the weekend while she went to the funeral (which was a distance away).

TWO WEEKS later, she was finally persuaded home by threats of going to the social services.

She never called her kid once. And was brazenly unbothered on picking child up.

Turns out, 'sudden death in the family' is a euphemism for going on holiday without your kids.

Whole school was like this Shock about it.