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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Leaving someone stranded at 1am at night

449 replies

dranaksjd · 30/08/2016 15:32

Honest opinions wanted here.

Here's the scenario. My friend (she's 26) foudn herself having to return home much later than she expected. This meant she had to get the last train home from Birmingham city centre.

There was a mix up on the departure board which meant she got on the wrong train and ended up in a tiny train station in a village quite far from any major city.

She was clearly distressed as she got off the train and a couple overheard her conversation to her friend. She explain she had only £10
On her, no bank card on her and no idea where she was and no charge on her phone to call anyone to see if they could pick her up.

The couple said they would take her to the main train station in the nearest city which was 10 minutes drive away.

So she got in the car. They dropped her off at that train station at 1am.

She then found a pub willing to let her charge her phone and then when the pub closed she returned to the train station at 2 am. It was at 4am before she realised she could do an emergency transaction using her natwest online banking app.
She comes across as someone who would be comfortably well off so I'm guessing the couple thought she had money but she had explained she did not have her card on her.

She then paid a lot of money for a taxi home.

Now obviously it was nice of the couple to give her a lift the the main train station, but it didn't actually help her much. And they left her at 1am with no cash on her, outside a train station which was boarded up and closed.

That doesn't sit well with me and isn't something I would do. Or am I being unreasonable? Obviously it was unwise of her to travel back at that time but she was not expecting that morning when she left the house to be travelling at that time.

Honest opinions wanted here. And I'm genuinely not the person this post is about.

Just genuinely interested in what others opinion is.

OP posts:
gingerbreadmanm · 30/08/2016 17:15

victim. and well dressed? wtf.

any normal person who's phone had broke should surely just borrow a phone to phone someone who cares about them enough to care about their safety?

getting in a car at 1.00am with strangers is a bit odd. i mean how did she come from being on a train to someone offering her a lift?

i think your friend might need to take her personal safety more serious regardless of how she dresses.

biscuitkumquat · 30/08/2016 17:15

OP, your friend is, indeed, a pudding.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 30/08/2016 17:15

The nephew is a drink induced hallucination - pudding pal is busy handing bits of chocolate to thin air.

MadHattersWineParty · 30/08/2016 17:16

Well a few posters gently pointed out holes and complete bullshit early on Grin

OP has a few 'pudding friends' that she kindly gives a lot of time to in between being a doctor, a teacher, raising twin toddlers and some other regretted child. What a marvel.

gingerbreadmanm · 30/08/2016 17:16

haha just read the most recent posts. i wondered if it was the nephew person. creating quite a history here Grin

JessieMcJessie · 30/08/2016 17:18

"pudding friends" 😀

biscuitkumquat · 30/08/2016 17:18

Desolate

this is the imaginary 1am service to FuckWitVille calling at NicePeopleTown, Trumpton, Narnia and Smallville. NicePeopleTown is your next stop?

Just spat my coffee all over my laptop

jeanie508 · 30/08/2016 17:18

OP is apparently a doctor who trained for many years but can't believe the people who work with her think specific is pacific. Although she is working with colleges so who knows... She's also a teacher and has one or two children depending on the day...

WorraLiberty · 30/08/2016 17:19

At least the restaurant thread makes sense now Grin

I can totally understand why the OP gets the hump with her 'restaurant friend', for expecting her to bring her twins out with her Grin

JessieMcJessie · 30/08/2016 17:20

Re borrowing a phone to call someone who cares, I do have to admit that I would not be able to do that as I haven't memorised or written down a "person who cares" number for years. Better sort that out...

DesolateWaist · 30/08/2016 17:21

I see Jessie. I was confused. I thought that the ultimate destination was FuckWitVille, but it wasn't. The finally destination was actually FarFarAwayCity and Pudding Child usually gets the stopping train to FarFarAway city and gets off and the first stop.
But this first stop is clear Narnia or Diagon Ally or some shit as it manages to be in the middle of nowhere whilst being only 10 minutes drive from a major main line city train station.

SaucyJack · 30/08/2016 17:21

I missed the last train home once. I walked five minutes down the road and got the night bus instead.

The end.

JessieMcJessie · 30/08/2016 17:21

Agreed Desolate, I asked the same question in my first post!

ratspeaker · 30/08/2016 17:22

OP, in your story your pal wasn't left stranded.
She accepted a lift, in the early hours of the morning from strangers who didn't mug her.
They dropped her at a main station.
She then found a pub, which not only let her sit there, presumably without buying a drink and also let her charge her phone, in the early hours of the morning. So she wasn't exactly stuck at the side of a road without shelter.

Cackleberry4 · 30/08/2016 17:23

She's 26, therefore an adult. The couple helped her as did others, just what did this individual do to help herself from being in such a situation?

ilovesooty · 30/08/2016 17:23

Is this the poster who had a friend none of her other friends liked?

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 30/08/2016 17:24

Dh travels by train between London and Glasgow a lot. Some trains stop at a particular northern English city. Some don't. The departure boards and announcements all make it crystal clear when it is a service that doesn't stop at there - but all too often passengers for this city manage to ignore all this information and are horrified to learn that the train will be speeding them straight past their destination.

Many times dh has been on this service when it has had to make an unscheduled stop at this city, to let off some numpty who can't or won't pay attention to information and announcements (much like the OP's friend), because the train won't be in Glasgow until after the last train back to Numptyville has departed, and they don't want to strand said numpty in Glasgow overnight.

SestraClone · 30/08/2016 17:25

Your friend is so wealthy, well dressed and doesn't look like a victim (whatever that means!) yet actually lives on income support & disability benefits and has only £5 to feed herself.

titchy · 30/08/2016 17:27

That's NHS contracts for you. GPs now don't even have a fiver to feed the nephew. Shame on you Jeremy Hunt...

Idliketobeabutterfly · 30/08/2016 17:28

The East coast mainline trains used to stop at Leeds or Doncaster but not both and were always very clear.

QueenofallIsee · 30/08/2016 17:31

If she was in Telford I heard her! and she was a pain in the arse who phoned loads of people on her mobile simply to whine about her predicament (who clearly could not help her) rather than sort herself out

HeCantBeSerious · 30/08/2016 17:33

More info needed Queen. Was she drunk? Did she mention a daughter or son/twins?

Effendi · 30/08/2016 17:34

Best thread in months.
I'd like to add some further stops to the train: Numpty Head, Twintown and Puddingville. ARF.

SvalbardianPenguin · 30/08/2016 17:34

She had no card with her yet she managed to pay for a taxi? As far as I know an online banking app does not let you withdraw money from your phone/tablet!

She should have stayed on the train and explained to the guard/inspector or whoever.

bloodymaria · 30/08/2016 17:35

I love you, mumsnet.