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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU or is this Facebook woman massively entitled?

78 replies

cityrat79 · 03/10/2016 16:37

We have an old Maclaren buggy with a sticky brake but otherwise fine with a raincover. I advertised it on our local selling pages on Facebook for free to the first person who wanted it. After two or three people turning it down, a woman said she'd take it if I gave her our address.

I asked her to confirm a time first, and she wouldn't. I told her roughly what area we were in (within a 300m radius), and she still wouldn't confirm a time, so I left it, thinking I'd take it to charity the next day.

Then she did confirm a time, I gave her our address, all well and good.

Then the questions started:

"Dose (sic) it recline?" - No, sorry

"Dose (sic) it fold up really small?" Unsure what she meant by really small, so I told her again the exact model of buggy and suggested she googled it.

"Y, u never folded it up?"

I said that I was offering it for free and she could take it or leave it but I didn't have time to get into the exact specifics (I was breastfeeding at the time, out and about in town).

All well and good, and then she messaged to say she'd be late. I said that was fine, we were in until 6, no problem at all.

She then asked me if I could meet her halfway (a 20-minute walk - with me presumably pushing the baby in a buggy and wheeling the other buggy alongside me!), and I said no, sorry.

She told me that she was doing a 40 minute walk with two children and she thought I was being unreasonable.

Surely I'm not! I was trying to do something nice for a neighbour and offer a free buggy...

I replied saying I don't need the hassle and the reason I offered it for free was to get rid of it quickly, and if she doesn't want it, I can take it to the charity shop. My husband now thinks she knows where we live and will probably throw rocks at our house. (Not really.)

I'm half expecting her within the next half an hour... if you don't hear from me again, I'm probably her new maidservant.

Sorry for the rant.

OP posts:
imnotreally · 03/10/2016 17:20

The Mexican house thief thread is hilarious.

LineyReborn · 03/10/2016 17:20

Glad she was lovely.

And yes, sometimes on online written word / texting doesn't do people any favours.

allegretto · 03/10/2016 17:20

All of this would have been avoided if people just called up to have a chat and ask questions instead of sending messages oldfogeyalert

Fluffsnuts · 03/10/2016 17:25

x post sorry.

MilkTwoSugarsThanks · 03/10/2016 17:25

Sounds a bit like me freaking out when I don't know where I'm going, won't know who I'm looking for, might get the wrong place or the wrong person.......

It's my anxiety, and it sounds like she's similar.

Glad it's all turned out OK for you (both).

Original poster
cityrat79 · 03/10/2016 17:27

That works both ways though Allegretto, yes it's much easier to deal with a lovely person and prevents misunderstanding, but if someone genuinely unpleasant has your phone number, that can be truly problematic. All in all, I'll take the messaging. (I am an introvert though, so perhaps that's why.)

Please everyone, stop telling me how great this sodding Mexican thread is - I can't find it!

OP posts:
imnotreally · 03/10/2016 17:28

Have you ever encountered anyone this cheeky?
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/1735637-Have-you-ever-encountered-anyone-this-cheeky

Dizzybintess · 03/10/2016 17:29

I was also once giving away a toy silver cross pram (Not the really fancy type but nice) also I had a toy high chair and toy 4 poster bed... all silver cross. I wanted the to go to a little girl who didn't have much
i had a lady give me a sob story and as we were heading to the tip anyway my hubby agreed to drop them off to her.
I had no thank you at all and she was so abrupt that if she didn't look as intimidating as she did, I would have taken the items back.

Sadly a week later I saw them advertised for a tenner on a boot sale page. I reported her!

toastymarshmallow · 03/10/2016 17:29

She will probably have it up for sale on her area's facebook selling site in half an hour.

CrazyCatLady13 · 03/10/2016 17:33

It's in classics, the thread title is something like have you ever known anyone this cheeky. Enjoy!

imnotreally · 03/10/2016 17:34

It's a bit of a way down. But worth it.

ProfYaffle · 03/10/2016 17:36

I know someone like this. Lovely person, really nice in rl but her literacy skills are awful. Comes across really badly via the written word. She winds people up all the time without meaning to. I find it really sad.

user1475440127 · 03/10/2016 17:36

So funny.
A few years back I was giving away a composter ,a dalek type.
Got an email to say they were interested and would collect. No show so I called them, and agreed to deliver it to their house ( about 200 yards away).
They were not at home to I dropped it over a 4 foot fence where their staffie cross thought it was a toy for him and duly reduced it shreds.

GrumpyOldBag · 03/10/2016 17:50

The use of 'entitled' is inappropriate in this thread though.

Cocklodger · 03/10/2016 18:02

you all seem lovely. All I've seen on my local freecycle was absolutely awful, I was helping my young (under 18) sister furnish her first flat.. fucking hell.
I went to pick up a divan bed base, described as having a few marks but otherwise good condition, drove 15 miles to see it, huge shit stain in the middle of it and when I pulled the bed itself apart (its one of the ones that you can break into pieces for easy removal) to assess the full damage to see if it could be professionally cleaned/fixed the inside was covered in black mold. I just looked at the person giving it away (stood behind me the whole time) and said ''Really, you'd call this good condition?'' and she just said well I didn't want to pay the council to take it... went to see a table that had some pen marks on it, fine, just get a table cloth, the underbeam was snapped and it was so rickety that when I tipped it sideways slightly to see the underneath (to get a better look at the snapped beam) it came in two! Gave up then. tried selling sites, similar situation, items not in quite the same bad condition but were in shoddy condition and selling for no less than maybe 20 less than you'd pay for new. gave up in the end, bought all new for her.
The only thing I could source for sale 2nd hand TV which I had to drive 40 miles to go get (tbf it was a very good price)

BackInTheRoom · 03/10/2016 18:06

Where can I find the house thief thread?

imjessie · 03/10/2016 18:09

I always leave free stuff on the doorstep . Let her take it herself !

imjessie · 03/10/2016 18:09

Obviously I tell people this !

Original poster
cityrat79 · 03/10/2016 18:18

I have now read the house thief thread and my slightly-irritating buggy collector has been put firmly into perspective!

OP posts:
OllyBJolly · 03/10/2016 18:25

I gave up advertising things for free. I now put a price on then tell people to give the money to a charity if they want.

Our Freecycle was the worst - people wanted things delivered at certain times and got antsy if I said I was working, wanted to know if it would match their decor (how would I know?!), wanted photographs, etc etc. When we lost our cat I advertised unopened cat food and treats and was berated for it being the wrong brand!

GabsAlot · 03/10/2016 20:46

ive just read about the mexico home thief

jesus what a cheek!

ellesbellesxxx · 03/10/2016 21:31

I will never use fb selling again.. Advertised a printer for £20, got offered £15 which I accepted.
Agreed to meet outside local supermarket as it was public. Complete no show!
So readvertised it.. He makes an excuse about an ill relative, this time offers £10. I wanted to be rid of it.. He agreed to come collect it.. an hour after he was due, I asked if he was still coming (very politely I hasten to add!) as we agreed a time (now 8pm) and he said that clearly I was getting in a huff so forget it! Could see on messenger he was at his home still so decided not to dignify his answer with a response!

ellesbellesxxx · 03/10/2016 21:31

Glad your person was nice though op :)

DontMindMe1 · 03/10/2016 22:15

i was thrilled to get a quick response to my buggy sale on gumtree, no quibbling over the cost - only stipulation that i post it.....to Nigeria via Western Union! Grin

i actually did laugh at her when i told her i'd do that once she'd transferred the money - incl postage - over Grin

JulietteL · 04/10/2016 01:36

I just lost 4 hours reading the Mexican house thief thread!! Blush