AIBU to ask what cheeky things you've seen people to do in order to not have to pay

[IronFists234]

First off, this is supposed to be a cheeky fucker thread. This is not a thread laughing at people making attempts to cut back to save money. Just want to make that clear!

This thread is inspired by my friend I went swimming with yesterday. Our local pool does wrist bands that indicate what time you entered, so yellow for 2-4, blue for 4-6, etc...

My friend was very adamant we HAD to go swimming at the 4-6 slot. I didn't question it but found her insistence odd.

It turns out she had blue bands from her last swimming session! She had just kept them and not handed them in

When we entered the pool she shouted "oh don't worry I already have the bands" to the pool employees. So not an outright lie but they assumed she paid!

It's a busy pool as well, so I doubt they notice she hasn't paid

I asked her why she did it and she said she'd paid once and if she could get in for free by keeping the bands, why pay?

any other stories like this?

My father also once said he went to a barbecue where the owner requested everyone bring a 'portion of coal' but I still think that was a joke (or hope)

I volunteered for many years in a row at the school Christmas fete and summer fete, there was another woman there who would always volunteer to 'sort through' the donations and would always put the best things (e.g. unread books, dolls still in boxes, luxury foods) to one side for herself or her kids, saying she's pay up later! She never did though. We were supposed to use the really nice items as raffle prizes or for the tombola. It was sheer greediness and I still feel annoyed years later.

I know someone who uses the food bank to save on groceries so she has enough cash leftover for her nights out on the town. That's every week

I thought they called referrals to three? Is that not the case now?

Totally depends on the food bank, how official an operation it is. She's a professional entitled blagger. She says that her benefits don't cover her outgoings and as they don't change, she needs the help each week.

We had booze stealers at our wedding, helped themselves to bottles of champagne from the catering tent and hid them under their table.......just typing that makes me feel annoyed some 12 years later!!

I had exactly this we all put in a tip then one friend said she couldn't afford it (she could) she had three glasses of wine we were all on soft drinks. When we went to pay we all said what we had, so the bill was dwindling. She handed over everyone else tip money then asked what was left owing. I hadn't realised as I had gone out to my car, another friend told me. I was fuming she used our tip money to fund her night out and the restaurant didn't get the tip that was intended for them.

I used to love going to pick your own fruit places, but they all seem to have closed. When the last one I knew of stopped doing it, I went in to ask and they said that it's because so much fruit gets stolen. Nobody minds a few berries nibbled as you pick, that's part of the experience but the girl said that people would come in with their entire family, eat as much as they could eat, and then pay for a small punnet with a few berries in it. And that's why all the fruit farms have stopped pick your own. Such a shame .

sara that happened at our local pick-your-own. This is why we can't have nice things...

" I know someone who uses the food bank to save on groceries so she has enough cash leftover for her nights out on the town. That's every week."
sorry to be a party pooper but that is bolloks

As a waitress I've seen loads of people deliberately order the wrong thing then 'complain' when it turns up and say "well since it's been made I'll eat it but I won't pay for it". That shit didn't fly with me so I once had a half hour stand off with a customer reasoning that he could have it, and pay for it, or have the new order and pay for that instead. He went to my managers house that night to make a formal complaint about me... I laughed about it for weeks! What a sad loser!!!

A friend travel's from Suffolk to London weekly. She often buys one open return (that you can use once within the month)
She uses it about 3 or 4 times. She doesnt go through the barriers at the station, just shows the ticket at the "pushchair" opening and rushes through

When I lived in a shared house in London there was a key for the electric and one of the housemates, who was expert at living on nothing, announced that he would no longer be chipping in for electric as 'he didnt really use it'.
In his room there were at least 5 electric appliances...
This was the same guy who would cook up a big pan of food and offer it to people, then when they had eaten he would tell them it was a pound. lol.

At a soft play party for my dsis recently one mum brought along her older child. While we were having food in the party room she not only sent the older child in to help herself to food, but also to fetch some to take back out to her! She then came in herself and stole more. We were too shocked to say anything.

I have a friend that I only see in each other's houses now due to her behaviour. Examples include drinking half her Coke in a pub before noticing the glass is dirty but finishing the drink before complaining and getting a replacement so she's had one whole one free. Arguing her tango ice blast wasn't fizzy enough in the cinema to get a cheaper ticket. Insisting I drive the short distance to her house whenever it was her turn to drive us into town as she lives slightly closer. She is also a thief and loves to boast about never paying for nappies as she puts them on the bottom of the pram etc. I can't go out with her any more as I've lost count of the times I've stood cringing at her behaviour

Once I left the grocery store and when I got to my car realized I hadn't paid for the case of pop on the bottom of the cart. I'd had a bad day and reasoned that I damn well deserved a freebie, shoved it in my car, and took off for home. However, Karma decided to plot revenge: a couple of weeks later I got all the way home from the store, unpacked the car, and was missing the case of pop I had legitimately paid for back at the store.

This was all to the good, as the guilt had been making me miserable.

I have banned my DDs from going out with one of my SIL's friends, as she is such a freeloader. Sending food and drinks back every time they go out and demanding it for free, trying to use discounts she's not entitled to. The worst was screen hopping at the cinema, so only paying for one film but watching two. I was absolutely outraged. I don't want my DDs exposed to that behaviour and thinking it's ok to do it.

sara107/greebz there are pick your own fruit farms still open in some parts of the country.

Reading all of these and cringing.

On the subject of normalising, my Mum is the classic CF, as kids we thought it was normal to gorge at a Pick your own, lie about your age to get in free or reduced rate, find a wheeze for free parking or entry. Many other things. Never to the extent of shoplifting but still not good.
Conversely as an adult I am scrupulous about paying, to the extent of telling people when they have undercharged and paying the difference.

Yep also a rich CF who also considers herself to have great morals and is a daily church goer. You couldn't make it up.

All family went away for the weekend for a birthday funded by my parents 2 Nights in a posh hotel for 20, cost nearly £3k as I booked it, parents asked that we all buy the rounds of drinks for ourselves and parents only fair, both nights BIL forgot his wallet but would jump up and place his order for himself sis and 4 kids every time we went to buy a round.The last round I bought came to just over £60, I only had £60 on me asked him for some change to cover excess both him and my sis said they had no money on them. on last day all kids followed me to get ice cream when their kids tried to place their order i said Oh have you got money, No daddy said you're buying safe to say I did not buy them ice cream.

I know someone who would take a wheelchair to theme parks and places with queues. She put her children in it to skip the lines without paying for a fancy pass.
She also came to my hen do afternoon tea and refused to pay. Instead sat there eating bags of free sugar for the cups of tea.
She smuggled cans of beer into my wedding and I saw her filling up a glass under her table. This time joke was on her because it was a free bar paid by us. I think she slept with dhs friend because she thought he was buying her drinks all night. She never once went to the bar herself to find out.

My mil used to be a nanny and saved loads of baby clothes with sick and poor stains for potential grandchildren. From the 70s. Could probably go to a museum but she thinks we can use them. This one is actually kind of sweet .

My dad is a supermarket raider. Buys reduced stuff and puts it in the freezer. One year filled the freezer with around 50 baked bries for 10p each.

During uni I would waitress and tend bar at an Irish pub kind of place here in the US when I was home for the summer. It was in the downtown area of a small city and the food was very good, so they did a nice lunch business.

Once day two women came in and had lunch in the front, by the door when I was working that section. They skipped out without paying when I was in the back picking up an order. This happened from time to time, and was called pulling a "chew and screw". The owner was a really good bloke and didn't make me cover it, but there was certainly no tip and it made me feel like a mug.

A few weeks later the same CF's were back for lunch again. I was working the back room that day and I didn't spot them until they had their food, or I would have refused them service. What they hadn't counted on was the fact that the place was just two blocks from the police station and we had a lot of police detectives what ate lunch there, partly because we comped their drinks.

I spotted two of my regulars from the station house (detectives who just dressed like businessmen) and had a quiet word with them about what had happened the last time they were in and asked them to help me keep an eye on them. Sure enough, as soon as their forks were down and I was out of the room they headed for the door. The two detectives followed them and arrested them right outside. I went out to see what was happening and to give the detectives whatever details they needed. One of the women figured out how they had gotten caught and cursed me up and down as they were handcuffed and walked away to the police station.

They never came back, at least not while I was working there.

It amazes me how many people manage to blag a free meal by pretending it wasn't cooked properly, or tasted foul, or wasn't what they'd ordered.

Surely, if you eat it, you pay for it - if I worked in a restaurant or cafe I would definitely tell them that they should have complained straight away.

I suppose it's because this type of person is prepared to kick-off and make a huge scene in public and affect other diners.

I always say if I haven’t liked something in my meal, but have never been offered a whole free one. I’ve only ever been offered a free drink.

The only person I know who has been offered a free meal was after they caught norovirus at Wahaca!

I imagine you’d have kick up an enormous stink to get a free meal!

Surely, if you eat it, you pay for it - if I worked in a restaurant or cafe I would definitely tell them that they should have complained straight away.

It's common practice in the US for the server to stop by the table a few minutes after people start to eat to ask if everything is to their liking. That's mostly to ensure customer satisfaction and let them know that the server is available to set things right if there's a problem. That's also the customer's chance to send it back if it's not prepared to their liking. If they say it's fine they can't complain later after eating every last bit and try not to pay.

@MissConductUS not just in the US. Here in NZ it's pretty normal for a server to swing. Y and check everything is ok. Usually as I've just put something in my mouth. I think the timing is a conspiracy.

Another one with wedding guests trying to walk off with unopened bottles.

We had our wedding reception at my lovely in laws place & were able to have a much bigger food and alcohol budget as we didn’t pay for a venue. We had several bars that were just help yourself to what you want one with ciders & beers, one with wine, plus a DIY cocktail bar that was stocked with about 40 bottles of spirits & all the mixers. We wanted everyone to have a good time and have whatever they fancied to drink, but I obviously massively overestimated how much our guests were capable of drinking!

One of DH’s old uni mates tried to walk off with two bottles of vodka at the end of the night. He was astounded when DH told him to put them down and said “but you’ve already paid for them and there are loads left”

Dullandold this documentary that was supposed to be nice about food banks Followed a few of the recipients of food bank food. They caught out one of the main recipients as a scammer who had cheated the food bank out of hundreds of pounds worth. The man was even photographed as the 1,000 client. Therefore it is perfectly possible for people to scam. When the man was caught by the documentary team the people running the food bank were shocked and said they had followed all of the referral procedures.Watching it was quite an eye-opener. m.youtube.com/watch?v=3iskVBOYfOU