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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think these gifts might be stolen?

184 replies

poopsqueak · 28/12/2017 11:21

(background) BIL has a new(1 yr) gf, she is a bit odd. She is about 34 and a carer. In the past he has gifted carefully thought out presents to ourselves and our daughter.

The first time that we met her, some things went missing from our house. It was new makeup that I had placed on a side table next to the sofa. I saw it there, then she sat down near it and an hour later it was gone. We looked all over the lounge for it all together, couldn't find it. I wasn't too bothered as not expensive but found it very strange and got a bit of a weird vibe. She also took two Kitkats from the biscuits offered around and put them in her bag without asking. She wasn't sneaky about that though just said 'oh I'll have these later' which is weird (IMO) but not a crime.

She told him that she would 'sort christmas this year'

DD is 5 and opened her presents yesterday. BIL and GF live a far away so the presents were not given in person but via a relative.

DD was thrilled to open a pair of Babyliss hair straighteners. now there are a few issues with this; A) totally inappropriate (dangerous) B) daughter has tight/afro hair so cant use them even if we let her C) box was very old and dusty and the packaging was like branding from the early noughties. It was unopened but had damp mould on it. We have had to tell DD she cant use them (for safety reasons) and she is upset. She was also given a bottle of Opium (perfume). Again, inappropriate for a 5yr old, and it was an old design bottle that was pretty beaten up. So far so puzzled.

DH opened his gifts and it was a Dove gift set that had been opened and an item removed (2 out of three were there) and a new bottle of BullDog facewash. Again puzzled about the incomplete gift set.

I opened my gift and was really shocked to find a pack of chestnut brown hair dye (I have blonde hair), some playboy perfume which had been opened and used and a DVD of the new Beauty and the beast, but without the plastic on the packaging or the leaflet inside.

I didnt really know what to say at that point to the relatives that delivered the gifts so just kind of looked confused and put them aside.

I got a strong vibe that they were someone elses stuff? they had been opened and used in some cases, and were such a random selection of things.

We arent planning on saying anything to them really, except maybe about the straighteners and the safety issue but I am really worried that she has taken these things from her clients. She looks after adults with learning disabilities and it would be a violation of their trust. I have no proof though so wonder if its best to just say nothing at all?

OP posts:
nakedscientist · 29/12/2017 10:58

It's not just the oldness/tatty condition/cost but the sheer oddness of the choices. Why not give the beauty and the beast DVD to your 5yo and the opium and hair straighteners to OP? It could have been a mix up if not for the hair dye. The sheer strangeness of the brown hair dye stands out. I mean it clearly was not hanging around in her house if she's a blonde.
She is a very odd person and her gifts are not remarkable for their cheapness but for their strangeness.

SlightlyJaded · 29/12/2017 13:28

You need to speak to your brother if you want to get to the bottom of this. We can only speculate obvs. I hope he isn't blindly defensive of her though.

Weezol · 29/12/2017 14:17

studentmum Crikey, are you a criminal profiler? None of that even crossed my mind, but seeing it laid out in your post makes it seem a real possibility.

Raindancer411 · 29/12/2017 16:05

I know someone that use to buy second hand presents as was to tight to buy full price but expected brand new full price presents.

poopsqueak · 29/12/2017 19:59

Well dh birthday is coming up in a few days so I am excitedly waiting on the randomness to happen again!

OP posts:
MiddleClassProblem · 29/12/2017 20:43

Is there anything he is allergic to?

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 29/12/2017 21:27

Well dh birthday is coming up in a few days so I am excitedly waiting on the randomness to happen again!

Why? Why is your husband expecting a present from this relatively new girlfriend who is in a not particularly well paid job?

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 29/12/2017 21:32

Did you ever get to the bottom of whether your husband's brother had given her the money to buy presents for his family?

Because if not, I haven't seen anything in your updates to justify any reason why the whole bunch of you should not just shrug your shoulders and think oh well , that was a bit odd.

64BooLane · 29/12/2017 21:34

OP’s dh is expecting a present not from the girlfriend, but from his own brother/from them as a couple. Technically that’s who the Christmas presents came from too.

I don’t think

64BooLane · 29/12/2017 21:34

oops, random extra last line in my post

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 29/12/2017 21:57

Has the OP ever established whether her well off brother gave his relatively new, not well off girlfriend money to buy presents for his family?

I don't get this "gifts as a couple" thing.

poopsqueak · 30/12/2017 17:12

We spoke to his parents today. They brought it up actually, asked if we were going to say anything about the straighteners.

Dh sent his bro a quick Facebook message and said thanks for the Christmas presents etc but unfortunately we couldn't let DD us the straightener because of the danger.

He apologised and said his partner had bought the gifts and he had given her some money to do so (didn't say how much and we probably wouldn't ask.)

By the way they are not poor, she is a but he has a good job. And it's not about the size/expense either, more the appropriateness. And actually where the gifts came from.

So I wasn't scoffing at the thought of a cheap present for dh birthday but more at the thought of additional randomness!

OP posts:
Weezol · 30/12/2017 17:15

Oh dear. It doesn't look good. Sounds like she may be abusing his generosity.

poopsqueak · 30/12/2017 17:16

It's up to dh now to follow up on this. I have had to practically force him to send a message today anyway. They don't talk about stuff much between him and his brother.

OP posts:
Shockers · 30/12/2017 17:42

I think those gifts are the kind of things you think wouldn’t be noticed if they went missing.

They definitely don’t sound like the things you’d buy with money given to you to buy gifts with...

Branleuse · 30/12/2017 18:18

blatantly stolen from clients houses. I hope you can find out where she works

MiddleClassProblem · 30/12/2017 18:27

At least the whole family will be keeping an eye on things until they can prove it’s dodgy.

Labradoodliedoodoo · 30/12/2017 18:34

Oh my! Every item sounds charity shop to me including hair dye and electrics. Nothing wrong with charity shops but if it’s not what your DB intended, it needs raising

Lukeandlorelai4Ever · 30/12/2017 18:35

Very strange, I think she's taking your brother for a ride. Do you knkw how much he gave her to buy presents?

YellowFlower201 · 30/12/2017 18:52

The straighteners and coffee sound like intentional digs. She's either very socially awkward or mean and taking your BIL for a ride.

poopsqueak · 01/01/2018 18:00

iTunes vouchers for dh birthday. Outwardly generous but he doesn't have any apple
Products so I don't think you can download stuff to windows stuff?

OP posts:
MiddleClassProblem · 01/01/2018 18:01

Did his brother know he doesn’t have any apple products?

wheresthel1ght · 01/01/2018 19:16

You can download iTunes to Windows laptop or pc so could use it that way

Raindancer411 · 01/01/2018 23:19

Lol I saw a lady buying a fifty quid one the other day and now my mind is whirling 😂

rcit · 02/01/2018 08:13

Charity shops round here don’t do electrics. They have to be certified safe in order to be sold.