When dd was in primary school her friend was the child of a single parent who worked really hard. Anyway as I was a Sahp I helped her out a lot so she didn’t have to pay a childminder. I never begrudged it and had an awful amount of respect for her doing anything. These days ran into my other kids birthdays so she was included in their trips out and parties, and of course dds.
Anyway I was more than happy to help until said Mum had a party for her dd and invited all of their friends apart from dd, who was devastated. I was completely shocked that she’d be so unkind after the kindness I’d shown her.
Some of these CFs seem so clever and calculating with knowing exactly how to exploit other people's goodwill, but I'm baffled by the way they will suddenly kill the golden goose (from their pov). Even if she didn't care less about you, you'd have thought that, for the sake of one extra child at a party, she'd have seen it as an 'investment' against how much she'd be able to continue trying to rinse you.
Same also with those who don't say Thank you or give any acknowledgment to regular kindnesses. They must be so arrogant, entitled and/or stupid (in spite of their wiliness in using people). Even if they're sneering at you internally, you'd think they'd realise that a sincere-sounding Thank you would keep oiling the wheels and keeping you sweet to maintain you as a useful 'asset'.
As for the angry, screaming woman whose phone was found: why ever would you do that before the kind stranger has told you where to come to collect it from? I'd just fake apologise to them for disturbing their phone from where they'd obviously intentionally left it and say I'd leave it on the park bench (or similar) so that it would be very easy for them and any thieves to see it, when they were ready to come back for it. If they were still rude, I'd tell them I was just going to put it in the nearest bin. I wouldn't do that, but they'd be getting no more hep from me until they'd at least been civil to me about it.
Roussette - When you say 'oven tray', do you mean a specific one that goes with the model of oven - for which a replacement could probably be bought quite easily? Please don't tell me they're referring to a standard baking tray that you could buy from Poundland?!
Charity1. We have to help? Errrr ... usually we're just given the money
Charity 2. Four days before the event, having never provided names of the volunteers despite many requests: "We are busy you know; we have families and don't have time for this"
This is actually helpful to you, as they're self-identifying that they're the kind of people who, far from pitching in to support a charitable cause that is dear to their hearts, have merely seized on a charity as a means of exploiting it and making money from it for themselves, without caring a fig about the actual charity itself.
Please note: I am NOT by any means including in this all people who are paid to work for charities (as I do myself) and for whom it's a mutually beneficial relationship, allowing them to support themselves and their families whilst working passionately for the charity that they believe in.