Prank to far?

[Rainbowbagel]

I have been the victim of a practical joke at work and it has really hit me hard.

A famous person that I really admired came into work the other day and I served them, I loved this person when I was younger more than I do now and although admittedly with all the headgear and mask I didn’t recognise them at first once they’d left and I’d realised who I served I because overwhelmed with excitement and nostalgia.

Two of my colleagues popped out soon after and came back in 10 minutes later presenting me with a box, it had a cake inside and my name and said celebrities signature on the front. They told me they’d bumped into this celeb and explained what happened and then the celeb had got me a cake and signed the box. (You can see where this is going)

I asked them repeatedly if it was a joke to which they swore adamantly it wasn’t, I proceeded to put it on social media and called those close to me in excitement all whilst asking them if it was a wind up!

A whole week later I am doing a job at work and I notice the same to sniggering in the corner, I asked what they were laughing at and they said not to worry followed by whispering, they carried on giggling and I felt a little left out so asked again, I then started to get the impression I was the joke, I asked if I had something on my face, if I’d said something to upset them or something silly. The laughing worsened and I started to panic and after about ten minutes of me practically begging to be let in on this joke they revealed that the celeb thing had all been a prank. I buried my head, informed them that I was extremely embarrassed and ran to the toiled where I burst into tears.

I have had an extremely tough few weeks (haven't we all!) I lost my job earlier in the year due to Covid and luckily managed to get this to help with bills and keep me afloat. I am struggling financially and I’m so lonely and this has just really got to me.

I counted these people as friends and I just feel so betrayed, the original prank was/is funny but to let me call/ tell people, to tag the celebrity to thank them to be laughing behind my back for a whole week!

I am to embarrassed to speak with anyone about it and get a big emotional when I do so just wanted some (friendly) advice really

Being unreasonable - I am being overly sensitive

Not unreasonable- too far, almost bullying

I think I’ve just been having it so tough recently and this really got me through and now the realisation that it was all a joke at my expense hurts a little deeper.

Brb, just taking the signed fake box down from my wall

It's them who should be embarrassed, not you. How childish and cruel to do this in the first place, then to keep ot going for a week? Very odd behaviour

It's bullying. Plain and simple. Can you report to your line manager? The sniggering behind your back is unacceptable and I'm sure if you hadn't begged them to tell you, it would have continued.

That's not a prank, that's repeatedly lying to your face. They are disgusting liars.

To their faces I'd be initially bright and breezy "joke's on you, I got a cake and a smile out of it!" but then for everything they suggest or discuss at work I'd publicly check "is this true, or another of your tall stories?! Haha, we all know how you are with the concept of truth! "

Nasty. Would have been one thing if they’d told you the truth before you posted on social media about it. But to let you do that was awful.

Bullying to laugh behind your back for a week.

Don't be embarrassed though, you got free cake and celeb unlikely to have seen it on twitter, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.

Shitty thing to do not a prank a nasty spiteful trick.

Wow, what arseholes. You took them at their word. They had to work hard to convince you so you weren't naive. But you asked them were they telling the truth and they lied HARD. They lied so hard.

They should be so embarrassed.

When you next make the tea, spit in theirs !

Horrendous behaviour on their part. I detest 'pranks' of this nature, especially in the workplace, and especially ones that take this much effort just to make someone else look or feel ridiculous. It's not a prank, it's calculated meanness and strays into bullying territory. The fact they spent a week lying to your face, letting you believe it, then you had to drag the truth out of them because you spotted their horrific giggling just makes it worse.

I'm so sorry they did this to you, you didn't deserve it. If you can speak to a line manager then please please do.

Funny for the first 30 seconds but to allow you to believe it for a week is cruel and is a form of bullying. Dickheads the lot of them

Theyre a pair of nasty dickheads. I'm really sorry, OP. I know you probably just want to put your head down and try abd forget about it, but I think this sorrt of singling out of someone, giggling at you together, warrants speaking to your boss. They should be reprimanded.

That's horrible @Rainbowbagel and I'd honestly speak to a manager/HR about it because it's spiteful bullying behaviour and you're probably not the only one they've done it to.

I'm so sorry they did this to you.

That's fucking nasty! Really fucking nasty! They set you up just so they could take the piss out of you and laugh at you behind your back?

A practical joke is something that is realised quickly and makes everyone laugh. (Though since hate "fooled you!" type pranks because I cannot see how making someone feel embarrassed is in any way funny)

Bullying is something they drag out and use against you for a long time. This is bullying. Pure and simple.

As for what to do? I genuinely don't know. Would going to the boss or HR help? Personally I would completely disengage. Forget the idea of colleague friends. Go to work, be polite when spoken to, do your job and go home.

Imo you need to take in a batch of laxative laced cakes...

Also I don't think this is okay AT ALL. You don't use people's likes and enjoyment against them like this. It wouldn't have been okay if they told you after 30 seconds or before you posted on social media.

It isn't a joke and it isn't funny at all.

I'd also perhaps tweet or DM what they did, tagging the celeb. You might end up with a real autograph and something nice to make you feel better?

It's mean spirited. A friendly tease would end quickly, it wouldn't carry on for days and let you upload the non-event on to a public forum. I'd be hurt. You can take the higher ground with how you behave around them but I'd be guarded, these people are not nice.

OP hold your head up high.. they are twats... you on the other hand sound very nice 🌺

Go back to your SM posts and update them!

Seems I work with some immature peeps! They thought this would be funny. But I thank them for the week I thought I had

That was a spiteful trick OP.
I'm sorry you thought of these people as friends, the laughing and sniggering at you was horrible. Keep them at arms length from now on.
Don't let them get you down. I hope you have kinder friends outside work

Nah that's really harsh. If they'd told you straight away then I'm sure you'd have laughed but to let you post it to social media and laugh behind your back for a week is too far imo.

Who's the celeb?

funny for a couple of minutes, mean to let it go on for a week and let you tell people etc.

It’s not a nice way to treat someone at all, I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this.

I counted these people as friends and I just feel so betrayed, the original prank was/is funny but to let me call/ tell people, to tag the celebrity to thank them to be laughing behind my back for a whole week!

Did they know you were phoning people or posting pictures before you had done so?

Personally I would have found it funny but then Ive worked in environments where this was normal. However I would assume my colleagues would know that I wouldn't be sharing it on social media etc because it's not something I would do.

Once they saw the tagging etc then they should have been honest with you. Perhaps they are just not your friends.