Best CF stories part 2

[HepLaurenceLB]

First thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3905995-Best-CF-Stories

We took home all our decorations that cost over £2k which the shite promised the other couple for free everything cleaned so the shite couldn't complain that we trashed the room.

I would have loved to have seen the shite's face at 10am the next day expecting the room to be ready. There was an hour to get the room ready before the next wedding at 11am! He also told his staff not to come in until 10am. Karma and all that.

You did 100% the right thing, no question.... BUT as well as it serving him right when he has the very difficult matter to resolve his lie with the couple, I do feel really sorry for the couple whom he lied and made a false promise to.

There's no way that he can possibly get it sorted and everything replaced in less than an hour, so he'll be looking at compensation and/or hopefully terrible online reviews from the angry bride and groom, but their wedding will always be spoilt because of it. In some cases, compo afterwards can completely make up for your disappointment, for something relatively run of the mill; but for such a big, special, once-in-a-lifetime event, that isn't going to be the case.

Also, are you sure that he promised it to them for free? Horrible, dishonest people like him are expert at charging multiple people for the same thing.

Also, fascinating and funny (in an open-mouthed way) though these stories always are to read, I think there's sometimes quite a blurred line between basic CFery/'pushing your luck' and outright theft.

It's one thing asking for something outrageous, in the hope that you might win big, and shrugging if you fail; but quite another to start getting nasty and threatening when people assert their own very reasonable rights and wishes to keep their own property, and turn you down.

With these threads I don't know what's more shocking - the barefaced cheek of the CFs or those enabling this behaviour, meekly letting themselves be walked over.

Kudos to those who didn't allow their CF to get away with it.

I have one or two+ from the same ex good friend.

I walked out of a high profile professional job due to constructive dismissal & maternity rights. I had been there at the very start as the companies only employee & had been part of building up a very successful business, so you can imagine this change. In attitude because I dared to have a baby stung like hell & this friend who I'd employed in a more junior role as she needed work, knew first hand what I had gone through.

She tended to duck & dive, had various jobs from cleaning to sewing for a stall holder in a market. She had been through fashion school, but had failed & couldn't cut a pattern, design etc, but it became clear that she thought she could & she saved up to set up a business herself ... all power to her for that, but it soon became clear she relied on fashion professional friends to dig her out of a hole, for over selling herself.

After losing my job, I took ex employer to tribunal & won a healthy pay out, I had savings too so had decided to take a couple of years out as I was burnt out. I didn't need, nor want to work for anyone at that time.

Friend rang me in tears, she was in a huge panic as had orders to do for a new client, that she didn't have staff who could handle the work. She begged me in tears to help, offered to sort out childcare etc, sobbed & sobbed that she'd been stupid & f* up her business by taking on work she couldn't handle... so I was a good friend & agreed to help her out this one time.

Arriving I had to reorganise everything as it was all no good & I had to organise her staff & sew too as no one else could do the more difficult stuff. I was ill, in pain with my back, so could have done with it & wished I hadn't bothered, but I was helping a friend.

Part way through the day her client came in whilst I was sat at the machine & was very chatty, thinking I was the new machinist, turns out now exGF (A) had actually used my CV to get the work... mentioning the company I had ran & A had briefly worked in a non technical role at for me, got the reply... oh you've worked for A before then as that's the place she set up & ran... gobsmacked wasn't the word. Really wish I'd told her the truth, but I was dumbstruck

A while later A was on the phone & I heard her cackling "oh yes Rockin is here working for me today, cackle, cackle, everyone works for me in the end, even the successful know it all's"

I was so shocked I tried to convince myself I'd misheard & let it go, but as soon as I got DD back I made my excuses & left, though not before I'd set the work up for her so it was now achievable

I hadn't discussed money with her as I thought in my stupidity that I was doing a good friend a big favour ... shortly after I received a check in the post for about 20% of my actual going rate😏... figured it worth the money to realise that friend was a CF & a c@nt

I later found out who she was talking on the phone... another mutual friend & I didn't mishear at all, she was shocked at the attitude too.

Same friend A had the nerve to ring again several months later, again crying for a work favour, no friendly calls in between ... so I pointed this out to her & said as she's only ever ringing me for work favours lately, best we kept it on a professional footing. So I'd be happy to help but at my usually consultancy rate, plus 10% to cover the previous underpayment & that would include telephone consultation too. Would she like me to start timing the call now with view to billing her... she nearly choked, said "oh I thought I could just ring you for a chat like old friends. I said yes of course you can, it would be lovely to hear from you any time, but any work chat gets billed. I'll look forward to hearing from you for a chat & put the phone down.

I didn't hear from her in over a year, until out of the blue, very early one Sunday morning I get a call... hey we're in town & want to take you out for breakfast as haven't seen you in ages, cool I thought... then came the punchline ... we are camping out of town for the festival & can't get into the shower block as it's heaving, so thought you wouldn't mind us coming round & using your shower
I asked how many she was talking about... turned out to be 10 people... only 4 of which I knew😏... I repeated to her "so you want to bring 10 people plus you to my house for a shower at 7 am on a Sunday morning & you'll then take me for breakfast for a catch up as it's been such a long time since I last let you take the piss out of me... er the answer will be NO

Never heard from her again TF

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

We took home all our decorations that cost over £2k which the shite promised the other couple for free everything cleaned so the shite couldn't complain that we trashed the room.

I would have loved to have seen the shite's face at 10am the next day expecting the room to be ready. There was an hour to get the room ready before the next wedding at 11am! He also told his staff not to come in until 10am. Karma and all that.

You did 100% the right thing, no question.... BUT as well as it serving him right when he has the very difficult matter to resolve his lie with the couple, I do feel really sorry for the couple whom he lied and made a false promise to.

There's no way that he can possibly get it sorted and everything replaced in less than an hour, so he'll be looking at compensation and/or hopefully terrible online reviews from the angry bride and groom, but their wedding will always be spoilt because of it. In some cases, compo afterwards can completely make up for your disappointment, for something relatively run of the mill; but for such a big, special, once-in-a-lifetime event, that isn't going to be the case.

Also, are you sure that he promised it to them for free? Horrible, dishonest people like him are expert at charging multiple people for the same thing.

I wondered the same about the wedding flowers one where there was a wedding fair the next day. I'm wondering if the florist managed to get paid twice which is why the venue complained?

thanks @OhMyfanwy

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll to answer your questions re decorations l, my cousin hired props from an external company. Plus she bought flowers from a florist and both firms were independent of the hotel. The event manager didn't have a right to sublet those decorations as they didn't belong to him. That would be theft and the couple should have confirmed what they were getting in their contract. If they wanted decorations and flowers then they should have confirmed it via their contract. It's not my cousin's responsibility to foot the bill for decorating their wedding.

When booster seats were due to be made compulsory in a few weeks' time, I said to DH that I would get one for our DD.
He came back from work next day with a booster seat that his work colleague had given him, it was no longer needed because they had a new one.
So I did n't buy one, and DD started using the one we were given.
The day before the law came in, his work colleague turned up at our house and asked for it back because his parents wanted it for their car. DH handed it over. I was in the house and could see DH talking to someone and I could hear DD saying 'what is he doing with my seat Daddy?'
Of course at that point all booster seats were sold out everywhere. We did get one eventually but until we did, we couldn't go out in the car as a family.

Years ago I was a tenant in a flat, lovely location, safe, car parking. I knew the landlady wanted to sell and was delighted when a man was interested in buying it and keeping me on as tenant. The flat was shabby with tatty but just about serviceable furniture and the rent reflected that. The prospective landlord already owned a flat in the block and talked about how he had smartened it up with laminate flooring and bits from Ikea. That sounded promising even though I knew it would result in a rent increase. He then contacted me with this Cf-ery: "What I am going to do is give you all the furniture in the flat, so you can take it with you when you move on, and the new rent is £(big hike)." So, he hikes up the rent and gets a free house clearance and I get a load of tat (seriously, only one item- a wardrobe- was remotely decent!).
I contacted my original/current landlady and said I couldn't afford the increase so I was giving her notice, hoped the sale went well (she was a nice person though not interested in doing anything to the flat to improve it).
Unsurprisingly the prospective landlord CF pulled out of the deal.

So, he hikes up the rent and gets a free house clearance and I get a load of tat (seriously, only one item- a wardrobe- was remotely decent!).

But why on earth wouldn't you tell him to sod off and leave him with his rubbish furniture?

@Whitney168

So, he hikes up the rent and gets a free house clearance and I get a load of tat (seriously, only one item- a wardrobe- was remotely decent!).

But why on earth wouldn't you tell him to sod off and leave him with his rubbish furniture?

Is that what she did???

I bloody hope so LOL. Have read it again and still can't quite decide.

to answer your questions re decorations l, my cousin hired props from an external company. Plus she bought flowers from a florist and both firms were independent of the hotel. The event manager didn't have a right to sublet those decorations as they didn't belong to him. That would be theft and the couple should have confirmed what they were getting in their contract. If they wanted decorations and flowers then they should have confirmed it via their contract. It's not my cousin's responsibility to foot the bill for decorating their wedding.

No, as I (thought I) said, the aptly-named 'shite' had no right whatsoever and your cousin/you did exactly the right thing. My point was just that, if you were being shown around a venue and told that a load of good stuff was included, I can see how most people would take them at their word and not necessarily scrutinise their written contract to check it (obviously, they should read it first). How are they necessarily to know that it isn't standard for what the venue provides (and was probably seeking to charge over the odds for)?

The couple were probably foolish, but I still feel sorry for them - in the same way I feel sorry for an innocent person who buys a stolen car from somebody who, completely unknown to them, didn't have the right to sell it. Yes, you will end up losing out, but I don't think they can really be blamed for what is solely on the shoulders of the thief/fraudster/liar who presented as an apparently normal, reasonable, legitimate businessperson.

I have one.

I have had various problems with my neighbour since her partner moved in. Mainly with him but realising she's every bit as bad. He has been aggressive and not 8 weeks ago made a wanking gesture with his hand to me and my elderly mother and we don't even speak!

She comes to my door two weeks ago as we are both extending our gardens to ask if I'd go halvers on the boundary fence as her partner "is a fencer" ehmmmmm........nope

Used to regularly lunch with a group of friends. It soon became apparent that some would always order fillet steak etc and others would be more modest in their choices. These same people loved a particular french wine and would usually get through several bottles between them. Most were local and walked to the restaurant but I and one other lived further away so always drove in and therefore didn't have any wine. At the end of the meal the bill was always split equally. One day I and my other driving friend got a taxi and ordered a bottle of champagne between us. So satisfying to see the looks on others faces...

@Whitney168

So, he hikes up the rent and gets a free house clearance and I get a load of tat (seriously, only one item- a wardrobe- was remotely decent!).

But why on earth wouldn't you tell him to sod off and leave him with his rubbish furniture?

Sorry I didn't make it as clear as I hoped: this was his plan as my new landlord once he had bought the flat; once he realised I wasn't going for it he pulled out of the sale. The flat was sold not long after to a young couple and I moved to a house with a garden for less rent than he wanted to charge.

But why on earth wouldn't you tell him to sod off and leave him with his rubbish furniture? If I was his tenant he could have claimed I had agreed to this deal and kept my deposit.

When my SIL cleared my MIL's house, she gave all the good jewellery to her DDs (wedding ring, engagement ring, ruby and Pearl jewellery from those wedding anniversaries, etc, worth hundreds if not thousands) Her DDs also had their pick of the costume jewellery. The remaining tat was given to our DDs to play with as they weren't old enough to appreciate the good stuff. Like they weren't ever going to grow up. I really did not care about the money aspect at all, would never expect it to be sold, but it was the principle of the thing that my DDs didn't inherit any of their Grandma's decent jewellery.
But not my side of the family so kept quiet.

I think in cases of inheritance so many people keep quiet “to keep the peace” allowing CFs maximum CFery.

When gf died, an aunt breezed, “Dad promised me this… and this…. And this.” Ie everything of value. When df tentatively “asked” for a side table, my aunt said that df could buy it from her for £500 ! We all told df he was a wimp, but he said he would rather be shafted than engage in a nasty family battle. And that’s how CFs always win the day.

I know a woman who objected to her late GMs will, which left a joint bequest to the three grandchildren, with everything else divided between her two daughters.

CF objected because one grandchild (her cousin!) was adopted and she maintained they “were not a blood relative” - and in her view, should not get anything.

Strangely enough, none of the family speak to CF

My aunt took all my nan's solid 24 carat gold jewellery for herself and her daughters. My dad was left out because he was male even though he had daughters. He again kept quiet because my aunt is a trouble maker who'd cause a multiple generation family rift if challenged.

@FancyNan ; I don't blame you, but if I'd seen the people he was promising the decorations to I think I'd have warned them that they wouldn't be getting them.

Sorry I didn't make it as clear as I hoped: this was his plan as my new landlord once he had bought the flat; once he realised I wasn't going for it he pulled out of the sale. The flat was sold not long after to a young couple and I moved to a house with a garden for less rent than he wanted to charge.

You already know it, of course, but you dodged a massive bullet there. Even though decent new furniture would cost a fair wedge, if his planned balance sheet was based merely on not replacing any furniture, you just know that he would have seen any costs - even relatively inexpensive ones such as boiler safety checks and routine repairs - as eating into his profit and thus point blank refused to pay for any of them.

I've got a friend who can be a bit cf...she phoned me several years ago asking if i fancied a day out the following day at a town around a 40 minute drive away...i said yes ok and then she told me she had a dentist appt there in the afternoon but we could still do some shopping and have lunch etc...ok thats fine i say....she then asked if i would drive as she didn't want to leave her posh car in the public car park...
I am on my guard with her now and have not been caught out since.

You already know it, of course, but you dodged a massive bullet there
@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll
Yes even though I am usually a trusting soul I saw through this in time!