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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

When are rich people ever satisfied with what they have?

71 replies

dottypotter · 13/09/2022 14:17

One of the Dragons (Dragons Den) was asked to open something at a school and they wanted 7 thousand pounds to do it. The school obvs declined.
Why does having money just make you greedier and greedier?
Are people ever satisfied?
AIBU to think they could have done it to help the school out or done it for alot less than that?
Schools don't have much money!!

OP posts:
BlueThingie · 13/09/2022 14:21

Have you got a link to the story?

ImJustNotMeAnymore · 13/09/2022 14:23

There's a thought provoking film on prime at the moment called In Time. It's not about money but does shed light on the concept of enough never being enough.
It knocked me sideways to be honest. The way people can treat each other.

ILikeHotWaterBottles · 13/09/2022 14:23

Many aren't no. It's why you see rich people complaining about a few quid extra, and some even use food banks.

They are the ones who are rich because they are good at complaining and sponging off of other people. See the threads on well off friends who rarely open their wallet/purse to pay..

pd339 · 13/09/2022 14:24

They could have, and probably would have if it was a cause they believed in. But they no doubt get thousands of requests and have to decide which to accept.

ApolloandDaphne · 13/09/2022 14:24

Surely the school must be aware that celebrities get many such requests and can't do things for nothing all the time. Loads of famous people charge for appearances. The school need to cut their coat according to their cloth and get someone local and free to open whatever it is they want opening.

Andromachehadabadday · 13/09/2022 14:25

i think I need more detail.

Dragons Den is about investing in and helping businesses grow.

This sounds like it more like a charity donation or set up.

I may be wrong but maybe it was just the wrong arena for it.

VatofTea · 13/09/2022 14:25

Is looking for freebies/cheapies from a mini celeb greedy? They said a price, school said no, end of.

Get the local radio station DJ or Fashion Guru or Sportsperson to do it instead. Why does it have to be a rich person that is asked to do it. Why not a local legend (whoever that might be) or the Mayor/politician.

Andromachehadabadday · 13/09/2022 14:26

Andromachehadabadday · 13/09/2022 14:25

i think I need more detail.

Dragons Den is about investing in and helping businesses grow.

This sounds like it more like a charity donation or set up.

I may be wrong but maybe it was just the wrong arena for it.

Ignore me. I got the wrong end of the stick

BillytheMountain · 13/09/2022 14:27

We’re in a cost of greed crisis, so yes, some rich people are never ever rich enough nor will never ever be satisfied.

DenholmElliot1 · 13/09/2022 14:27

Which school is it? I'll do it for £100 that'll save them £6900.

Choconut · 13/09/2022 14:28

If they did everything for free then they wouldn't have any money, they probably have people constantly asking for freebies. If you give one freebie then everybody expects the same, there is a huge sense of entitlement amongst people. The Dragon's Den person may not even be aware of it, probably someone that works for them would have handled it all.

mamabear715 · 13/09/2022 14:32

Really, OP? That's shocking. I HATE anything like that.
I prefer to be generous - I was told years ago that whatever I give away - to charity etc - will be repaid tenfold, (not in money!) & it does really seem to work that way. I get happier as I get older.
Tbh I dislike celebs anyway, if I'd have been the one deciding, from the school, I'd have looked for, say, the oldest person in the area.. would have been lovely for them, & maybe have started something new for the children, listening to tales of how school was in their day, or something like that..

chipsandpeas · 13/09/2022 14:34

would you work for free? just because they are rich doesnt mean their time doesnt matter

Aintnosupermum · 13/09/2022 14:41

Asking for £7k means they don’t need to say no, the school said no instead. Quite ‘smart’ of them.

What would have been kind is to be honest and say they can’t do it but they can find some local sports star or politician to do it.

latetothefisting · 13/09/2022 14:41

This. Getting paid to open stuff is part of their job - they can set the rates, if the school doesn't want to pay it they don't have to. Traveling to the school location, spending an hour or so there, then back, all for free is half a day they could be doing paid work. It's not even like opening a school is charity work, which I do sometimes side eye when celebs get paid. Presumably their agents set the rates in line with similar levels of celebs - if nobody books them at those prices they'll reduce them.

mast0650 · 13/09/2022 14:43

I don't know about the story or its accuracy, but to be fair I'm not sure why they should open anything that is asked of them. They would be inundanted! But better just to decline than ask for lots of money. And if it was their local school, or the school they attended, then it would have been nice to do for free...

Soon after Tony Blair became leader of the labour party (or PM?) his old Oxford College, who had made him an honorary fellow, wrote and asked if he would be willing to provide a one line quote about his time in College. One line!! His office wrote back and asked how much the College would pay for it! That did not go down well. Better just to decline.

Subbaxeo · 13/09/2022 14:55

mast0650 · 13/09/2022 14:43

I don't know about the story or its accuracy, but to be fair I'm not sure why they should open anything that is asked of them. They would be inundanted! But better just to decline than ask for lots of money. And if it was their local school, or the school they attended, then it would have been nice to do for free...

Soon after Tony Blair became leader of the labour party (or PM?) his old Oxford College, who had made him an honorary fellow, wrote and asked if he would be willing to provide a one line quote about his time in College. One line!! His office wrote back and asked how much the College would pay for it! That did not go down well. Better just to decline.

Where did you see that about Tony Blair?

dottypotter · 13/09/2022 14:57

ApolloandDaphne · 13/09/2022 14:24

Surely the school must be aware that celebrities get many such requests and can't do things for nothing all the time. Loads of famous people charge for appearances. The school need to cut their coat according to their cloth and get someone local and free to open whatever it is they want opening.

Maybe not free, but not 7 grand.

OP posts:
ApolloandDaphne · 13/09/2022 15:00

That will just be a flat fee. They probably have an admin person who deals with such stuff and they won't even know about the request. Does the person even have any sort of connection to the school or town?

ComtesseDeSpair · 13/09/2022 15:11

chipsandpeas · 13/09/2022 14:34

would you work for free? just because they are rich doesnt mean their time doesnt matter

I broadly agree with this. It isn’t for anyone else to decide that somebody has enough or too much money and expect them to work free of charge. Perhaps the Dragon in question already supports and endorses many causes close to their heart with both their money and their time; but they have no connection to this random school which has approached them looking for endorsement and no particular motivation to offer them something for nothing.

Most of us, whatever our incomes, choose which causes we volunteer for. If a local random charity shop called you and asked if you’d come in to do a shift sorting jumble for them, you probably wouldn’t agree, would you?

Qwerkie · 13/09/2022 16:20

Had a look on Google and can’t see anything about this so it’s probably bollocks

Horcruxe · 13/09/2022 16:23

He probably gets hundreds of requests.

Hes a business man.

He doesnt have time to just spend his time making appearances. He has a job to do. His work employs people and pays peoples salary.

Andromachehadabadday · 13/09/2022 16:25

Are you the poster that regurgitated the story about the Beckhams paying your friends mortgage off if they would sell their wedding date, so the beckhams could have the venue?

Because this sounds similar. Random story to say awful Rich people are, that no one can find any real source for

mycatisannoying · 13/09/2022 16:27

YANBU.

dottypotter · 13/09/2022 17:50

Qwerkie · 13/09/2022 16:20

Had a look on Google and can’t see anything about this so it’s probably bollocks

Grow up what makes you think it's on google!!

OP posts:
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