To want my glasses back?

[FlexibleFi]

More of a WWYD than an AIBU.

I went to a wedding June. I and three other friends from university days (14 years since we graduated) were invited and booked an AirBnB for a long weekend. We don't see a lot of each other but we have a WA group and message every few weeks. It was a lovely opportunity to catch up.

After years of being really hard up, I had a significant job change this year and for the first time splashed out on a few special things — including a rather fancy pair of designer glasses instead of Specsavers basics. The glasses are for reading and computer work, I don't need them for ordinary things. They're quite a mild prescription. All three friends at the AirBnB tried my posh spex on. One, I'll call her Rachel, commented that we must have the same prescription because she could read perfectly with them. She joshed me for spending so much money on them. A couple of times over the weekend, when I'd left them sitting by my phone or book, she'd borrow them to read something without asking.

We had a great busy and boozy weekend and when I got home I couldn't find my glasses anywhere, so I messaged the group to ask if anyone had picked them up accidentally. All said no. I messaged the AirBnB owner to ask if they'd been left there. No. Searched the car, searched everywhere. No sign of them. I'm not someone who often loses things.

Then this Sunday Joanne, one of the others in the wedding group sent a screenshot from FB of Rachel reading a menu in a restaurant while wearing a pair of glasses that look just like mine. Joanne commented 'Well now we know where Fi's glasses went, LOL' on FB. By the time I managed to get onto FB (ancient account I rarely check) the image had gone — but I had the screenshot.

I messaged Rachel, sent her the screenshot and said it looked as if she'd found my glasses, could she post them back to me please. She's replied saying they're her glasses: she liked them so much that she's bought a pair exactly like mine. I don't believe it and neither does Joanne. Rachel's recently split from her long-term partner and she talked a lot while we were away of how difficult she's finding things financially at the moment.

They were £300. I could claim on travel insurance (I have annual travel insurance) or on my household contents, but then I'll have to pay more for premiums for the next few years.

Joanne has said she'll get involved if necessary but I don't want to ruin memories of a lovely weekend. I can't immediately afford to replace the spex with the same (I have a holiday booked and that will eat up my budget for the next month or two) so I'll have to order a pair of cheap prescription readers on the internet. WWYD?

If you hadn't already lost the argument,you most certainly did by using the insult "Karen" 🙄🤦‍♂️😂Bye.

Ok, OP said Rachel didn’t post the pic herself. Then someone else basically accused Rachel of stealing when commenting on the post. Then this other person removed it. Rachel has already been accused because of this pic, she is aware of what is being said about her and this other friend removed the post. So clearly not everyone has decided she’s a liar and a thief - just OP and Jo the Stirrer!

But she's gone out and bought the exact same pair, why didn't she say anything when OP messaged her directly to ask about the glasses before the social media post?! Why did she just reply no? Buying the exact pair my mate has just lost seems like super relevant info to tell my mate looking for their glasses. It doesn't make sense. 😅

I think, if I’d not have taken the glasses - on purpose or otherwise, I’d have contacted OP to explain and prove it wasn’t me.

Doing this, I’d hope to make her and ‘Jo the stirrer’ feel like cunts for accusing me. And then I’d let everyone else know what the true story was.

But she hasn’t. And I for one am puzzled why she hasn’t and then either asked for the picture to be removed or took it down herself.

£300 must be nothing to you but I'd wager for most people it's quite a lot of money to have to fork out for something that very much looks like a theft

😂

Ok, fair enough. I shouldn’t have used the term Karen. But honestly I’m struggling to find a word to describe the level of bitchiness I’m seeing here. Women (and I am one) are not always innocent, oppressed victims. We all have our bitchy moments, and some women do steal, but I don’t like seeing people ganging up on someone who, on the face of it, is probably entirely innocent! I did laugh when OP mentioned reporting it to the police though - what does she imagine they will do about it? That’s what prompted the unfortunate pejorative. As for Rachel showing her receipt, why should she, assuming she still has it? The whole thing is so icky. But there are more serious undertones - what exactly does ‘challenging background’ mean? I’m assuming poverty, but it’s such a careful phrase. It could mean anything!

Woah, a lot of projecting going on there, maybe you, the chip on your shoulder and your misogynistic insults are better off well away from this thread

Not the bloody Karen insult. Have we seriously not stopped using that yet? It's 2024 on a predominantly female forum, surely we don't need to use a term designed to shut down women having any kind of opinion or say.
Anyway, best of luck with tonight OP. Hopefully it all gets resolved.

Maybe Rachel asked for the Facebook snap to be taken down, not because she was trying to hide something but, because her other so-called friend Jo had written a comment which other mutual friends could see.

The comment suggested she had robbed a pair of glasses from the OP and perhaps Rachel was embarrassed that she had effectively been called a thief on Facebook and asked for the post to be erased?

Just throwing it out there.

@DestructoCat you are coming across very badly. You talk about bullying and bitchiness. Yet..

I'm so invested in glasses-gate.

I understand what you are saying january

All the more reason I’d be proving my innocence and dropping the pair of them from my life. As I posted above.

I hope you get this resolved. For me, paying again for the same pair would result in simmering resentment. I don’t think I’d enjoy the purchase.

Ok, Rachel.

Please do drop in again to apologise to OP when she gets her glasses back from Rachel.

Just commenting so I can come back for an update. I’m way too invested in this.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 quite.

With friends like Rachel who needs enemies

Maybe 'poor' 😶'complicated'😶 Rachel was afraid her friends would not believe her and automatically assume she stole the OP's glasses rather than possibly be in a position to buy her own pair because she cadges a lift and is short a few bob sometimes on a night out, she has broken up with her boyfriend and apparently isn't doing as fantastically well like the others.

Far-fetched I know
Oh! wait a minute....

It's like an episode from Sex and the City....only Cornea😎....runs awayyyy.

Like the OP will ever admit she is wrong...if she is wrong...she will come back and say she was right all along.

You know what I mean. My head hurts.😁

You can’t buy "the same pair". They’re prescription. You can buy the same frames. The optometrist will test your eyes for the lenses. The OP is long sited, short sited and astigmatic. There is close to zero chance Rachel has the same prescription. The respective optometrists will be able to provide the prescription for both the OP and Rachel. Just match those.

The OP doesn’t come across as a dick. She sounds too nice actually. Your head hurting is probably because of the mental gymnastics you’re doing.

Ok you lost me at Karen. Shows what sort of person you are, and using that is when you have truly ran out of all arguments. Not worth replying to you anymore, because you are simply not capable of taking in any reality apart from yours.

Well that was exciting, wasn't it?

Mrs Norbury, do I know you? I think you sound a lot more like Rachel than Destructocat.

The bad news is that Rachel hasn't answered Joanne's calls this evening and hasn't replied to a message. Possibly too busy on here...

@januaryjan & @DestructoCat , I’ve been very very poor with rich friends and I’m not at all offended by how @FlexibleFi described her friend. She is describing someone that doesn’t pay her way. I would never when I had 15 years of being a broke ‘emerging’ artist have expected friends to pay my tab at restaurants or on taxis. I only joined my wealthy or well off friends to do activities I could afford. People with more money aren’t obliged to fund those without, especially on non essentials.

Hope you get your sunglasses back op and drop her as a friend!