Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

Original poster

Money left in safe!!

164 replies

glindathegoodbitch · 12/06/2018 08:00

Dear all,

My elderly parents recently holidayed in Montenegro.
Upon completing their 4 hour journey to the airport to catch their flight home, my mother realised she had left her purse containing £600 in English cash in the safe.

The hotel have been brilliant and have the purse, but we cannot work out how to get it home to England.

DHL won't carry it as they do not ship money. The standard post is liable to get stopped at customs/ stolen.

Can the hotel put the money I an English bank?

I don't know much about Montenegro, but my father says it's about 20 years behind the rest of Europe??

Any advice would be gratefully received

X

(I have also posted in Travel, my father is desperate and rings me every three hours to see if I've got the purse back yet!!)

OP posts:
Wtfisthis11 · 12/06/2018 21:08

Phosphorus I wondered if 'smoke' was a mistranslation of scent, if you're not supposed to send cash might it cause problems with sniffer dogs at the airports?

LoveProsecco · 12/06/2018 21:25

OP your DD is a character! I cannot believe he thinks you should refund him in the interim given you're already resolving this!

You deserve BrewWineStarCakeGin

DazzlingMilton · 12/06/2018 21:28

Post it and label it “Gift - cosmetic bag and sanitary towels”

Jaxhog · 12/06/2018 21:42

I'm so enjoying this thread, that I went and looked up where Montenegro is. So I've learned something today! Thank you!

Longdistance · 12/06/2018 21:50

Your mum left it in the safe. She can pay it back. Your df can Foxtrot Oscar for the money. They went on holiday, it’s their responsibility. If he wants the money back he can fly back to Montenegro himself do his own dirty work.

snewname · 12/06/2018 21:54

We're enjoying your father's antics, even if you aren't. 😃

BrazzleDazzleDay · 12/06/2018 21:55

This has been the best thread for days Gin for you op

RandomMess · 12/06/2018 21:59

You are fab!!! Isn't he utterly miserly, you know you're a better person than him!

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 12/06/2018 22:03

My DM travels A LOT, she gets my DB to print out her boarding cards and me to load up her Kindle with crime novels. I think we're getting off pretty lightly compared to you. Grin

Although, there is the saga of the wheeled duffel bag. It wasn't so much the sorting out of that problem (although it was a pain in the neck) it was hearing over and over again about the CF who caused my DM the problem. Months, on and on, at almost every occasion we met, the same story.

catherinedevalois · 12/06/2018 22:15

Op, you are hilarious. You and your mum are saints. Update us with his blood pressure when he receives £600 less charges.

gigi556 · 12/06/2018 22:26

I use transferwise for all my forex transfers between foreign accounts. Google and have a look at the service. It's fast, cheap and convenient.

Pleasebeafleabite · 12/06/2018 22:41

OP Gin for you this thread has made me chuckle

Make sure you give his 2p in lost interest won’t you

EspressoButler · 12/06/2018 23:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

dovegrey18 · 12/06/2018 23:24

Hilarious thread OP! Glad you got it sorted (ask your dad for a cut!)

Whatthefoxgoingon · 12/06/2018 23:32

He better be leaving you MILLIONS in his will. Anything less and this shit fest would not have been worth it.....

sleep5 · 12/06/2018 23:37

Western Union have horrendous fees and poor fx rates. PayPal would've been better but WU is easiest for all. Your mum will get the blame for the fees. Are you giving the hotel anything for arranging it all?

thenightsky · 12/06/2018 23:37

Is anyone else googling holidays in Montenegro? It looks really nice!

Dancingtothemusicoftime · 13/06/2018 12:40

OP this is priceless and you qualify for National Treasure status. I am agog to hear about his reaction when the charges are taken! Your poor mum, though - and what was it like growing up with a miserly DF?

This is definitely heading towards being a Classic Thread! You've made my day and have totally distracted me from my work Grin

Ellisandra · 13/06/2018 17:38

You ate lovely OP, but your father is a total arse and I’m not really seeing why people find it so funny.
Your writing is funny though!
But your dad?
I wouldn’t say someone was an arse for multiple phone calls (annoying though that is) or even for dumping on you to help (again, annoying though).
But for suggesting you pay the money to him?
What a total arsehole.
I would absolutely stop enabling this shit.
Your poor mother, too - I’m sure he’s hell to be married to Sad

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 13/06/2018 17:41

So the next time he gets the holiday brochures out you can say "I'm sorry to spoil your fun Dad, but I simply can't afford for you to go on holiday again." Grin

Beebs101 · 13/06/2018 22:17

Hi Op, ok admittedly I haven’t read through the whole thread but wanted to reach out. My friend is in Montenegro right now and will be flying back to London on Sunday. I know that you have to have a lot of trust to consider this proposition but I’m putting it out there anyway.

I have no idea how big Montenegro is, but maybe I can exchange emails with the two of you and maybe he can collect it if it’s not too far from where he is. He can send you pics of passport and drivers licnece for id etc and I can give you mine too, if it makes you feel better. I feel bad for your parents, it must have ruined the buzz of their holiday. I can’t really think of alternatives other then that. Then maybe you guys can meet him at Heathrow on Sunday. I have no idea if you guys are in the Uk I assumed! Send me a PM if you want to figure out a plan. He is a really food friend of mine and having a solo trip, he’s had a fab time and I’m sure he’d be happy to help. I mean he’s already there and coming home so soon. PM if you’d like to discuss (I know this sounds incredibly dodgy but if you have another solution that we can try I’m all ears) good luck

MrsDilligaf · 13/06/2018 22:24

OP

I have to say this is the funniest thing I've read all week.

I would love your DF and my FIL to have a "who's the most belligerent old bugger" contest... FIL would want to win. Because he's a belligerent old bugger.

ivykaty44 · 13/06/2018 22:48

My dad lost his glasses to a French man on a Cycling holiday in France. I managed to get another pair ordered and delivered to the tourist information in the nearest town within 48 hours.

He paid for me and his grandadsughters to have a slap up meal in return and say thanks

He list his credit cards in France but wasn’t sure where, git me to cancel them for him and requested I take replacement to him in Portugal, bank was sent replacement and somehow I managed to convince them to give me the cards to take out to my dad - had nice time in Portugal 🇵🇹

Op you need to explain to your father it’s a two way street 😂

Fenwickdream · 13/06/2018 23:03

Great reading, you're very funny and I love the fact you just accept your Dad for the way he is and see the humour in it. Sure I'm not the only one who would actually like to know about the posted passport and all the other things. Go on treat us... what's the funniest / most annoying thing he's ever done?

Original poster
glindathegoodbitch · 14/06/2018 15:00

Well hello all!

At 5.35 this morning my house phone rang.
Repeatedly. To the point that I was dreaming about fire alarms, firemen... stretchy hoses... Those weird brace things that I'm pretty sure make a very sexy thwacking noise if you grip them in your teeth, pull... And let go....
Until my husband 'lovingly' shoved me and grunted 'it'll be you arseholing father' and I woke up.

Indeed, it was my arseholing father.

At 5.35.

In the morning.

I assumed that he must be dead/ dying/ on fire so answered with as much concern as I could muster at this ungodly hour.

Big mistake. He mistook my faux concern as a sign of weakness and launched into a tirade of misconceived anger that the money had not gone into his bank yet.

Despit having explained to him around seven thousand times that he must take ID and the reference number, that I had written down in several places, to the money shop (which I had drawn a map to despite it being incredibly easy to find) and they would present him with the money.... Minus the 'unavoidable transaction fees' and shoddy exchange rate.... And no dad, I will not make up the difference for the inconvenience that you caused yourself

In the last few days a conversation with my mother revealed that she had indeed taken the money out of the safe, but dad had put it back in again as he was convinced she would lose it. The irony was not lost on her.

She finished up the conversation with 'please don't give him any money dear, he's already deducted the difference from my Christmas present'.

Last year he got her a 'cooking for beginners' book from the charity shop.

I think he may be unpleasantly surprised to find that the fees may be a tad larger than the £2 he was intending to spend.

Anyway, it should all be solved now and I really want to say that I'm going to have some peace for a while, but he's just forwarded a booking reservation for a hotel in the back arsehole of Bulgaria and wants me to book the 'cheapest possible' transfers.

Are there many donkeys in Bulgaria??

OP posts: