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To ask for your best examples of brass-neckedness to entertain us all on this dull day?

645 replies

Salmotrutta · 12/08/2014 11:15

I've got one from decades ago.

My older brother was about 18 and going out with a girl of about 16.

It was pretty short lived as she seemed to be a bit spoiled etc. and they were only teens after all.

My brother was the one who ended it but girl seemed to think Mum was behind it.

Mum wasn't but she had asked to girl to help bring in washing during the rain when she stayed over at our house one weekend as mum was in the middle of something when rain started.

This was apparently a criminal act to ask someone for a bit of help so girlfriend moaned to brother (who I think had got rather exasperated by her anyway by this point) and he ended it.

Apparently this did not go down well.

Next thing, her little sister phoned my Mum and castigated her for being the cause of all this! Little sister would have been about 14 and mum would have been about 45!

That didn't go down well either.

OP posts:
hollycomputer · 12/08/2014 17:35

I actually posted this on the cheeky thread but I think it has a place here too.

When I was a student I was living with a guy who was pretty feckless. He was a creative type who didn't see why he should have to work, especially as I was working, despite the fact I didn't really earn enough to support us both. Things reached breaking point with us and he was offered a job abroad for a year which he decided to take.

At the time, we were living in a rented flat and I couldn't get out of the contract so he invited his brother to stay while he was away (without consulting me). I was pissed off that he hadn't asked me but I got on OK with the brother and was relieved that I'd be getting money towards rent and bills as exDP told me his brother had agreed it.

Brother moved in and was commuting back and forth to London for work, but he'd meet me every day and we'd go to the supermarket to buy dinner. For the first week, he'd either make an excuse when we got to the tills - 'Oh, I've spent so much money today, would you mind getting this?' (obviously he expected me to cook too). Or he'd just disappear saying he had to go and get something, then reappear after I'd gone through the checkout all disappointed and apologising for not being there when I paid. Funnily enough, he never offered any money, just said he'd buy me a takeaway next time.

I got wise to this after a few days and would make sure I either didn't meet him after work or made a point of buying only my own food, to which he huffed and puffed and passive-aggressively whined about being skint. Yeah, tell me about it, I'm doing a 40 hour week at minimum wage while writing my dissertation, mate. He refused to pay any money for bills, borrowed my mobile phone if I made the mistake of leaving it lying around, and when I eventually asked him for money towards rent he refused, saying that it wasn't fair because the bed in the spare room was smaller than he was used to. So I said he had to find somewhere else to live. He kicked up massively, calling me stingy and spent days in a strop.

After about a week he found somewhere else to live, but made a point of saying he would move out while I was at work. This rang alarm bells so I made sure I would be at home, only to find him helping himself to food from my fridge to take with him to his new flat along with some of my bedding, towels and kitchenware. I saw him loading it into boxes and confronted him, only to have him start moaning about how selfish I was and he was 'only borrowing' it. Like fuck. I took it all back and a massive row ensued when he called exDP demanding he 'make' me apologise to him! Thankfully, the next day he left. But I had to throw out the pillow he'd used because he was a skanky bastard who never washed his hair and the stains wouldn't come out. I also found out that he'd been stealing from a bottle of Stolichnaya I had in the freezer which I'd been given as a present - it was nearly completely water which he'd topped the bottle up with so I didn't notice.

To cap it all, I'd got exDP a phone on my account which he ran up £600 worth of bills on then tried to get out of paying. I made him pay it. About six months after we split up (which unsurprisingly wasn't too long after brother-gate), he phoned me at work and begged me to lend him money. I said no and asked him when he planned to pay me back all the other money he'd borrowed. He went quiet. I hung up. Never heard from him again.

ADinnerofHerbs · 12/08/2014 17:44

A guy I had been seeing for over a year, finished with me on Christmas Eve. I was at home sobbing when he rang to say that he had only finished with me because he thought a gorgeous woman at work was interested in him and he had booked them a table at a restaurant for that evening. She refused to go out with him, so he thought he could pick up where he left off with me!!!!! Another guy was definitely the one for me..... And then he finished things because his mother didn't like me! I hit him over the head with a horrible statue I got for my 21st (it survived intact and I have it still!) and told him he was pathetic. The next day he called to say he agreed and we are still together eleven years later, married with two children. He still insists his mother is ok and I have to put my foot down re her interference still. She remains the only subject that ever causes friction between us and she thinks I should include her more!!!

MissingDietCoke · 12/08/2014 17:48

My utterly charming MIL and FIL invited themselves to ours for Christmas dinner, our first Christmas with DD. I made a huge effort including cooking an elaborate ham as well as a turkey cos FIL doesn't do turkey. Among many things they are their dinner before I'd even sat down (I was seeing to the baby), left at 5pm because "the baby keeps crying and it's not peaceful", and drank all my booze. They bought DD, their first grandchild, nothing for Christmas whatsoever. Best though was MIL offered to bring pudding, but I had already arranged a bought in pudding from a local business start up I was helping to support. When I told MIL she said that was ok she'd pay for it, I said lovely thanks but then she refused when I told her it was a tenner as she said that was a ridiculous price. We'd all been too full after dinner to eat the pudding, so when they left, she asked if could box up their half of the pudding to take home. Shock

windchime · 12/08/2014 17:56

We are staying in our holiday home atm, and invited PIL down for a few days. BIL stopped over one night on his way to a football match. We all went out for a meal last Friday, and, as usual, it was assumed that DH would pick up the tab. BIL chose his seat at the table and let DH go to the bar with our orders for drinks. Then, DH asks around the table for food orders, and everyone wants standard pub fare like bbq chicken, scampi, etc. Then BIL orders the lobster. The fucking lobster. At no point, during or after the meal, or before he left, did he offer to pay for the lobster, or buy drinks or anything. My jaw is still on the floor. He is an architect in a well-know business.

Ohwhatfuckeryisthis · 12/08/2014 17:58

I have just overheard this corker in a naice shop in our town. Teenage boy with lovely shiny hair comes in, obviously knows shop owner. "Is there a jeweller in town that sells x brand watches? (Think ££) only I got this in a big jewellery chain(none of which in town) and I've scratched the face. Just want to take it back and get my money back. If they sell them I thought I could get a refund from them instead" she suggested going to the chain and insisting on a refund from them.

ADinnerofHerbs · 12/08/2014 18:01

Another one was the family members who kindly lent us their holiday cottage for the weekend, so we could have a nice break. When we arrived there was a list pinned up with all the cleaning and maintenance jobs they thought we would not mind doing, in exchange for 'the break!' We spent all our time hammering and wiping and saw nothing of the area!!! They even arranged for the guy from the village store to pop round while we were there. They had a tab for papers etc and told him that we would settle up for three months worth of broadsheet papers! Never again!!!

Helenagrace · 12/08/2014 18:03

I have an acquaintance who says "I'll have that when she's finished with it" whenever DD has anything new. A good friend of mine recently left her twat of an ex and was financially strapped for a bit so I gave her DD's old clothes, including a really lovely pair of not that used converse. Acquaintance went ballistic and demanded to know why I'd given "her DD's converse" away because she'd claimed them first.

I work from home and regularly get people tracking down my number / email when there's an inset day thinking I have nothing better to do than look after children I don't know. They often have the cheek to get arsey when I refuse too!

sashh · 12/08/2014 18:10

Just remembered one from my grandmother.

Grandmother was planning a trip to the seaside for a week with the other widow who lived in the same block of flats.

My aunt and her partner said they would drive them as it would be a nice day out for them.

Gran phoned them a few days later to say that as they had a 'driver' now they had decided to go further afield as they could now 'go anywhere'.

ADinnerofHerbs · 12/08/2014 18:15

I have never posted until this thread but just can't stop as I have so many examples of this! I got back in touch with an old friend and she thought it would be nice for our children to exchange Christmas presents. She asked what my children would like and I said their coloured pens were running low so some pens would be nice. I then asked what her son would like and she said she had emailed me. I checked and there was an all singing, all dancing spreadsheet with her son's requests, the cheapest thing being thirty pounds!!!! I told her my daughter had decided she wanted to choose his gift and bought something small.

fatpony · 12/08/2014 18:20

A couple of years ago I was on a long overnight BA flight o Africa. By being savvy and reserving a seat online I had got a bulkhead/exit seat meaning a bit more leg room (this was before you had to pay £50 for them on top of the fare). As I was settling into my seat for the journey a very tall man from a few rows back sauntered over and loudly asked if I could swap seats with him.

When I looked over his seat was in the middle of the middle four with small children either side - his own children! When I politely said no and that I had reserved the seat as was my right he gave me a very loud dressing down as to why I shouldn't have it (I'm small) and he should (tall and needed the leg room). I was bright red but stood my ground! As if I wanted to spend a night flight sandwiched between a stranger's two and four year old...

Smilesandpiles · 12/08/2014 18:22

My old neighbours had a poodle. When he retired they decided to go away for a month leaving their poodle which they had for years with a friend. They gave the friends loads of food, shampoo, money, cheques and made sure he had some beers in too. They were very generous to this friend and were thankful he was doing them this massive favour.

They come back from this holiday, loving every second of it calling every week about the dog and to make sure he didn't need anything else, go to collect their dog from their friend to find out that he gave the dog away to the dogs home the day before they left for their holiday! He had the dog for a grand total of 28 hours.

A race to the dogs home to discover the dog had already been rehomed a week after it arrived due to it's pedegree, how well it was looked after and were stunned that the "owner" wanted to give it away in the first place.

This was back in the 80's so I'm not sure if more checks are done now.

Heartbroken didn't even come near it. When they told me about it they were still very upset by the whole thing. They never got another dog after that and never trusted anyone since.

ADinnerofHerbs · 12/08/2014 18:26

Someone has posted something similar, just wanted to add it's happened to me too. I gave a friend of mine all my outdoor little tikes toys and wooden kitchen, wooden ride on's etc. My husband fitted her new lights and fence panels as a favour as her husband is not practical. She knocked at the door with a toy for my daughter. Something she wasn't into but I politely thanked her profusely as I thought she just wanted to give something back in return. A few hrs later she texted to say she hated to ask but her daughter was hoping for some money for the toy, to put towards her new keyboard. I paid up but have never given her anything else.

Pancakeflipper · 12/08/2014 18:27

In the early hours one morning my father woke up to hear odd noises in his garden. On the drive a couple were having a shag. They had to climb over high locked wrought iron gates to get into his garden. They could have opted for a low wall and field next to his house...

Father went out and told them to get out of his garden.
They told him to fuck off and continued.
He went and got the hose pipe and hosed them down.
They stopped shagging and phoned the police demanding they arrest my father.

Police turned up and the couple couldn't understand why they would not arrest my father and were outraged. Lots of shouting so more neighbours woke up and came out to see the fun.

My mother made everyone a cup of tea but the shaggers refused the hospitality. Police took them home with warnings about trespassing.

Deverethemuzzler · 12/08/2014 18:32

My OH's dn needed someone to take care of her newborn whilst she was assessed by SS.
We agreed to do this.
I took all my annual and emergency leave from work so we coud do it.
Baby was traumatised and hardly slept, fed tiny amounts every hour.
Arrived with nothing. No clothes, no bottles, no formula.
I was up all night then had to get up v.early to get dcs ready for school and then get baby across London on the tube in the rush hour to see dn.
She wrote me a note in the book I had made for her to record baby's day so she wouldn't miss everything.
'make sure xxxx is only dressed in clothes fom next or mothercare'
She also moaned about the stroller I bought because I couldn't carry the tank she had bought up and down the stairs in the Underground.
When I asked if the meetings could be made a bit earlier to enable the baby to have a better routine and possibly move them closer to us to stop him being moved around so much....'no. I am not getting up early! I will miss my programmes and why should I have to travel to see my baby!'

She then called me and said she wanted all the baby clothes and equipment (that I had bought) 'back' for her next baby.

Brass neck doesn't even cover it!

SignoraStronza · 12/08/2014 18:33

My best mate, years ago. Demanded at the last minute I do a 300 mile round trip to help her move her stuff, as she needed to be out of her house by the end of the following weekend.

I asked if it would be possible to do it the following weekend as I had plans. It would be a bank holiday and we could make a nice, relaxed weekend of it. No, had to be done immediately. So, with plans cancelled, I duly trekked over to see her and lug/move her gear.

Turned out that the reason it couldn't be done over the bank holiday is because she would be schlepping off to Wales to meet the parents of the new man she was shagging. Who had just returned from a year's travelling.

The same guy who had dumped me before he left, broke my heart, cheated on me and given me chlamydia.

Still, they managed to make it work for a while and even moved in together. Until she discovered he had 'serviced' a mutual friend in their living room after she'd retired to bed one night.

We're still really good friends and, to my credit I never once said 'I told you so'.

ADinnerofHerbs · 12/08/2014 18:35

Chuckling so much at the shaggers being offered a cup of tea! Just choked

GemmaTeller · 12/08/2014 18:38

When we lived in our previous house:

Answered a knock at the door and there was two young girls stood there (about 5 and 7ish). I had seen them about but didn't know their names or where they lived.

'Can we walk your dogs?' asked the youngest

'No, sorry, they are too big for you and they have already been out today' I replied.

She thought for a minute then said 'can we have some money then?'

....not sure what the going rate is for a five year old to walk a six stone boxer on her own.....

Gilbertblyhesmissus · 12/08/2014 18:40

the shaggers refused the hospitality Grin

When we got married DHs uncle took lots of photographs of our guests standing about and chatting as he thought they would be something a bit less formal to have alongside our other photos. A lovely idea and was an extra wedding gift from them. He passed them onto MIL to give us. She took out all the best ones for herself to save ordering an official photo and gave us what was left telling us that we could use the negatives to work out which ones were missing and get them printed off. It cost us a fortune. We were virtually penniless having not long finished uni. She is a very wealthy woman.

spongebob5 · 12/08/2014 18:43

I came home one afternoon from shopping, my two DDs ran around to the garden to play on the trampoline. I could hear them talking to someone so went to investigate. My NDN was sat on one of my patio chairs with her youngest GC on her lap watching her other GCs bounce on my trampoline!

She looked at me, then without saying anything called the GCs off the trampoline and walked past me! :O

MamaLazarou · 12/08/2014 18:55

My friend/neighbour is a childminder and our neighbour asked her to collect her two children (aged 6 and 8) from school and have them until ten PM. The children's father gets home from work at 5PM but sees childcare as women's work.

Obviously, my friend said no but wished her luck in finding a childminder who would be willing to have the kids til 10pm each weekday! She didn't even want them put to bed or anything - just expected them to play/hang out/watch tv at the childminder's house all that time.

OldFarticus · 12/08/2014 19:00

I have a small apartment in a ritzy-ish destination. A friend (albeit not a close one) wanted to come and stay with me for the duration of a sporting event, because hotel prices are steep at that time. I said yes, but explained that as it is a 1-bed, I would be sharing the bedroom/double bed with my closest mate (who was also visting for the same event), but she was welcome to the single sofa bed in the study.

She turned up with a friend I had never met and said that they were hoping to "hang out together" at the apartments' shared pool. I was (just about) fine with this. Then her friend said she didn't want a drink but was going to go into the bedroom for a nap. I was so shocked I just said yes and she got undressed and went to sleep in my naice fresh clean sheets just put on for me and my bestie! She covered the pillowcase in orange foundation, slept for 3 hours and didn't even say thank you.

We ended up coming back from the event separately. My bestie and I were drunk really tired and collapsed into the double bed. Woke up next days and there was a pair of men's shoes outside my study and a pair of inside out men's jeans on the sofa with some dodgy looking stains. When I got out the shower my friend was sitting on the sofa trying not to piss herself laughing while a strange man helped himself to toast and tea in my kitchen...

I am afraid I turned into my mother for a second and used the immortal phrase "Don't you dare treat my home like a cheap hotel!" They left shortly after and although she has asked me every year since, amazingly there is always something terribly important going on at work when she wants to come and visit... Wink

MehsMum · 12/08/2014 19:10

I could write a book about my SIL's brass neck. A few examples:

She, pregnant, rang up one weekend to invite herself and her toddler to our flat for the afternoon. I was pregnant too - at the knackered and nauseous stage. I explained that DH was at work and that I'd been away all week for work and had to hand wash work clothes but she could come if she liked (I think anyone else might have said, 'Oh, no, I can see that's not convenient - not to worry!')

She came. She lounged on the sofa in our not at all childproofed flat and in between naps told me, 'Oh, you'll have to move those, otherwise DS will have them. Oh look, DS has your stuff, you'd better get it off him. The only way to cope with small DC in the place is to move everything out of reach. I think he's found your wine rack... Really, you need to move everything out of his reach.' As she did NOTHING, though she could plainly see that moving everything out of his reach wasn't possible in that flat.

She came to stay a year or so later, leaving her DC2 at home, but bringing her DS. She was, unsurprisingly, the laziest house guest I have ever had. I spent hours entertaining her DS. I bought expensive foods I would never have bought normally, at her request, with her there, and though she knew we were less well off than she was, she didn't part with a penny. Every evening, she repaired to the living room with a bottle of wine to talk to DH leaving me (who had cooked) with all the washing up. DH said it would be rude to leave her or ask her to help. DH wasn't popular.

Scroll on a few more years. She was due to come for the weekend and I was dreading it. She phoned up. 'Oh, DS has a friend staying this weekend. I'm bringing him too if that's alright.'

No, it wasn't alright. I said he couldn't come, so none of them came. I don't think she's been to stay since.

Roussette · 12/08/2014 19:12

All this reminds me of the thread with the poster who has a mobile home and she lent it to a work colleague and partner for 1 night but they wanted to take 4 friends with them and go for 3 nights or something like that

Salmotrutta · 12/08/2014 19:14

I'm swinging between snorts of laughter and utter outrage at some of these.

I've remembered another one.

A hideous former neighbour who used to shove her son through our garden gate (without asking) to play with our kids when she wanted peace.

I eventually caught her in the act one day and she was all "You don't mind do you?"

I told her that yes, I did mind as we were going out.

We went out a lot that summer - thankfully she moved shortly after.

OP posts:
RobinHumphries · 12/08/2014 19:19

Roussette there were quite a few posters who thought the OP was being unreasonable with that story!

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