Is it worth it? Being nice.

tmcw · 13-08-2010 10:59AM #1

What I mean is, is it worth going to the trouble of going out of your way to maybe help someone out.

My story: found an envelope in the car park where I work a few weeks back. It was filthy dirty, mouldy looking, torn, looked like it was driven over a few times, and wet. Noticed a name on the front, marked for their attention, and their company dept. Now I know if I had left it in with the caretakers here, it would still be sitting in a lost and found box, even if someone had reported it missing (no 5hit).

Anyway, had a look inside to see if there was anything of value, and found a load of receipts; maybe 20-30 petrol station receipts, varying from €30-€50, about the same amount of parking chits, and a garage service receipt about €750 IIRC. Reg number on the petrol station receipts were for a 10 D Toyota Avensis, looking at it all together, probably expenses claims for a salesperson from that company.

So, bearing in mind how I thought submitting the envelope to the caretakers here would pan out, I took it upon myself to contact the company directly, and it was easy enough as they are a well known company, submitted some info via their customer service web-form, and a few days later had an e-mail reply from the FAO person on the envelope, with an address to return the envelope I found.

So, I went to the PO (I fcuking HATE going to the PO), and spent €5.25 of my own cash sending it via registered post, as I felt a bit responsible for what I found, and wanted to make sure that it was received on the other end.

Tracking showed that the letter I sent was received on Monday. Friday today, and no "thank you" from the people I returned the envelope to. Now I wasn't expecting a reward, or box of chocolates, or a blowjob for returning something that was probably quite valuable (and difficult to replace) to someone, but not even a thanks! A bit disappointed tbh.

So, what's your story, can be a 5hitty ending like mine, though it would be refreshing to hear some nice outcomes where someone was actually grateful for your unselfish intervention.

mike65 · 13-08-2010 11:01AM

I wouldn't do a good turn expecting to be thanked to be honest. I'd do it as I thought it was worth doing.

Kasabian · 13-08-2010 11:01AM

You have probably got someone in trouble for fiddling their expenses.

13-08-2010 11:02AM

Do good things and good things will happen thats what TV has told me!

Kiera · 13-08-2010 11:02AM

I dont have a story. Its always nice to be nice. I'm all about the buddhist way of thinking.

/well not the shutting up for a year part.....

orourkeda · 13-08-2010 11:03AM

I prefer being a bollocks myself

thecornflake · 13-08-2010 11:03AM

You might not have gotten that blowjob but it certainly sounds like you got shafted IMO.

Dravokivich · 13-08-2010 11:04AM

Kiera wrote: »

I dont have a story. Its always nice to be nice. I'm all about the buddhist way of thinking.

/well not the shutting up for a year part.....

Their idea on re-incarnation is something else alright.

treat something like shíte... you come back lower in the food chain then they were...

13-08-2010 11:05AM

Let no kind deed go unpunished!

Gaz · 13-08-2010 11:06AM

Some people are just cocks

tmcw · 13-08-2010 11:07AM

Gaz wrote: »

Some people are just cocks

It was to their personnel dept, so I guess the response (or lack thereof) was to be expected.

TanG411 · 13-08-2010 11:07AM

I always try to help people in simple situations. Opening doors, stepping off narrow paths, picking things up etc.
I do appreciate a thanks as well, but rarely get one. But what keeps me doing it is when you see that one person out of every one-hundred that gives you a proper thanks. A real happy one. One that brightens up your own day, as well as theirs.

Kiera · 13-08-2010 11:09AM

Dravokivich wrote: »

Their idea on re-incarnation is something else alright.

treat something like shíte... you come back lower in the food chain then they were...

I like their "smile" attitude. They're awesome people!

13-08-2010 11:09AM

Us Whisperers always shed a tear when we help them see the light.

Dacelonid · 13-08-2010 11:13AM

Fair play to ya OP, not a lot of people would go to that trouble.
The way I look at it is, if it were me I would be hoping and praying that some kindly soul would do the good deed and return my lost property (or whatever it was), therefore I too would return it.

Now if it was someone I didn't like, or if there was actual money in it, I say F*CK'EM, my goodwill only extends so far

Renn · 13-08-2010 11:13AM

mike65 wrote: »

I wouldn't do a good turn expecting to be thanked to be honest. I'd do it as I thought it was worth doing.

Ughhh, not what he was really saying though was it?

I forgot about this ignore function, must do it now.

ejmaztec · 13-08-2010 11:18AM

tmcw wrote: »

What I mean is, is it worth going to the trouble of going out of your way to maybe help someone out.

My story: found an envelope in the car park where I work a few weeks back. It was filthy dirty, mouldy looking, torn, looked like it was driven over a few times, and wet. Noticed a name on the front, marked for their attention, and their company dept. Now I know if I had left it in with the caretakers here, it would still be sitting in a lost and found box, even if someone had reported it missing (no 5hit).

Anyway, had a look inside to see if there was anything of value, and found a load of receipts; maybe 20-30 petrol station receipts, varying from €30-€50, about the same amount of parking chits, and a garage service receipt about €750 IIRC. Reg number on the petrol station receipts were for a 10 D Toyota Avensis, looking at it all together, probably expenses claims for a salesperson from that company.

So, bearing in mind how I thought submitting the envelope to the caretakers here would pan out, I took it upon myself to contact the company directly, and it was easy enough as they are a well known company, submitted some info via their customer service web-form, and a few days later had an e-mail reply from the FAO person on the envelope, with an address to return the envelope I found.

So, I went to the PO (I fcuking HATE going to the PO), and spent €5.25 of my own cash sending it via registered post, as I felt a bit responsible for what I found, and wanted to make sure that it was received on the other end.

Tracking showed that the letter I sent was received on Monday. Friday today, and no "thank you" from the people I returned the envelope to. Now I wasn't expecting a reward, or box of chocolates, or a blowjob for returning something that was probably quite valuable (and difficult to replace) to someone, but not even a thanks! A bit disappointed tbh.

So, what's your story, can be a 5hitty ending like mine, though it would be refreshing to hear some nice outcomes where someone was actually grateful for your unselfish intervention.

Name and shame, and set up an abusive facebook account with the name of the company and "bastards" in the title.

pickarooney · 13-08-2010 11:20AM

You need to submit that registered post as an expense.

Lorrs33 · 13-08-2010 11:24AM

Unfortunately I'm always going out of my way to do nice things to people, comes with low self-esteem

Sykk · 13-08-2010 11:25AM

Being nice and mannerly is worth it. But if I go out of my way to be nice to someone, and they're a cúnt in return.. They'll never receive that courtesy from me again.

monkeypants · 13-08-2010 11:28AM

It was the right thing to do and well done to you for doing it.

crazyderk · 13-08-2010 11:29AM

I find a good balance between being nice and being a cheeky bollix help:D:D

for every nice job I do it entitles me to be a cheeky bollix and I have found that so far in my 28 years on this planet it has worked, my goal is when I get to the pearly gates (if I get to the pearly gates) to have 1 more good deed that cheeky deed then i'm in!

Tefral · 13-08-2010 11:30AM

Brother went down to Waterford on his last phase of his apprentiship, he left his phone in the back of a taxi, taxi driver found it, contacted my dad through the phone and then taxi driver dropped it into WIT to him, the brother gave him the price of a few pints.

Fair play to him. My brother has returned phones he has found too so i defo believe theres some kind of Karma attached to it.

I have returned wallets etc to their owners, never got anything but i know the feeling when you have lost your wallet and when someone finds it and returns it.

pickarooney · 13-08-2010 11:33AM

Lorrs33 wrote: »

Unfortunately I'm always going out of my way to do nice things to people, comes with low self-esteem

Giggidy!

Lorrs33 · 13-08-2010 11:43AM

pickarooney wrote: »

Giggidy!

Not like that

podgemonster · 13-08-2010 12:15PM

I remember finding a wallet on Patrick Str., Cork with over 100€ in it and about €40 HMV vouchers.

With the owners student card i was able to find her as I knew a lad in her class. I handed to her and she nearly ripped it outta my hand saying OMG i was looking for this and started counting the money in it. Then looked at me and said 'I spose you want money now do ya'.

I just walked off, bitch! Shoulda taken some cash out of it!

AnonoBoy · 13-08-2010 12:41PM

Over to you Thomas Walsh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgVwfeCgZKQ

Doop · 13-08-2010 12:44PM

I do generally go out of my way to be nice but..

A couple of years ago, I opened a letter and found my driving licence in it (I didnt know I was missing it!) Turns out some chick had found it on a bus in Poland (I had returned home about a month previously) And with it a big long letter, saying how she was heading to IReland for a couple of weeks soon, gave me dates everything, and hinted that we should meet up and i could show her around etc. She also asked I write back a letter or email letting her know I recieved the driving licence.

So I pinned it to my notice board, and said well that was nice of her must write back.
The end! (I only threw the letter out the other day)

Mars Bar · 13-08-2010 12:49PM

Thank you. Two simple words a lot of people seem to trip over trying to say these days. It's one thing that really bugs me is when a person can't say thank you. Especially old people.

If I found a wallet or anything like that, I would make it my mission to find the person it belongs to.

lyndonjones · 13-08-2010 01:09PM

Ok here is my story...

Bout 4 months ago my wife went to the BoI ATM to withdraw money and to her amazement she found money protruding from the machine, exact amount can't remember but somewhere in the region of €400 along with the advice note. There is no-one at the ATM or in the immediate area.

She returns home and contacts the bank and informs them that she has found a sum of money in the ATM, it transpires that the machine was "slow" in issuing the money and advice note and the person assumed that the machine was acting up so the person went to the counter to withdraw the money.

The bank fone her back and tell her of the error and that they have identified the person who is out of pocket and could she drop down the money!

Issue_01: My wife had to return to the bank to give them the money, they couldn't call and collect - putting my wife out - school runs, dinners etc etc. Now you say to yourself why didn't she go into the bank and hand over the money then. I decided that this way would mean that their be an opportunity for the owner of the cash to express their gratitude.

So my wife went to the bank and handed over the money along with her contact number, she gets a text 4hrs later with a bare thanks from the owner of the money.

Issue_02 - My wife didn't return the money for a reward but an acknowledgement in some small form would have been appreciated and made you feel good about yourself. No I hear ye all saying that is not the point but hell a small bunch of flowers for €5 wouldn't go astray. The balance on the advice note read over €18K!!!!

Issue_03 The bank itself should have made an example of this action by an honest customer and recognised it in some small way to - even a request from the bank manager to call in so my wife could have been thanked personally by him/ her.

If it happened again what would I do??

Def think twice.

Cheeky_gal · 13-08-2010 01:27PM

I can't stand this OP.

It seems like 99% of people take kindness for weakness.

I remember my boyfriend asked me to ask my mate who works in IKEA to give him discount on curtains and Poles and he asked me if I would pick out the curtains for him (he moved into a new apartment) so I said I would, and my mate gave me the discount. I went to my boyfriends house with the stuff and he was delighted.

A week later he decided to break up with me with some sh*tty excuse (the age difference), and can I just say we were with each toher for 9 months and the "age" was never an issue!

Pr*ck !

Is it worth it? Being nice.

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