Ever had a good deed backfire?

cantdecide · 12-11-2013 03:18PM

An old friend of mine rang me up and told me he'd forgotten to pay his car tax for over a month because they don't send written notice any more. He said he doesn't have a credit card and can't make it to the tax office to pay cash because it was too far and he didn't want to drive that distance and into the city with no tax. He said he had the money and could bring the cash, he just usually gets his mother to pay online for him but she's away.

We're both petrol heads and I was going to pick him up so he could give me some advice about my car and we'd sort it out when we got to mine. He asked me if you could pay online when you owed arrears and I told him you could. I told him I'd text him the number which was going to be €200 + arrears of maybe €60 or €80. I looked it up and it was €71 for arrears and texted it on.

I picked him up, we looked at my car. We went inside to pay his car tax and he presents me with €200 (exactly what 3 months tax in a 2.0 is) in cash with nothing for arrears and a cock and bull story about only just seeing my text.

So thanks, man. Way to help yourself to a €71 loan when you know how hard up I am at the moment...

mondeo · 12-11-2013 03:45PM

I use to work in a taxi company in town where the office I worked in was at the top floor. There was no lift but a very steep set of stairs. I had a wheel chair bound colleague who was extremely nasty when I only tried to assist her up the stairs. She use to have crutches to climb the steps and she would be awhile reaching the top. It was my second or third day at the job but she lashed out and I was in shock and never spoke to her again for the 3 months I worked there. I am very particular who I offer help to since that incident. A particularly nasty individual she was.

Riskymove · 12-11-2013 03:57PM

Brego888 wrote: »

I remember a few years ago holding a door open for a guy coming behind me in a wheelchair. He gave me verbal lashing for "disrespecting" him. "I can manage my own doors without your help thanks" and other such comments cursing under his breath as he left.

Cheeky bastard. I would have held the door open for anyone wheelchair bound or not.

on a similar note I once stood up on a train to give my seat to a pregnant woman...only to be loudly told that she was "not diasabled" and did not need my charity....

followed by a silent pause whereby we looked at eachother and all the other people looked at me...and I then just sat down again quietly and embarrased!

HansHolzel · 12-11-2013 04:02PM

mondeo wrote: »

I use to work in a taxi company in town where the office I worked in was at the top floor. There was no lift but a very steep set of stairs. I had a wheel chair bound colleague who was extremely nasty when I only tried to assist her up the stairs. She use to have crutches to climb the steps and she would be awhile reaching the top. It was my second or third day at the job but she lashed out and I was in shock and never spoke to her again for the 3 months I worked there. I am very particular who I offer help to since that incident. A particularly nasty individual she was.

You could have later helped her get back downstairs much quicker, without having to talk to her. Nudge.

HansHolzel · 12-11-2013 04:08PM

On holding doors open:

Last June I was paying a bill in the local post office and talking to the postmaster at the hatch when a guy from an An Post money van shoved a box through a side slot and, without even an "Excuse me", asked him for a piece of paper to write some numbers on. When he went back out, the postmaster said,

“See them stupid cünts?”
“Who? Yer man?”
“They were supposed to be here at ten this morning. I have no money. I didn’t even get a dinner. I’m hungry in here. All I had was a banana, waiting for a phone call from his boss to say when they’d be here.”

A couple of other customers entered. As I left, I held the door open for the van guy who had another box in his arms. He just walked back in past me.

“Say thanks,” I said, after him.

His head turned in surprise.

“Asshole,” I added.

That was the end of that.

I am pie · 12-11-2013 04:14PM

Drunken people in distress are a real minefield to deal with. Once walking home in Belfast years and years ago we (myself and 3 other pals) saw some lad getting a pasting from the local hoodrats, they were only kids but they were laying the boot into some unfortunate student on the bridge. We were relatively sober so we hoofed it up the road shouting at the little rats as we went, the kids legged it when they saw us coming. We lifted the lad up, he was stinking drunk and pretty sore after getting booted about. I imagine they grabbed whatever money he had.

Commotion drew the attention of the police, they arrived with us asking the guy were he was going and was he ok etc, they took the lad into the back of the van and asked us to hang about. When in the van the guy proceeded to claim that we had ran up the road and set about him, said he lost his wallet and money. Naturally we got searched and dragged down to the station for a questioning. Terrific. Kid wanted to press charges, but all our stories matched up naturally even down to the description. Coincidentally we met the guy various times after in nightclubs in town, he went to the same college as a few of us too it turned out, a year younger, he always maintained we had given him the kicking and robbed him. Numerous times we were approached by whatever friends he could get to come up to us and threaten us, numerous times we explained what had happened, numerous times we explained and offered that they contact the police and recommended they ask why the no charges were pressed. Drunken eejit. Eventually someone had a word with him and set him straight, finally accepted that he was blind drunk, got a kicking from some kids (I suspect this was the part he had difficultly processing) and we had actually helped him out, offered us a drunken apology a few years after we had all graduated.

Gannicus · 12-11-2013 04:41PM

Was driving back up the N11 the Saturday night (around where the rainbow warriors used to be living in the trees etc.) It was about 1am. I saw a set of hazards and slowed down because I wasn't sure if they were in a lane or on the hard shoulder plus may have been the cops and I was a tad over the speed limit.

As I got closer I saw this woman early 40's struggling like hell to get the flat tyre off the car she couldn't unscrew the bolts to take it off. I pulled over and walked up and offered to help her. I was quite abrasively asked to get back into my car and leave or have "a tyre iron imprint put in me head." Needless to say I left quite quickly.

I wouldn't mind but the area is still quite heavily wooded and it was pitch black at that hour. It didn't help her case that she was dolled up to the nines and was standing in heels. She was either going somewhere or on her way home from something posh and didn't want to get grease on her fancy dress.

HansHolzel · 12-11-2013 04:47PM

No-win situation. Fear brings out the worst in people.

RoboRat · 12-11-2013 04:48PM

I used to go out with an absolute biaaatcchh. I was brought up to hold doors open and be courteous so I used to open the door for her. One day she just lost the plot and gave me a ton of grief saying that I was degrading her and she was well capable of opening a door and not some incapable imbecile (sadly these kind of psychotic out-of-the-blue tirades were not uncommon).

Next time we were out and she had a load of bags from shopping so I walked through the door and didn't bother holding it, she, thinking I was going to hold the door as usual, was not expecting the door to slam straight into her mush. Anyhow, she lost the plot again and I looked like a right arsehole even though it was what she wanted and I did kind of regret it as she was knocked on her arse.

We broke up thankfully but I still remember that day with a little chuckle... sometimes you get what you ask for.

Mousewar · 12-11-2013 04:48PM

When i was a teenager i was up in bed one night and I got woken up by some banging outside. I looked out the window. It was bin night and some yob had kicked every single wheelie bin over onto the road. After he went I realised no cars would be able to pass them so up I got, in my pjs, and headed out. It took a while but i picked up every bin on the road and quite a few had spilled their contents so it was dirty work at various points. Well as I was going to get the last one a taxi drove up but couldn't get past the bin. I went out, picked it up and waved him on. He moved forward slowly, wound down the window, and said:
"Not much point knocking over bins like that is there you scumbag"
then floored it and sped off.

Poor Mousewar, just awake, sore arms from lifting and covered in garbage juice - the indignance took years to dissipate.

Mousewar · 12-11-2013 04:54PM

hmmm...i meant indignance which maybe isn't word. Stupid spellchecker.

HansHolzel · 12-11-2013 04:54PM

Mousewar wrote: »

covered in garbage juice - the indigence took years to dissipate.

Indigence? Do you mean the homeless-style poverty or just the smell of the bins?

I do like the phrase "garbage juice", though.

battser · 12-11-2013 04:55PM

I once found a young wans phone on the train and being the normal gentleman I called "mam" and advised her mother where I was and how she could come and get cause I know the distress of losing ones phone.

She thanked me with a 6pack of carlsberg! I was SICK :mad:

keithclancy · 12-11-2013 04:56PM

Kept insisting that an old man take my seat while he keeps saying "Nee, dank je"

Old man sits in my seat

Misses his stop.

madel · 12-11-2013 05:04PM

I have two stories, The first was a night out in Galway with my friends. On the walk home we found a phone near Tesco in Terryland so we text the last number in it and told them we had it and that we'd get a taxi to their house to drop it off. We didn't get a reply and went home and fell asleep as you do! Next day we went to town around 1 for lunch and got a very abrasive reply which was fine because we expected them to be hungover so me and two of the lads went to meet the girl who lost it. We met them at woodquay stores. My two friends went into the shop to get a drink and I waited outside. On they arrived and she had 2 lads with her who basically abused and attempted to assault me for 'stealing' the phone. In the middle of this clusterfcuk, my two friends arrived back out, fanta in hand and I more or less ****ed the phone at the cnut while her two cnut friends backed off all the while still hurling abuse.

In a more happy ending, I once found a phone in charcoal grill, a samsung galaxy S3 just after they came out. Brought it home, owner rang and I went back into town to give it back. Turned out yer mans aul fella owned a pub in town and when we arrived in randomly one day he was behind the bar, remembered me and wahey free pints !

Maximus Alexander · 12-11-2013 05:05PM

Mousewar wrote: »

hmmm...i meant indignance which maybe isn't word. Stupid spellchecker.

Indignation?

Mousewar · 12-11-2013 05:10PM

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Indignation?

that's the one!

maguic24 · 12-11-2013 05:40PM

El Guapo! wrote: »

I was just reading through the good deeds thread and it got me thinking about the times when good deeds have backfired or gone horribly wrong on me.

One time, only a few months ago, I was out walking my dog in the park and throwing a tennis ball for him. I was just about to go home when I spotted a kid about 12, on his own with his dog. He was watching me throw the ball back and forth and I noticed he didn't have anything to throw for his own dog.

He looked kinda sad so I walked over and asked him if he wanted my tennis ball. I said he can keep it because I've got loads more at home. He looked freaked out and just said "No" and ran off with his dog.

I was left standing there confused, still holding the tennis ball in my outstretched hand.

It was at that moment I realised I looked like a paedophile.
I mean, what sort of grown man goes around the park offering tennis balls to lonely kids and their dogs?!!

Anyway, as the title says, have you ever had a good deed monumentally backfire?

I have a similar story to yours. I used to work in Sandyford and every morning I would cross at the crossing opposite the Beacon hospital on my way to work. (Crazy busy junction) One morning, on my way to work I noticed a kid, possibly 5 or 6, on his way to school (on his own!!!, the fudge??). He was a bit apprehensive about crossing the road and was waiting for me to take the first step. I was so worried that he would get knocked down, as he was trying to cross when the red man was still on, so I just grabbed him and brought him across the road. He was so petrified and literally ran off. I was so mortified, I sat in work for the day waiting for a phone call from the Gardaí. Ugh, I should have just waited for the green man but I thought he was going to walk out in front of a car when the road was clear.

Ever had a good deed backfire?

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