ADVERTISEMENT

It’s nice to see humans being bros and helping each other out, whether it’d be with minor things like helping someone move homes or something a bit more serious like long-term financial help to keep things afloat. Regardless, it’s a virtue that many of us adhere to because it’s the right thing to do and the world needs more positivity.

However, sometimes being nice turns against us because someone decides to take advantage of our benevolence. You know, like when a person who we’re helping tries to dupe or swindle us to maximize their own personal gain, which ends up being the straw that broke the camel’s back: we lose faith in humanity, and end up never helping anybody at all!

This is the situation that Reddit user u/mofoxx has recently set up for people to consider in his now-viral r/AskReddit post that asks the question “What was your 'F*** it, done helping others' moment?” Over 12,000 people responded to it, sharing stories of how they decided that they were done being Mr. Nice Guy or Gal.

Bored Panda has collected some of the best stories and turned them into a neat list that you can find below. Go check them out and vote and comment on the ones you liked the most. And while you’re down there, why not also share some of your stories, if you have any!

#1

One day I found a puppy, dirty, hungry, and just scared and lost. I gave him a good meal, and some love, and went to drop him off at the address on his collar.

The dude thanked me, then proceeded to beat the crap out of the dog (telling me to mind my own business when I tried to get him to stop), carried him by his collar to a 5 ft short chain in a muddy patch with a crappy broken 3-wall "doghouse" where im guessing the dog spent 100% of it's time.

I called the cops, but they did nothing (the dog technically had shelter, which qualifies bc 3 walls and a roof, even if it was filled with holes and it gets 20° at night here.)

ps. I stole the dog 3 weeks later.

blitzen_vixen Report

#2

I was working at a fast food place when I was a student. I usually did overtime to help everyone clean up and close the restaurant until about 1am because we were so understaffed.

I guess people got used to me staying late because one night when I was supposed to finish at 11, I overheard some of my colleagues (the stereotypical mean girls) say how bad the clients had cluttered everything tonight and how it was going to be a mess to clean up. Then they say 'but hey, [me] is gonna stay late tonight again, let's leave it to her, she always does the cleaning anyways', followed by laughing and some b****** about me.

That night I clocked out at 11 after doing all of my tasks at the counter and left. The girls stared at me in shock and when I was outside I saw one of them standing in the middle of the restaurant with her hand on her forehead, looking at the mess she would have to clean before going home.

Weirdly, after that day, they started cleaning earlier without waiting for me to do everything!

bigfishcherrycoke Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#3

I was 17 and still in school. The corridors were empty as my teacher sent me out to go do her a job. So I was just walking down the corridor when this girl carrying a bunch of books bumped into me and she dropped the books (like you see in a movie) so I apologise because I wasn’t really paying attention and I bend down and get the books for her and hand them to her expecting at least a small thanks. But no. Instead this chick had to say “I have a boyfriend so never ever purposely bump into me just so I can talk to you. You should’ve walked away.” As she begins to turn away I grab her shoulder which makes her turn around and I knock the books out of her hand and say “now that was on purpose” and I walked away whilst she was stood there speechless. Some of you may think that was messed up but I don’t really regret a single bit of it as she got was she deserved.

retrobread_ Report

#4

My mother and her new husband had moved into a new place and invited all the "kids" over for Christmas.

In previous years we would buy a whole turkey dinner from somewhere so no one (me) had to cook, so imagine my surprise when my husband and I walk in, my mother walks out of the kitchen, hands me a spoon and says, "Good, you're finally here", and goes to sit down in the living room.

After a quick and awkward conversation, it was determined that my job was to make sure everything currently in progress (or not even started) got to the table on time, while everyone else socialized. Basically, I was the help and should have realized that, so any feelings I had about that were my fault. I was a good cook, and my mother taught me everything (not) so I owed her.

So I did, and not knowing the family dynamics, my new step siblings were very thankful and appreciative of all my efforts, which caused a meltdown from my mother about how we all should be thanking HER.

That was the first time I used a phrase that has come in handy for these situations, "I'm so sorry, it will never happen again."

And it never did. They weren't happy when they finally realized what that meant.

ScammerC Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#5

Had a friend years ago who was a bit self centered & prone to stretching the truth, but he was a nice enough guy with a rough backstory and my friend group liked him, so I cut him a lot of slack. I like to host and I have friends staying over pretty regularly -- back then, I usually had one or two people spending the night on any given day. Anyhow, over the span of a couple of years this guy starts abusing that -- staying over for days or even weeks at a time, eating my food and drinking my liquor without contributing, that sort of thing ... While constantly talking about his grand plans and day dreams as if they'd already happened. A little sad, but also pretty annoying after a while. Anyhow, I sit him down one day and let him know he's gotta head home, and that he's free to come over and hang out but I'm not comfortable with him staying over for the time being. He leaves, I think it went remarkably well and head out to work...and it turns out that he broke in while I was away at work and stole a bunch of my sister's things because "his birthday was coming up and neither of us even thought to get him a gift." It takes a special person to rationalize how burglarizing someone is really their fault. Anyway, all slack and sympathy went out the window immediately ... Called the cops and he's dead to me.

badass_panda Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#6

I used to frequently stay late at work for clients who showed up to the veterinary clinic last-minute with a non-emergency problem and no appointment. Then three times in a row, three different people were told up front about the after hours fee, agreed to pay it instead of scheduling an appointment for the next day, and all of them called back the next day fussing that they shouldn’t have been charged extra for keeping us 30-60 minutes past our scheduled hours and that we were terrible and trying to scam them by charging for our time (even though we told them up front and they had another option). It was exhausting and demoralizing- we did more than we had to for them after already working a full day because a desire to help is why we’re all here in the first place, and they responded by saying our time was worth nothing and we suck. The entire staff said “f*** that.”

Now - unless it’s a literal life and death situation - if we can’t fit someone in before closing and they didn’t have an appointment it’s a firm no. I’m in this profession to help others and I still work late for real emergencies when they happen or if an appointment runs longer than expected, but I’m done sacrificing my personal time for entitled people who don’t actually need it.

RoseFeather Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#7

When a "good" friend of mine that I worked under had cancer and wasn't able to pay some bills I loaned her $200 just to help. I was only 18 at the time and felt bad because she had kids, it was right around the holidays and was I just wanted to help however I could and be a good person in life. She promised to pay me back when she could.

Turns out she lied about having cancer, was stealing from the company I worked at, scammed my other co workers, and would come in after calling out of work for her chemo to make fraudulent returns while I was overseeing the store by myself because of her calling out.

Got that b**** fired and got promoted to her position after

Bigfatsmelly Report

#8

I had a 7' couch I didn't want to move, so I put it out on the front lawn with a sign that said "FREE." A guy came by and said, "I'll be right back to pick this up." I changed the sign to "SOLD" and he never came back.

Hauled the couch back out to the front lawn next week with a "FREE" sign. Another guy came by and said he wanted the couch. I told him, "Give me $10 and I'll hold it for you." He handed me a $10 bill and was back in 15 minutes with a pickup truck. I gave him back his $10. People are nicer when they've got skin in the game.

YesRocketScience Report

Add photo comments
POST
weatherwitch101 avatar
weatherwitch
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've had that selling online! List something for Free and get totally messed around, even really late night, very early morning messages about it too. List something for minimal price and people actually turn up. It's bonkers!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
#9

This is more specific to the teeny-tiny town I used to live in. Used to believe I was valued by the community. Used to actually believe in that community spirit, that soul, if you will. I had seen it and participated in it.

When I left my marriage of almost 13 years, there had been about ten years of domestic violence. I well and truly thought the community would help me out if I needed it and reached out, as I had seen so many other times in the 15 years I had lived there. Nope, got quite the opposite. Nobody believed me. People who I thought were friends disappeared. People who I thought were friends played the, ‘It wasn’t really that bad was it?’ card. People that I thought I could trust to help keep me safe by not tell anyone where I was living went straight to my abuser with that info. Hardly anyone would even speak to me, even just to say hi, when I needed acknowledgement most.

F*** all of those f****.

OutcastTraveller Report

#10

We have helped out my sister n law a few times with money/bills. Never a lot, $50 here, $100 there. Usually for some bill to avoid services being cut off. I’m usually the more heartfelt one in my marriage, but I ended up being the one to put my foot down.

Went over to her apartment once. She had two big flat screen TVs, new couch, new fridge, kids on PlayStation or whatever console she got them. It was all Rent-a-Center stuff, but that was the end for me. I didn’t have any of those things myself, not to mention the incredibly bad financial decision those things were with the high interest rate. Part of me felt like I was taking food out of her kids mouths, but realized that no, her poor decisions was doing that.

red_eye_rob Report

Add photo comments
POST
bantrobel avatar
La Petite Morte
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Rent-A- Center is evil and should be shut down. They knowingly charge people 3-5x what a thing is worth and have driven people into destitution. After all that they insist their prices are 'reasonable' and after you've already paid 2x the retail cost in 'rent' they repossess everything anyway. I watched a friend burn thousands with them over the course of a year, all so he could please his harpy of an ex-wife because she always 'had to have' the latest and newest whatevers. Thank the gods the divorce lawyer settled all that debt on her after she screwed him out of the house and everything in it. Took him 2 years to recover financially from her.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#11

Had a newish neighbor ask if he could borrow our lawn mower....sure. Well more or less every week he would come and get it out of our garage, use it to cut his grass, put it away without cleaning it or adding gas. In the fall we "mentioned" it was a good time to get deals on a new mower. He never talked to us again.

FireandIceT Report

#12

Partner and I moved provinces, only family in our new area is partners aunt and uncle and their kids about an hour from us. They invited us down for Christmas a few years ago. Nothing too fancy, just family. Cool. They’re pretty religious and we’re pretty gay, so I’m always a touch hesitant spending a lot of time, but it was Christmas and family and yadda yadda yadda.

We get there and I ask if they need any help with anything, just general good guest stuff. The aunt then reveals that the reason they invited us was for me to help in the cooking of the turkey and sides. I’m a good cook, and I don’t mind helping out and she’s not the most confident cook so it’s not a huge deal. So I follow her to the kitchen and nothing has been done. Like. Turkey is still in the plastic. She says the oven is a bit finicky and that she’ll leave me to it.

Like. Literally expected me to come and cook them the whole Christmas dinner. My partner was out in the yard with his cousins playing on a frozen pond, his aunt and uncle were drinking in their living room, and I’m pretty well being treated as the help for the next few hours.

Partner comes in and sees me in the kitchen, comes and chats and realizes the reason we got invited was for me to cook for them. He’s pissed. I’m just carrying on. I serve up dinner, we eat, and then we leave right away.

A couple days later he chews his aunt out on the phone and we haven’t seen them since. Evidently in the call she had made some comment about not abiding by our “lifestyle choice” but made an exception cuz of the way my partners mother raved about my cooking.

duhbell Report

#13

Was donating baby/toddler clothes to a mom in need through one of those Facebook donating pages. She didn't have a car, I did so I drove 30 minutes away to deliver the stuff all for free. Got in a bad accident less than 5 blocks from her house. So I texted her to see if she could come get what she was able to because my car was totaled. She wouldn't walk the 4 blocks then reported me to the group and got me kicked out for "not following through". I ended up with a fractured sternum, yeah F*** that s***, never again.

LifeIsSweetSoAmI Report

#14

A “friend” of mine borrowed a game off me once. About month later I remembered an asked for it. he told me he couldn’t give it back because he gave it to his younger brother for his birthday ... would have asked for money but i knew it would have been difficult and the way I saw it, was easier to just lose him as a friend. His friendship was worth less than the value of a cheap game

Danman500 Report

#15

The day I realized that no one wanted to help me in return.

Look it's not about doing something for someone to get something back and I will ALWAYS help whoever I can that needs it. But when the same people consistently ask for help or money or what have you, without actually wanting to help you when you need it, or just hang out or be friendly in general, it's a huge red flag.

BlorpusDorpus Report

Add photo comments
POST
kha_duong_1 avatar
K.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That day was both painful and a catalyst for change that I’m deeply grateful for finally realizing.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#16

Met a guy who had hit a rough patch. We had great chemistry and he made me laugh (ugh the bar was SO low). He gave me a sob story of why he was getting kicked out of his communal house and I offered to let him stay with me because I live alone and have my own place.

HUGE MISTAKE! He hadn't hit a rough patch, he was the rough patch. Barely paid for anything and would get wasted while I was at work and be a total ass hole when I got home. Got fired from his job, ate all the food I'd buy and make excuses as to why he hadn't found another job yet. The absolute kicker was when I went home for my Nonna's funeral, he treated it like a mini vacation in my place. Invited friends over, played music so loud the cops got called and when he was supposed to pick me up from the airport, he was wasted at someone's house at 8 am. Never felt better than the day I kicked him out. No more financial and emotional abuse. Finally felt like my place was mine again.

I've learned an expensive lesson. Don't help people that won't help themselves. When nothing is their fault, there's a serious issue. Run fast and far.

vikinglizzie Report

#17

I'm a teacher. A parent of a former student contacted me in an emergency situation, couldn't afford to pay bills, and needed help. She was super helpful to me in my first year teaching, so I asked friends and family to help out and raised her about $2,000. Never again. She has contacted me every few weeks since then, always with a new reason why she needs more money (and when I offer food and clothing resources, she refuses it). It has placed me in such an awkward situation and I regret ever trying to help her out in the first place

mynameissarah Report

#18

We were asleep one night with window open. We wake up bc there is a couple walking down the road arguing. The girl is closer than the guy. Next thing we know the girl is banging on door begging to come in. We call police. They get there and couple gone.

They tell us that’s a common ruse being used in area to get you to open door so they can rob you.

hideout78 Report

See Also on Bored Panda
#19

When my dad was moving out of state, he listed a bunch of stuff for free on Craigslist that he just wanted to get rid of. One of the things was a fairly nice Weber charcoal grill and some guy emailed him and demanded multiple pics from every angle and that the grill be deep cleaned before he'd take it. My dad didn't even reply and just blocked the guy. An hour later, someone else said they'd take it if it was still available and my dad was more than happy to give it away to them.

apocalypticradish Report

#20

Worked in Baton Rouge for a decade (1999-2009) and would regularly give the homeless I saw around town - generously if I can say that without being a douche bag.

In 2008 I was on a run for work and a guy caught me near the Target on Siegen lane. He had nothing he was homeless and on top of it had been robbed an hour ago. No worries, empty my wallet for the man, we all need help. Coming out of the shopping complex I see him hiding in the bushes opening a pack of smokes on a laptop while on his iPhone.

Then a month later, saw a man I regularly donated to on Government street. I would catch him on weekends - but this weekend my drop-offs started early so I saw him as he arrived in downtown BR. I sat behind the TV station waiting for a pick-up, and this cat gets out of a new car, changes into dirty clothes and grabs his sign from the trunk and heads off to his corner.

I have given food and connected people with charities, but I have not given a penny to a "beggar" since then.

Worlds_Best_Coffee Report

Add photo comments
POST
sammyanne1_sh avatar
Helen Haley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People like this make me mad. Precisely because they make people too nervous to help.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#21

I lived next to someone just like this. 2 young kids, very friendly, then they just take advantage of you.

I made the mistake of telling them I was a nanny and offering to babysit all of one time.

After that it was seriously at least once a day they’d drop of their kids. It wasn’t even like the kids were easy. 2 kids, still in diapers, who were little terrorizers.

I finally told them to f*** off after they yelled at me for not being available. They knocked on my door, left their 2 young kids waiting there, and peaced out.

I wasn’t even there. Cops were called after a toddler in nothing but her diaper was wandering the apartments.

princessnanny Report

#22

This is so f*****, I had a female friend who told me she had cancer as well and I told her I would help take her to treatments etc, turns out she didn't..she was just trying to get close to me to break up my marriage. People are so f*****.

Beastman33 Report

#23

The same thing happened to my Mom when she finally left my Dad. I was far too young to understand it at the time, but her hometown just up and turned their back on her! In some cases even her own family, no one believed her, accused her of lying. and would report her every move back to my Dad. It got so terrible she ended up leaving her hometown behind and moving somewhere completely new.

Pawsie Report

Add photo comments
POST
lauraswearingen-steadwell avatar
Aeon Flux
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This sucks. Communities need to do a better job sticking up for the survivors and the people still stuck in abusive situations.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#24

In freshman year of college, my friend of about two years got kicked out of his parents house. He said he needed somewhere to stay "for the night" till his parents cooled off.

I said you can stay a week if you want but more than that and you'll need to pay me rent (he made pretty good money, more than me even). I was kind of hoping to find someone to split the bills with anyway.

A week rolls by and he hasn't even looked for another place. His parents aren't letting him come back.

I ask him if he's going to stay, he says "if it's alright with you" I say sure, just pay me half the cost of the apt every month. He said he can't (I know damn well he can). I say "well then you gotta go"

He asked if he could stay another week. I said no. He got pissed at me for that. I then got pissed at him for getting pissed at me. I gave you a place to stay and you are mad at me??? Totally ended the friendship.

Never let anyone into your place unless you have a signed contract

HeadassMcDeadasss Report

Add photo comments
POST
lauraswearingen-steadwell avatar
Aeon Flux
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sad, but I’ve been screwed by letting someone come live with me, too. Be careful someone doesn’t get tenant’s rights without your knowledge, also...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#25

Somebody put one one of those "free items" sites on Facebook that she needed an outdoor playscape thing for her kids who were going crazy during quarantine. My kids are now older, but we had this cool plastic Little Tykes "fort" that was in great shape (those things are beasts). It had a slide and a little play area. Perfect for the age her kids were. I drive a pickup so even offered to deliver it. She went full [beggar mode] on me and said she was looking for a more elaborate one with more things to do. Like the giant wooden ones. Good luck lady. I'm done with you all.

I_Liked_WaterWorld Report

#26

When I had a truck during college. EVERYONE suddenly wanted me to help move them.

Most were cool and gave me money or ordered pizza (unprompted btw).

One time however some dude I barely knew needed some help. I show up, and nothing is packed in his apartment. He had a giant fish tank and lived on the 3rd floor with no elevator. It was a f****** nightmare and I never got a dime nor food or even some beers. I never talked to him after that.

iBelieveInSpace Report

Add photo comments
POST
buckash2003 avatar
Buck Ash
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

one person always wanted to use my truck. he wouldn't replace the gas ect. so when he called to use it ... i would tell him it wasn't running right . then i would go and pull a spark plug wire off so i wasn't lying. lol

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#27

I used to help people plan their trips to Japan. It was very hard to get started on my own so I offered weeks of free consulting to a few people in exchange for a review at the end of their trip. I made their itineraries, wrote a tailored culture guide for each, booked their hotels / restaurants, gave them recommendations, etc. Only one person out of 8 actually wrote a review.

FakeCraig Report

#28

After working free of charge as a freelance graphics guy to build my portfolio up, and having a client basically make the most minor of adjustments, and constant revisions - four posters which should have taken me a day tops really....ended up taking 3 months. And when they wanted poster x4, I wanted money - ghosted.

Lesson. Learnt.

KairiZero Report

Add photo comments
POST
khadejaabdallah avatar
Khadeja
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Graphics people have it rough, they have to design stuff for people who have no idea what they want. Always ask for money upfront. Glad you learned something though!

View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#29

Had a new manager come in to my former place of employment. Immediately this new manager starts firing people for bulls**** reasons and hiring people from her old job to replace them. The walls in that place talked, and few notice the janitor, so when I heard rumors of the next heads on the chopping block, one of which was mine, I decided to be nice and help out the other two. I considered them good friends, and it was the least I could do, right?

I warn one, and he takes it seriously and begins looking for another job, so when the pink slip arrived, he landed on his feet running.

The other promptly goes squealing to the manager in question, who uses that as an excuse to fire me, and THEN fires the person that had squealed. All three jobs were quickly filled by her old friends from her previous job.

I've refused to lift a finger to help a coworker out since. I've had advanced warnings of firing and disciplinary hearings and various other juicy gossip (People for some reason think I hear with my eyes and assume that they can talk in front of me and I won't notice. I'm going blind, people, not deaf.) but I've kept it all to myself. F*** 'em.

Shishi432234 Report

#30

One time we showed up to help a sister in law and her bf move and they were sitting there when we pulled up, waiting for us to get there to start moving. We unloaded what we had and just left. No need to help those that can't even do the basic to help themselves.

Hook-Em Report

Note: this post originally had 50 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.