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Article created by: Simona Kinderytė

Most of us have borrowed a thing or two from a friend or acquaintance. But there's an unspoken rule of borrowing: you have to return the item in the same condition you got it in. Since people are even bad at returning cash (25% of Americans say they never got back the money they lent to a loved one), can we really expect anything more with physical property?

To see just how bad it gets, we've scoured the internet for the worst examples of people returning borrowed items in an atrocious state. From broken computer mice to wrecked cars and ruined attire, these entries might make your blood boil at least a little bit.

#1

I Let A Colleague Borrow One Of My Favorite Books, And It Was Returned To Me With The Pages Written On And Stuffed With Sticky Notes

Worn marketing book with highlighted text and handwritten notes showing lessons on communities and brand support.

lucasnevermind Report

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    #2

    This Is Why I Hate Letting People Borrow Stuff

    Pair of pink high heels with mold damage inside, showing effects of lending personal stuff gone wrong.

    My mom borrowed my (nearly new) heels months ago and forgot them in her car… She found them like this today.

    likeneelyohara Report

    #3

    My Partner Borrowed My Car For A Few Days, And Gave It Back Like This

    Car interior cluttered with empty bottles and trash, illustrating the consequences of lending personal items carelessly.

    kt-gd Report

    #4

    Roommate Let His Friend Use My Cast Iron Pan, She Ran It Through The Dishwasher, And Then He Left It In There For Days

    Rusty cast iron skillet left damaged, demonstrating the risks of letting others borrow your stuff and losing its quality.

    Been seasoning this pan since I was 14 :/

    abakr0 Report

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    #5

    I Let My Colleague Borrow My Laptop Charger For A Meeting. This Is How He Returned It

    Hand holding a broken laptop charger plugged into a computer, illustrating borrowing stuff and damages learned the hard way.

    When I mentioned it to him, he told me it was “clearly an accident” and said I can “easily buy another one.”

    CowboyLikeMemes Report

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    #6

    I Let My Son’s Teacher Borrow The Penguin Sculpture I Made And She Left It In A Windowsill For 6 Months

    Penguin figurines before and after damage, illustrating why people learned the hard way not to let others borrow their stuff again.

    I spent several hours moulding and painting this penguin. It was lightweight, rubbery and pretty indestructible, so when my son asked to bring it to school for show and tell I figured the worst that could happen would be it getting detached from the base, so l obliged. His teacher liked it so much she asked to "borrow" it to use as a decoration in her classroom. She told my son she'd give it back at the end of the year. This is what he brought home. Apparently, her chosen place to display it was in an east-facing window.
    I worked so hard on this thing and was so freaking proud of it. How it looks now is exactly how I feel: deflated.

    DIY_Cosmetics Report

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    #7

    Roommate Crashed My Car While Borrowing It To Go To Work Then Refuses To Pay Anything Unless I Let Her Continue To Drive It In The Future

    Black car with extensive front-end damage parked on the side of a street, illustrating consequences of letting others borrow stuff.

    AloisDA Report

    #8

    I Let My Sister Borrow My AirPods. This Is How She Gave Them Back To Me

    Well-worn wireless earbuds showing damage and dirt, illustrating the risks of letting others borrow your stuff again.

    Apparently, it’s from her hair dye. I’ve tried everything, and the stain won’t come out. The fact that it happens to be the color of earwax annoys me the most.

    Luminescence000 Report

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    #9

    Borrowed My Car To A Friend And This Is How He Returned It. (I'm A Non-Smoker)

    Car ashtray filled with cigarette butts, illustrating times people learned the hard way not to let others borrow their stuff.

    Spr1nt87 Report

    #10

    I Let Someone Borrow My Knife At Work, This Is How They Gave It Back To Me

    Bent knife blade held over metal surface showing damage from people learning the hard way not to let others borrow stuff again

    Inner_Juggernaut_959 Report

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    #11

    My Brother Borrowed One Of My Books And This Is How I Got It Back

    Damaged book with torn and bent pages held by a person, illustrating the consequences of letting others borrow stuff.

    Hopeful_Canary1348 Report

    #12

    My Computer After I Let My Friend Borrow It

    Broken laptop with missing parts and shattered screen, illustrating the hard way people learned not to let others borrow their stuff again.

    Egamer5s Report

    #13

    And They Wonder Why I Don’t Let Anyone Use My Knife. Found This Hanging Up On The Magnet

    Damaged kitchen knife with broken edge on metal surface, illustrating a hard way to learn not to let others borrow stuff.

    Penguin_Tempura Report

    #14

    This Is What Happens When You Let Someone Borrow Your Truck

    Old tan pickup truck with severe roof and side damage parked on grass near trees, showing consequences of lending stuff.

    Cowboypunkstarcactus Report

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    #15

    My Son Asked To Borrow Some Duct Tape... This Is What He Gave Me Back. Somehow Took Out The Entire Middle And Just Left The Sides

    Close-up of a roll of black tape with extensive damage, showing a clear lesson on borrowing stuff gone wrong.

    Cjp0705 Report

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    #16

    Friend Borrowed My Laptop. Said He Left It In His Car For A Day. What's Going On With The Screen?

    Laptop showing a Wikipedia page about black screen of d***h, illustrating tech issues people learned the hard way not to lend stuff.

    Enefa Report

    #17

    Dad Borrowed My Tablet, Sat On It And Then Returned It Like This. God Damnit

    Hand holding a tablet with a severely cracked screen, illustrating damage from borrowing stuff and regret.

    skids01reddit Report

    #18

    Loaned My Wife’s Brother My Truck So He Could Move. This Is What Greeted Me When I Got It Back

    Car dashboard fuel gauge showing low fuel warning, illustrating lessons about letting others borrow stuff again.

    I-Was_Never-Here Report

    #19

    I Let My Brother Ride My E-Bike. This Is How He Returned It

    Damaged security device with broken key inside, illustrating why people learned the hard way not to let others borrow their stuff.

    I’ve had the bike for maybe 2 weeks. I let him ride it to work yesterday because I didn’t need to ride it. I rode it to work today and when I took the battery off I saw the key and the battery. This is how I get it back? Not only that, but when I push the bike the chain makes a clicking sound.
    This is my first time owning an ebike and I have no idea what to do. When I would ride it to work before the battery would stay on 6 bars the whole way there and would only go down 1 bar when I got back home. On the way to work today it went down 3 bars and the 2nd bar is flashing indicating it’s going to drop down again. I don’t even know if I’ll make it home in 6 hours or not, I’ve got nobody to pick me up so I’ll have to see how this goes and hope for the best.
    I keep the e-bike in side to stay out of the rain. The battery is always removed from the bike when not in use.
    He promised he would take care of it and if it rains he said he wouldn’t ride it. He lied.

    reddit.com Report

    #20

    My Mom Borrowed My Gaming Mouse Because She Lost Hers. This Is How She Returned It

    Worn black gaming mouse with visible scratches and dirt, illustrating the risks of letting others borrow your stuff.

    Ok_Present1145 Report

    #21

    Before And After My Little Brother “Borrowed” My Racket For Badminton Practice

    Tennis racket before and after being damaged, illustrating lessons learned about lending personal belongings.

    Help_me_i_got_nolife Report

    #22

    My Friend Borrowed One Of My Records And Returned It 4 Days Later Like This

    Scratched vinyl records showing damage from letting others borrow personal items the hard way.

    SSS987114-A81 Report

    #23

    I Think My Husband’s Going To Realize I Borrowed One Of His Extension Cords

    Coiled extension cords hanging tangled on hooks against a wooden wall in a garage or storage space.

    wakethesleepingpills Report

    #24

    Let My Friend Borrow My Earbuds For A Week

    Hand holding damaged earbuds with debris inside, showing a clear example of why not to let others borrow your stuff.

    Before giving them to him, I took a toothpick to the insides, and wiped down the tips with disinfecting wipes, making sure that they were spotless. I'm a very clean person, almost to the point of being a mild germaphobe. I specifically asked him to take care of them, as they are $300 Sennheiser MTW 4s. He only asked to borrow them for a week, and I kind of forgot about it. A month later, I ask for them back, and he legit spends almost 20 minutes rooting through his wreck of a room before he finally pulls them out of a random pair of jeans on his floor. I thank him and head home shortly after. I pop the case open to give them a disinfecting wipe down before using them again, and see this abomination. Common sense and human decency people. sigh

    AshenFoxcicle Report

    #25

    When Someone Borrows Your Needle Nose Pliers And Returns Them Like This

    Bent needle-nose pliers shown on lined paper, illustrating damage from lending personal tools to others.

    Liquidboard Report

    #26

    My Neighbor Borrowed My Hedge Trimmer. This Is What She Did To My Extension Cord

    Frayed black cable with exposed wires showing damage from careless borrowing or mishandling of personal items.

    Bonus points for the best way how to fix this.

    Pieterbr Report

    #27

    I Let A Kid In My Class Borrow My Calculator, I Got It Back Covered In Scribbles

    Worn calculator buttons showing heavy damage, illustrating stories of people learning the hard way not to let others borrow stuff.

    beefyturban Report

    #28

    My Mom Borrowed My Car. Got It Back Smelling Like Cigarettes And My Mints Perfectly Trapped In My Cup Holder

    Sours candy container hidden in a car cup holder, showing a funny example of people learning not to let others borrow their stuff.

    Superbaker123 Report

    #29

    Let My Friend Borrow My Honey. This Is How It Came Back

    Hand holding a jar with a broken lid showing damage from letting others borrow stuff again mistakes.

    BreathingLeaves Report

    #30

    My Coworker Returned The Front Desk Stapler Like This. Told Me It Ran Out Of Staples

    Close-up of a broken black stapler on a desk, illustrating the consequences of letting others borrow your stuff.

    Stupid_Genious Report

    #31

    Friend Asked To Borrow My Soldering Iron, And He Returned It Like This

    Close-up of a broken soldering iron tip, illustrating a hard-learned lesson about lending personal stuff to others.

    21c4nn0ns Report

    #32

    Let My Girlfriend Borrow My Controller For One Set, Never Again. What Is This

    Hand holding a broken video game controller illustrating people learning the hard way not to let others borrow their stuff again.

    SweetestKaramel Report

    #33

    My Brother Taking My Bluetooth Headset Without Permission And Returning It Like This

    Broken headphone with USB port exposed showing damage, illustrating people learning not to let others borrow their stuff again.

    Gibbydoesit Report

    #34

    Let My Friend Borrow A Nintendo Switch Game. One Week Later It’s Damaged

    Worn and damaged Nintendo game cards showing consequences of letting others borrow stuff and misuse them.

    Let my friend borrow Splatoon 3 for about a week. when I asked for it back. As I went to go play it was all messed up looking and wouldn’t work, it would also freeze up the entire console causing me to keep restarting it as I kept hoping it would work.

    For comparison I put it next to a non damaged game in the second pic.

    TheHigherPower00 Report

    #35

    Sister Borrowed My Guitar And Broke It

    Acoustic guitar with broken strings resting on a light floor, illustrating lessons learned about lending personal items.

    YinKai0521 Report

    #36

    My Ex-Wife Borrowed My Car Saying She Needed More Room. She Left Me Her Mini Cooper. This Is The Tire

    Worn-out car tire with exposed wires showing damage from letting others borrow the vehicle and causing tire failure.

    I'm sure some people would consider this more than mildly infuriating but I guess she didn't have the money to get it fixed and this was her way of asking for help. she can't be driving my son around on a tire like that it's not safe. "Well it wasn't my car" would be a terrible eulogy.

    theaeao Report

    #37

    My Mom Let Me Borrow Her Cd. Broke It When I Tried To Pop It Off

    Hand holding a cracked Linkin Park CD case, illustrating consequences of letting others borrow personal items.

    reddit.com Report

    #38

    Girlfriend Borrowed The Car This Morning And Just Sent Me This

    Car cup holder filled with spilled coffee and a tangled cable, illustrating the risks of letting others borrow your stuff.

    Gimmeramen Report

    #39

    Let A Friend Borrow My Magnetic Beads About A Week Ago. Got Bored Today And Decided To Rebuild The Original Cube (How It Was When Borrowed)

    Colorful magnetic balls arranged on a wooden surface, illustrating why people learned the hard way not to lend their stuff.

    One blue bead is missing and I can’t make the whole cube now.


    kitten451 Report