For starters, my husband (32M) has known our neighbor for 25 years. They have grown up together, were neighbors when they were younger and now neighbors again.
Back in July, she reached out and asked if she could borrow $300 to secretly buy her husband a gift for his birthday. She asked to borrow it because he would be able to see she bought something and it wouldn’t be a suprise. She was going to be selling some household appliances so she would be able to give us our money right back (WRONG).
She was going to visit her MIL somewhere in the mountains so asked if she could drop off the things she’s selling so the person buying them could pick them up from us and then we could take the money. We said no problem works for us.
I brought her cash (dumb I know), she went out of town for the weekend, didn’t have service so we never got the appliances and then when she was back in town, she was saying the person wasn’t able to pick them up after all.
About 3-4 weeks go by and at this point my husband was like wtf – she just needs to give us our money back. He had messaged her asking what the plan was and she then told him she was waiting to be paid by this start up company she did work for.
A couple more weeks go by and my husband is fed up. He’s like hey – when are you giving me my money back. She then asked my husband to lie to her husband saying she’s buying stuff from us so the he can send the money. Again my husband has know her forever so he was apprehensive but obliged so we could get our money back.
Her husband has us send him pictures of what we were “selling her” and then he sends me $200. Mind you she owes us $300.
Immediately after he sends money, she’s over at our house telling us the propane on the property has been shut off because her elderly grandparents forgot to pay it and asks for the money back. But she doesn’t want us to send it back to her, she has us send it some random person. (Probably someone else she owes). Stupidly we do it.
We hear nothing more from this. She was pregnant, had her baby in October, didn’t hear anything.
About two weeks ago, I reach out – before all communication had been my husband. I give her congratulations and well wishes but I ask her for our money. She says give me until Friday. Friday comes and goes. I message her Saturday and then Sunday she posts that her dog passed.
I have heard nothing since. I am now considering just messaging her husband flat out telling him that she borrowed this money back in July for a birthday present for him and she hasn’t paid us back. When he sent me the 200 of the 300 she owes me that she came over here said that the propane was turning off and desperately needed help so we gave the money back and I am still out to $300.
He said that he’s neurotic and she said that he is controlling with their money but at this point, I just want my freaking money back.
WIBTA if I just now reached out to her husband and exposed her?
Hmmmm. This is interesting bc it sounds like there could be some financial abuse going on here AND/OR the wife is financially irresponsible and that’s why her husband is hyper vigilant about the money.
Based on all the lying, I’d assume the latter is most true, but honestly both can be true at the same time.
Either way NTA. She’s untrustworthy at minimum and a liar. Get your money back.
You got 200 of the 300 and you… gave it right back to her?
Yeah you’re not getting anything back, and you’re too dumb to deserve any of it back now.
This cannot be real. No one is that stupid. No one.
Lol, you hit it on the head. Anyone worried about getting paid back and gives the repayment directly to the known irresponsible person deserves to be ripped off(not seriously, just saying) if they are that ignorant to life. This is only the beginning to their money issues. I couldn’t imagine doing that after being lied to on the repay date. I really hope they learn from this. Because life sucks and no one is to be fully trusted, ever.
This sounds a lot like a someone I dealt with who was on drugs and making up excuses to people to get money to buy more drugs.
This is the behavior my mom was displaying (borrowing money from friends and neighbors, asking those same people to lie to my dad about it)when she almost ruined our family financially when I was a kid.
Shopping addiction. QVC was like crack for housewives in the 80s. 😆
NTA but would have your husband deliver the message.
INFO: do you or your husband have any reason to believe the neighbor’s husband is abusive?
If he were, she may be stashing money to get out and telling him could cause harm.
If he’s not, then it’s likely a dispute between the two on how money is spent and she is in over her head and using you two to cover it up.
NTA for wanting your money back, but I think it may be worthwhile to have a conversation with her in person to get a sense of whether you’ve been had or not before going to her husband.
She played you real good. NTA for telling her hub. If she stiffs you n you deserve it. Read the writing on the wall
Yeah a phone call or message to him is much better than court papers. At this point you’d be doing them a favor because who knows who else she owes
Scam. She scammed you over and over. ESH
Drugs, alcohol, and/or gambling.
Give her a deadline in writing and explain that you will be contacting the husband after said deadline.
After the deadline reach out to both of them together with another deadline.
Giving her the 200 back was the stupidest thing ever.
Nta but may be a fool, i can’t believe you gave her the 200 back.
NTA but you’re a dumbass. Drop it and move on Call it a stupid tax. Call it a you blew some money on a night out tax. Call it a gift and charity and move on. And learn your lesson and never loan out money again. Leave that to banks. Instead just give money as a gift.