This Redditor had had enough of an old lady sticking her nose into everyone’s business. When she tried doing the same to him, he made sure to teach her a lesson!
Bending the Rules
OP (Original Poster) was doing an oil change on his car in the back parking lot of his apartment complex. It was technically not allowed, but he said, “Who gives a f***?”
After all, he pays $3,000 a month and wasn’t the only one who did it; he shared that he had seen others spending hours on their cars there. More than that, he wasn’t in anyone’s way, and it took only around 30 minutes; he also made sure to clean up after himself.
An Old “Karen”
However, the dynamics in their apartment complex changed when a woman in her 70s and her husband moved into one of the units above OP.
He shared, “She’s a Karen. Constantly in everyone’s business and complaining about the dumbest s***.”
Against the Rules
One day, when OP was working on his car, the woman walked over to him with her “crusty” white dog and asked if he knew what he was doing was “against the rules.”
OP, however, sarcastically replied, “Oh, no. I had no idea.”
The First Official Report
His neighbor turned red in anger and told OP she’d report him. She also said he was being “disrespectful.”
OP didn’t take her seriously, ignored her, and just went right back to what he was initially doing.
Getting Fined
However, it seemed the old woman took her threat seriously, as OP saw her walking to the property manager’s office.
Then, the next day, OP got a fine for $20 wedged in his door, saying they received an “anonymous report” that he was working on his car in the apartment’s lot.
I Know the Guy
OP immediately got “p***** off” at his neighbor since he knew the property manager, Dan, wouldn’t have charged him for it. He shared, “Dan has rode over on his golf cart to chat with me while I was working on it in the past. He’s very chill and doesn’t care about most of the policies unless you are committing a crime or actively disturbing the peace.”
He explained that Dan only enforces the rules when someone was “actively f****** around.” OP wrote, “If kids are out here drawing slurs and d**** on the sidewalk, yeah, he’s gonna do something. But little girls drawing rainbows and flowers during their summer vacation? Of course not. Who f****** cares?”
Sincere Apologies
Dan apologized to OP, saying he had to send the fine once someone puts in an “official complaint.” He explained that his bosses would see the report, and they’d make a “big stink” if it was not “dealt with.”
He then told OP that he personally doesn’t care, but he also suggested that OP does it late at night when it’s “past Karen’s bedtime.”
Another Official Report
OP was “fed up” with his neighbor. So, he asked Dan if he could make an official report that “someone” had a car in the lot that had expired tags for the last month.
He wrote, “It’s Karen’s husband’s car. He just had surgery, so they haven’t been able to get it renewed at the DMV, I guess.”
That’s Absolutely Devious
Dan started laughing. He said, “Oh, man, really? That’s devious, brother.”
But OP wasn’t bending; he told Dan to go ahead and put the official report in. He also explained in his post that their state gives the right for private property owners to tow any car with expired tags without notice.
A Fast Transaction
The woman’s car got towed the same day, and she “flipped the f*** out.” For OP, everything about the fiasco was just hilarious.
He wrote, “The cherry on top was Dan informing her he couldn’t do anything because they had received an ‘official complaint.’”
A Jest
OP and the rest of his neighbors watched what was happening. At some point, OP piped up and said it was unfortunate that “some people need to learn to mind their own business and chill with the reporting.”
The woman started crying, saying she didn’t have the money to get the car back since she was fined $300. OP wrote, “Too many bills with the surgery. Oops.”
Friends’ Thoughts
While many of OP’s friends found it hilarious, some think he went too far, saying he’s a “major a**hole.”
They admonished OP for taking revenge on an old woman who’s taking care of her husband. OP shared, “They said $300 was overkill when I was only fined $20. Whatever.”
She Had It Coming
Though some friends think he was too much, OP believes the woman had it coming. After all, she was “constantly reporting people for the dumbest things.”
He wrote, “I mean, she screamed at little kids for coloring chalk on the sidewalk since it’s ‘against the rules.’ She also reported a teenager for keeping his bicycle on his balcony instead of the bike rack—it gets rusty out there with the rain. He’s had it up there for years and never was a problem before she moved in.”
Cooped Up
Since then, the old lady has been staying inside her apartment. No new reports have come in either.
However, OP’s feeling bad since it’s been a couple of days, and she still hasn’t gotten the car back.
All’s Well
In an edit, OP shared that his neighbor finally got the car back. He also feels like she’d learned her lesson!
OP wrote, “If anyone cares, I saw the car in the lot this morning. I believe the grandson got it back for her. She still hasn’t done her daily patrolling yet, so maybe she learned her lesson!”
What Redditors Think
Most Redditors agreed with OP and thought it was only right for the elderly woman to learn her lesson.
A man wrote, “Not the a**hole. Agreed. I am old, and Imma say this: old a**holes were young once, and they should get better in life, not worse. ‘F*** Around and Find Out’ rules in 2023!”
This woman said, “From an old lady who has learned over the years to keep her nose out of everybody’s business, I can officially tell you that you’re not the a**hole! If nothing else, she should have learned by now to befriend the nice guy who can do a little backyard maintenance on their own vehicle. Never know when you might need a favor from them.”
Kill Them With Kindness
Some people noted that people like OP’s neighbor existed in all age groups and all genders. So, what’s important is that everyone learns how to be kind to others—even strangers.
“Karens exist in all age groups, as do Kevins. It doesn’t take much effort to be nice to people around you unless you don’t know how,” wrote one Redditor.
Another said, “More people need this attitude. It’s just normal and human. Everyone should avoid giving others grief because they have no idea what the other is going through. All the curtain-twitching isolationism needs to go. Humans are, by nature, a tribe. If you want isolation, go live in the woods. Otherwise, be understanding that people are, by nature, imperfect.”
Do you think OP went too far? What would you do?
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This post first appeared as His Elderly Neighbor Reported Him for Fixing His Car and Got Him Fined $20. So, as Payback, He Got Her Vehicle Towed for Having Expired Tags. Now She’s Fined $300! on Quote Ambition.
