Bad Boss Steals Super Bowl Tickets, Loses Client and Pays Hefty Price

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jan 24, 2023 9:00 AM EST

I wish I could say that this story ends with the partner being kicked out of their own firm and having to pay back the $10,000 worth of tickets they stole from their poor worker — alas, that's not always the way the world works. I love a good over-the-top revenge story as much as the rest of you — the kind of story that feels like it would be right at home in the pages of a classic Detective Comics comic book; complete with exclamations "Bang!.. Pow!" as the boss is getting their behind handed to them.

Still, I appreciate the realism of this story; the revenge is well-orchestrated, and the thief experiences some repercussions — still, the story doesn't veer into a "that happened" like these normally tend to.

This thread was shared to Reddit's r/ProRevenge subreddit by Redditor u/bransanon. For more like this story, check out this bad boss who missed a $100k sale because they treated a previous employee poorly.

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  • 01
    Font - r/ProRevenge Posted by u/bransanon 3 hours ago Fa My boss stole my Super Bowl tickets, so I made him lose a major client. With the NFL playoffs back on, I thought you all might enjoy this football-related revenge story. I'm a huge 49ers fan (the rabid all-day tailgate in the parking lot type). A few years ago, we made it back to the Super Bowl. I was working at a consulting firm with a handful of accounts I would interact with directly.
    via u/bransanon
  • 02
    Font - One client in particular knew how big of a Niners fan I was. I was the day-to-day lead on his account. He really liked working with me and we became friends, often grabbing drinks or dinner after our meetings. He had access to a pair of extra company seats to the game, and as a thank you, wanted to give them to me as a gift. He passed the tickets over to the partner on that account, who I will refer to as Dickhead Partner, to be given to me as a surprise. The game came and went, we lost,
    via u/bransanon
  • 03
    Font - I asked "What game?" He said "The Super Bowl!" Confused, I answered "I didn't have seats to the super bowl?" He told me that he gave Dickhead Partner a pair of his company tickets for me as a gift so I could attend. I had zero idea what he was talking about. He looked shocked, told me to quietly ask around about it and get back to him.
    via u/bransanon
  • 04
    Font - When I was back in the office the next week, I found out through one of the secretaries that DickheadPartner had given a pair of Super Bowl tickets to another one of his clients as a gift from our company. I might have let this sort of thing go to keep the peace under different circumstances, but these were seats on the 30-yard-line to see the fucking 49ers play in the Super Bowl. I was pissed. I considered confronting DickheadPartner myself, but realized it was the client who had noticed
    via u/bransanon
  • 05
    Font - So I texted him "Hey, I just wanted to thank you so much for thinking of me with those seats. It appears that they were given to another one of our firm's clients." He texted back right away, in all caps, "ARE YOU SHITTING ME??" and then "Pretend I never told you, let me handle." He followed up with me about formulating a plan. A few days later, we were asked to come down for a meeting in their office. The client requested the partner be present, not entirely unusual, so Dickhead Partner
    via u/bransanon
  • 06
    Font - Little did DickheadPartner know, my client had orchestrated a wonderfully awkward little show to catch him red handed. When we entered the conference room, it was all the usual suspects along with a woman in her 30's we didn't recognize. My client immediately introduces "Dickhead Partner, this is Stephanie Suchandsuch, VP from [other department], she wanted to sit in on this meeting. Hey [OP], you guys must already know her from the super bowl!" She then responds as she goes to shake my h
    via u/bransanon
  • 07
    Font - Client responds "Jeez Steph how much did you have to drink? They were sitting right next to you!" Client looks at me, and I say "Sorry [client], I wasn't there. Are you thinking of someone else?" At this point, DickheadPartner is looking visibly uncomfortable, probably trying to come up with an excuse. He starts in with an "Uhm.." when Stephanie says over him "No, [so and so] from [other company] were in the other seats. By the way, I was wondering why we gave company seats to those guys,
    via u/bransanon
  • 08
    Font - Dickhead Partner lets out an "Uh" again, and the client immediately speaks over him asking "Dickhead Partner, I gave you those tickets for [OP]?" At this point Dickhead Partner is turning bright red. He responds "Ohh, uhh, well he wasn't able to make it, so he must have given the seats away to someone else?" and turns to me looking for me to cover for him. Client smirks at me. I respond "Uh, what are you talking about? Client, you gave me tickets to the super bowl??"
    via u/bransanon
  • 09
    Font - Client suddenly raises his voice "DickheadPartner, those tickets were a personal thank you gift from me to [OP]. Did you give them away to someone else? [pause] Was it another client??" Dickhead Partner buts in with "Oh, uhm, maybe something got mixed up in the office?" Client went quiet for what probably seemed like an eternity to DickheadPartner. He then looked down, grabbed his portfolio and iPad, put them into his briefcase, and said "I think this meeting is over. [OP] it seems as if
    via u/bransanon
  • 10
    Font - Dickhead Partner suggests he would like to join, presumably to do damage control, and Stephanie sternly tells him "I don't think that's a good idea." and asks the front desk to see Dickhead Partner out. As soon as he is in the elevator, we all break out laughing hysterically. Stephanie wasn't really a VP, just an employee at the company who client had drafted into helping with his pre-planned meeting skit, but she did end up coming to lunch with us and was a fellow Niners fan and total bl
    via u/bransanon
  • 11
    Font - On our way to the restaurant, I got a desparate text from Dickhead Partner saying I needed to "cover for the firm" and that we could discuss things when I got back. I replied "Yes, we need to talk, but I'll see what I can do." Client told me to wait a couple hours and then respond to him: 1) To expect invoices for the resale value of the super bowl tickets (resale is WAY above face value, it was over $10K) as well as our lunch (he picked a pricey spot and made a big show of overspending)
    via u/bransanon
  • 12
    Font - This whole thing caused a stir with the other partners, and I actually came off looking great because it appeared that I had made a good faith effort to save the client for the firm despite being the victim in this situation. The client would transfer to another partner, which meant Dickhead Partner lost his profit share on any work with them. Oh, and the other partners in the firm made DickheadPartner pay the invoices back out of his salary. In retrospect, I really have no idea what the
    via u/bransanon
  • 13
    Font - Anyway, the well was kind of poisoned for me there long term because Dickhead Partner wasn't going anywhere. I left the firm a few months later for a much better position. Client ultimately terminated their relationship with that firm a year later, he actually now works with a good friend of mine at a competing firm. I'm still pissed I missed out on the super bowl even though we lost; hoping we make it back this year so I can finally go to one in person. Go Niners!
    via u/bransanon
  • 14
    Font - RealUltimate Papo 3 hr. ago . Imagine what sort of human being you have to be, to essentially steal a $10,000 ticket from a worker. Disgusting, to say the least. The level of orchestration and execution on this revenge was so perfect, though. Suck it, DickheadPartner 628 Reply Share Masrim 1 hr. ago and pass it off to someone else as a gift from themselves. 71 ↓ Reply Share
    via u/bransanon
  • 15
    Font - Cleverusername531 3 hr. ago I love your client so much. What a brilliant response. 441 Reply Share ShunDug 50 min. ago Ikr? I feel like this is the kind of person I aspire to be working with in any field 15 Reply Share
    via u/bransanon
  • 16
    Font - AchingKnumbKnuts. 3 hr. ago That client was so cool I'm surprised he didn't point out John Candy in the middle of driving Dickhead Partner into the ground. 132 Reply Share Bad_Grammer_Girl. 2 hr. ago Making me feel old with that Joe Montana reference... 18 Reply Share
    via u/bransanon
  • 17
    Font - komerman 2 hr. ago Wow. That Super Blows. Great revenge story tho :) 51 Reply Share
    via u/bransanon
  • 18
    Font - dheffe01 2 hr. ago Holy crap, I can't imagine the logic in giving the tickets to another client, when the gifting company would likely have other staff in attendance. 96 Reply Share bransanon OP · 2 hr. ago . My best guess is that he's not much of a sports fan and was kind of oblivious to how big of a deal Super Bowl tickets actually are? Either that, or he's just such a dickhead that he thought he could get away with it. 74 Reply Share
    via u/bransanon
  • 19
    Font - rizorith 2 hr. ago . As a 49er fan who will probably never see a Superbowl live, I lived this whole story vicariously through you. Thank you, and I hope you get to go one year. And the kickoff is... Here 26 Reply Share
    via u/bransanon
  • 20
    Font - ballrus_walsack 2 hr. ago This is true ProRevenge material Reply Share 10 techtornado 2 hr. ago After that wave of petty revenge nonsense, this one actually borders on nuclear revenge 5+ Reply Share
    via u/bransanon

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pro revenge workplace-stories revenge work coworkers client workplace Horrible Bosses bad bosses theft employment
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