'All she could do was glare': Top Petty Payback Stories of the Week (October 3, 2023)

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 3, 2023 4:00 PM EDT

There is nothing like the vicarious satisfaction that comes with hearing about someone getting well-deserved payback. It doesn't matter if you don't know any of the people in the story. In fact, we all love drama in which we have zero involvement because then, the stakes are low for us and the enjoyment has no personal consequences. 

These stories, which were compiled from the top posts on Reddit's r/pettyrevenge subreddit this past week, range in settings and environments from schools to offices to neighborhoods. Regardless of the place, in all of these stories, petty folks made enemies and then got a taste of their own medicine. It just goes to show that if you really don't know who you're dealing with, the best course of action is to just play nice. You don't want to end up being the laughingstock of your workplace, hometown, or student body, do you?

Keep scrolling below for the full stories. For more content like this, check out this compilation of tales from your server!

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  • 01
    Product - To do: Get Payback command
    via Volodymyr Hryshchenko
  • 02
    Font - Middle School tyrant finds out no one likes her. At my Middle School we had a vice principal who fancied herself a dictator. Any tiny bit of power she got was an issue. But I was a middle schooler at the time and a good kid not often in trouble so I didn't cross her path until 8th grade. Her friend was a Bus driver named Pat.
    via u/Lord_Rae
  • 03
    Font - For 6th and 7th grade years we had an awesome bus driver. He was nice to the kids, let us put the windows down when the Georgia heat got too much etc. But he retired and the bus driver we got was an extremely angry middle aged woman named "Pat" who did not like children and made that clear every day. "The windows stay up or we go back to the school!" she would yell as she had the only fan blowing in her face on a 100+ degree school bus. Ostensibly this was to keep us from throwing things
    via u/Lord_Rae
  • 04
    Font - My bus stop was the first she drove by but the last to pick up and had been that way for years. Pat changed this and decided she only wanted to stop on the first pass by and kept threatening to leave the kids in my neighborhood if we made her stop twice.
    via u/Lord_Rae
  • 05
    Font - I first got on the Karen VP's radar because Pat left me on the side of a very busy road one morning. She could have stopped but wagged her finger at me as she drove away and left me. I flipped off the kids laughing at me out of the back window but the bus driver Pat thought I was her off. I didn't get suspended because she left me with no way to get to school on the side of an extremely busy road and my mom threatened to sue if it happened again. But after that they had it out for me. Pat
    via u/Lord_Rae
  • 06
    Font - So the Petty revenge comes in here. I was doing my best to make the bus drivers life in little passive aggressive ways. She got annoyed at anything so it was easy. But Karen was harder to do anything to. After fighting with the bus driver and the Assistant Principal for most of the year, revenge came in the form of a Police fundraiser. They were advertising it on the local tv news and local radio stations. If you put someone up for "arrest" the cops would show up and throw someone in hand
    via u/Lord_Rae
  • 07
    Font - Except no one would give her the "bail" money. Not even for a charity. So she ended up missing most of a day sitting in the police precinct trying to get anyone to put up enough money for her to leave. Eventually the cops told my mom that they had to let her go because it had gone on too long. She was the only one who didn't raise the bail money that day. Letting her know exactly how much she meant to everyone at the school felt great. I had a friend who heard her complaining about it lat
    via u/Lord_Rae
  • 08
    Font - She apparently thought one of the teachers put her up for it. It's so minor and so petty it almost doesn't count. But when I left that school at the end of the year mom went up and asked her "how was jail?" before we walked away for the last time. First time I ever heard a "Reeeeeee" sound from a human.
    via u/Lord_Rae
  • 09
    Font - Job interviewer ghosted me and then had one of his employes tell me to "go home", so I did. While I do have a job already, I thought it would be worthwhile to see what else is out there. A week ago, I found a job posting on indeed. It sounded like a good gig, paid good and is work that I like doing. The only downfall is that it's a 35 min drive out of town.
    via u/Dry_Apartment_6037
  • 10
    Font - I had a good conversation with the business owner (via indeed inbox) and he seemed like a good guy. I explained that I work every day from 7am-3:10pm and he understood that there is a bit of a commute to his shop. He asked me if I could meet up with him at 3:30. I told him that it isn't possible as I was done at 3:10 and can't do a 35 min drive in under 20 mins. I explained that I would be leaving town at 3:10 to come and see him, and that I would see him when I get there (somewhere aroun
    via u/Dry_Apartment_6037
  • 11
    Font - I drove rather fast, getting there at 3:37, happy that I got there in under 35 mins. I show up. Business closed. I figured he was somewhere nearby, so I get out of my vehicle to search.
    via u/Dry_Apartment_6037
  • 12
    Font - I look over to my left to see 2 teenagers moving some materials. I approach them and ask them where their boss was while explaining that I had a meeting with him now. One of them then informs me that he just left a few mins ago, but could call him back to come meet me.
    via u/Dry_Apartment_6037
  • 13
    Font - He calls his boss, saying who I am, etc. The teenager chuckles, says "ok" with a "you gotta be kidding me" look on his face and then hangs up. Teenager to me: "He says to go home". I asked him to repeat himself. "He said go home", this time laughing uncomfortably.
    via u/Dry_Apartment_6037
  • 14
    Font - I now have another 35 min drive ahead of me and I am very irritated. I decided to leave as his boss instructed.... but instead of driving the gravel driveway back onto the highway (the way I came in from) I decided to leave him a present to remember me by: some donut tire skid marks on his front lawn as I tore out of there.
    via u/Dry_Apartment_6037
  • 15
    Font - 30 mins after that, he felt the need to reach out to me and introduce himself via PRIVATE NUMBER, but I let it go to voicemail (as I was driving), which upon listening to later on, further proved to me that all his negative google reviews were more than likely ALL true, and that this person isn't someone to do business with anyways.
    via u/Dry_Apartment_6037
  • 16
    Font - TL:DR job interviewer ghosted me after I drove 35 mins to see/35 mins back home, was then O to me, so I did a donut on their front lawn.
    via u/Dry_Apartment_6037
  • 17
    Font - Make my life difficult for nearly a decade, I'll make you look like an idiot. When I first left home to go to university, my parents co-signed a mortgage for me on an apartment style condominium in a small Canadian city. This was 20 years ago, so it came in at a whopping $52,000. They thought that this was a much better and economical choice than trying to find an apartment and deal with landlords. I loved the idea and moved into my new home.
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 18
    Font - The building was almost entirely populated by the 65+ crowd. It was small and only had 24 units split into 2 halves. I had a basement condo. It was a nice place, nothing fancy, but amazing for a student. I was young (19) but I was quiet, kept to myself and didn't do the whole party thing.
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 19
    Font - I got along with most of my neighbors, I'd help them out moving heavy things or carrying groceries upstairs. I was acutely aware of the age gap and the general image of a university student, so I made sure to be just an all around great guy to avoid conflict.
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 20
    Font - The one person I could never see eye to eye with was my upstairs neighbor. For a 70 year old woman that couldn't have weighed more than 100lbs, she walked like a elephant. She'd have gospel music on her TV at max volume at 5am on Sundays, she'd make remarks about "that kid" whenever something was left out of place. She even went so far as to accusing me of breaking into her car and making a police statement saying she saw me do it.
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 21
    Font - Unfortunately for her, I was out of the country on an internship at the time, but still she persisted being a pain in my I'd tried to approach her about the TV issue, and her response was to make sure that it was no longer just Sunday. After a couple of years of attempted diplomacy, it was clear that nothing I did would make things better.
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 22
    Font - Others in the building probably knew she had it out for me, but why would this adorable little old lady try to lie and get me thrown out of the building by the condo board? (She tried at least 11 times while I lived there).
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 23
    Font - 7 years into my time living there, I was at my job with an Ambulance service just north of the city. I got called to a shooting. Guy shot his neighbor in a land dispute. The neighbor survived, but there was of course going to be a police investigation. The investigating officers called me to get a statement and offered to just come over to do it, rather than have me travel. One of them was a constable I'd worked with quite a bit, so I said sure. We set a time for about an hour after I'd g
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 24
    Font - I was just getting out of the shower when they buzzed to get into the building, I said "come in, I'll be out in a second". I hit the door buzzer and quickly grabbed some pants and a shirt. I heard them come in, and then walk upstairs. As I'm trying to throw on clothes, I hear them knock....on my upstairs neighbors door. They introduce themselves as being from RCMP Major Crimes division and that they were looking for me... She says "oh, he lives downstairs, what do you want with him?". The
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 25
    Font - It only took about 15 minutes to do my statement and they went on their way. And then the fun began. I knew the rumour mill would be starting. She would tell everyone that would listen that Major Crimes was looking for me and that I must be some sort of criminal. I decided to see where this went. Pretty soon I'm getting side eye in the hallway, neighbors are steering clear of me, so I know she's been talking. Turns out I've been arrested for robbery and kidnapping and must be out on bail
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 26
    Font - I found this out when one of my neighbors who was on the condo board showed up with a letter demanding an explanation and threats to have me kicked out. I asked him what this was all about, and he said "Well, Linda (not her name) sent us a letter about what had happened and we had to have an emergency board meeting because people don't feel safe with you here". I said that per the by- laws of the condo board, before any action could be taken, I could request a meeting to review and provid
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 27
    Font - The meeting day comes. Linda is sitting smugly looking at me, the other board members are giving me dirty looks. The board president asks what I have to say in my defence. I stand and quietly distribute a letter on RCMP letterhead, signed by the regional superintendent that says"Mr. Zenmedic is not under suspicion of any crimes, past or current and has not been arrested,
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 28
    Font - detained or questioned as a suspect in any criminal matter. His duties as a Paramedic will often require him to make statements in regards to ongoing investigations, and in this instance on (date), investigators had gone to obtain a statement about an ongoing investigation for which he was professionally involved. At no time did the members discuss, disclose or in any way indicate that he had any involvement in any wrongdoings. I am deeply saddened by the necessity of this letter and we w
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 29
    Font - You could tell when people read and understood it. The dirty looks shifted from me to Linda. She exclaimed that it must be a forgery, she witnessed me being led off in handcuffs. She pleaded that they should believe her. It didn't help her. I stood and addressed the board and outlined the years of abuse and harassment, including the false accusation of break and enter to a vehicle. I informed the board that on advice of my lawyer that I do not discuss the matter further with any member of
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 30
    Font - The next day I had a knock on my door. The board president had informed me that Linda was removed from the board and that she was given warning about her conduct and that any further harassment could result in proceedings to have her removed from the building.
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 31
    Font - She also had a visit from police with a summons for providing a false statement and obstructing a peace officer. She had to attend court. She pled guilty to both and was given a suspended sentence and 1 year condition not to harass, threaten or intentionally inconvenience me in any way. If she abided her conditions, she would receive an absolute discharge (meaning it would be removed from her record, like it never happened). I moved to another province before her year was up, but for a br
    via u/Zenmedic
  • 32
    Font - Co-worker didn't like how my food smelled, so I cooked something stinkier Happened 8 or so years ago. I ate my lunch at my desk because I was pretty busy. It was meaning rice and adobo (a kind of stew). We work in cubicles, and the woman in the cube next to me leans over and makes a dramatic gag. "What are you eating?"
    via u/Darromear
  • 33
    Font - I'm pretty busy and I don't really like this person, so I just say "my lunch." "Well it's disgusting, I shouldn't have to smell that. Eat in the kitchen." I replied with something along the lines of "let me finish it then, so it doesn't stink anymore."
    via u/Darromear
  • 34
    Font - She stomps to HR to report me and get me to stop eating at my desk, but company culture means everyone does it. HR does it. My boss the VP does it. She herself does it (with food that smells just as much). Her demands are goes back to her desk fuming. down and she
    via u/Darromear
  • 35
    Font - Next day I have my wife cook me the most pungent, aromatic, and spiciest curry she knows how to cook, and let it sit there untouched for an hour to make sure the smell covers the entire section of the office. All she could do was glare and hold her breath. Delicious.
    via u/Darromear
  • 36
    Font - Scared my neighbor so badly being petty she called the cops.... Again Years ago when my wife and I first got married we moved into a small 1br apartment together. We found out later this particular unit has been vacant quite a while. The woman on the other side of our only shared wall was an elderly woman. She never spoke to us but was never overtly to us. Very quickly after moving in we recieved a notice someone has complained about excessive noise. Now we were young, but we never liked
    via u/xProperlyBakedx
  • 37
    Font - About a week later get a knock on our door. It's the police, we open the door to see what's up. They tell us a neighbor has called and complained we were being too loud. We were literally sitting in our livingroom watching TV. We showed the officers as much and they apologized and left. This happened several more times over the coming months, one time we came home from a movie to the cops knocking. We showed them our ticket stubs and opened the door to a dark and silent apartment. At this
    via u/xProperlyBakedx
  • 38
    Font - After seeing this, we now knew for sure who was calling. A few days later we were parking and saw her pull in right after us. My wife decided to try and talk to her finally and see if we could figure out the problem. My wife walked towards her car smiling saying hello. This woman locked herself in her car and started crying. We left her be obviously. My wife went straight to the office to speak to the staff about this issue. I went inside and waited at the peep hole.
    via u/xProperlyBakedx
  • 39
    Font - Now this woman was very old, and walked with a walker. I hear the outside door close, I wait a few seconds and she comes into view on my peep hole. While she is walking by my door I reach back and kick the door with all my might. She screams,
    via u/xProperlyBakedx
  • 40
    Font - lifting her walker into the air and screams as she nearly sprints to her apartment. After a few minutes i get out my vacuum and start running it as cover because I know what's coming. A few minutes later, sure enough, police are at my door, lucky for me it's the same cops as the last time. They knock a couple times and I shut off the vacuum and answer the door. They apologize for the intrusion but they have to come and ask if I had struck my door while she was walking by? I was agast at t
    via u/xProperlyBakedx
  • 41
    Smile - Was I an → and super petty? Definitely. Do I regret it? Sometimes. Would I do it again? Abso-K lutely.
    via u/xProperlyBakedx

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school petty-revenge-reddit work petty revenge petty entitled reddit thread Reddit payback karen entitled people
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