An individual received a request to cat-sit for their friend, and as a cat lover, they were happy to oblige. However, they may have declined the request if they had only known that the events that would follow could be detrimental to their relationship.
Parked in the Driveway
On the designated day, the individual drove to their friend’s house to take care of the cat. Following their usual routine, they parked in the driveway, fed the feline companion, and promptly left.
The Unexpected “Ticket”
After another visit to feed the cat, the individual was taken aback by an unexpected sight. “There was a $25 “ticket” on my car for parking in the driveway”, they explained. “It was from the HOA, not the police or parking enforcement.”
Not a Member of the HOA
The individual did some research to check whether they had messed up. They discovered that the HOA’s authority extended only to its members, and even without this knowledge, the individual had never been informed about any specific parking rules.
Ignoring the Ticket
Taking a firm stance, the individual decided to ignore the ticket. They believed that the HOA had no legal right to impose a fine on them.
The Friend’s Frustration
After informing them of the HOA ticket, the friend forwarded any letters or further mentions of the fine to the individual. However, the individual continued with their strong stance, refusing to pay the HOA when they reached out to them personally.
Escalating Matters
After refusing to pay, the problem escalated quickly and returned to the individual’s friend. “The HOA is now pursuing her for the ticket”, they wrote. “She is upset with me and demanding I pay since she will have to pay the fine otherwise. If she had told me her HOA does stuff like that, I would have parked in a guest spot instead”.
A Matter of Principle
Despite their friend’s frustration, the individual firmly believed in the principle that they should not be held accountable for rules they were unaware of, especially when the rules did not apply to them in the first place.
Take Me to Court
The individual did not want their friend to have to pay their fine, but they hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Instead, they expressed that they were more than happy for the HOA to take them as an individual to court.
Assessing the Dilemma
The individual felt strongly about their decision but recognized that it was causing their friend a lot of frustration. They wondered whether it would have been more reasonable to simply pay the fine and ease their friend’s mind, instead of being stubborn regarding the litigation.
Logging on to Socials
Looking for a second perspective, the individual logged on to their favorite social network, posting their story and opening up the comments section to the public. Most readers took the individual’s side and blamed their friend. “If she lives in an area THAT strict, she absolutely should have told you the rules… that’s on her”, someone wrote.
Their Friend’s Fault
This opinion was common across the comments section. “If there was a parking rule that she knew about, it is up to her to tell you!”, another person agreed. “Now if she had told you about the parking rule and you had intentionally violated it, then sure you should pay. But you were doing her a favor, and apparently broke a rule you didn’t know existed… that isn’t your fault.”
$25 Cat Sitter
Considering the individual checked on their friend’s cat for free, everyone felt it was completely reasonable to expect the friend to cover the fine. “You, my friend, have an UNAPPRECIATIVE FRIEND”, another commenter screamed. “The cost of your cat-sitting service was $25.00! I’ll bet she spends WAY more than that every few months on cat toys and trinkets.”
Send Her an Invoice
To tackle the problem of the unappreciative friend, one reader suggested a petty revenge tactic. They wrote with humor, “Send her an invoice for pet sitting costs and then deduct the $25 from it… see whether she still feels like keeping score.”
MORE FROM SMART GAMING LAB – A WOMAN MOVING TO ANOTHER STATE AND WAS SHOCKED BY HER MOTHER-IN-LAW’S DEMAND FOR THE RETURN OF HOUSEWARMING GIFTS FROM 16 YEARS AGO, WAS SHE RIGHT TO REFUSE?
A woman and her husband moved out of state, but as they were leaving, her mother-in-law asked for the house items back that she had gifted them 16 years ago.
SHE DOESN’T WANT HER HUSBAND’S ELDERLY PARENTS TO MOVE INTO THEIR HOME BUT WHEN SHE DEMANDED HER OWN PARENTS MOVE IN, HER HUSBAND WAS SHOCKED
A woman recently asked if she was wrong for demanding her own parents move into their home, while refusing to let her husband’s elderly parents have the same right.
SHE ORDERED HIM TO MOVE HIS CAR AS SHE CALLED DIBS ON THE PARKING SPOT, HE REFUSED TO BACK DOWN
A man recently turned to the internet for guidance on whether he was in the wrong for not giving up the last available free parking space in a crowded public parking lot to a woman who claimed to have reserved it.
SHE ORDERED HIM TO MOVE HIS CAR AS SHE CALLED DIBS ON THE PARKING SPOT, HE REFUSED TO BACK DOWN
MOTHER DECLINES HER DAUGHTERS REQUEST OF PAYING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR A COLLEGE EDUCATION AFTER DISPLAYING TOTAL APATHY FOR SCHOOL
A woman sought help online because she wasn’t sure if she was right to refuse to pay for her daughter’s college fees. Her daughter showed zero interest in attending school or participating in anything related to education.
A WOMAN AGREED TO GIVE HER FRIEND A LIFT TO AN IMPORTANT JOB INTERVIEW, BUT THE FRIEND INSISTED ON VIOLATING A TRAFFIC REGULATION, WAS THE WOMAN WRONG FOR REFUSING THE RIDE?
A woman in her early twenties agreed to give her new friend a lift to a job interview, but her friend refused to put on a seatbelt – causing an argument that threatened their friendship.
Images are for illustrative purposes only