Maybe I'm missing the point here.

y2kc

Platinum Member
Sep 2, 2000
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So my brother's oldest kid goes away to college and he (my brother) asks me to spec-out, order and assemble a system for her. No problem I tell him. Later that week I call him up and tell him how much everythings gonna cost and I tell him that it'll probably take a week before I have all of the parts. He then tells me that she needs it by that weekend so that's not going work. I told him that if he was really in a bind I can take one of my utility machines, upgrade it a little, get a new case and voila', new PC. He says "fine". So I take one of my lab boxes and throw in a P3 650, 256 megs of RAM, a 20 gig harddrive, my spare copy of XP pro, sound, nic, modem and video card and prepare to build the box. I told my bro that the case I had was pretty crappy so he gives his child 30 bucks to give to me for the case. I go to his house and get the cash. My brother is upstairs when I get there so he hollers down and asks if 30 was enough, I said I wasn't sure so he asks his daughter (the college student) to give me another 20 just in case. She gives me the 20 and I'm off. Anyway I get her a nice case for 39 bucks after taxes and go home and put the box together. My brother calls later and says he'll pick it up next week because she really doesn't need it right away afterall, fine.


My brother came by today to pick up the box and told me that my dear neice is having a hissy because I didn't give her the eleven dollars change owed to her and her mother agrees with her that I'm some kind of a crook because of it. First of all the 11 dollars is wrapped in their receipt sitting on my dresser (waiting for them to pick up the box). so it's not like I spent it. Secondly I'm a bit pissed that this dear child is not appreciating that although not top of the line, I'm giving her a computer for free. I bought every part in that box when they were top of the line and, even after you factor in depreciation, 11 bucks wouldn't cover it (smirk). My brother was very supportive of me and defended me and if it weren't for him I'd give her her 11 bucks and tell her to shove it. I intended on giving the little ingrate her change when they came to get the machine of course but my brother wants me to keep the cash to prove a point but I refuse. I'm still going to give her the box but she's going to have to explain to me why she feels justified in her anger, cause I just don't get it.
 

DaiShan

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2001
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Yep, she's spoiled. Is there anything you can do about it? Nope. Just suck it up, you would only feel bad later arguing with an 18 year old girl over eleven dollars, she will get hers eventually, it's called karma :)
 

jjones

Lifer
Oct 9, 2001
15,424
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Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Reminds me of my Rat Bastard nephews
Damn Red, we must have related family somewhere down the line cause all my nephews are rat bastards, too. ;)

 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,949
575
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Just non-confrontationally (with a smile) ask her when you drop-off the computer "Were you wondering if I was going to bring your $11.00 change back?" If she confirms this, remove the smile from your face, replace it with a disgruntled look, and ask "I'm giving you a computer for free that cost me several hundred dollars, and you're worried about eleven dollars in change that until now I haven't had an opportunity to give back?"

Plop the computer down, dump eleven dollars worth of pennies on the floor, say 'here's your money', and walk out.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
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Forget the pennies, everything else tcsenter recommends should do the job!
 

y2kc

Platinum Member
Sep 2, 2000
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Give them the $20 back and keep the computer.

If it weren't for my brother, that's exactly what I'd do. The little [insert nasty name here] doesn't deserve a new machine (which he'd have to buy her) and I'll probably replace the P3 650 with a P3 450 and she'll be running XP on 128 megs instead of 256 methinks. Petty? maybe. stooping to a childs level? probably. justied? definitely.
 

N8Magic

Lifer
Dec 12, 2000
11,624
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my dear neice is having a hissy because I didn't give her the eleven dollars change owed to her and her mother agrees with her that I'm some kind of a crook because of it

No offense to your bro, but it sounds like his wife is a real prize-winner too. Their actions are very ungrateful... i'd tell them to go to CompUSA or Best Buy and price out a computer there.

 

PlatinumGold

Lifer
Aug 11, 2000
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Quote

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Give them the $20 back and keep the computer.
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If it weren't for my brother, that's exactly what I'd do. The little [insert nasty name here] doesn't deserve a new machine (which he'd have to buy her) and I'll probably replace the P3 650 with a P3 450 and she'll be running XP on 128 megs instead of 256 methinks. Petty? maybe. stooping to a childs level? probably. justied? definitely.

BS, no way. his brother SHOULD have dealt with and and not told you about it. His daughter is HIS PROBLEM, not urs. Whethor or not she is ungrateful is IRRELEVANT, as long as he is grateful. HE should have dealt with his own daughter and NO dumped it on you and IF he had and had taken the change back and HANDED it to his daughter, You and she would never have had a problem.

In my opinion, UR brother handled it poorly.
 

y2kc

Platinum Member
Sep 2, 2000
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BS, no way. his brother SHOULD have dealt with and and not told you about it. His daughter is HIS PROBLEM, not urs. Whethor or not she is ungrateful is IRRELEVANT, as long as he is grateful. HE should have dealt with his own daughter and NO dumped it on you and IF he had and had taken the change back and HANDED it to his daughter, You and she would never have had a problem.

I agree. my wife and I were discussing this and we came to the same conclusion but I've come to the decision that I will not tolerate nor encourage her problems by rewarding them. She'll get her cash (she was anyway) and I'll reimburse my brother for the balance of the cost of the case, but she will not get the computer I worked hard at my job to earn the money to buy the parts for while shes basically calling me a thief. My brother brought an old P100 here years ago which I fixed which he never picked up. He wanted to give her that originally (after we determined that ordering the parts for a new PC so late in the game was impractical) and I talked him out of it, but considering that she'll be doing nothing more than writing papers, that is what she will have (unless he buys her a new one).
 

Geekbabe

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 16, 1999
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www.theshoppinqueen.com
Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
Quote

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Give them the $20 back and keep the computer.
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If it weren't for my brother, that's exactly what I'd do. The little [insert nasty name here] doesn't deserve a new machine (which he'd have to buy her) and I'll probably replace the P3 650 with a P3 450 and she'll be running XP on 128 megs instead of 256 methinks. Petty? maybe. stooping to a childs level? probably. justied? definitely.

BS, no way. his brother SHOULD have dealt with and and not told you about it. His daughter is HIS PROBLEM, not urs. Whethor or not she is ungrateful is IRRELEVANT, as long as he is grateful. HE should have dealt with his own daughter and NO dumped it on you and IF he had and had taken the change back and HANDED it to his daughter, You and she would never have had a problem.

In my opinion, UR brother handled it poorly.



I agree totally, when my kids were in that horrid stage I bent over backwards to prevent embarrassing situations.I'd have dealt with my daughter on my own,youshould never have heard a word about this.