No matter where you are or who you are, you’ll have to deal with annoying people at some point. There are so many variations, from actual thieves to just your run-of-the-mill entitled jerk. So every now and then, normal people put their thinking caps on and decided to get back at these folks.
Someone asked “What’s the weirdest way you’ve ever gotten revenge on someone without getting caught?” and people shared their stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and if you’ve ever done a proper Count of Monte Cristo routine on someone, feel free to tell your tale in the comments down below.
#1
Had a neighbor that would walk into my backyard, take my can of gas for my mower and put it in his car and mower and then return the can.
I found this out because I had begun to a little suspicious that this 5 gallon can was always nearly empty every time I went to mow the lawn and it was only like a 1 quart tank on the lawnmower!
This was back before cheap easy security cameras so I had to set up a WebCam from my laptop with motion detection software. Caught the guy going into the backyard literally five minutes after I left the house.
For the next week, every time I had to go to the bathroom, I would go in that gas can. Now full of urine, but still smells enough like gas to fool an idiot. Then I left it on the back patio again. Made a big show of checking the fluids in my car, packing a few bags. Made sure the neighbor knew I was getting ready to go on a trip and I’d be gone a while. Hoping he takes the bait.
I come back home in about an hour. (Car trouble 😉) The thief is in his front yard pulling the rope on his lawnmower so hard. It looks like he’s going to have a stroke. Turning bright, red and cursing. Later he gets in his car makes it a couple blocks up the road and it suddenly breaks down….
I check the gas can on my patio…empty!
I found this out because I had begun to a little suspicious that this 5 gallon can was always nearly empty every time I went to mow the lawn and it was only like a 1 quart tank on the lawnmower!
This was back before cheap easy security cameras so I had to set up a WebCam from my laptop with motion detection software. Caught the guy going into the backyard literally five minutes after I left the house.
For the next week, every time I had to go to the bathroom, I would go in that gas can. Now full of urine, but still smells enough like gas to fool an idiot. Then I left it on the back patio again. Made a big show of checking the fluids in my car, packing a few bags. Made sure the neighbor knew I was getting ready to go on a trip and I’d be gone a while. Hoping he takes the bait.
I come back home in about an hour. (Car trouble 😉) The thief is in his front yard pulling the rope on his lawnmower so hard. It looks like he’s going to have a stroke. Turning bright, red and cursing. Later he gets in his car makes it a couple blocks up the road and it suddenly breaks down….
I check the gas can on my patio…empty!
116points
#2
I had to drive home to get something during my lunch hour. Saw a cop parked between highway lanes watching traffic, under an overpass, in a place it was hard to see them until it's too late. No problem for me.
On my way back to work, someone was tailgating me hard, but traffic was such I couldn't really get out of the way at first. They were just being an jerk about it, so close to my bumper I couldn't even see their headlights in the rear view, and they kept revving the engine audibly.
Knowing where the cop was, managed to delay the guy from passing, knowing that as soon as I did, they'd speed on past in a show of their supreme annoyance with me. I signalled for a lane change and sloowly moved out of his way juuuust before the overpass. And predictably, he sped past, in fact using the shoulder to do it because he was in such a darn hurry. And then the police put on their lights, pursued, and pulled him over.
On my way back to work, someone was tailgating me hard, but traffic was such I couldn't really get out of the way at first. They were just being an jerk about it, so close to my bumper I couldn't even see their headlights in the rear view, and they kept revving the engine audibly.
Knowing where the cop was, managed to delay the guy from passing, knowing that as soon as I did, they'd speed on past in a show of their supreme annoyance with me. I signalled for a lane change and sloowly moved out of his way juuuust before the overpass. And predictably, he sped past, in fact using the shoulder to do it because he was in such a darn hurry. And then the police put on their lights, pursued, and pulled him over.
84points
#3
I worked tech support for a streaming service for a couple years. Had a guy call in cause he couldn't log into his account (he was typing his password wrong on his TV). He was an absolutely terrible person. He was screaming awful things to me for 20 minutes while I was trying to help him.
After that call, I memorized his email. Every couple weeks I would pull up his account and log out of all devices.
After that call, I memorized his email. Every couple weeks I would pull up his account and log out of all devices.
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84points
#4
I had a nightmare colleague who started angling for a promotion the second he was hired.
After 3 years he managed to persuade management to create a middle manager position in our office.
I went to our manager, said I thought creating a middle manager positition was an excellent idea, and sang the everlasting praise of another colleague, someone who would actually be good in that position, didn't say a word about nightmare dude.
Told my other colleagues I thought they should do the same. They did. The sensible guy was promoted and one month later nightmare dude resigned.
After 3 years he managed to persuade management to create a middle manager position in our office.
I went to our manager, said I thought creating a middle manager positition was an excellent idea, and sang the everlasting praise of another colleague, someone who would actually be good in that position, didn't say a word about nightmare dude.
Told my other colleagues I thought they should do the same. They did. The sensible guy was promoted and one month later nightmare dude resigned.
76points
#5
Put mad dog hot sauce in a burger in the work fridge because someone kept stealing my lunch. The person ate my burger :) He went home sick and never ate my food again. He didn't know it was mine, he just knew it wasn't his..so technically I never really got caught. Hehehehe.
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68points
#6
A certain American anti-gay activist visited my country to lobby against gay marriage (which was ultimately passed). She didn't seem to realize it is illegal for foreigners on visitor visas to 1. Take part in political rallies (she spoke at one) 2. work or volunteer (she conducted anti-gay marriage workshops). I tattled to the immigration authorities and she got banned.
66points
#7
I lived with a couple friends during covid, we would take turns as a household buying groceries and cooking for each other. It's a very long story but at a point our friendship took a turn for the worse. Tensions were very high in the house and there were a lot of mental health struggles, but I continued to buy and cook food that my roommates had no problem eating despite the fact they were not only not contributing to groceries or chores any more, but were also being very unkind to me. I was frequently making portions of food that would have lasted me several days, but my roommates would eat so much that I'd be lucky to get two portions.
I eventually got fed up with the amount of unreciprocated grace I was giving them and just started putting meat in all my food since they were both vegetarian. One of them quietly just went back to eating tortilla chips for dinner, the other was oblivious enough to start loudly huffing about how we never had anything to eat in the house. Neither of them possessed the emotional intelligence necessary to understand I was doing it on purpose to teach them a lesson.
I eventually got fed up with the amount of unreciprocated grace I was giving them and just started putting meat in all my food since they were both vegetarian. One of them quietly just went back to eating tortilla chips for dinner, the other was oblivious enough to start loudly huffing about how we never had anything to eat in the house. Neither of them possessed the emotional intelligence necessary to understand I was doing it on purpose to teach them a lesson.
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66points
#8
I had this terrible thieving neighbor that got drunk and let slip that he had warrants for his arrest out for him, in the next county over.
One day I’m pulling out of my driveway and this idiot runs up to the car and flags me down. He’s got a filled out job application in his hand and wants to know if I’ll drop it off at the gas station for him. “Sure” I take it and go on about my morning.
I sit down at my desk and realize I forgot to drop off the application. Then a plan forms. I look up the county that he has arrest warrants in. I go to the sheriffs department website and I fill out the request to join the sheriffs ride along program . With his information birthdate and Social Security of course.
It took about a week before they came looking for him. 😏
One day I’m pulling out of my driveway and this idiot runs up to the car and flags me down. He’s got a filled out job application in his hand and wants to know if I’ll drop it off at the gas station for him. “Sure” I take it and go on about my morning.
I sit down at my desk and realize I forgot to drop off the application. Then a plan forms. I look up the county that he has arrest warrants in. I go to the sheriffs department website and I fill out the request to join the sheriffs ride along program . With his information birthdate and Social Security of course.
It took about a week before they came looking for him. 😏
54points
#9
I knew this girl who was cheating on her boyfriend with our manager at work. She always tried to take my shifts or have her side work changed to make it easier. One night she threw a fit, and our manager made me close so she could go out to the bar with him.
That night, after I finished closing, I went to the bar with my coworkers. We got really drunk, and I decided to call her boyfriend to come pick her up, saying she was too drunk to drive home. He came into the bar and saw her making out with our manager. I watched everything unfold with glee.
Months later, I found out she was pregnant and had to get a DNA test to figure out who the father was so she could collect child support, since neither of them wanted anything to do with her.
That night, after I finished closing, I went to the bar with my coworkers. We got really drunk, and I decided to call her boyfriend to come pick her up, saying she was too drunk to drive home. He came into the bar and saw her making out with our manager. I watched everything unfold with glee.
Months later, I found out she was pregnant and had to get a DNA test to figure out who the father was so she could collect child support, since neither of them wanted anything to do with her.
53points
#10
I had a couple who was stalking and harassing me. They went so far as to move into my apartment complex as close to my building as possible. After months of feeling unsafe in my own home, and many recorded threats from them, I got a restraining order.
I was too broke at the time to have them served with the order. So I took my dog for a walk with an open tube of super glue in my hand. As I walked by their apartment door I quickly reached out and unloaded the whole tube into their door lock.
Within the hour, they were pounding on my door and making threats. So I called the police and told them two people with restraining orders were trying to get into my apartment. They showed up quickly and served them both.
They went on and on about how I glued their locks. But there was no proof. I never had to deal with them again after that.
I was too broke at the time to have them served with the order. So I took my dog for a walk with an open tube of super glue in my hand. As I walked by their apartment door I quickly reached out and unloaded the whole tube into their door lock.
Within the hour, they were pounding on my door and making threats. So I called the police and told them two people with restraining orders were trying to get into my apartment. They showed up quickly and served them both.
They went on and on about how I glued their locks. But there was no proof. I never had to deal with them again after that.
45points
#11
I worked at a big retailer. We had a horrible manager. There was a freezer at the registers filled with point of sale ice creams. It was a very LONG freezer.
The freezer broke. The frozen items spoiled. The manager wanted the vendor to empty and repair the freezer. The vendor refused.
The freezer sat and rotted. The stench was staggering. The freezers fronted two registers where cigarettes were sold. Cashiers were complaining about headaches and sickness. We were given fans and febreeze. After 3 months I called OSHA and filed a complaint stressing that they HAD to keep me anonymous as this company was notorious for firing complainers.
They took my complaint and my anonymity seriously.
OSHA was out within days. Freezer was gone within a week. A month later a letter was posted (legal mandate) from OSHA basically spanking manager, by name for the issue. Fired by corporate within months.
This was many years ago and this is the first time I’ve ever spoken of it.
The freezer broke. The frozen items spoiled. The manager wanted the vendor to empty and repair the freezer. The vendor refused.
The freezer sat and rotted. The stench was staggering. The freezers fronted two registers where cigarettes were sold. Cashiers were complaining about headaches and sickness. We were given fans and febreeze. After 3 months I called OSHA and filed a complaint stressing that they HAD to keep me anonymous as this company was notorious for firing complainers.
They took my complaint and my anonymity seriously.
OSHA was out within days. Freezer was gone within a week. A month later a letter was posted (legal mandate) from OSHA basically spanking manager, by name for the issue. Fired by corporate within months.
This was many years ago and this is the first time I’ve ever spoken of it.
43points
#12
In college I had a pre-med apartment mate that would get up at 6AM to study. BUT - as soon as he heard anyone else's alarm at say, 7:30, he would immediately run to the bathroom so you didn't have time to shower before class.
I disassembled his mechanical alarm clock (it's been awhile) and shifted the alarm hand forward 2 hours. The next morning he gets up a 4AM actual time, my roommate and my alarms go off at 5:30, we smile..... Pre-med runs to the bath and then stands on the curb in the dark for an hour waiting for the bus. He never really understood what happened. Yes we were engineers.
I disassembled his mechanical alarm clock (it's been awhile) and shifted the alarm hand forward 2 hours. The next morning he gets up a 4AM actual time, my roommate and my alarms go off at 5:30, we smile..... Pre-med runs to the bath and then stands on the curb in the dark for an hour waiting for the bus. He never really understood what happened. Yes we were engineers.
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41points
#13
An ex cheated on me. I was civil with the breakup and told him I’d washed the clothes he’d left and they’d be in a box outside for him to pick up. And they were. Neatly folded and smelling sweetly. You couldn’t tell at all that I’d rubbed the crotches of his boxers on poison oak leaves.
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40points
#14
We were in business with a Methodist church. The local church was shrinking and we made a proposal to buy the property. All signs pointed toward it happening. A new bishop was appointed and he canned the deal, closed the church without gaining approval from the membership, and told us to vacate the property.
We found out this bishop wanted to sell to a developer for 1M above asking. So we contacted the historical society and provided them with a 35 page document laying out the historicity of the church they were closing. Because this bishop did not do his due diligence, he didn’t know how to argue when he saw it was the first integrated church in the north, and the first black woman to make it integrated was still alive on the neighboring street.
We did not get to purchase the property, but the historical society sided with our argument and stopped the sale of the church to a developer. In the end, the UMC lost 1.5M in possible profit, and were forced to sell for 100k less than what we offered originally.
We found out this bishop wanted to sell to a developer for 1M above asking. So we contacted the historical society and provided them with a 35 page document laying out the historicity of the church they were closing. Because this bishop did not do his due diligence, he didn’t know how to argue when he saw it was the first integrated church in the north, and the first black woman to make it integrated was still alive on the neighboring street.
We did not get to purchase the property, but the historical society sided with our argument and stopped the sale of the church to a developer. In the end, the UMC lost 1.5M in possible profit, and were forced to sell for 100k less than what we offered originally.
38points
#15
Someone I considered a friend turned into a jerk and started taking advantage our friendship, taking things without consent borrowing money for rent and the like and then tried one night to grope my wife which left her in tears.
Little I could do legally as police said with alcohol consumed it was a he said/she said situation and Mrs Stag wanted to move on.
So we as a friend group ditched him and hard and fast. Blocked everywhere but it didn’t feel like it was enough…. Then I remembered… I’d set up his smart radiators for him and I still had the login details… for the next year he had massive problems with his heating, set to frost protection overnight and then maxed out for the week he was away skiing (on borrowed money!) all Rads on over the summer burning through his money… never could get it working and eventually he begged me to help him take it out prior to his tenancy ending and moving out…. Had the cheek to offer the whole kit to me for £100 as he couldn’t ever get it to work right!
Little I could do legally as police said with alcohol consumed it was a he said/she said situation and Mrs Stag wanted to move on.
So we as a friend group ditched him and hard and fast. Blocked everywhere but it didn’t feel like it was enough…. Then I remembered… I’d set up his smart radiators for him and I still had the login details… for the next year he had massive problems with his heating, set to frost protection overnight and then maxed out for the week he was away skiing (on borrowed money!) all Rads on over the summer burning through his money… never could get it working and eventually he begged me to help him take it out prior to his tenancy ending and moving out…. Had the cheek to offer the whole kit to me for £100 as he couldn’t ever get it to work right!
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35points
#16
I sold my house to an absolute jerk of a man; he truly made the whole selling process as unfriendly and nasty as he could.
We had one wall in the living room with a bright red colour. I just knew he was going to paint it. So I used a can of silicone oil to spray the word jerk on it.
So when he painted the wall white, the red letters would show up every time as the paint would not stick there.
We had one wall in the living room with a bright red colour. I just knew he was going to paint it. So I used a can of silicone oil to spray the word jerk on it.
So when he painted the wall white, the red letters would show up every time as the paint would not stick there.
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34points
#17
I was part of a little travelling circus when I was younger and had a brief relationship with the clown. After we broke up he was being a passive aggressive jerk so I came up with some really petty revenge. In every show he was on stage in multiple scenes and had a very quick costume change before one of them. He was always in a bit of a panic to get this costume change done in time. Most shows (but not every single one so it wouldn't be too suspicious) I would sneak to his dressing table and tighten his bow tie ridiculously tight so that he had to spend precious seconds getting it back to the right length before he could put it on. It brought me such joy each time I saw him struggle with it and he never figured out that it was a deliberate act of sabotage, he just thought he must be doing something accidentally to it when he took it off.
When I got fired from the circus (the clown was the owners son and got annoyed that I started dating one of the acrobats, so he asked his dad to fire me), I stole his bow tie.
When I got fired from the circus (the clown was the owners son and got annoyed that I started dating one of the acrobats, so he asked his dad to fire me), I stole his bow tie.
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34points
#18
I didn’t do anything. Just acted aggressively polite forever. Somehow that bothered them way more than revenge ever could.
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32points
#19
When I was in high-school everyone knew I always had gum. During gym we had cubbies to leave our stuff in (yes, no lockers, it was dumb) and every couple of days someone was stealing a whole pack. I chew gum constantly. To this day even. Probably not the best for me, but going through gum like that as a teen without a job was getting costly. Plus I was just pissed someone kept stealing my stuff.
Normally at the time my go to was Orbit Sweet Mint, which I thought would be harder to tamper with. So I began to occasionally chew Big Red. Then after some normalcy in the addition became apparent when they stole a Big Red pack.
Now was the time. The following week, I took a pack of Big Red and added water and cayenne pepper to a few sticks. Smeared deodorant, stick style, on a few more. Added water and flour to some others. Some I just straight up licked. Then I wrapped them all up in their foil wrappers, positioned them back in the pack. Added some tacky glue to the lip, and closed it up to make it look and open like a fresh pack. Then I waited.
The next week on a Big Red day the bait was taken. I never had a pack stolen again. Awful? Perhaps. Effective. Yes.
They couldn't report me because they'd have to admit they have been stealing my gum. They played themselves.
Normally at the time my go to was Orbit Sweet Mint, which I thought would be harder to tamper with. So I began to occasionally chew Big Red. Then after some normalcy in the addition became apparent when they stole a Big Red pack.
Now was the time. The following week, I took a pack of Big Red and added water and cayenne pepper to a few sticks. Smeared deodorant, stick style, on a few more. Added water and flour to some others. Some I just straight up licked. Then I wrapped them all up in their foil wrappers, positioned them back in the pack. Added some tacky glue to the lip, and closed it up to make it look and open like a fresh pack. Then I waited.
The next week on a Big Red day the bait was taken. I never had a pack stolen again. Awful? Perhaps. Effective. Yes.
They couldn't report me because they'd have to admit they have been stealing my gum. They played themselves.
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31points
#20
In the 2000's I was working on a home renovation for someone who turned out to be a massive jerk.
The firm was going to pull away from the job due to the chap not paying and changing his mind mid build.
On the 'last day' when we were gathering tools up etc to abandon to project, I opened 10 smoke detectors, put in their batteries and hid them around the build.
In walls, in ceilings and everywhere else I know they would not be found.
After 12-15 months, the beeping of the low battery sound would have driven him mad.
The firm was going to pull away from the job due to the chap not paying and changing his mind mid build.
On the 'last day' when we were gathering tools up etc to abandon to project, I opened 10 smoke detectors, put in their batteries and hid them around the build.
In walls, in ceilings and everywhere else I know they would not be found.
After 12-15 months, the beeping of the low battery sound would have driven him mad.
31points