In-Laws Demanded We Pay Their $100K Bill Because We're ‘Faaamily’—They've Been Blocked

Relationship Stories - OP and her husband went no-contact with his family nine years ago. Out of nowhere, the in-laws demanded they pay a $100K dorm bill for a niece—using “we’re family” as justification. They’ve been blocked.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lost-genre-reddit-stories--5779056/support.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hi everybody, and welcome back to lost Genre Reddit stories.
This post is from the subredded entitled people, and it's
by user key conclusion five to five one one. You
owe it to your sister who's married and niece. I
called my father this morning to see how they were
all doing. Before he said good morning, he asked, what

(00:24):
the f is a dorm shower and why are my
in laws asking for money and gifts? Background My husband
children adult teens now, and I went no contact with
my husband's entire immediate family and most extended relatives since
twenty sixteen. That's nine plus years of not talking to, contacting,

(00:46):
or having any type of relationship or interactions. We gave
them twenty years of chances and boundaries and consequences. That's
to say it wasn't a rash decision that was made
selfishly or thought saughtlessly through the years. They sent us
in the actual US Postal Service mail because they're blocked

(01:06):
everywhere else requests for gifts. You see, they like to
create registries like you would for a bridal or baby
shower and fill them with obscenely priced items for simple
things like birthdays, Christmas, graduations, anniversary and every little I
farted and therefore I deserve an expensive gift. Event on

(01:28):
to last week into today, I called my husband's aunt
to catch up. She's the only one we're still in
contact with, and she gave me a heads up that
my in laws were trying to get her to pay.
They used the term donate over one hundred thousand dollars,
not a typo for the golden granddaughter's dorm fees. I
roll thinking facebalm, because we're family and we need to

(01:52):
stick together and do our part. When the lady, who
is living a modest life and on Social Security, said
absolutely not, they then sent her an invitation via text
to the dorm shower, and husband's aunt said it was
beyond ridiculous not to mention the request for straight up
cash when she graduated. In the meantime, I'm getting texts

(02:15):
and calls from all acquaintances and childhood friends. We all
grew up in the same town and in laws still
lived there, but we've moved out about four hours away,
saying that my in laws are harassing them and trying
to get a hold of our information because we changed
our cell numbers and blocked them everywhere we digitally could
last week in the mail, I received an actual printed

(02:38):
invite along with registry information not one place, but three
separate stores, and because we were curious, we my whole
family founded Comical, took a peek. The cheapest thing on
there was a pack of washclothes in the sixty dollars range,
followed by a power strip at one hundred and twenty dollars,

(02:59):
and the prices went up from there, including items in
the two thousand dollars range. They even had commercial type appliances,
which you can't even take or use in a dorm room,
so why are they even their mind blown? Then the
phone calls started rolling in, which were sent to voicemail
from phone numbers we aren't familiar with. Mother in law

(03:21):
ended up leaving a message Opie's husband, this is your mom.
Your niece is going away for college and we need
you to contribute one hundred thousand dollars for her dorm.
We also sent you, apparently the rest of us no
longer exist, an invitation to her dorm shower and a
picture from her graduation which had requests for straight up

(03:44):
money without even hosting a party. Don't disappoint us because
you owe it to your niece and sister. First of all,
no to the everty no and seven middle fingers. Second,
niece's parents make more than half a million a year.
They both work for the state, love to brag, and
their salaries are posted fan that out from aunt. So

(04:07):
shouldn't they easily be able to afford their child's dorm necessities. Third,
my husband and I have our own two children in university,
one going into sophomore year and one going into junior year,
and we never made any grand announcements, much less requests
for money. They also chose to stay local in order
to save money. Fourth, What the F are you trying

(04:30):
to get money and gifts out of my parents and
other elderly relatives. Aren't their laws against swindling senior citizens.
My husband dropped everything into the shredder and erased the
voicemail with full intent of remaining and maintaining no contact.
In the last two hours, I've gotten six calls from
numbers I don't know, but area codes are from their area,

(04:52):
with nobody leaving any messages. What the F? Just when
you think you're out, they try and pull you back
into their efery. So effing tired and the nerve to
do that. They didn't even bother asking about their biological
grand children that they claim to love with all their hearts. Wow,

(05:13):
OPI that is next level entitlement. A dorm shower with
two thousand dollars appliance says one hundred thousand dollars demands
arassing your elderly relatives and old contacts. That's just overly tacky.
You've held the boundary for nine years and they're not confused.
They're testing your resolve and banking on guilt and exhaustion
to break you. Now, the way I see it, you've

(05:34):
got two options, Op. You can ignore them and keep
trying to block their numbers into all of that, but
I think that would just be exhausting for you. And
the other one is to write a firm seize and
assist letter. I don't know if you could recoup that voicemail,
because you should definitely add it. You should add everything
that voicemail, the invite, the registry, screenshots and scent it certified,

(05:54):
calm tone, zero emotion. Then let them know continued contact
or pressuring anyone on behalf will be treated as harassment
and forwarded to legal counsel. And what would you guys,
do if you were in op shoes let me know
in the comment section, and now let's check out the
community comments. Pipet four says, wow, the sheer audacity. You

(06:15):
unfortunately probably need to change your phone numbers again. I'm sorry,
and Opie responds, I just keep blocking everything. We've changed
our numbers at least twice, me three times and husband
twice already, and they badger somewhat until they give it up.
It feels like we need to go into witness protection
and even then I don't think we'd be safe. Thank

(06:37):
you for reading and taking the time to Respondy please
Curious Orange eighty five ninety two says Step one, inform
them you'll be sending your contribution via USPS. Step two
crab in a box and post it to add It
has been suggested that posting a crap may be a crime.
Might I suggest sending one hundred thousand Zimbabwe dollars, which

(06:58):
is two hundred and seventy five dollars thirty two cents
at the time of posting. Honeyed Vinegar forty two says
that is insane. I don't even have one hundred thousand
dollars worth of stuff in my entire house, including the
appliances that wouldn't fit in any dorm room. My mind
is boggling. And where are they getting sixty dollars washcloth packs?

(07:18):
I mean, you can get eighteen washcloths from Walmart for
about five dollars, and for dorm living, I wouldn't get
anything fancier than that. And Dopey responds, My first twelve
hundred square foot house cost less than that, and you're right.
Everything I buy is either clearance or on sale. Nowhere
near one hundred thousand dollars. She had a four hundred

(07:40):
dollars coffee maker on her registry. Mine costs seven dollars
on clearance at Walmart and it works just fine after
five years. The Egyptian cotton washcloths I think were from Amazon.
My kids were calling out what they were seeing and
howling at the absurdity, But they also registered at Williams
SONMA and Macy's Sanity and Entitlement. At his finest and

(08:04):
dark fifty four g says reverse Uno, create two registries,
one for each of your children. Make the cheapest car
a BMW or TESLA. Tell in laws that until they
comply with your registry in full you will not either.
But my Lord Jesus, these people are cuckoo, and Opie responds,
my kids were cackling. They made a similar comment. I

(08:25):
think my husband is finally starting to understand the absurdity
of their requests and actions. The sending it to my
parents is what enraged me today. Thank you for reading
and taking the time to respond and verifying that this
is not normal smity face. Opie's edit, I'm so sorry
that I didn't explain it correctly. To be clear, it's

(08:45):
two separate things. Request one one hundred thousand dollars for
dorm fees and boarding, so essentially rent and food. Request
two dorm shower, registering for gifts at specific stores that
people are expected to buy for you off of a
list produced or chosen by the graduate. Edit too. How

(09:05):
did mother in law get the number? We don't know.
We did have a friend say that they gave out
our address, which they had. Anyway, we have friends and
my family that still live there, our hometown that we
both me and my husband grew up in. Many people
go to the same church weekly, and many of the
in laws attend. That's the most probable place. We still

(09:27):
gave our new numbers to our friends and my family.
Mother in law managed to get our new number, and
nobody has confessed to give in it to her. I'm
also getting a lot of calls from random numbers I
don't know, and they're not leaving voicemails that coincides with
mother in law calling my husband. Mother in law as
of right now, has left a single message reverse directory

(09:49):
on the other numbers doesn't give me information somehow, at
the very least, mother in law has gotten our number.
We don't know if the other calls are related to
mother in law because they don't leave voice mails, but
considering the uptick and calls and the message from mother
in law, we think it's related to each other. Thank
you to all who read this novel length post, the

(10:11):
advice slabs, and the recommendations for Google Voice. It's been
already implemented. No further voicemails at this time. We'll update soon. Well, then,
let's not waste any time and to move on with
that update. We are maintaining no contact, no gifts or
donations of one hundred thousand dollars, because what they ultimately
want is a reaction or contact. We refuse to fight,

(10:34):
and we refuse to submit. Therefore we ignore. Our silence
is a clear message that they don't hold any value
in our lives, and that drives them absolutely crazy. Google
Voice has been set up and everything else is being
blogged on the landline if they don't leave a message
or aren't part of our contacts. Mother in law at
this point has left a single message, but we've received

(10:57):
at least fifty calls last time I count from numbers
that we don't know, but we suspect our mother in
law's flying monkeys. I still don't understand why they're asking
for one hundred thousand dollars for dorm rent and food,
because anyway I look at it, the math ain't mathing.
I spoke to my cousin, a lawyer not in my area,
and gave her all the information and asked if anything

(11:19):
could be done. She reached out to a retired colleague
who used to practice and now teaches, and they basically
said to continue to ignore because legally not much can
be done. Annoying, but it is what it is. Now
on to some gossip, big smiley face. My dad and
uncles are part of the church board and have been

(11:40):
for decades. They the board secretary and clergy get together
every Monday and review the week ahead, deal with issues,
and approve or reject anything that needs to be dealt with.
Pretty standard stuff. The in laws attend to the church,
but aren't really active in terms of committees, fundraising, or activities. Planning.
Law has volunteered once at a bake sale in the

(12:03):
forty plus years of living in the community and attending
this church. The church has a huge banquet room that
includes a stage, bar area, and fountain. It's used for
church functions, plays, bazaars, dinner dances, parties, and can be
rented out for a fee. Everyone pays some sort of fee.

(12:23):
The fee has a complete breakdown of everything. There are
two prices, one for stewards members that pay a yearly
membership to the church, and one for non stewards, non
members or anyone else who would like to rent the space.
If you remember, then you get the rentals at cost,
so the church doesn't really make anything extra on the rental.

(12:43):
If you're not a member, then there's an up charge
for using the space. Mother in law and sister in
law want to rent the space because they're anticipating two
hundred plus people for the dorm shower. They filled in
a request online that requires you to input your information
Stuart number, information about what the party is for, how
many people, what vendors, if there will be liquor, any

(13:06):
special requests. The board reviews it and if they have questions,
they make follow up calls. The secretary had mother in
law on speakerphone so that everyone could listen and ask
questions if needed. They aren't current stewards. Last time they
were stewarts was when their kids were little. No judgment,
just explaining they used their steward number from decades ago

(13:29):
and played stupid when the secretary said they need to
be current stewards in order to get the discount. They
know this because they tried to pull the same crap
for sister in law's big bridal shower. She had a
total of five, as well as the christenings for her children.
The church has to pull a variety of permits depending

(13:49):
on what type of party you're having. Insurance plus security,
liquor permits, custodians, and a few other things. I'm sure
I'm forgetting. There's a pre approved list of vendors that
you need to choose from if you want to serve
food or liquor, and they set their own prices separately
from the church. If you want to rent the space,
those are the rules and have been for over thirty years.

(14:11):
If you follow the rules, then it's pretty seamless, and
I've used them plenty of times throughout the years without
any issues. Mother in law then trying to negotiate the
price because they have volunteered so much throughout the years.
Once you volunteered once iral Then she tries to say
that they're going to bring in their own food and liquor.

(14:32):
Church said you have to use the preapproved vendors or
you can't serve food or beverages. Then mother in law
pivots and wants to charge a fee to enter and
have a cash bar so she can use the space,
and knowing her up charge to make a profit, the
church explains that there would be additional paperwork and fees
for that paperwork. Mother in law doesn't like that and

(14:55):
says to just forget it. Under special requests, she wanted
the choir to donate a performance, and at the end
they wanted to do some sort of parade. My dad
said that they were all just sitting there shaking their
heads at their ridiculousness of mother in law, the fact
that the party is supposed to happen supposedly the first

(15:17):
week of August, with the address on the original invite
being sister in law's house address. So two hundred plus
people are going to go into a residential neighborhood with
limited parking for a dorm shower cry lapping emoji. I'm
sure it'll be as classy as they are. Well, it'll be.
The lawyer says, you can't do anything right now, but
I would still continue to document everything, so maybe you

(15:40):
can file a harassment suit at some point. In the meantime.
Here's wishing you all the best. Ope, Thanks so much
for sharing and take care and now let's finish this
video with a mood booster post. This post is from
the subreddit malicious Compliance and it's by user gee is In.
You need to message me when finished with a client
before going to the one as you wish. A few

(16:03):
years ago, I worked as a tech support guy salesperson
at a small, family owned computer store in my hometown.
It wasn't a franchise, just a local shop. The owner
a mustached, arrogant dude who could never admit when he
was wrong. No matter what went wrong, it was always
someone else's fault. That constant blame game was a big

(16:24):
reason why I ended up quitting, but that's another story.
At the time, my main job was delivering products to
clients and doing on site tech support at their home
or businesses. Now for some context, my boss was obsessed
with the idea that I was too slow during client visits.
No matter how long I actually took, be it five

(16:45):
minutes or two hours, it was always too much in
his eyes. He couldn't seem to understand that tech problems
vary and can take different amounts of time to fix.
And of course he loved to compare us to past employees.
Back when so and so worked here, he was way
faster than you. Funny thing is I knew that when

(17:05):
so and so worked here, the boss used to say
he was slow and someone else was better. That was
just his thing, guilt tripping whoever was working for him
at the time. Fast forward a bit. One day, he
was in an extra bad mood and decided that from
now on I should message him every single time I
finished with a client and wait for his reply before

(17:27):
moving on. Same thing. When I arrived somewhere message him
to say I'd arrived. He wanted this done through What's
Up SMS or even a phone call. If I didn't
have credit, I was supposed to make a collect call,
where the person receiving the call pays. Not sure how
common that is elsewhere. Basically, he didn't trust that I

(17:47):
was working and thought I might be wasting time between
clients or just riding around town. Spoiler, there's not much
to see. I was annoyed, but sure, whatever rules are rules.
Day one I followed the rule to the letter, arrived
at a client message, finished the job message, and wait.
I lost way more time waiting for responses than I

(18:09):
ever did between jobs, but okay. Day two, same deal.
Morning went by. After lunch, I loaded up the bike
with deliveries and gear and headed out. First client of
the afternoon messaged when I arrived. He replied, fixed the issue.
It didn't even take thirty minutes. So I messaged when finished.
No response. Waited five minutes nothing, called him, no answer,

(18:33):
waited another five minutes, still nothing. So I sat down
on the curb under a tree and waited. Watched some video,
scroll through Facebook, chat it with friends, and I waited
and waited. Almost three hours passed. I just sat there
doing nothing, waiting on the guy who demanded that I
never move on without his go ahead. Eventually, my phone rang,

(18:55):
It's my boss and he asks me where I am.
I still at client excess place, and he goes still.
He was the first one this afternoon. The day's almost over.
Just get back here, so I tell him, okay, on
my way back now. I got back to the store
and was greeted with him practically foaming at the mouth.

(19:16):
Why the hell did you take so long? You're so slow.
I looked him straight in the eye and said, I
was following your rule. You told me to notify you
every time I finished a client and wait for your
reply before moving on. You didn't respond, so I waited.
I'd never go against your orders. He froze, just stared

(19:38):
at me. He didn't know what to say. Then he
tried to backpedal, Well, you should use common sense. If
I didn't answer, it's because I was busy. Turns out
he'd spent the whole afternoon dealing with contractors and problems
at his house renovation and just completely forgot he'd given
me that rule. Needless to say, the rule was never
mentioned again. I went back to the old way of

(20:00):
doing things, but of course he still kept complaining that
I took too long with clients. Some things never change. Well, Opeep,
the boss demanded that you not move, and you didn't.
But the good thing is that you had a nice
afternoon watching some videos and catching up with friends, totally deserved.
Thanks so much for sharing, Opie. And that's it for

(20:23):
today's video. Thank you so much for taking the time
to watch it now. If you've gotten to this point
in the video, I assume that you like these stories
that I'm reading out, so here are a couple more
that you might enjoy. And if you don't have any
time to watch another story right now, save it for later.
And also, don't forget to hit that subscribe button.