Wedding Woes

Either document and report or start pushing back on the 'digs'?

Dear Prudence,

Parking is very tight in my city, since we have two major universities and horrible traffic. My house is three blocks away from the university where I work. I don’t have a car, and my boyfriend has a motorcycle, but he usually takes the bus to work. A colleague was complaining about the cost of parking tags and lack of space for his daughter, a student here. I told him if she wanted to park in our driveway, she could. At first it was just her Volkswagen Beetle, and we rarely saw her. Then other cars started appearing in my driveway and stayed there all day. Apparently my colleague’s daughter told all her friends my driveway was free parking! Someone in a truck sideswiped my house and ruined all the flowers I planted.

I told my colleague that his daughter was no longer welcome to park at my house. My boyfriend rolled a large potted plant into the middle of our driveway and put up a towing sign. I got an apology from the daughter, but now my colleague is upset with me because I refuse to relent on my parking ban. It is making work borderline uncomfortable for me because we have to work closely together. He is very cold to me and makes personal digs, but nothing rising to an official complaint to human resources or our supervisor. How do I handle this?

—Parking Wars

Re: Either document and report or start pushing back on the 'digs'?

  • banana468banana468 member
    First Answer First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
    edited November 2018
    "Dude, I'm not sure why you're giving ME attitude when your daughter took my gesture of goodwill as a license to rent out space that wasn't hers that actually cost me money in the process.   Now if you have nothing else to say when can we expect the updates on your end of this project." 


  • Ro041 said:
    Who are all these psychos who take advantage of people's generosity and then get upset when the person refuses to be walked all over?
    Agreed.  It seems there’s a letter every week now where LW rescinds something for good reason and is the bad guy  :/
  • Report him to your HR department. She tried to do something nice, and his daughter took advantage. She was well within her rights to rescind her offer. 
  • short+sassyshort+sassy member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited November 2018

    I'm a little surprised the LW didn't put an end to randos parking in their driveway as soon as it started happening.  But, unfortunately, that is water under the bridge now.

    If nothing the CW is doing rises to the level of HR, they should just work with this CW as best they can and try to let it the negativity roll off their back.  Be polite and professional.  I've been there myself, even without any outside negative event.  Someone who is just a jerk to work with.  It sounds like the situation has already been discussed and the CW chooses to hold a grudge.  The LW can't control that person's actions...unless it does reach an HR level issue...and can only control their own reaction to the CW. 

    And, while I sadly don't find it surprising...because as you all know, I'm a landlady...I'm sure it would have gone a LONG way for the daughter to have taken responsibility for her bad actions.  Like, in addition to an apology, she put her money and time where her mouth is, and worked with the coworker to buy new flowers and plant them for her.  Doesn't matter if it wasn't her who caused the damage.  She put the wheels in motion where one of her friends caused the damage.  But she didn't do ANYTHING to help with the damage she was responsible for.  Because people often suck and are lazy.

    Hopefully the daughter has now learned a valuable lesson at a young age that, when you're an irresponsible jerk, there are often negative repercussions.

    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • If my kid came to me and complained about this situation I’d tell them to suck it up. You took advantage and ruined property? Welp, looks like your great deal has ended. Dad sounds more immature than his daughter. 


    image
  • Sell the parking space and tell the CW that it is no longer available for free. LW has an excuse not to give it to CW's daughter, she can screen who she sells the space to and will have the information of the person in case damage is done in the future, and she'll be able to recoup some money for the damage she lost. I see parking spaces at private residences for rent all over where my work is, and lots of people jump at the chance for those because they are usually cheaper and nicer than other paid parking (though sometimes more of a walk).

  • On a related note, why didn't CW's daughter pay for the damage that was done to the property?  An apology is nice and all, but it doesn't buy me new plants.  

  • kerbohl said:
    Sell the parking space and tell the CW that it is no longer available for free. LW has an excuse not to give it to CW's daughter, she can screen who she sells the space to and will have the information of the person in case damage is done in the future, and she'll be able to recoup some money for the damage she lost. I see parking spaces at private residences for rent all over where my work is, and lots of people jump at the chance for those because they are usually cheaper and nicer than other paid parking (though sometimes more of a walk).
    I assumed maybe there is a reason the LW hasn't already done that in the past.  But I hear ya!  I would be ALL over that if it were my situation.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
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