Stingiest things thread(op for R&R access)

Jrop

had a friend from college who lived in the country ring out of the blue looking for a bed for the night with me in Dublin. No problem. Except she did this on a regular basis for 3 months and never offered anything in return for her stay.

Irish94

When my roommate and I were in college, a few years back, we decided at the start of the year that we would join the gym together. We planned on going twice a week throughout the first semester and for the first 6 weeks of second semester (placement and final year would hinder us both from going near the end of the second semester). Anyways we inquired about membership at the college gym, the first week of the year and were quoted a price of €300 each for 12 months. Feck that we both thought, not worth it since it is a 12 month membership and we would only be their for maybe 6 months of the year. They did not offer monthly memberships or 3 month memberships.

Since we couldn't use the college gym, we quickly rang up a hotel close by asking could we use their gym for a trial run later that same day, as we didn't know what gym we were going to use for the year and were still undecided as to what to do. The hotel kindly accepted and after filling out a form or two let us use the gym that evening for free.

Being poor students and clever in tight situations, we concluded that every local gym and hotel leisure centre in the vicinity would be our 'gym' for the next 6 months. By ringing hotels and signing numerous trial forms, and occasionally paying the odd €5 to use a gym (once paid €20 because it had an outdoor Jacuzzi) we essentially got away with working out twice a week for the cost of petrol for the car to get us to these locations. We must have went to 15 hotels in the first semester and once the second semester came around we were returning to the same hotels we had been too in September and October previously on 'trial days'.

I thought it was quite clever at the time, but I understand many people would view it as stingy. But hey, we had fun!

sligojoek

I like it

Thargor

I can finally contribute to this thread!

The other day I had a text from my father at work telling me to ring home, rang it straight away in case something was wrong, he said it wasn't an emergency but there was a heap of post for me at home and a few of the stamps hadn't been stamped so be sure to save them when Im down at Christmas. I asked him why the feck he didnt just put that in the text or else just rip the stamps off himself, he said I must get free phone calls at work and he doesnt touch other peoples post. I rang his landline on my mobile the minute I got the text!

job seeker

Irish94 wrote: »

When my roommate and I were in college, a few years back, we decided at the start of the year that we would join the gym together. We planned on going twice a week throughout the first semester and for the first 6 weeks of second semester (placement and final year would hinder us both from going near the end of the second semester). Anyways we inquired about membership at the college gym, the first week of the year and were quoted a price of €300 each for 12 months. Feck that we both thought, not worth it since it is a 12 month membership and we would only be their for maybe 6 months of the year. They did not offer monthly memberships or 3 month memberships.

Since we couldn't use the college gym, we quickly rang up a hotel close by asking could we use their gym for a trial run later that same day, as we didn't know what gym we were going to use for the year and were still undecided as to what to do. The hotel kindly accepted and after filling out a form or two let us use the gym that evening for free.

Being poor students and clever in tight situations, we concluded that every local gym and hotel leisure centre in the vicinity would be our 'gym' for the next 6 months. By ringing hotels and signing numerous trial forms, and occasionally paying the odd €5 to use a gym (once paid €20 because it had an outdoor Jacuzzi) we essentially got away with working out twice a week for the cost of petrol for the car to get us to these locations. We must have went to 15 hotels in the first semester and once the second semester came around we were returning to the same hotels we had been too in September and October previously on 'trial days'.

I thought it was quite clever at the time, but I understand many people would view it as stingy. But hey, we had fun!

i'm not even mad i'm impressed!!!

Laphroaig52

I don't know if this was stingy or just plain dishonest but I was going into SuperQuinn on a wet miserable day and there was no trolleys in the stand. I saw this one heading back to the stand with an empty trolley so I waved my one Euro coin at her and we smiled and exchanged a Euro for a trolley.

A fair exchange you might think.

But somewhere between the Vegetables and the Deli I noticed that there was no Euro in the slot on the trolley.

A genuine mistake on her part?

Yeah right.
Bitch.

Creol1

Irish94 wrote: »

When my roommate and I were in college, a few years back, we decided at the start of the year that we would join the gym together. We planned on going twice a week throughout the first semester and for the first 6 weeks of second semester (placement and final year would hinder us both from going near the end of the second semester). Anyways we inquired about membership at the college gym, the first week of the year and were quoted a price of €300 each for 12 months. Feck that we both thought, not worth it since it is a 12 month membership and we would only be their for maybe 6 months of the year. They did not offer monthly memberships or 3 month memberships.

Since we couldn't use the college gym, we quickly rang up a hotel close by asking could we use their gym for a trial run later that same day, as we didn't know what gym we were going to use for the year and were still undecided as to what to do. The hotel kindly accepted and after filling out a form or two let us use the gym that evening for free.

Being poor students and clever in tight situations, we concluded that every local gym and hotel leisure centre in the vicinity would be our 'gym' for the next 6 months. By ringing hotels and signing numerous trial forms, and occasionally paying the odd €5 to use a gym (once paid €20 because it had an outdoor Jacuzzi) we essentially got away with working out twice a week for the cost of petrol for the car to get us to these locations. We must have went to 15 hotels in the first semester and once the second semester came around we were returning to the same hotels we had been too in September and October previously on 'trial days'.

I thought it was quite clever at the time, but I understand many people would view it as stingy. But hey, we had fun!

Saving money at the expense of friends is stinginess. Saving money (legally) at the expense of hotels and corporations is cleverness.

tara73

Creol1 wrote: »

Saving money at the expense of friends is stinginess. Saving money (legally) at the expense of hotels and corporations is cleverness.

?? BS for me and the behaviour is complete BS behaviour too (although it's here somewhat excusable you were young, thinking is different then..:))

these hotels are offering this great service for people who are interested to join the gym and have true intentions to do so. hotels will stop offering this great service if they found out s***bags abusing it like described above. So I don't think it's 'clever', it's pure stinge and scumbag behaviour for any grown up person.

secondrowgal

tara73 wrote: »

?? BS for me and the behaviour is complete BS behaviour too (although it's here somewhat excusable you were young, thinking is different then..:))

these hotels are offering this great service for people who are interested to join the gym and have true intentions to do so. hotels will stop offering this great service if they found out s***bags abusing it like described above. So I don't think it's 'clever', it's pure stinge and scumbag behaviour for any grown up person.

Well, that escalated quickly!!! :eek:

Dan Jaman

tara73 wrote: »

?? BS for me and the behaviour is complete BS behaviour too (although it's here somewhat excusable you were young, thinking is different then..:))

these hotels are offering this great service for people who are interested to join the gym and have true intentions to do so. hotels will stop offering this great service if they found out s***bags abusing it like described above. So I don't think it's 'clever', it's pure stinge and scumbag behaviour for any grown up person.

Exactly so. Also, while the gym trial is offered as a freebie, it's not actually a gift, but an inducement as part of a marketing package. It could be argued, if a lawyer bloody-minded could be 4rsed, that there was an 'intent to deprive' and/or 'intent to deceive' the owner because there was no intention on the part of the user to ever take up membership.
It could get tricky, but the vast majority of the time there will be no, if any, legal consequences, so stinge away.

bucketybuck

I wouldn't worry too much about the gyms in question, but it is pretty pathetic to put so much effort into trying to game them in that fashion. Little to be at, as the saying goes.

SB_Part2

Years and years ago my housemates sister was sleeping on our couch for a few weeks as she broke up with her bf.

She was mad into going to the gym so sometimes I’d go with her and PAYG.

She said she was moving back home and asked did I want to buy her membership off her. I paid about 200e for it for 10 months remaining and it was 250e for 12 but saw that she was struggling so I didn’t mind. (I can’t remember the exact amounts just that I was paying over the odds)

Instead of moving back home she moved back in with her ex.

I rang the gym to let them know I’d bought the membership off her so that they didn’t think I had stolen her swipe card. They rang her to confirm and she told them I was lying and it was stolen. They rang me back and told me if I didn’t hand the swipe back they’d be going to the guards.

Then she rang me roaring at me asking me why I’d done that. That there was no need for me to do it.

She 100% was going to keep going to the gym and just tell them she’s misplaced her card and since she was a regular all the staff would know her.

I got my money back off her and never went back to the gym again. I was absolutely mortified.

Creol1

secondrowgal wrote: »

Well, that escalated quickly!!! :eek:

You can say that again!

pgj2015

tara73 wrote: »

?? BS for me and the behaviour is complete BS behaviour too (although it's here somewhat excusable you were young, thinking is different then..:))

these hotels are offering this great service for people who are interested to join the gym and have true intentions to do so. hotels will stop offering this great service if they found out s***bags abusing it like described above. So I don't think it's 'clever', it's pure stinge and scumbag behaviour for any grown up person.

I agree, anyone who thinks it is clever has most likely never ran their own business.

nice_guy80

SB_Part2 wrote: »

Years and years ago my housemates sister was sleeping on our couch for a few weeks as she broke up with her bf.

She was mad into going to the gym so sometimes I’d go with her and PAYG.

She said she was moving back home and asked did I want to buy her membership off her. I paid about 200e for it for 10 months remaining and it was 250e for 12 but saw that she was struggling so I didn’t mind. (I can’t remember the exact amounts just that I was paying over the odds)

Instead of moving back home she moved back in with her ex.

I rang the gym to let them know I’d bought the membership off her so that they didn’t think I had stolen her swipe card. They rang her to confirm and she told them I was lying and it was stolen. They rang me back and told me if I didn’t hand the swipe back they’d be going to the guards.

Then she rang me roaring at me asking me why I’d done that. That there was no need for me to do it.

She 100% was going to keep going to the gym and just tell them she’s misplaced her card and since she was a regular all the staff would know her.

I got my money back off her and never went back to the gym again. I was absolutely mortified.

few years back a housemate gave me his membership card for his gym (it was in a nice hotel) as he was going abroad to work for a few months (his work had paid for the gym!). he said he'd arrange with the gym to transfer the name

went to go to the gym a few weeks later, membership had been cancelled. card was taken off me by the girl at the desk.
ara here!

EIREDriver

One of my friends (use that term loosely but I've known him for a while) is notoriously stingy. I'll call him Timmy.

We went on holidays with Timmy and it became apparent then that he was mean. First night we got a taxi from airport to accomodation. Was a big group so worked out at just under a tenner each. Timmy took a look in his wallet and said he only had 50s so would get us back later. We could have worked it out by giving him our split but feck it we thought- it's late and it's a holiday. We ended up getting a few taxis on the holiday. Only small amounts so one of us paid it and everyone was sound about it, except for Timmy of course. Never stuck his hand in his pocket.

When it came to meals he'd throw in whatever his main cost on the menu, ignoring the fact that he had beers and bottled water on the bill as well.

Last day came, taxi to airport was ordered. Got to the airport and Timmy hops out with his bags and says he's bursting for the toilet and will see us in there. After the whole week of not paying for any taxi we presumed he'd do the right thing and cover this one. Cheeky boll!x didn't ask what he owed for it when we caught up with him, even when one of the lads purposely asked in front of him if the person who paid for it had been reimbursed.

Have been out with him a few times since and am always reluctant in getting in a round with him. Owed another lad at the table a pint back one night and he had bought Timmy a pint too so I said feck it I may buy him one now. I'd drink faster than Timmy so ended up getting another pint in between. Timmy finishes the pint I bought him anyway. Stands up. Looks at me with a half pint left and goes "EireDriver you don't want another one do you... No..." I said to myself f*ck this now he's not getting out of this. Without hesitation I replied "Agh yeah go on thanks Timmy, I'll be finished this by the time you get back." His face was priceless. Was somehow fully expecting me to let him off with getting me back one.

I've noticed as well when out in nightclubs he'd hang around like a bad smell with people who'd be generous/careless with money - always getting a shot when people would be getting a round of them. Of course hed never get them back. I laugh as when there's a group getting tequilas he'd be nearly first up to the bar behind the person who asked if anyone wanted to do one. He'd nearly stand around all night thirsty until he'd get the opportunity.

the purple tin

It's taken me years to figure out that buying rounds of drinks in a large-ish group is a mugs game. If everyone sticks to buying your own, the stinges will gradually fade from your company.

the_pen_turner

the purple tin wrote: »

It's taken me years to figure out that buying rounds of drinks in a large-ish group is a mugs game. If everyone sticks to buying your own, the stinges will gradually fade from your company.

exactly. I think the rounds game was only thought up so that the stinges could play the system.
I refuse to get into them unless its only with a select few friends

JiminyRickets

The stingiest thing I've ever seen is a bee with a big pissed off arse on it. Not really a person, but still really, really stingy

Mr.Wemmick

With some of these loosely connected friends who stinge as a matter of course, almost without thinking.. do you not think some one needs to have a word, tell them how they're seen socially within groups, not paying their way, that their carry on/ behaviour is disliked etc..

It just strikes me, not the nasty stinges now mind, but the ones who almost do it without thinking and have been brought up like that by sh!tty parents and and are non-the-wiser to some extent.. is it the norm for them?

Sometimes you would wonder if the natural sort of default stinge actually gets it.

We are all in need of a swift kick up the backside at regular intervals to keep us on the straight and narrow. It sometimes seems they have had less arse kicks than the rest of us.

bucketybuck

If there is one thing obvious from most posts in this thread, it is that so many people are doormats who enable stingebags.

Kolido

True lads, but if there werent stinges out there, what would we read?

JCX BXC

Had a laugh today when a man asked a charity for a euro from the collection bucket in Tesco as he was short a euro for a pouch of amber leaf

His request was denied sadly.

Paddy Cow

tara73 wrote: »

?? BS for me and the behaviour is complete BS behaviour too (although it's here somewhat excusable you were young, thinking is different then..:))

these hotels are offering this great service for people who are interested to join the gym and have true intentions to do so. hotels will stop offering this great service if they found out s***bags abusing it like described above. So I don't think it's 'clever', it's pure stinge and scumbag behaviour for any grown up person.

pgj2015 wrote: »

I agree, anyone who thinks it is clever has most likely never ran their own business.

One summer I decided I wanted to get fit but I didn't want to commit to a whole year at a gym as I knew I might get bored after a couple of months and didn't want to be tied into paying for a year for a service I wasn't using I approached a well known hotel who are international and they had a three month contract for a one off payment of €300.

I explained when I was joining that I wanted to do the classes as I find working out on my own boring and would be more motivated in a class. No worries, they say, we have loads of classes. Sign here they say, so I did. What a load of poo poo. The first class I turned up to was cancelled because there wasn't enough people at it. I asked at reception and it turns out that if there were less than three people, then the class wouldn't go ahead.

I turned up for a few other classes during the first month and it was the same situation. I got sick of it and asked for some of my money back as I didn't think it was fair that they took €300 off me when I clearly wanted to do classes and these classes weren't available. I was basically told to go and sh!te as the terms and conditions etc blah blah blah

I'm glad that lad and his friend found a loophole. They didn't cost the business a cent but there will be plenty of mugs like me who sign up for something that the gym doesn't provide. I reckon gyms will be making a hell of a lot more on people who pay and don't use their services than what they allegedly lose when people have a trial.

Jobs OXO

bucketybuck wrote: »

If there is one thing obvious from most posts in this thread, it is that so many people are doormats who enable stingebags.

The enablers disgust me more than the stinges.

Hollister11

My brother and his mates have recently started drinking. Whenever they miss the last bus, or stay late, one of the parents takes a turn to pick them up and drop them home. One of the parents is a taxi driver and charges the lads a fair, but divides it among the passengers minus his son.

the_pen_turner

Jobs OXO wrote: »

The enablers disgust me more than the stinges.

the problem is that a lot of stinges are popular or have influence.
they will twist a lot of these around to make it look like you are the stinge.
ts only over a period of time that a stinge is outed

Ken.

Mod-From now on non stinge posts will incur bans from the thread.

Speedsie

Bit of a seasonally appropriate stinge.

About 17/18 years ago, I was doing a full time course, and us students decided to go out for a Christmas dinner & drinks. One of the lecturers was very sound, and we all decided to invite him along.

Great night had by all, lovely meal in town, then on to the pub for drinks afterwards. The lecturer didn't come to the pub, but I thought he had other plans.

Cue start of next term, chats about Christmas etc, including the night out. Turns out that the lecturer didn't think he should pay for his meal as we had 'invited' him (he was asked if he'd like to join us). So the girl working out the bill paid his share and said nothing. Needless to say, when we heard this, we all divvied his portion out between us and paid her back.

But the cheek of him - he was a paid lecturer, and we were all paying to attend the course, and hence impoverished students.

Blitzkrieger

Running Balance wrote: »

As a young lad I did this loads of times.
Mother buys tins of biscuits for neighbours - I'd take the tape off eat a few from the bottom layer and then tape it back up..
....

If you go for the bottom layer - the neighbour won't realise for a few days ....

The perfect crime!!

Don't be so sure! At my sister in laws house when they open a tin of biscuits they take out every layer straight away and dump all the biscuits back in. If any of your neighbours are a bunch of savages they'll have realised straight away.


Was at a Christmas party last week and one guy asked in every bar for "A pint of whatever's cheapest". Which is fine - money could be tight or whatever.

He was happy to take a shot when somebody bought a round and never bought anybody else a shot/drink though....