As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.
A single mom kindly offered to store her friend’s overweight luggage, stuffed with clothes, at her home. The plan was for her friend to retrieve the bags later, once she had settled into her new home overseas. However, things didn’t go as expected.
What got lost in translation was the friend’s assumption that the luggage would be returned to her at no cost, with the single mom footing the shipping bill. Sharing her frustrating experience on the popular parenting blog Mumsnet, the woman explained that she had obtained several shipping quotes. When she informed her friend that the cost would be around $245 and asked her to send the money, her friend flat-out refused to pay.
“She’s got extremely angry and upset, claiming that I should pay,” the woman wrote. “She’s claiming I repeatedly promised I would pay (which I never, ever said).”
Now living rent-free with family in another country, the friend reportedly offered only $74—less than half the shipping cost—and refused to transfer any more money from her bank account abroad. Instead, she launched into a furious tirade, accusing the woman of trying to keep her belongings.
“She has said really unkind things like ‘You’re not keeping my stuff!’ implying that I’m trying to steal it, and called me disorganized and forgetful for not having posted it (when the real reason is that I just need the money in advance!),” the woman shared. “I am shocked that she not only thought I’d pay but became so aggressive when I said I couldn’t afford to!”
Adding insult to injury, the single mom is juggling life, work, and parenting two children in a foreign country. Meanwhile, her former friend has no children, pays no rent, and seemingly no valid reason for withholding payment.
To protect her mental health, the woman temporarily blocked her friend. She then offered to send the suitcases to a mutual friend instead. However, even that solution is complicated since the third party is currently abroad and agrees the sender—not the courier—should cover the shipping fees.
It seems someone is definitely losing their case in this unfortunate saga.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/20/lifestyle/single-mom-tries-to-help-her-friend-move-abroad-now-shes-stuck-with-the-bill/
