“You Have No Power Here” Moments | People Stories #954

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[xtanagaming]

Heard about an IT guy who was unfairly fired from his company and forced to sign an NDA, which immediately backfired as they needed to know where certain files in their system were, to which the guy just quoted the contract they signed, stating he was not to disclose details of his time working there to anyone, including former co-workers

[sirsir]

Had a Gym membership, I moved too far away to continue going. It was after covid and stuff just started re opening. Gym was still trying to take money even though gyms weren't opened. They refused to end my membership because the contract. Dispite in contract saying it could be cancelled for health reasons or location etc. I had the bank put my account on freeze no one could withdraw money from my account. I waited out my the last months of my membership at the gym then unfroze my account and the Gym couldn't get my money anymore. My bank was willing to take them to court if they attempted it again.

[lesliemccormick]

My ex-husband of several YEARS divorced tried to tell me whom I was allowed to allow in my home.
I laughed and hung up the phone.

[olympialuna]

My husband and I just got a house this past August and my parents came to visit. Mom began criticizing things then started an argument with Dad. I told them to respect us and our house or leave. Man, that felt good!

[Tatkitten]

My sister and I were both pregnant at the same time and arguing about something. She got angry because she was losing (she always gets mad when that happens) and pulled her BS card of "I don't want to talk about it". It was something in my field of work that she had wrong and I know she thinks by doing this, it makes her right and I wasn't having it (because I'm a stubborn b). She got huff and said "Don't argue with me. I'm pregnant." to which I just shot back at her "I'm four weeks ahead of you in my pregnancy and you started this. So cut the BS cause you pulled that card all time during your first pregnancy.". She would use this too to avoid doing stuff (cleaning what not. And no she didn't have a difficult pregnancy either. She just likes being the center of attention and I've stopped putting up with her BS.

[TheSethxy]

My former boss was an insufferable micromanager. A new director took over the department and saw what was going on and promoted me to work direct for him. Because of my unique position in the industry and my subject matter expertise I had a lot of leverage. I didnt flaunt it, I just wanted to be treated with respect. She was told of the change and decided she would make the days until the org change as miserable as possible for me. At this point I was just keeping my head down until the change and being professional. She would use our "one on one" time to try and roast me in front of other people in the department. She would grasp any straw in a meeting to try and control its bearing while knowing little to nothing of what we were talking about. She would ask me about my tasks so I could explain them to her and how I achieved them. After explaining it 3 different ways I asked if I was making sense. She had me reprimanded because asking this was unprofessional and condescending. I couldn't dumb my work down enough for her to criticize it. Our interactions intensified and I kept my cool. One day she stomped in my office and got in my face. I told her she was making me uncomfortable and that I would like to have a witness. She closed the door and escalated. I walked out and went straight to HR. When I came back she demanded I go do something and tried to tell me how to do my job. I calmly looked her and said No. She called my boss and he brought us into a meeting to talk. He drew the org chart for her on paper. He had to say "he doesn't report to you, you are not his boss. He reports to me and I am his boss. Telling her no after everything unmentioned I had to go through for an entire year and being backed up was the best feeling ever.

[gurglequeen]

Coming to the realization that I am an adult and have the choice to leave a situation if I want to has been life changing.
We grow up being forced to sot through Boeing or uncomfortable situations because the adult responsible for us doesn't let us leave. But I as a 22 year old woman can now decide whether or not I want to remain in any given situation.
And honestly executing that right to walk away if a fucking power move every single time.

[gemmel]

"The customer is always right but you choose the customer." This is the greatest sentence I have ever read.

[UncleMikeDrop]

The customer is always right in matters of taste. That just means that if your customers want something, it is behoov of you to sell it.

[Kivas_Fajo]

My landlord tried to frame me without any evidence whatsoever for anything that happened around his property.
His reasoning. I was the last to move in therefore I am the culprit.
Well, I am not. My neighbour is trying to frame me for telling him to be quiet at night-time.
After the second accusation without any proof and the threat to press charges I told him my cousin was a superintendent in our town and he told me not to worry. Just ask the landlord for a thorough investigation including genetics next time to see who really touched the stuff.
Suddenly I am no longer the culprit and he apologized profoundly.
Dogs that bark don't bite.
Morons...

[chvfd]

Relatable story:
I worked for a company just shy of 7 years. Last year and a half I was in middle management. The day I was promoted as I was handed the keys my boss told me there was only three people above me I answered to. Little worm of a coworker in shipping did his best to rule and control over me but I was quick to tell him I didn't answer to him unless he had an order pending which was rare as I kept things mostly ahead of schedule. Some changes in management occurred and my boss retired. Guess who gets bumped to his position. Soon as he did I was "laid off". Best thing that could've happened in a way. Working now for the immediate competition across town with much better pay and benefits.

[rodneykingston]

Loved the AT&T story! Had AT&T internet for six months - every month the bill was double what it was supposed to be and I had to get on the phone with them and spend an hour getting it corrected. After the deal expired I switched. NEVER AGAIN. DON'T HAVE AT&T Internet!

[charlottemartyr]

Got a few pretty great/awful stories.
My first job literally worked me 70-90 hours a week while I was still in high school. I started getting really sick bc I was barely sleeping and reported it only for my boss to tell me I was being lazy. Wound up going into a 3 day coma which caused an investigation into all the illegal shit happening there, got the whole place shut down + started a class action for all my coworkers.
Had another job where I put in my resignation on the spot bc I came in explaining that my father had died in a car accident the night before and that I needed to go Plan the funeral and be with my family a couple of days only for my GM to tell me he couldn’t let me bc I hadn’t requested it off in advance and it’d be really inconvenient since his funeral was on a holiday.
But I think the biggest one for me would have to hands down be the first time I hung up on my mom. My mom was extremely verbally abusive and controlling, and had been my whole life. I literally felt like an object bc I was expected not to speak or make any decisions for myself, on threat of anything from screaming at me til I had a panic attack (then screaming at me for having a panic attack) to grabbing me by my hair and throwing me around, to belittling and humiliating me in front of other adults. The day I turned 18 I ran away from home, snuck out in the middle of the night and moved back in with my much more loving dad. When she realizes I’m gone she calls and just screams at me down the line, insulting and threatening me in between demands that I come back to her house NOW. I don’t really know what happened but some kind of switch flipped and I was just DONE. I’d never spoken back to my mother before and I very calmly said “No. No i left bc i was miserable, and I’m not coming back. I’m legally an adult, I can leave if I want, and I don’t have to put up with this. I’m not going to talk to you again until you can talk to me without screaming.” And hung up on her mid screech. That was the day I first started to feel like a real person. My dad, who already knew my mom was crazy and had noticed how depressed I was when I showed up, let me stay with him til I got my own place and turned my mom away any time she tried to get involved again. And I stuck to it. I can now go to family holidays with her again bc I straight up refused to let her see me until she got her shit together. Those holidays can be draining but there’s no more yelling and I make it clear if she pulls any of her old shit on me I drop everything, walk out, and drive off without a word.

[morgancrowley]

I saw my mother again (not by choice) after 6 years of no contact. She tried to pull a classic gaslighting technique and I, completely on instinct after years of maintaining boundaries in my adult life, immediately called it out and shut it down. we both realized at the same time that she no longer held power over me and watching my main abuser melt into a frankly pitiful old woman who couldn't hold space for people she couldn't control was incredibly satisfying and worth the unfortunate reunion before the non contact could start again.

dunno where she is now and I don't care. I'm doing great in therapy and going back to school. the best revenge is a life well lived

[Spokentruths]

When my mom tried to kick me out and send me to the father she always claimed never cared for me anyway. She used to play this game all the time while I was growing up just to make me beg and plead mind you im not even a difficult person and was far from being a difficult child. I got proof of this when I went to her a few weeks later with my signed lease and telling her im moving out in a week. Her whole demeanor changed then, all of a sudden I should “wait”. Been out ever since and never looked back. I guess she thought since she never taught me anything in life that I was literally sitting around depending on her, really don’t know why she would even think that because shes the one who struggles to take care of herself. Anyway that till this day is my greatest “what do you think this is? You have no power here” moment 😂🤣. The added salt to her wound was when her enablers (my grandmother and aunt) both kept blowing up my phone just to take her side like always. I answered once for my grandmother and then they both were ignored. Sometimes you have to take your power back from your own family.

[CynammonStreetGurl]

I transferred to a new department in my job. At the same time, a former coworker from the old department was going to be a TEMP in the new department. She was a permanent employee on short term disability and not good at the job she did at the old department (bit of a s*** disturber who got others to do her job). When I found out. I told my new manager who she was and what she did. I found out later the coworker was given the option of being fired or quitting as she committed fraud.

[JimankyGaming]

"You can't grow rock."
On the contrary - people seem able to grow rocks in their heads all the time

[keybored]

I cant understand why employers dont understand that people can walk out the door anytime they want, unless under contract. they can tell them to not come back, but cant say they cant leave

[Zelda]

Had trouble returning Comcast Xfinity equipment; still haven't returned it because of how expensive the postage is and how I'm not allowed to return the modem/router to the store in person; they want it mailed.

So I told them "It's right here when you want to collect it, packaged and ready for transport. We share a car and the days you're open, he's working and needs the vehicle. I'll wait as long as it takes. 👋"

[PotterBrony]

This may not count, but it sure proved how little I was effected by the guys words. Used to work phones for an insurance company, got a particularly belligerent and racist person on the phone one day. I have no idea what he wanted initially because as soon as I got him on the phone he was yelling at me about the fact that we have a Spanish option in the automated system.
He demanded I get that removed because “this is America and we speak English here.”
Told him no, even if I could I wouldn’t, and if he kept yelling and swearing and being verbally abusive I would disconnect the call. That was the process, if someone is being abusive (not just swearing, had people who just casually swore and it meant nothing) then you warn them. If they continue you can disconnect immediately.
So I tell him the warning, he responds with “you don’t have the f***ing b***s to hang up on m…”
That’s what he got out before I hung up. Man, it doesn’t take a lot of testicular fortitude to press a button on a phone.