Tuesday 4 September 2012

A Letter To The Idiot Who Stole From My Mum

Scum.

That's what you are.

I was brought up to be very mindful of my money. I started work at 16, for £2 an hour in the local fish and chip shop, I saved, and I paid my way through university.  My parents instilled the value of money in me. I remember weeks growing up were we'd eat freeze-dried Beanfeast every single day, as it was a cheap, easily bulked-out meal.  The majority of my clothes were hand-me-downs from my cousins and neighbours and I remember my Mum carefully saving each receipt so she could track exactly what was spent.

I know the value of money. Until this year I'd never asked my parents for anything, but I needed to buy a new car to get to work. Mum and Dad were more than willing to help, it would make things tight for them.  Dad is ill so can't work, and my Mum hasn't worked since I was very young, so I promised to pay them £300 each month until my debt was paid.  But this month, if things weren't hard enough with Dad's illness, things will be tighter than ever for my pension-age parents, because Scum, you've gone and spent their money.

My poor Mum, who shreds every receipt, who keeps track of her spending in a book written in code and locked in a cabinet, called me up in tears over the weekend.

It's never nice hearing someone you love so upset. She was confused. And I guess frightened. She'd received a call from a man at PayPal who wanted to flag a strange transaction, then eBay got in touch, and then a seller she'd never heard of started emailing her threatening to call the police... All because a little spineless creature wanted a new BlackBerry Bold. 

I don't know how you got my Mum's details. But I do know the chaos you've left behind. It's as if I never transferred my Mum this month's payment as you've frittered it away to treat yourself to a meaningless gadget.  You're a faceless evil to me, but I can't receive a call from my Mum sobbing, exusted, not knowing what to do without looking for someone to blame.

The idea of Mum buying a BlackBerry is farcical, she can barely use her laptop, so I have to hope that PayPal will uphold her appeal and will cover the money, but that could take up to 30 days... In the meantime my parents will just have to cope.

I hope you enjoy your new phone.

2 comments:

  1. Shocking some people have no morals.

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    Replies
    1. It happens so often. But That £300 makes a huge difference to my parents.

      It just upsets me that people who commit crimes like this - from a distance - never have to see the impact it causes. Yes, my parents might get their money back but that's not going to help them this month.

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