rSlash - r/Prorevenge I Destroyed an HOA Scammer's Life

Episode Date: January 30, 2025

0:00 Intro 0:09 HOA President 6:44 XLT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Calling all sellers, Salesforce is hiring account executives to join us on the cutting edge of technology. Here, innovation isn't a buzzword. It's a way of life. You'll be solving customer challenges faster with agents, winning with purpose, and showing the world what AI was meant to be. Let's create the agent-first future together. Head to salesforce.com slash careers to learn more. Welcome to r slash pro revenge, where OP gets revenge against his evil homeowners association. Our next reddit post is from BB Keys. When I moved into my suburban neighborhood, I expected peace and quiet. Instead, I walked into a petty dictatorship run by our HOA president, Todd.

Todd was the worst kind of leader, the kind who loved power but hated accountability. He enforced ridiculous rules like fining people 200 bucks for leaving their trash cans out one minute past 9am, but he blatantly ignored the rules when it suited him. His own yard was a mess of unpermitted structures and his fence was taller than allowed by city ordinances. But Todd's true sin was using the HOA as his personal piggy bank. At first, I tried reasoning with him. My fence was slightly off color because the approved stain wasn't available and he fined me $500. I explained, provided receipts and asked for leniency.

Todd smirked, said, rules are rules and walked away. That's when I decided that I would take him down. Not with screaming or public arguments, but methodically, legally, in a way that he would never recover from. Step 1. Become the inside man. Todd's first mistake was underestimating me. I volunteered for the HOA board under the guise of wanting to get involved in the community.

I played the part of the eager, naive newbie perfectly. For two years, I attended every meeting, quietly observing how Todd operated. I learned that he controlled the board by bullying other members and burying them in paperwork. He'd push through votes when only his allies were present and conveniently lose paperwork submitted by dissenting homeowners. I kept my head down, took detailed notes, and waited. My goal was to outlast his term as president so I could begin making changes.

Then I discovered Todd's second mistake. He wasn't just a bully, he was a thief. Step 2. Follow the money. Todd loved to brag about how he kept the HOA's finances in order, but something didn't add up. The annual HOA fees were high, much higher than in smaller neighborhoods, but the common areas were falling apart.

The pool was closed half the summer due to maintenance issues and the landscaping looked like it hadn't been touched in months. I started digging. As the HOA treasurer, Todd had access to all the accounts, but he was notoriously cagey about sharing financial details. I asked for a budget during a meeting and Todd lapped it off saying, don't worry, I've got it under control. I filed a formal request for the financial records, which under HOA rules, he was required to provide. Weeks went by with no response.

That's when I started talking to neighbors. Turns out, I wasn't the only one suspicious. Over a dozen homeowners had requested access to the budget over the years, only to be ignored. One neighbor claimed that Todd had used HOA funds to install a new patio at his house, while another swore that he had seen Todd's kids at the community pool during its maintenance closure. Armed with these suspicions, I filed a formal complaint with the HOA board, forcing Todd to provide the records. He stalled, but I wasn't backing down. Step 3. Build the Case

When Todd finally handed over the financial documents, they were a mess. Invoices were missing, payments were mislabeled, and some expenses were downright bizarre. A $15,000 landscaping fee paid to a company that didn't exist. Thousands spent on administrative costs with no explanation. I cross-referenced the HOA's bank statements with public records and found the smoking gun. Todd was funneling money into his personal accounts. Even better, I discovered Todd had been inflating contractor fees, pocketing the difference, and splitting the profits with his buddy, a shady contractor who handled most of the HOA's maintenance.

I compiled everything into a detailed report, complete with spreadsheets, photos, and notarized statements from neighbors who had seen Todd's antics firsthand. Step 4. The Coup. I waited for the annual HOA meeting, which was typically a snooze fest attended by only a handful of homeowners. But this time, I made sure people showed up. I spent weeks knocking on doors and explaining what Todd had been up to.

I didn't share everything, just enough to get people angry and curious. On the night of the meeting, the room was packed. Todd started the meeting like usual, droning on about how difficult it was to manage the HOA and how much he'd sacrifice for the community. That's when I stood up. I calmly asked if he could explain some discrepancies in the budget. Todd laughed nervously and said, I don't think this is the time or place. I replied, Actually Todd, it's the perfect time. I handed out copies of my report to everyone in the room. The mood shifted instantly. People started reading, whispering, then shouting.

Todd tried to regain control, but it was too late. I called for a vote to remove him as president. By the end of the night, Todd was out. Step 5. The final blow After Todd was removed, we hired an independent auditor to go through the HOA's finances. They confirmed everything. Todd had embezzled over $50,000, mismanaged tens of thousands more, and committed multiple counts of fraud.

We reported him to the cops and filed a civil lawsuit to recover the stolen funds. But it didn't end there. Todd's shady contractor buddy was also exposed and banned from doing business in the county. Todd had to sell his house to pay restitution and legal fees. His name became a running joke in the neighborhood, and no one would touch him professionally. With Todd gone, we restructured the HOA to prevent another dictator from taking over. We implemented term limits, required multiple board members to approve financial decisions, and created an online portal so all homeowners could access budgets and meeting minutes.

The Aftermath Every time I walk past Todd's old house, now owned by a lovely family, I smile. The pool is open, the landscaping is beautiful, and the HOA fees are lower than ever. Todd, meanwhile, moved to a neighboring town where he reportedly tried to join another HOA board, only to be laughed out of the room when someone googled his name. Justice wasn't just served, it was plated, garnished, and savored. Our next Reddit post is from my posting name.

This happened about 5 years ago when I was selling cars on a Saturday, just before lunch. I sold a car to my first customer of the day, and any car dealer will tell you that if you can get one sold before 11am on a Saturday, you should almost be mad if you don't get a hat trick, which is 3 in one day. At my store, a hat trick lands me a bonus of 150 bucks. I'd already gotten some free money in the morning meeting for a couple of perfect surveys, and my sale was the first one of the day for the store, which happened to be a spiff that day.

So I'm riding high, having already put 500 bucks in my pocket before noon, with a real shot at doubling it before they turned out the lights. It's gonna be a good day, I thought. I just finish stocking in my fresh trade and collecting my first sales spiff while the receptionist comes to my desk. Hey OP, you're really good with weird, angry, and weirdly angry customers, yeah?" Wonderful. Yeah, I guess that's me.

What have we got? The receptionist points out a pair of angry looking customers. I sigh, put on my sunny customer service face, and greet the couple. They're older, but not old, probably mid-50s. They're aloof and condescending as I bring them to an empty desk and offer coffee. They scoff and decline until they see the big fancy cappuccino machine. The wife looks at me expectantly as I sit down, so I invite her to help herself and reassure her that it's a very intuitive machine with several options, but I'll be happy to help

if she has any problems. The husband of the pair hands me a folder. Inside is a printout from our website. I'd like to purchase this truck, please, at the advertised price, he says. I say, excellent. Before we discuss rebates, let me double check that we still have that vehicle in stock. It'll only take a minute. You don't know your own inventory? This is very unprofessional.

Hey, honey. He says he probably doesn't have it in stock. Looks like we might have come all the way down here for nothing." The wife says. That would never happen over at Volvo. This is gonna be fun. I mindlessly apologize and explain that we have 18 salespeople and over 650 cars in the lot at any given time. And we sell 250 cars a month, so inventory management is literally a full-time job as I check the key track, see the key is still checked in, and politely excuse myself to pull the truck around. In retrospect, I wish I'd paid more attention to the listing as it would have saved some pain, but I just pulled the stock number, verified availability, and pulled it around.

I said, alright, let's take a look. They follow me outside and I start my walk around. This is the wrong truck. This is the wrong truck. I told you you were asking for trouble trying to buy domestic. I told you honey, a damn Volvo won't pull the camper. This is what we need. I say, what do you mean?

This is the truck from the listing that you gave me Christ No, it's not the listing I gave you is for a white long bed King Ranch This is a silver XLT. I get that reading is hard But you think that even a domestic car salesman would know his colors I say first of all, there's no such thing as a $30,000 King Ranch, and you clearly know that. Second, I don't appreciate being insulted. Clearly there's been a mistake. Let's go back inside and figure it out. You have to honor your advertised price. It's

the law. My wife is a lawyer. I'm a lawyer and I'll eat you alive. Look, there's no need to get hostile. I don't get paid unless you buy, so it's in my interest to work this out. I assume our web developer made a mistake with the pictures, but let me investigate and we'll go from there. As I suspected, every word of text on the listing pointed out an XLT, as did the window sticker link. The web guy just mixed up the pictures. I found the truck that was pictured, which had a sticker price that was $20,000 higher, with fewer rebates. I printed

both stickers and the fine print disclaimer at the bottom of every listing and spent 20 minutes explaining, trying to talk sense and fielding a myriad of threats and insults. At this point, things have gotten nasty and I was ready to fire them, but when I went to grab the stickers, the last thing I heard from the desk was, Don't you dare cut those butt holes loose! Sell them a truck! I take it straight to the general manager at this point, who comes out, takes one look at these people, decides it's not worth it, and personally explains to them that if

we sell the truck as listed, we will lose $6,000 and chose the invoice to back it up. There's still like a $17,000 difference in what they expect versus what we're willing to sell that truck at, and they're holding ground, still threatening litigation despite knowing that they have no leg to stand on and knowing that they were already stealing the truck they wanted at the offered price. Our store was part of the third largest group in the world at the time, so we had lawyers too. We happened to have the exact truck they were trying to buy on the used lot. One model year older, 21,000 miles, listed at $37,000. I tell them about that one and we go over to the used car lot. I show them the truck and the husband is failing miserably at hiding his excitement by the end of the test drive. To my chagrin, the GM cut the nuts off the deal and had me present it at $33,000 which

was seriously cheaper. The couple was still fixated on $30,000 and here's where we pick up the conversation. I don't care what the market says. I want to know what you paid for it and then we'll negotiate an offset from there. I said no, that's not something you get to know. You don't demand to know the cost on anything else you buy. You could literally take this car to CarMax tomorrow and turn a small profit at the price you're asking.

Even if you weren't stealing this truck, and you absolutely are, my time isn't free, I… We don't give an F about you. We won a great price and we're not there yet. Do better. You absolutely are at a great price, and given the abuse I've endured, you're out of your mind if you think I'm going to budge one cent off my price. I have a baby at home. I know this next comment is going to sound embellished,

but I swear to jeebus it's verbatim. I wouldn't care less if your baby lives or dies. Take a thousand dollars off or we're done here. What? You heard me. We're done. Get the F out of my office. Now. No. I'm buying a truck. No, you're effing not. I've been patient as hell and you've crossed the line. Get the f out, right the f now before I lose my effing mind. Typical. Now." They stood up and I half heard it, half shoved them out of my regular office and out of the building. I immediately got lit up by the desk managers and let them speak their piece. Then I told them what the couple said to me and suddenly we were a united front. I was shaking, I was so angry, so I was given a shot of desk whiskey

and told to remain in the tower until the whiskey worked and I'd calmed down. I was hot, so it took a good while. I was still there when the husband called about 20 minutes later to complain about how he was treated, and he caught an earful from my manager. He still wanted the truck, and my manager still wanted to sell it. So he put the guy on hold and asked me, I've got to sell the truck. What do you want me to do? I'll do the paperwork if you want, but you're still going to have to deliver." I said, Nah, that's alright. Just tell him his price expired when he got himself tossed, and there will be no negotiations when he comes back. If he wants the truck, he'll pay what we ask. Don't tell him the price. Mark it up $2500. He laughed, nodded, and set it up.

I got the deal jacket ready, brushed off his feigned apology, and made him fill out the credit app in silence before I showed him the buyer's order. This is way higher than it was before. Yes, sir, it is. Sign here. Why? Butthole tax. Sign or go home. He glared at me. I stared into his eyes and didn't say a word for a good 30 seconds. Then he picked up the pen and signed. I remained cold but professional through the delivery, and I managed to treat him like any other customer that I didn't particularly like with my sold follow-up. He remained a butthole every time I spoke with him, but he ended up inadvertently being my biggest source of referrals.

Evidently, he told everyone he knew about me charging him a butthole tax. And he was such a notorious butthole that it made his circle want to buy from me. Over the next year, I sold seven cars to people he knew. If anyone's interested, I did make my hat trick that day, but it didn't come until shortly after close. That was r slash pro revenge, and if you liked this content, be sure to follow my podcast, because I put out new Reddit Podcast episodes every single day.