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To find out when leaving a note to someone is a good idea and when it isn’t, as well as how to sound nice in writing or when it is better to talk face-to-face, Bored Panda reached out to Beth Collier, a communication, creativity, & leadership consultant.

#2

Racist Karen Left This Note

Final score:

359points

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Lakota Wolf 1 year ago (edited)

Oh s**t. I dated a Chinese guy for 22 years and I'm a white person who was adopted at birth into a Mexican family. Not only did I sin with interracial dating, I sinned with INTERRACIAL BEING ALIVE!!! XD Also, "a neighbor" is such a racist chode-gargler. I was going to give them cráp for the horribly racist and pejorative term "Indian" vs. "indigenous person" or "Native" or even, you know, the actual tribe name/tribe identity of the person they sent the letter to. Then I remembered that árseholes like "a neighbor" just don't care.

296points

#3

Found In A Tenancy Facebook Group

Final score:

253points

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Happiness is Hippo 1 year ago

This is shocking - not that they're trying to unfairly withhold bond, but that they're brazen enough to post about it!

186points

When asked whether leaving a note to your neighbors about something that you don't like is the way to go, Beth said that it depends on the situation.

“A face-to-face conversation can be preferable, as you can get more information (and possibly a resolution) faster from a conversation.” She explained: “For example, your neighbor may not realize that their music is loud or that their barking dog is bothering you, and you might be able to resolve this situation quickly through a short conversation.”

#4

That’s So Wrong

Final score:

243points

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Lil Potato 1 year ago

don't listen to him diamond- you can do so much better

252points

#5

My Work Doesn’t Allow You To Use A Toilet As A Toilet

Final score:

229points

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Lil Potato 1 year ago

Stop! this bowl is for cereal only- if wishing to eat chile use other bowl!

104points

#6

I Was Recently Engaged To My Girlfriend And Someone Sent Me This In The Mail

Final score:

218points

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Apathetic Bovine 1 year ago

F that guy. Congrats to you!

218points

On the other hand, the leadership consultant argues, “if you leave a note instead, your neighbor may interpret your message more critically, and may respond more negatively as a result.”

Beth says that if you don't feel safe or comfortable speaking to the neighbor, then it's OK to write a note, “just choose your words carefully."

#7

The First Time I Went By Myself. Today I Took My Husband With Me. Spot The Difference

Final score:

208points

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Shyla Bouche 1 year ago

I think your husband is gorgeous, too.

122points

#8

Apparently Submitting Assignments Before The Due Date Is Considered “Late”

Final score:

207points

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Brenda 1 year ago

Report to the department head and college dean. Threaten to tell reporters unless its fixed

290points

#9

This Note Left On A Truck

Final score:

201points

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Lil Potato 1 year ago

ahh, the audacity of some people!

124points

In order not to sound passive-aggressive in a note that could potentially aggravate the situation, Beth’s advice is to “be polite, explain the situation, and look for a solution together. Your neighbor may be inconsiderate, but they may not know there is even an issue.”

Beth argues that it’s best to “write the note like an adult speaking to another adult - not like a parent speaking to a naughty child. Keep your message short and simple - but be clear about what the issue is, and what you want.”

#10

This Poorly Written Letter From My Passive Aggressive Neighbor Telling Me To Remove My 'Legally-Owned' Plants From My Property

Final score:

189points

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Shyla Bouche 1 year ago

Is this the police? Yes, I'd like to report fake plants on someone's porch.

243points

#11

Left On My Sister’s Windshield… Who Is From Asheville, But Has South Carolina Plates… Stay Classy Asheville

Final score:

189points

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Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago (edited)

Go away and take that tourist money our economy benefits from with you immediately!!!!1

185points

#12

Student Gets A Zero On An Assignment For Turning It In Unstapled

Final score:

184points

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Happiness is Hippo 1 year ago

I would appeal this, take it to the head of faculty. It's nasty power play and nothing to do with academic ability.

299points

"If you know the neighbor and have a decent relationship with them, it can be easier (and faster) to speak to them face-to-face. When you talk to someone face-to-face, it is easier to communicate your tone and meaning than it is in writing,” Beth explained.

She also reminds readers to think about timing if you approach them (e.g. you might want to avoid meal times, or late at night/first thing in the morning). “And don't approach them when you're angry."

#13

One Of A Seemingly Endless Series Of Unreasonable Notes Left By My Boss. It’s Great Here

Final score:

184points

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Shyla Bouche 1 year ago

If they can't afford electricity, they surely can't afford to pay wages.

136points

#14

Went To A Friendsgiving, They Let Their Neighbor Know Ahead Of Time That They Would Be Having People Over, It Was 4:45pm On A Saturday And About 6 People Were There At That Point. He Abruptly Knocked On The Door Once, Taped This Note To The Door And Ran Off

Went To A Friendsgiving, They Let Their Neighbor Know Ahead Of Time That They Would Be Having People Over, It Was 4:45pm On A Saturday And About 6 People Were There At That Point. He Abruptly Knocked On The Door Once, Taped This Note To The Door And Ran Off

Final score:

173points

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Ovata Acronicta 1 year ago

Atterney.

211points

#15

What Is Wrong With People? Open Your Own Mail

Final score:

169points

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Lil Potato 1 year ago

got curious over what was in a birthday card? more like wondering if there was money

288points

#16

I'm Trying To Date And I Encounter This Constantly. Why Is It Such A Big Deal That I Choose Not To Drink Alcohol?

I'm *Trying* To Date And I Encounter This Constantly. Why Is It Such A Big Deal That I Choose Not To Drink Alcohol?

Final score:

168points

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Lakota Wolf 1 year ago

Water!!! who drinks WATER?! Lol /s

121points

#17

This USPS Delivery Guy Who Left A Passive-Agressive Note On My Mother's Package Of Cat Food. She Has An Injured Back

Final score:

161points

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LMW 1 year ago

What an asshóle!!

204points

#18

They Took Out All The Milk We Stored For My 3 Kids And Left Us This Note

Final score:

160points

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Shyla Bouche 1 year ago

MGM Notsogrand.

136points

#19

Found This Note On My Car After Work

Final score:

153points

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waddles 1 year ago

i don’t often use such language but WHAT AN ABSOLUTE A*****E

133points

#20

Dunkin’ Donuts By Me Blatantly Admitting That They Use Ice To Give You Less Coffee In Your Drink

Final score:

150points

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Brenda 1 year ago

1 ice cube, please!

137points

#21

Neighbor Took Delivery Of A Package That Our Business Purchased, Used The Contents, And Now Wants Us To Pay For The Scraps

Final score:

149points

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Lakota Wolf 1 year ago

That's... literally theft. I hope OP took this literal signed confession to the police!

239points

#22

Somebody Left This Note On My Car… In My Assigned Space…

Final score:

143points

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Shyla Bouche 1 year ago

Were you complaining about yourself parking in your assigned space? Perhaps you should give yourself a good talking to.

79points

#23

Gasp Imagine Having The Audacity To Walk Barefoot In Your Own Apartment

*Gasp* Imagine Having The Audacity To Walk Barefoot In Your Own Apartment

Final score:

142points

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Lakota Wolf 1 year ago

I'd get me a nice pair of "indoor" Doc Martens and fire up some YouTube videos on learning Riverdance....

208points

#24

But… It Is…

Final score:

137points

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Neuridivergent 1 year ago

Even if EV, maybe they weren't charging, which is why the writer thought it wasn't electric. And that begs the question, why take the spot if you don't need to charge?

106points

#25

So Sorry About Stealing Your Golf Clubs. Here's My Old Sh**ty Set... A Neighbor Of Mine Woke Up To Find This Note On Her Van The Day After It Was Broken Into

Final score:

134points

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Lil Potato 1 year ago

the fact he planned it out so much to even type out a note, and he still was like 'hey this is a good idea'

107points

#26

This Note In The Window Of A DQ Here In Eastern KY

Final score:

128points

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Lakota Wolf 1 year ago

Wow, yeah, the government stimulus packages (of which none are even enough to cover an average month's rental cost) are TOTALLY the reason why "no one" wants to work in customer service/fast food/retail any more. Yep. Totally. The government.

144points

#27

Found This Note Taped To Our Door After A Dog In The Complex Barked All Morning. We Don’t Own A Dog And We Were At Home All Day

Final score:

121points

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EmBree 1 year ago

A friend had a neighbor making calls about nuisance noise. Here the one that is too loud has to pay 300€. The first time she did have guests and the guard wrote her a ticket, even though they admitted that they didn't hear the guests being too loud. Then there were several calls from the same neighbor and the guards wrote no tickets since they found no disturbance. The last time they called her on the phone and found that she was not at home. From that point, the neighbor had to pay for the tickets. Sadly it turned out that he had undiagnosed schizophrenia. The sounds were real, but only to him.

110points

#28

Got This Note From A Concerned Citizen. I Have An Electric Car And It Has “Dog Mode” Which Means It Uses Electricity To Keep The AC Running So My Groceries Don’t Overheat While I Made A Quick Stop In Another Store… there Were Only Gas Guzzlers Parked Next To Me

Got This Note From A Concerned Citizen. I Have An Electric Car And It Has “Dog Mode” Which Means It Uses Electricity To Keep The AC Running So My Groceries Don’t Overheat While I Made A Quick Stop In Another Store… there Were Only Gas Guzzlers Parked Next To Me

Final score:

111points

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Jessiebean 1 year ago

I need this car. Dog mode?! Yes, please!

79points

#29

Received In The Mail From A Concerned Neighbor

Final score:

107points

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Lil Potato 1 year ago

'concerned'

50points

#30

My Roommate Thinks I Should Pay For Things I Had No Idea They Were Buying

Final score:

106points

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Rahul Pawa 1 year ago

Eh....this isn't so bad....it's a request, not a demand. I'm guessing if the shopper had responded poorly to having their request rejected, it would have been included in the image.

55points

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#31

Someone’s Been Leaving Notes On My Car At Work, This Is The Most Recent And In Depth One Yet. Nope

Final score:

48points

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Lil Potato 1 year ago

THIS IS SO CREEPY WTH

72points

#32

Message I Received When Attempting To Cancel My Gym Membership

Final score:

41points

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Brenda 1 year ago

Unless that information is written in the original contract in order to cancel, it's not legal. Just tell your bank that any payments to them are no longer authorized.

53points

#33

My Friends Were Having A Discussion About Sororities And Frats At Breakfast Today. Apparently, Some Sorority Girls Were Eaves Dropping And Gave Us This Passive Aggressive Note Then Ran Off

Final score:

30points

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Rahul Pawa 1 year ago

I don't see how this is passive aggressive. It wasn't really their business to insert themselves in the conversation, but they seem to have done it in the most respectful way possible. They weren't confrontational, they didn't cause a scene, the note is polite and positive. I don't see the big problem here.

56points