Couple Applauded for How They Got 'Petty Revenge' on Boomer Neighbor

A Reddit user has been cheered after sharing a tale of "petty revenge" that still has her laughing just thinking about it.

In a post on Reddit's r/pettyrevenge subreddit, user sathara88 shared how a series of encounters with her "boomer neighbor" dubbed "Gene" left her family frustrated.

According to last week's post, trouble began shortly after sathara88 and her husband moved into a rental house with their three children. Their neighbor, "Gene," wasted no time in making demands, the first concerning a light switch in the family room closet.

"Our boomer neighbor knocked on our door after my husband left for work. When I answered the door, he skipped all pleasantries and introductions to gruffly inform me that the light switch in my family room closet needed to be turned off immediately and that it was my duty to ensure that it was kept off," the Redditor wrote.

He explained that the light bothered him in his house, and a little stunned, she agreed to turn the light off and moved on. But over the next 18 months, Gene's various grievances continued.

"I finally stopped answering the door, so he started leaving notes and even went as far as to find me on Facebook and send a message there. Just. The. Worst," sathara88 wrote.

Fed up with Gene's persistent complaints and unwillingness to engage in reasonable discussion, sathara88 and her husband resorted to ignoring him as best they could.

When it came time for the family to move, they decided to leave Gene a parting gift in the form of petty revenge.

"We were finally moving to a new place out of town and my husband went back to do the final walk through of the house. When he left for the final time, he called me and to let me know he had a gift for me.... the last thing he did before locking the door and leaving that house for good? Turning on the light switch in the closet knowing full well the landlord wouldn't be there for final cleaning for 4 days," sathara88 recounted.

The subtle act of turning on a light delighted the Redditor—and many others in the comments. "I STILL laugh when I think about it," sathara88 said.

Newsweek reached out to sathara88 via Reddit for comment. We were not able to verify the details of this case.

A 2022 national Xcelerant omnibus survey on behalf of Fathom Realty asked 1,046 U.S. adults aged 18 or older about their neighbors, and found that most Americans have positive relationships with people who live nearby.

Nearly nine out of 10—86 percent—of people said they had positive feelings toward their neighbors.

Of those who said they don't get along with their neighbors though, the most common complaints were clear. Being too noisy topped the list with 50 percent complaining, followed by 38 percent who said their neighbors don't respect boundaries and 37 percent said that their neighbors were nosy.

Reddit Users React

In hundreds of comments, people applauded the couple's revenge. "That's sweet! Give your husband a high-five from me," wrote upset_pachyderm.

Reddit user BobRosssChesthair wrote: "What a gross guy, waiting for the male to leave so he can intimidate a woman. I'm glad you guys moved!"

"Neighbour was a misogynistic bully who should have been put in his place," commented Mabama1450.

Although not everyone agreed that the neighbor deserved the treatment he got.

butterhorse posted: "Probably just lonely. I feel sorry for him, having to be a dickhead just to get a little social interaction because he doesn't have the basic emotional skills to just be nice."