Do all men do this?

Mr_Toad

I always lied about my job when meeting new people and they asked what I did.

I used to tell them I was a yogurt salesman.

In reality I was a software engineer.

Tell anyone that and you get the 'Oh you work with computers......I've got a problem with.......perhaps you could....I'm thinking of getting.......what do you think about......'

All of this not only ruins the evening but usually ends up with you spending hours fixing their knackered computer while they watch television in another room.

Tell them you sell yogurt and they never mention work again and keep their IT problems to themselves meaning we could both enjoy ourselves.

Roxie

burlington6 wrote: »

That's a pretty normal DIY tactic.

Surely he'd come up with a better tale than '' I used a plastic bottle as a funnel''

Think you need to calm down a bit OP. Starting a thread about such a normal, boring story your husband told

I think you missed my point. It was something seen on tv the night before and there was a long involved story told to his mate. It was the 'tall tale' telling that I was remarking on - this was given as an example of the type of thing.

But hey, never mind, I'll go take a chill pill and try not to start any more boring threads in future

Peter333

Mr_Toad wrote: »

I always lied about my job when meeting new people and they asked what I did.

I used to tell them I was a yogurt salesman.

In reality I was a software engineer.

Tell anyone that and you get the 'Oh you work with computers......I've got a problem with.......perhaps you could....I'm thinking of getting.......what do you think about......'

All of this not only ruins the evening but usually ends up with you spending hours fixing their knackered computer while they watch television in another room.

Tell them you sell yogurt and they never mention work again and keep their IT problems to themselves meaning we could both enjoy ourselves.

My neighbour's brother Adam has this problem. He works in I.T. and fixes computer software, and he constantly gets hounded by people asking him to fix their laptop or desktop PC. And what's more (and I bet you can relate to this!) they expect it for FREE!

Several times, he has mentioned he may have to charge around twenty quid - as this is his time they are taking, often several hours - and they say 'oh never mind then...' LOL! What a cheek! :rotfl:

Sometimes they come back a week later - when they have got quotes elsewhere and realised it's going to cost 5 times what Adam was going to charge! :rotfl:

Georgiegirl256

My husband works in IT and always has people asking him if he'll have a look at their PC's. Usually it's the only time his brothers get in touch. :mad:

onomatopoeia99

Mr_Toad wrote: »

Tell anyone that and you get the 'Oh you work with computers......I've got a problem with.......perhaps you could....I'm thinking of getting.......what do you think about......'

Tell me about it.

I wonder if plumbers get "can you just quickly install a boiler for me?", or mechanics "could you just pop a new clutch in my car?" or decorators "the lounge could do with a new coat of paint, would you mind..."

There's something about computers which means people think that those that work with them will work for free outside of their workplace. I'm not even an "IT person" (I'm a programmer), but I get it a lot.


There are a handful of people I am happy to help out, but that's because they are important to me. Random accquaintances, friends of friends etc, not so much.

Peter333

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

My husband works in IT and always has people asking him if he'll have a look at their PC's. Usually it's the only time his brothers get in touch. :mad:

What a cheek!

I think we ALL know someone like this!

Mr_Toad

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

My husband works in IT and always has people asking him if he'll have a look at their PC's. Usually it's the only time his brothers get in touch. :mad:

He needs to use the yogurt salesman thing.

I've started telling my brother in law that it's a 'three pint problem'

Mr_Toad

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

Tell me about it.

I wonder if plumbers get "can you just quickly install a boiler for me?", or mechanics "could you just pop a new clutch in my car?" or decorators "the lounge could do with a new coat of paint, would you mind..."

There's something about computers which means people think that those that work with them will work for free outside of their workplace. I'm not even an "IT person" (I'm a programmer), but I get it a lot.


There are a handful of people I am happy to help out, but that's because they are important to me. Random accquaintances, friends of friends etc, not so much.

One of my best friends is a doctor, he also gets it....'Oh, I've got this pain......my knees....chronic diarrhea.....but there weren't any monkeys...can you just feel this.....bowl movement...'

And why is it that it's never a six foot redhead with a mega watt smile, a cleavage that precludes rational thought and who smells divine that corners you? Why is it always some scruffy oik with a droning adenoidal voice and a comb over in a crumpled Tesco value jacket with egg down the lapels who smells like a wet dog and insists on telling you, at length, why the computer he built from rubbish he found in skips and 50p parts from eBay is the best in the universe?

Sorry, I'm feeling better now.

fierystormcloud

I know someone who is a mechanic, and he often gets people expecting him to fix their car - for free of course. Why do people expect to get a service for nothing? :rotfl:

As for the 'do men do this?' question, I think many men do tell fibs and exaggerate. And maybe women tell fibs too, but about different things, as a few people have said on here. I don't think women exaggerate and make things sound bigger and better than they are though. Not as much as men anyway.

Mr_Toad

fierystormcloud wrote: »

I know someone who is a mechanic, and he often gets people expecting him to fix their car - for free of course. Why do people expect to get a service for nothing? :rotfl:

As for the 'do men do this?' question, I think many men do tell fibs and exaggerate. And maybe women tell fibs too, but about different things, as a few people have said on here. I don't think women exaggerate and make things sound bigger and better than they are though. Not as much as men anyway.

One of my friends keeps one of those wire coathangers you get from the dry cleaners complete with polythene cover.

When she buys something new she puts it on the hanger brings it into the house when her OH is there so he can see it 'coming back from the cleaners'.

She thinks he has no idea, I know that he does and because he loves her more than anything else in the universe he would never let on that he knows.