Would YOU pay £159 for a strangers train ticket?

tea_lover

Hard for him to say "cheers, I will have the money back" when she offered in public via twitter.

mattpaint

tea_lover wrote: »

Hard for him to say "cheers, I will have the money back" when she offered in public via twitter.

And the private offer from her parents?

Good lord, some people will do anything to put down a selfless act from decent people!

annandale

She tracked him down via twitter. She probably didn't have any other contact details for the couple at that point.

The wife's response looks as if they were happy enough for them not to be repaid and the article did say that her parents contacted the couple privately and intend to pay the money back.

I think that's fair enough.

I think it's bizarre that she was getting stick because it was assumed wrongly by some that she didn't want to repay the money.

Shes offered and it's still wrong.

OurKev

I was approached by a man at Tenerife South Airport last year. He said that he had "missed his flight to Athens and been told by the police that he couldn't stay the night there, so needed money to get a bus out.... he said he'd take my details and repay me".

I was near the back of a small queue to check in for the last flight out of there and he'd tried most of the others before getting to me, so I was his last hope.

I expect he wasn't probably genuine, but I did have sufficient money, so gave him 20 euros (and refused his offer of paying me back).

I do know that in this case if I hadn't given him the money I would have felt guilty at possibly not helping somebody who needed it, so I'm glad I did!

Another time I was behind an elderly man in the supermarket who had a debit card (his wife's) but the number he had written down was wrong. He had a £20 note, but the shopping was £40 and he was about to give back half of his shopping. So I paid the balance.

He was grateful and wanted my details so he could pay me back, but I refused.

I think I benefitted from the good feeling of having been able to help somebody in need and thought it £20 well spent!

fierystormcloud

mattpaint wrote: »

I'm really surprised at the lack of compassion and caring shown on here. Of course I would help someone in need if I were able to. We really are becoming such a selfish nation.

mattpaint wrote: »

I'm afraid not - I just try to do my best as this gentleman did.

It's good to see people like him are willing to step up and counteract this awful rise in selfishness. It's what led to Trump being 'elected' and the rise of hate crimes in the Western world - it's truly sad.

Oh for goodness sake. Nobody is being mean or not showing compassion; it's just most people don't HAVE £159 for a train ticket for a random stranger. Bully for you if you do!

In answer to the OP, no I would NOT be giving anyone I didn't know such a large amount of money; I wouldn't even give it to someone I DID know. There were cheaper alternatives, and the man who did it has more money than sense. I'm not impressed, and think the man in the story is a reckless fool.

hazyjo wrote: »

I totally disagree but am not getting into a discussion on here! I think this girl's situation would have to have been judged on the day if I was there. I would certainly try to help if I felt she was genuine.

Unfortunately, nice or not, not all of us have money like that to risk losing.

Exactly! I would quite happily pay someone onto a bus, (like say a quid or two,) but almost £160?! Do me a favour. There's so many more things this money could have been used for, rather than bailing out a silly girl who can't look after her possessions properly. As I said, NOT impressed!

annandale

Some of the items I've found in recent years

A wallet complete with birth certificate, cash and credit cards and money

A wallet with over 200 pounds in it

20 pounds on the stairs dropped by a neighbour

A weekly bus ticket dropped by someone who had just bought it

People can and do lose things

If she's a silly girl then shes not alone

Ive known people to leave phones on buses. In airports. Someone I know got off a train and left her handbag with iPhone and ipod on the train

People aren't perfect

Also, there are threads on this forum where people have posted that they've spent thousands of pounds on various things.

Someone mentioned the other week that there was an old thread where someone had spent five grand in a strip club

I think someone spending 159 quid to get someone home who was stranded was a much better choice than spending five grand in a night.

Come on. People blow money on all sorts of crap day in and day out.

Its their choice.

annandale

And yes there are cheaper alternatives. But if you are at a train station you might not automatically think get her a bus home. I would. Because I use buses to travel quite a lot. But he's to be criticised because he didn't automatically think let's get her home a cheaper way. Come on.

He's been criticised, she's been criticised. She's offered to repay him

What's the difference who paid for the ticket if the person who paid for it was going to be reimbursed. Whether it was her parents or a stranger?

She's offered to pay the money back. So have her parents.

So if he had accepted the money back from them what exactly would the big deal be? If she repaid him which she offered to and he accepted would be still be a reckless fool for helping her out?

It's his money. He earns it. The last time I looked people could do what they liked with their own cash.

Marvel1

Never know who is genuine:
http://southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/8203-mystery-man-targeting-car-parks-asking-people-for-money-with-virtually-the-same-story-every-time/story-30062145-detail/story.html

annandale

The girl in this story didn't receive any money. She got a train ticket..

seven-day-weekend

MSE_Matt wrote: »

Just saw this in the Mirror: keen to hear forumites thoughts about the article.

"Stranger who spotted a woman outside a shop crying; stepped in and paid £159 for train ticket for student who lost her return"

If you could ....would you? OR wouldn't you?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/stranger-who-paid-159-new-9644397


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I like to think I would do it. I have bought young homeless men meals before now, because I can see my son in their faces, and hope someone would help him if he was in their place.