I (31F) have a younger cousin (F21) and she lives with a bunch of roommates in some college apartments near campus. They are nice enough kids. Your typical young 20s living situation, lots of different personalities, partying, and lots of drama, and Not alot of um lets just say wisdom for lack of a better word… (man i cringe at the fact i used to act just like them 🙈😅)And this just might be me projecting but young 20year olds these days are wayyyy more boujie then we were… We’re talking alll new nicee furniture and decor, alll new nice appliances and electronics and gadgets, not a hand me down in sight🤣. In fact one of the reasons i was over at my little cousin’s in the first place was to try out her new 300 and something dollar Espresso machine to see how user friendly it is and to see if i might need something similar 😅.
Well when i was there i peeped her roommates super nice Dyson vacuum and not gonna lie was pretty jealous and was like yup once my vacuum wears out im treating myself to a nicee dyson.
Well the other day i was at my other cousins, the mentioned 21yr old’s moms house.(At that fun in-between hangout with everyone age❤️😅, do i fuck this guy or his dad you know what i mean🤣🤣)And her daughter came by to borrow her vacuum because her roommates broke. I asked what happened to it?? And she said she didnt know it just kept making weirder and weirder noises then stopped working. I told her most of the time they have warranties or atleast u can call the company and they will help you troubleshoot it and see if it’s something covered that they will send you a new one or maybe u can send it in for maintenance or they walk you through the maintenance. She said oh well her roommate didnt get a protection plan and just threw it in the dumpster last night..
So I have to drive past there place anyway to get home and figured I’d see if it happened to be easily accessible 😅 (not gonna lie i am on dumpster diver tiktok and it made me feel like not a gross weirdo for even considering doing this) (side note checkout dumpster diving tiktok its lowkey lit 😅😅) well it was there! Not as easily accessible as i would have wanted i had to kinda dig through some nasty garbage bags that were on top of it but i got it out! And put it in my trunk. I got it home and gave it a good bleach wipe wipe down and turned it on. It made a weird noise and stopped. So i checked the hoses and they were clear, then I checked the bottom. It was CLOGGEDD with hair and some strings. I took a knife to it over and over again and pulled out like half a Walmart bag of hair. And the little hose that connects the bottom to the main base that also had some hair balls and dust clogged. So i cleaned it all up anddd it works perfectly.. helllll ya.
I ended up telling my other cousin (the 21 year olds aunt) and she laughed and said thats hilarious but im kind of an asshole for not giving this young 20 year old her vacuum back and teaching her how to maintain a vacuum.. I do feel pretty ethically shitty but also lowkey not.. 😅 im 31 with three kids(not that financially irresponsible on purpose i only planned on two then twins happened😅) and this young 20year old has way more disposable income then i do 😅 and that could definitely just be something im telling myself so i don’t feel as bad.. and not at all relivant and i know that 🙈but am i reallyy a horribleee asshole? I asked my cousin if she was gonna narc on me and tell either my 21year old cousin or her mom? She said shes not cause it’s my business but she does think im being a bit of an asshole. And now im really like ughh fuck man do i give this kid her vacuum back.. idk i might but might not be a asshole either? Maybe? 😅🙈
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Backup of the post’s body: I (31F) have a younger cousin (F21) and she lives with a bunch of roommates in some college apartments near campus. They are nice enough kids. Your typical young 20s living situation, lots of different personalities, partying, and lots of drama, and Not alot of um lets just say wisdom for lack of a better word… (man i cringe at the fact i used to act just like them 🙈😅)And this just might be me projecting but young 20year olds these days are wayyyy more boujie then we were… We’re talking alll new nicee furniture and decor, alll new nice appliances and electronics and gadgets, not a hand me down in sight🤣. In fact one of the reasons i was over at my little cousin’s in the first place was to try out her new 300 and something dollar Espresso machine to see how user friendly it is and to see if i might need something similar 😅.
Well when i was there i peeped her roommates super nice Dyson vacuum and not gonna lie was pretty jealous and was like yup once my vacuum wears out im treating myself to a nicee dyson.
Well the other day i was at my other cousins, the mentioned 21yr old’s moms house.(At that fun in-between hangout with everyone age❤️😅, do i fuck this guy or his dad you know what i mean🤣🤣)And her daughter came by to borrow her vacuum because her roommates broke. I asked what happened to it?? And she said she didnt know it just kept making weirder and weirder noises then stopped working. I told her most of the time they have warranties or atleast u can call the company and they will help you troubleshoot it and see if it’s something covered that they will send you a new one or maybe u can send it in for maintenance or they walk you through the maintenance. She said oh well her roommate didnt get a protection plan and just threw it in the dumpster last night..
So I have to drive past there place anyway to get home and figured I’d see if it happened to be easily accessible 😅 (not gonna lie i am on dumpster diver tiktok and it made me feel like not a gross weirdo for even considering doing this) (side note checkout dumpster diving tiktok its lowkey lit 😅😅) well it was there! Not as easily accessible as i would have wanted i had to kinda dig through some nasty garbage bags that were on top of it but i got it out! And put it in my trunk. I got it home and gave it a good bleach wipe wipe down and turned it on. It made a weird noise and stopped. So i checked the hoses and they were clear, then I checked the bottom. It was CLOGGEDD with hair and some strings. I took a knife to it over and over again and pulled out like half a Walmart bag of hair. And the little hose that connects the bottom to the main base that also had some hair balls and dust clogged. So i cleaned it all up anddd it works perfectly.. helllll ya.
I ended up telling my other cousin (the 21 year olds aunt) and she laughed and said thats hilarious but im kind of an asshole for not giving this young 20 year old her vacuum back and teaching her how to maintain a vacuum.. I do feel pretty ethically shitty but also lowkey not.. 😅 im 31 with three kids(not that financially irresponsible on purpose i only planned on two then twins happened😅) and this young 20year old has way more disposable income then i do 😅 and that could definitely just be something im telling myself so i don’t feel as bad.. and not at all relivant and i know that 🙈but am i reallyy a horribleee asshole? I asked my cousin if she was gonna narc on me and tell either my 21year old cousin or her mom? She said shes not cause it’s my business but she does think im being a bit of an asshole. And now im really like ughh fuck man do i give this kid her vacuum back.. idk i might but might not be a asshole either? Maybe? 😅🙈
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YTA for the emojis
I just wanna say at 31 you should learn to type without emojis every line. It reads super immature.
Beyond that, only you can decide if this will eat at your conscience or not.
If you were dumpster diving and found one randomly and cleaned it up and kept it, then finders keepers. But you know who owns it so definitely kind of weird to keep it.
NTA once it hit the dumpster it was fair game. If people can’t be bothered to maintain their things it’s on them
So NOT THE ASSHOLE…!! She chose not to make an attempt at finding out what the problem with the vacuum was and feels financially secure enough to simply trash it. Therefore, finders keepers. And good on you for going and rescuing it from the dumpster and reviving it. Not only coming up on an awesome vacuum but also keeping a perfectly good machine from crowding a landfill unnecessarily..
They threw it away. It’s yours now.
NTA. You’re not her mom. And by the amount of emojis in that post, I’m shocked you’re actually an adult! /s kinda….
But for real, why is it your job to teach her normal shit like that? I live in a college town and it’s not uncommon for people to go dumpster diving when the kids move out in may. They throw away fully working electronics because they live in the dorms and can’t be bothered to store them. Even things that I’m shocked to find – a Mac book, clothes with tags on them still. Stuff you’d think they’d pack and take with or at least ship home!
All that to say, college kids, especially those who aren’t paying for their things, overall (not every single one, or even most, but definitely a lot) don’t value things as much as those of us who have had to take care of ourselves. I would bet a good amount of money she wouldn’t want it back anyways because it has been in the trash and even if you showed her what was wrong, she’d still have it in her mind that it didn’t work properly.
NTA. She threw it in a dumpster, which is literally saying, “I don’t want this anymore.” Also, it would be a little weird to tell her, “I heard you threw this away, so I dug threw your dumpster to find it and ended up with a bag of your hair.”
NTA for pulling out trash and fixing it. Good job in fact.
Now, as far as the emojis…
NTA for cleaning a vacuum you found in a dumpster. With that being said, YTA for your attitude. You sound really envious of everything your cousin has, causing you to sound really snarky and rude when discussing her. It’s clear you’re incredibly envious of all that she has, but you sound like a miserable jerk when talking about her and her roommates. This attitude could cause problems for you in the future
NTA
NTA. If she threw it away, it’s her trash. Now it can be your treasure. It’s not your job to teach them how to maintain their equipment. That’s something their parents should have taught them or if your cousin is so determined, then maybe she should talk to them.
My little sister is a college student with NO HAND ME DOWNS and I had to SURVIVE in college !! Eff them all !!!!!!
Yep and I would absolutely rub it in that they threw it away and you dug it out and fixed it . Maybe they will learn a lesson about how a little effort can save you a lot of money. Lol
Once it is in the garbage, the original owner no longer “owns” it. Enjoy your Dyson. I love mine!
PS just had the same thing. The hubby was complaining our Dyson wasn’t as effective as it used to be and we need a new one. I took it apart and cleaned it really well. Works good as new.
NTA Your cousin isn’t the one who had to go through a dumpster to get it back.
Right when you said it made a noise I knew the problem was going to be hair in the bottom 🤦🏻 I’m younger than them and I’ve never even had my own vacuum and ik this shit 😂
NTA, you offered help and they declined it.
A repair shop would have been cheaper than a new vacuum even without the service plan, and they didn’t choose that either.
Don’t trip lol.
You are definitely not an AH. She discarded it as trash. F her.
NTA, maintenance is a part of ownership. Failure on their part, success on yours.
Enjoy your new Dyson, may it suck for many many years. 🤣
Guess how I got my Dyson at 55 years old.
Some guy was selling it for cheap because it was making a noise.
We bought it, he no doubt laughed at the old dummies he scammed, and we cleaned out the clog.
We now have an $800 vacuum that we paid $25 for.
NTA. You can literally GOOGLE how to fix almost anything. I don’t understand how people who grew up with it in their lives their ENTIRE LIFE can’t use the internet.
NTA it is not your job to teach other people anything. Smdh.
NTA. She chose to chuck it rather than even attempt to fix it. Dumpster diving for the win!
NTA
You know, Google exists. The first time an appliance makes a noise, that’s where I go, for suggestions on what it might be. She threw it away, that makes it fair game. NTA
A student at a major Southern university with a substantial Asian cohort told me that the Asian kids would just abandon things when they graduated to go back home (usually China) and start adult life there. Things like blenders. And big-screen TVs. And motorcycles.
NTA they threw it away. And if they are that boujie they aren’t going to want it back after it’s been in the dumpster. You didn’t steal it and took the time to clean and fix it it’s yours now.
NTA – they chucked it in the dumpster, meaning they lost all rights to it. Abandoned property. You had to wade through nasty a** garbage to get to it, then you cleaned it up. Sounds like you did more work to it than they would have.
So nope, NTA.
NTA at all. They didn’t even bother trying to figure out what was wrong before chucking it in the trash. No harm, no foul here. If anything, you’re an environmentalist, lol
Good for you. I’d do the same and not have a single shred of guilt.
NTA. Legally as soon as she placed it in the dumpster it ceased to be her property. It’s not you’re fault she’s ignorant and rash. Honestly this could be a good lesson in why you don’t throw big-ticket items away without troubleshooting.
This is nearly impossible to read. I’d recommend cutting out the many superfluous details. There’s so much extra nonsense here that is not relevant to the story; we don’t need to know about you wanting to fuck someone’s dad or about you watching TikTok.
You are not an asshole. She threw away a perfectly fine vacuum I would have done the same. Especially for a Dyson
Yup I wouldn’t consider you TA. The fact that the entitled twat was willing to throw it away without a second thought is 100% on her. By keeping it, you’re actually teaching her a very valuable lesson. She wouldn’t learn anything if you gave it back, other than that people are going to continue just handing her things
I don’t think you’re the asshole in the slightest. It’s not your responsibility to teach others how to maintain things they apparently spent good money on.
Kudos to you for reducing waste and scoring a good find for your own home!
Definitely NTA. In fact, I might say to my 21 yr old cousin that lives in that group, “Hey Susie, remember I told you about those tic toc dumpster diver videos I’ve ben watching, Well I decided to try it and guess what – some nut tossed a perfectly good vacuum. I had to clean it up some, untangle a bag full of hair, but now it works perfectly!”
Hell no! Not at all am ah! They abandoned the property. Its not your job to be Ms. Fixit for strangers. Or friends of family. Well-done on your end!
I used to work in customer service for a now-defunct British electronics retailer, and part of my job was small repairs and maintenance of small items, such as vacuums, VCRs, etc. One day, I had a customer bring in a cylinder vacuum, complaining that it had stopped working. They’d only had it 6 months, so we needed to replace it.
I took it in the back room to see if I could fix it, and there was such a huge amount of dust accumulated under the on/off button that it couldn’t work. The dust bag (early 90s, so most vacuums had bags – in fact, it was my job to demonstrate the first Dyson sold in our store) had burst and all the contents of 6 months ‘cleaning’ had coated the inside. I cleaned it thoroughly, checked that it worked and gave up back to her, suggesting that every time she used it, she checked the bag, replaced it when full and made sure the hose and attachments were clean and clear. She wasn’t happy that she didn’t get a new one, but she said she never used it herself – it was the Nanny’s. Sometimes, you have to clean the cleaners!
NTA, I know we’re strangers but I’m going to argue with you anyway I really don’t see why you consider yourself the AH in this situation if anything this would teach these kids a freaking lesson. I was 21 at one point in my life and you better believe I didn’t throw anything away without trying my damnedest to fix it first and I did have disposable income. There is something so different with this generation and maybe it’s just because the world of fast fashion & fast everything else has made everything so cheap but oh my gosh Dyson is not cheap I can’t fathom forking out $300 for a vacuum cleaner but not spending $12 on the protection plan, give me a freaking break. The law has established plenty of times that when something enters the garbage it is public property it is no longer the property of the person who threw it out unless they recollect it, these kids didn’t even try to fix it like how hard is it to sit down and troubleshoot a damn vacuum cleaner it would have taken about 60 seconds to figure out the problem just like it took you about 60 seconds to figure out the problem.
As someone who is going to be 31 this year I applaud your gumption to even try and teach those little shits anything 😂 I used to have a few younger friends that actually made me feel older than I was because of all the common knowledge they just.. didn’t know. Big ick, not here to play mom to the younger generation.
Totally NTA and congrats on the free vacuum. And keep using emojis when talking, it gives LIFE to sentences and doesn’t make you seem like a robot.
The emoji use is insane.
NTA. At the age of 24/25 I was given a vacuum by one of my neighbors for helping them move, for 10+ years that vacuum has worked for me because I took the time to learn and maintained it. And the only issue I have with that vacuum now is the wheels are breaking.
Yes they’re young and learning, but they didn’t even try to fix the vacuum or get it replaced they simply threw it away. Obviously they didn’t care, they simply wanted it gone. Now if you showed up with their discarded appliance and started lecturing them about maintenance like your Aunt suggested, then you’d be a jerk. But you going and getting a broken appliance from the trash, fixing it, and using it is the opposite of an AH to me, that’s actually awesome. Congrats on the new vacuum, I hope it continues to suck for many years to come!!!
31?
You talk/type like my 12-year-old niece.
NTA. Although, as soon as they get a new one, i’d6 tell her, This is what happened. & teach her how to maintain it. Otherwise, they’ll be getting a new vacuum every other month.
Reduce, reuse, recycle ♻️
NTA
Once it hits the dumpster, its fair game.
I can nearly guarantee the person who threw it out won’t want it back.
The original owner didn’t just say ‘Wah, this is broken and I don’t know how to fix it so I’m getting rid of it’ before they chucked it in the bin. They were effectively saying ‘Meh, I can’t be bothered asking anyone older how to fix it, looking up troubleshooting on Google, YouTube or ChatGPT. I can’t be bothered making a phone call to Dyson or taking it into a store for them to show me how. I can’t be bothered paying anyone a few bucks, or baking a cake for a friend to show me. None of that is of any interest to me, so I’m getting rid of it. New things are fun. Appliances with tiny problems are not fun and I don’t want them in my day.’
You did not steal it from them, you rescued it from landfill. So it wasn’t a shitty or neutral action of yours, it was an actively good one!
NTA- they were dumb enough to toss it. Not goons lie, I thought you’d say they just didn’t empty it.
I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they refused it back because it was in the dumpster. NTA
NTA. Dumpster = free stuff.
NTA.
You could come clean if you want, and for the lesson to stick for her. But you dont haaave to.
NTA if you can’t be bothered to open YouTube, don’t buy expensive appliances. 90% of the time its just clogged.
Congratulations on your Dyson!
YTA for the emoji use, wtf
Hate the way this is typed
You are ethically in the clear. If you had not been at her mom’s house at that time a perfectly functional vacuum cleaner would be sitting in a landfill. Throwing things out before making a reasonable attempt to fix it promotes overconsumption. A lesson to be learned by your younger cousin, so I actually encourage you to tell her!
Enjoy your new vacuum!!!
it’s yours now but stop telling people about your crimes
Nah man you’re the recycling super hero in this tale! Take from the lazy and give to the smart (you)!
You’re not the asshole. As others have said, once it hit the dumpter, she gave up ownership to it. You merely found use out of something that had been thrown away. It’s admirable in a way.
However, your writing seems more like a 16 yo than a 31 yo. It was very cringe-inducing to read through all the slang and emojis.
NTA for the vacuum but tbe “should I fuck this guy or his dad” is fuckin gross. Grow up and stop hanging around kids you sound like a moron
You NTA, although I would have been. I would have thanked her for throwing it away then tell her how great it is now that I cleaned it up. That is a lesson she would remember. I do this stuff to my kids and they have started to look at things differently before just throwing them away or thinking damage is permanent. Even the boyfriends come to me now. Hey, do you think this is fixable? They are getting pretty good at giving repairs a try.
NTA, at all! She threw it out, sucks to suck.
Nah, it’s yours. I wouldn’t have told anyone though.
Also, there are plenty of people in their early 20s who get furniture for free off the Nextdoor app or buy cheap versions of everything because that’s still what most are able to afford. Please know 99% of these young ladies who DO have sooo many nice things are either supplied with them by rich parents or are 20k in credit card debt.
This story is all over the place. What? Lol
If the PARENTS want to fill in the things they forgot to teach, fine. But their kids are over 18 now. The training wheels are off. The rest of life’s lessons are to be learned the hard way by experiencing all the repercussions of those actions. However, there is still no shame in asking for help of to be taught about things they don’t know, which none of them did. This is a legitimate finders keepers for me. So NTA.
But you are kinda an AH (kidding) for making the story as long-winded as you did. “I pulled it out of the dumpster, found a clog, fixed it, and kept it” is all we needed. The essay above reminds me of trying to get past the therapeutic life event that inspired someone’s recipe before I get to the actual recipe.
Not really the asshole, here. You don’t have a moral or ethical responsibility to teach these kids the basics of vacuum maintenance. You may be the vehicle for the lesson of: if you don’t have the patience/perseverance to do something correctly, someone else who does may swoop in and get the nice thing you liked. Hopefully before they run into the consequences of: if you are that incompetent often enough, you will eventually be stuck with the absolute lowest quality of broken-down shit.
NTA – you shouldn’t throw electronics in the trash either, they need to go to ewaste and batteries cause fires and acid leaks. I wouldn’t mention it to them at all, enjoy your awesome vacuum!! You deserve it from saving it from landfill and contaminating the rest of the landfill. I would tell them to not bin electronics but it’s their own fault if they don’t want to repair stuff, they won’t listen at 20 that they could have gotten dirty to repair it
If they can afford to not take care of stuff then just throw it away, they’re not “poor 21yos”
NTA, she threw it out and gave up any right to the Dyson. She could have googled the issue and cleaned it herself but was lazy and threw it out.
So the entitled 20 year old throws away a perfectly good vacuum because she is too damn lazy to try and figure out WHY it stopped working (oh no – she may just chip a nail) and YOU’RE the bad guy? Screw that. Totally NTA. Sounds like your cousin could use a bit of a reality check as well.
NTA, the only thing stopping them from doing what you did instead of just throwing it away is their own laziness and stupidity. That’s the price they pay.
NTA. They threw it out without doing their due diligence. They may be young twenty something’s but they are still adults too and should have common sense. I’m sure someone’s parents will be footing the bill for another Dyson soon. You wouldn’t believe how much new stuff gets thrown in the dumpsters when classes end for the summer. Absolutely criminal! Tell your other cousin to stop being jealous of your find!
NTA. Garbage is fair game once it is at the street or in the dumpster.
IT WAS IN THE TRASH! NOW IT’S YOURS! Not an asshole.
Finders keepers.
NTA! cousin is probably upset that she didn’t even take the time to see what was wrong with it! If i were her, I’d be mad too but i would NOT ask for it back since it was thrown away.
This is ENTIRELY a “how they were raised” issue. I’m 25. Very resourceful. If it’s broken I look to fix it first. If it can be fixed I fix it. If I can Jerry rig it to work, I will. When it’s officially broken and done for, then AND ONLY THEN do I replace it. I’d have worked on that vacuum cleaner first. Taken it apart bolt by bolt if that meant I saved several hundred dollars on a new vacuum.
NTA, they threw it away cause they were too lazy to do maintenance. You put in the effort to retrieve it from the dumpster and see if it was savable.
kinda the ah just for the way you redacted all of this, but taking the vacuum cleaner was fair game since it was in the dumpster
NTA – sure they’re young and maybe thats half an excuse. But seriously it should be common sense to at least do a little investigating before you throw in the towel or into the dumpster in this case.
But I have to say this behavior is not limited to 20 somethings. I remember years ago I went to a jewelry store to get a new battery for my watch. The clerk and I got chatting about how sometimes the batteries last for a long time and sometimes you only get a few months out of them.
Then she sheepishly tells me about scoring a higher end watch from a customer (middle aged woman) came in to replace her rather expensive watch that just quit working after a year.
The clerk suggested replacing the battery to see if that was the issue but she wasn’t interested and a bit dismissive to the idea that there might not be anything wrong with her watch. The costume purchased a new watch and left the “broken” watch with the clerk to dispose of.
Sure enough all it needed was a new battery!
So there you go, I guess some people just don’t like trouble shooting when something isn’t working properly…. even when their given good advice. I have zero sympathy for them.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. You did nothing wrong.
Not even a little the asshole they threw it in the dumpster. They were done with it. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.
It was thrown out, no need to give it back to the person who trashed it.
NTA. Frankly, it’s not your responsibility to teach them; you even tried to give some guidance and were dismissed, so at that point it’s fair game a couple times over