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Doing someone a favor is supposed to build goodwill, not set the stage for unreasonable demands and public humiliation.

After a 50-hour work week, one hardworking mechanic spent his Sunday off fixing his neighbor Dave’s brake pads and rotors entirely free of labor charges, saving him hundreds of dollars in the process.

But instead of being grateful, Dave complained the job took too long and had the audacity to call the mechanic lazy.

So months later, when Dave showed up asking for another quick favor on a different car issue, the mechanic politely declined.

That’s when Dave took to the neighborhood to spread unfair complaints about him, leaving the mechanic scratching his head.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for refusing to fix my neighbor’s car for free after he complained about how long it took the first time?

I (33M) work as a certified mechanic. I love what I do, but after a 50-hour work week, the last thing I want to do on my days off is more labor.

A few months ago, my neighbor “Dave” (40sM) came to me stressed because his car broke down and he couldn’t afford shop rates.

So this mechanic decided to do the decent thing.

Out of goodwill, I agreed to fix his brake pads and rotors on my Sunday off. I charged him zero labor fees, he only had to pay for the parts. It took me about four hours, and I saved him hundreds of dollars.

Dave was anything but grateful though.

Instead of saying thank you, Dave complained that it took “too long” because I took a 30-minute break to eat lunch with my partner. He even implied I was being lazy. I was blown away by his lack of gratitude, but I just let it slide and decided never to do him a favor again.

So when Dave asked again, the mechanic stuck to his word.

Fast forward to last weekend. Dave knocked on my door saying his engine was making a loud knocking noise and asked me to take a look “real quick.”

I politely told him no. I explained that I was off the clock, spending time with my family, and suggested a few good local auto shops he could call on Monday.

Dave didn’t take this well.

Dave got furious. He called me a terrible neighbor and said I was “holding my professional skills hostage” over a minor disagreement.

He went around the neighborhood telling people I left him stranded when I could have easily helped him in 20 minutes.

Other neighbors start chiming in.

Now another neighbor brought it up, saying I should just help him out to keep the peace in the neighborhood.

I feel like I went out of my way to help him once, got disrespect in return, and am completely within my rights to set a boundary. But since it’s causing neighborhood drama, I wanted to ask…

AITA for refusing to help him?

Dave’s entitlement is way out of control.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a landlord who is confused about how to return a despot since the tenant doesn’t ever want to contact them again.

Reddit chimes in.

Dave doesn’t deserve anything at this point.

The other neighbor needs to shut up or pay up.

Dave has severely violated a social contract.

Neighbors used to look out for each other, but not anymore.

Nobody is entitled to free professional labor — especially someone as entitled and ungrateful as Dave.

There’s no reality that working 50 hours a week and still taking time out of your free hours to help a neighbor in need classifies you as lazy.

It’s clear Dave is the kind of person who’s used to getting his way, and being told no was just a blow to his oversized ego.

Choosing family time over unpaid work isn’t selfish, it’s a basic boundary.