Imagine selling something to a family member, but they don’t pay the full amount they owe you. Would you let them keep the item anyway, or would you take it back?

This woman witnessed a situation like this happen between her husband and brother-in-law, but she inserted herself in the matter by taking the item back.

Now she’s wondering if that was the wrong thing to do.

Check out the full story.

AITA – BIL didn’t pay husband fully for guitar pedal so I took it back.

So BIL 32 is a total freeloader (lives on MILs driveway in a borrowed van).

He’s all the usual drinks, smokes, talks constantly about himself, sponges and generally makes everyone’s life miserable.

Husband, after years of his self absorbed nonsense and a final blow up earlier this year is now non-contact.

I stupidly remained cordial.

This is where it gets bad!

Before the blow up BIL spotted husbands pedal and said he had seen them for $500 on marketplace. He offered to buy it.

Husband agreed stating he had to pay $50 a week.

He made six payments ($300) and then stopped.

UH OH…

The idea was it was that because it was in instalments it was easier for him to get (cos he never has money) and would have it right away, rather than saving for one on marketplace.

Last payment was Feb, it’s now end of June. Heard through the grapevine that he could no longer afford to pay so stopped.

Then they had the blow up (because he wanted my husbands drill to go around during a cyclone and help people – hero complex – and my husband said he needed it at our house in case anything got bad – plus my husband isn’t stupid and doesn’t fully trust him to not damage it, lose it etc).

It got worse!

Anyway a few weeks ago he moved back to MIL’s due to house share lease being up or something and I spotted the pedal by the door of her house.

I asked my husband what the status of the payments were – $300 out of $500 paid.

And I took it.

I did then completely forget to mention it to BIL but we have a young baby and what with parenting and work and life in general that is my bad.

Last night at MILs she mentioned if my husband had seen it.

He drew a blank and I fessed up. I saw BIL as were leaving and told him direct that I have it.

That’s INSANE!

Anyway woke up to messages asking for it back and saying he paid $300.

I pushed back informing that was not the deal, pay the $200 and the pedal is yours.

He responded with deal is off, money or pedal and then continued to lose his mind, cursing me and telling me I am gouging money from him.

Then had a distraught phone call from MIL asking me to please give it back and she will front the rest of the money.

She was not expecting that!

He’s clearly popped off at her.

I stressed to her that we are both adults we will handle this as such but she was desperate to fix it all.

The principal for me is that I was there when he made the deal, by marriage I technically own half that pedal and I’m kinda sick of everyone giving into BIL BS and him getting away doing what he wants when he wants.

I don’t really care what he thinks of me, deals a deal but I am feeling awful that he’s gone nuts at the MIL and no doubt it’s her money we are receiving not his.

She’s confused about the situation.

I took the pedal without speaking to anyone, without asking for the payments first and I caused MIL heaps of stress because BIL took it all out on her

So AITA?

YIKES! That’s a tough situation.

If MIL is willing to pay for it, she should probably just let her.

Let’s find out what folks on Reddit think about it.

This user blames her for being mean.

This user thinks she should have brought it up with her husband first.

This user wants her to give the money back!

This user has a better idea!

This user knows the brother-in-law was at fault all along!

This brother-in-law sounds like bad news!

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.