25 people share their most satisfying stories of taking the power back from someone.

There will always be people who derive pleasure from wielding power over others—whether that power pertains to money or status or physical force or the threat of 'speaking to the manager.' And there are few feelings more satisfying than when you manage to take the power back from someone like this. Turns out, sometimes, life IS fair. Thanks, karma!

Someone asked Reddit: 'What was the best 'you have no power here' moment you have ever seen?' These 25 people share their satisfying stories of taking the power back:

1.) From pumpkinspicepiggy:

Due to the bad economy and poor money management, my parents have moved into the spare room of the house my husband and I bought a year ago. Things are mostly smooth, tho I’m not the closest to them for several reasons I won’t go into here.

The other evening I was out gardening (because it’s hot during the day and we have the luck of having a streetlight right next to our front yard, keeping it pretty well illuminated even after sundown, I mostly garden at night), and I thought I had gotten the hose twisted, as it kept getting stuck.

This went on for a bit, when I realized that it wasn’t stuck, but being pulled. I looked into the dim area just past the illumination of the street light and spied my father, crouched over and tugging the hose. Well I did the only reasonable thing to do, and I sprayed him. He yelled and ran inside with me chasing.

Once he got inside he made a face and goes “You can’t get me now! I’m inside!!” In that father-to-daughter-don’t-you-make-a-mess tone of voice.

I readied my hose, looked him in the eye and said, “It’s my house.” And just f**king let loose with the hose. He was soaked. Worth cleaning up the mess for that moment of true fear in his eyes.

2.) From dendriticbranch:

I worked in management at a theatre for a while. If the concession counter was slammed and I was able, I’d leave my post and help them sling popcorn.

One night while helping out, a particularly belligerent man started cussing out a 16year old girl on a cash register for being too slow, even suggesting she quit since she clearly couldn’t handle pushing buttons or scooping popcorn.

It was pretty disgusting and I felt so bad for the girl, I stepped in and told the guy that our employees have the right to refuse service to customers who harass them as part of our anti-harassment/discrimination policy, empathized that the lines were longer than usual, and suggested he should apologize and move on. He was PISSED. Left half his order on the counter and started fuming off.

Anticipating his next move, I went back to my original post that night - as manager of the customer service kiosk. Oh boy, the look on his face when he saw me. (Didn’t want a refund of his tickets though so I assume he watched the movie, without popcorn).

3.) From bootylikepoww:

The guy that i'd gone on a few dates with introduced me to his parents, things went well, or so i thought.

he drives me home, we end up talking and drinking a few beers, i didn't want him on the road with any alcohol in his system, and i enjoyed his company, so we end up hanging out until 3am.

His mom starts blowing up his phone, demanding that he comes home, so he drives himself home to find that he's been locked out of his house. His mom said that he can sleep outside, he shouldn't be spending time with someone like me (still don't know what she meant by that), and that i'm 'just another stop on the p**sy train'.

He tells her not to talk about me like that, to which she says 'when you're under my roof, i'll say whatever i want about whoever i want!' so he picks up his phone, calls me, asks if he can stay at my place for a little while.

It's been seven years, we're engaged, have a dog, a cat, and a happy life.

i also plan on throwing some subtle train themes into the wedding/celebration after the end of the plague.

4.) From Arcangelathanos:

Some secretary of some branch of a state agency would go on a power trip and stamp, 'Do not copy' on things that she sent to local agencies. Well, I work for an oversight agency and I needed a copy. Locals were terrified so I rolled my eyes and called to explain that the locals and I were basically the same entity.

Woman started to have a conniption fit, but she got real quiet when I cut her off and said, 'Fine, I'll issue a subpoena. What's your name and job title?' She answered, and the sheriff served her a subpoena for what I wanted. Guess she wasn't used to that.

5.) From zerbey:

That would be a customer we had named Nick. I'll leave his last name out to protect the stupid. He would e-mail us and always cc editor@.com and most of his e-mails were things like 'NOTHING F**KING WORKS'.

None of the national newspapers responded, I imagine some underling just rolled his eyes and deleted them. Finally he said, fix this in 5 minutes or I cancel.

My manager says 'let me see that e-mail'. He responded 'Thank you, I cancelled your account. We don't want customers like you anyway. If you want to contact the media, that's your call, I'll happily provide the months of threatening e-mails you sent to my staff'.

He gave us months of headaches over a £45/quarter account. We definitely didn't need him.

6.) From bradland:

When I was in high school I worked at popular warehouse club selling computers on the weekends. I was hired by the store manager via referral of a friend. I loved computers and they thought I'd make a good salesman, so my job was to stay in the computer department and sell computers; nothing else.

Well, one of the shift managers didn't like that, and started insisted that I needed to go fold clothes for a while. As in, half my damn shift. I told him that the store manager had instructed me never to leave the technology department, but he insisted. This went on for several weeks.

The store manager showed up one weekend when both the power trippin shift manager and I were working. The store manager walks up with the shift manager close behind. Store manager slaps a stack of greenbar paper (this was a while ago) down onto a shelf and points to some highlighted numbers.

He looks at the shift manager and says, 'Do you see this? This is our average technology sales numbers for the weeks you are on shift. See this number over here? This is our average technology sales numbers for weeks you are not. At this point, it would be more cost effective for me to simply fire you. What do you think of that solution?'

The guy stammers and stutters like a toddler caught bullying another kid on the playground. Fortunately, the dude wasn't fired, but the store manager made it clear that when I was on shift, I was not to leave the technology department unless I was on break or there was a fire in the store. That shift manager never said another word to me.

7.) From Nevermind04:

I worked for 8 years servicing communications equipment on-site, 5 of those years were as the department manager. When oil was found in our area, we got so busy we could barely even think. Most of my team were pulling 12+ hour days 6 days a week and we were struggling to hire people quick enough.

One day, the CEO texted and said he hired an assistant manager for me, which was something I desperately needed. I was dirty as hell from my previous job and swung by the store to pick him up and take him to one of our sites where he would be doing paperwork.

The moment he got in the truck, he immediately started talking sh*t. He started telling me about how everything we were doing is f**ked up and the department manager was a total moron and he would have my job within a few months.

I just sat and mostly listened. He obviously didn't know sh*t about my industry and every time he would say something wrong, I would try to politely correct him and he'd either backtrack or insist that I was trained wrong. When we got to the site OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEST TEXAS DESERT, he complained about the layer of dust on everything and 'ordered me' to clean up the entire site.

When I sat down at my desk, the guy continued to bitch my ear off about everything that was wrong and chastised me for sitting down at my desk when he told me to clean up the site. So I called for a taxi, filled out a notice of termination, and handed it to him. He looked absolutely shocked.

Then he defiantly protested that only could fire him. I said and , right? He sheepishly nodded. So I stuck my hand out for a handshake and introduced myself.

I can teach anyone how to service equipment, but I don't have a clue how to teach someone to not be an asshole.

8.) From Thats_right_asshole:

IT services for a client of mine. They paid for me to come to their office and address a problem. 8 hrs minimum time. The issue was resolved in about 45 minutes, they'd set up something incorrectly and it was pretty obvious once I got into the system.

I was packing up to leave and the client stopped me.

'What are you doing?'

'The system is fixed so I'm headed out back to my office.'

'No, I paid for 8 hours, you'll do your 8 hours. If I tell you to wash my car for 8 hours that's what you'll be doing.'

'Right...so anyway, I'm leaving. I'll notify the office to send you the invoice and in all likelihood we'll no longer be working with you and withdrawing your lease on our equipment.'

9.) From yowzersinmetrowzers:

Some White House lady sat at my bar and tried to get a drink without ID. She pulled out her White House ID card which had no DOB. 'I work at the White House'. I told her that her bosses would be very proud of me enforcing their laws when I didn't serve her a drink.

10.) From CurlyWhirlyHedgehog:

One of my jobs is in a hotel/restaurant/bar.

A guest came into the bar after having been refused service at our sister hotel down the road. He was very drunk and had been rude, abusive and threatening to the staff.

He insisted we serve him as he was a guest, but we’d already been phoned by our sister hotel so they could let us know what the situation was.

We refused, but offered him some water and suggested he go up to his room.

He then went on about how he had nearly bought our hotel and that he was practically our boss so we should serve him or he’d have us fired.

We refused.

He told us he was a very rich man and would tip us hundreds of pounds if we served him.

We refused. He was getting abusive at this point, so we again suggested he have some water and head up to his room.

He went on to tell us that his brother was the mayor so we should serve him.

We refused and told him he should go on up to his room yet again.

He then said he was going to the pub across the street but all the pubs/restaurants in our town have a barred from one barred from them all policy. We telephoned the other pubs to inform them of the situation.

Many of them got back to us and said they had been offered money, been threatened with losing their jobs and also told the story of the mayor. All of the pubs stuck to their guns and refused to serve him.

Eventually, he came back to the hotel and went to his room.

11.) From _TakeMyUpvote_:

ex and i were moving out after a breakup. cleaning out garage. she was being critical of my post-breakup plan of moving in with a coworker until i could find a better place to live, as most options weren't great.

i took a deep breath and laughed. this puzzled her. why are you laughing, she asked? i collected myself and said 'because this is the last time i have to listen to this. you don't get to be critical of anything i ever do, ever again!'

it was a really great feeling, because i literally thought of the 'you have no power here' as i laughed.

12.) From cthulhus_tax_return:

When an unhappy client threatens to go hire a better lawyer. They don’t seem to get that this isn’t a threat when they aren’t paying me....

13.) From daecrist:

I wasn’t good at returning library books when I was a kid. I got lectured by my school librarian about it a lot.

Fast forward twenty years and I’m a supervisor at the local public library and my former now retired school librarian goes there. One day I see her sneaking around the front desk instead of coming back to say hi to me and I immediately figure something’s up. I go up to say hi and she acts exasperated and tells me she was trying to avoid me because she had overdue books.

So I put on my reading glasses, pulled them down over my nose, and delivered the same lecture she’d given me countless times about being responsible and turning in books on time.

14.) From Bradddtheimpaler:

I used to work at a few Subways. Thing is, the owner inherited them when she already had a busy and lucrative career elsewhere. She mainly held on to them to employ immigrant family members, I think. One time, she was in the back when she heard me interact with an angry customer.

Afterward, she came out and said, “You know you don’t have to take sh*t like that. I trust you, you can use your judgment and just toss anybody out who talks to you like that.”

After that I wouldn’t take any sh*t from anybody. Slightest hint of backtalk to your Sandwich Artist, and you were out on your ass, still hungry. It was so much fun.

“Let me speak to your manager.”

“No. Get out.”

“I’m going to call and complain.”

“OoOoOoOoOh I’m terrified. Go nuts, but you can’t call from in here, because you’re trespassing now.”

The sheer indignance of an entitled customer when you don’t bow and scrape before them is really something to behold.

15.) From mbattagl:

I worked at a grocery store for five years putting up with crazy customers and their awful attitudes.

At the end of my tenure our store was set to be closed, and for the last month the store was sold to a liquidation company. Meaning we were no longer under our parent company's umbrella and were no longer concerned with retaining customer loyalty. I got to tell customers 'no' and respond with every bit of sarcasm and disdain to every Karen i encountered for one month until the store officially closed.

16.) From s14sher:

I joined the Army Reserve in 1983, in between my junior and senior year in high school.

Going to drill one weekend and we were doing war games with another reserve unit.

They mailed everyone a letter with the challenge and response to be let in to the unit.

As a lowly private, I was standing guard at the entrance and had to say the challenge.

Everything's going good until a city police car pulls up and the cop is a new lieutenant . I give the challenge and he just look at me. I say it again and he said to just let him in because he didn't know it. He starts getting belligerent and I ask him to turn off the car and step out.

He gets out and starts yelling at me. The Sergeant Major heard the commotion and comes over and tears the young lieutenant a new a*shole.

It was very satisfying to watch and I learned that day that even though a 2nd lieutenant outranks a sergeant major, it really doesn't matter because the sergeant major had been in for 20 years and didn't put up with any bullsh*t.

17.) From Sarchasm-Spelunker:

When I was working customer service for a restaurant delivery service (not unlike Door Dash) I had a customer send in a complaint about hair in their food. The hair was sitting on top of the food. I check their account, and they had ONE order on their account, which is a red flag.

I check their phone number and find multiple accounts, each other 1-2 orders, ALL of them complaining about hair in the food. I deny a refund because the customer has actually used the same identical photo for the last order since they ordered the same thing. The customer tries to argue with me, threaten to never use the service again, typical stuff that they always say.

Eventually the customer gives up and ends the call, then immediately tries again. I get the support request. See who it is, then deny the refund again. She ends the call, then tries again. The person behind me gets the call. I tap the person on the shoulder and show them what I pulled up on my screen and that person denies the refund.

The next day she calls back and tries again and is outside of the refund window, so the customer demands to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor bans her from the service for multiple fraudulent refund requests.

18.) From DefinitelyNotMrSteve:

I worked at a movie theatre and some customers were adamant that a staff member had stolen their wallet after they dropped it. Turns out that these people just couldn’t see and found the wallet once they actually looked for it. They got irate with literally everyone, from the mall security to the managers to the staff.

Mall security finally said “get the f**k out” and the customers went “you can’t say that! This isn’t your theatre, we’re customers.” Mall security guy promptly said “this is my mall, and I can do whatever the f**k I want.”

19.) From jsabo:

My dad is 6'3'. I'm 6'10'. Sometime in my early teens, I shot past him.

Dad was a yeller. Not doing what he thought I should be? No discussion, just yell. But I realized at some point that he wouldn't yell at me if he had to look up while he was doing it.

I don't remember what our last argument was about, I just remember that I'd sort of caught on at this point. So I'm in my room in front of the computer, Dad comes in and starts yelling at me. I eventually stand up and start yelling back. Dad makes an excuse to leave.

Dad comes back about a half hour later and starts yelling again, but at this point, it's all I can do to not just laugh. I know that the instant I stand up, the argument will end.

It actually wound up being really good for our relationship, because Dad realized that he actually had to make valid points, rather than just going into former drill sergeant mode.

20.) From greasedlightning343:

I worked at a Walmart as a cashier, and the assistant manager there was a dick, he would insult everybody working there and forced us sometimes to do work above our pay grade.

6 months later me and him got transferred to another Walmart that was just built and they needed to pick a manager and assistant manager some random got manager but I got assistant manager (I guess all the complaints on the assistant manager basically gave him a demotion).

So one day he was ordering the other cashiers around then i pulled him to the side and told him that if he kept pulling the same sh*t around he would be out of here. I haven't heard anything from him since.

21.) From lexxie996:

I was bartending one night and these three guys were absolutely hammered so I cut them off. One of the guys proceeded to try to argue with me saying he has all this money and he tells me when he’s done drinking and he’s not even drunk.

At this point, I’m done trying to be polite and point blank tell him I’m done arguing with him, will not be serving him and his buddies, and he can leave. He looks at me and says “now excuse me, who are you to tell me how much I can and can not drink?”, I look him dead in the eye and say “the f**king bartender, now it’s time for you to go”.

The look on his face was priceless. Never forget the golden rule, don’t piss off your bartender.

22.) From Nathaniel66:

New CEO came to our deparment on the 1st day of his work. He didn't have a pass card yet and a lower level employee told him that he can't enter without pass card. CEO got upset and ordered a worker to let him in, but the worker insisted: show me the pass card, or you're not entering. Few days later this worker got a bonus.

23.) From o0ZeroGamE0o:

I was one of two mechanics responsible for an annual inspection on a pipper arrow fixed wing prop aircraft.

Aside from dismal compression ratios and some odds and ends in the aircraft that could be overlooked by technicality, there was a problem with the main landing gear motor. The down and lock cycle for that aircraft is required by the OEM, and by extension federal law, to be 30 seconds or less across 1 cycle of the motor. This plane's gear requires 3 to 5 cycles across about 2 minutes to achieve down lock.

I told the owner (who was a famously sleezy lawyer that he can't fly his plane and I won't sign off the annual until the main landing gear are fixed.

The lawyer told me to sign off the annual and he'll get to fixing the gear some other time. When I said no, he proceeded to threaten my job and demanded to have the plane back so he could get another mechanic to sign it off as airworthy.

I laughed in his face impounded his aircraft and notified the FAA. The man eventually gave his aircraft to my business I was working for at the time by way of title lean in order to pay off the massive hangar fees he racked up from his plane sitting in my shop.

24.) From TGodfr:

When my manager at mcdonalds gets into bitch fights with all the aggressive/toxic customers and booting them out the store by calling the mall security if they refuse to leave.

25.) From snoochiestothemax:

My dad called me after I moved out to inform me that the lawn was getting pretty long and needed to be mowed.

“So?” I asked.

“Well, just because you don’t live here anymore doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility,” he said.

“Yes it does,” I said, and hung up on him.