10 Times Good Intentions Backfired in the Worst Ways

We’ve all had those well-meaning moments where we try to step in and help, thinking we’re doing the right thing, only to make everything so much worse. It’s like when you try to fix a small issue, and somehow end up making things a hundred times more complicated, leaving everyone around you wondering if you somehow made the situation worse on purpose.

1.

I saw a guy on the treadmill, pressing buttons and looking frustrated. I pointed to the speed button, and said, “Looks like it’s set to a very slow pace.” He followed my advice, and the treadmill sped up.

I felt like a hero, then I realized I hadn’t noticed the incline was set to maximum. He was struggling with that, not the speed. I cringed, realizing my advice had made things harder.

2.

I’m an engineering major, and we had English linguistics class, and we were given an essay to write. English isn’t our first language so many people struggled with that, I did mine way ahead of the deadline and a guy from my class asked me to write his on like the very last day. I wrote his essay out of sympathy. Submitted it.

After a week, we got an assignment to draw some figures. That guy has his own insta for sketching and arty stuff like that, and he did that assignment for 6 people but refused to do mine, saying boys will make fun of him for helping a girl. He wasn’t ashamed to take my help, but has a problem in helping me.

iselenaii / Reddit

3.

A homeless woman was begging outside my apartment. I didn’t want to give her change, but she did look hungry. I went inside a grocery store to buy a few things and bought her a sandwich as well. I brought it out to her, and she says, “I don’t eat this!” and threw it at me.

arwinmine / Reddit

4.

When I was at college, we had to do a software development assignment. Most people weren’t that interested in writing software. I loved doing that stuff though and was good at it. I ended up doing the assignments for 6 different students in class. I changed them all slightly so it didn’t look like they were all just copies.

I got the worst mark on my own assignment. The other six students who handed in my assignment all got better marks than me. The professor said that he marked me down because it was obvious that I’d copied someone else’s assignment.

saugoof / Reddit

5.

For my girlfriend’s birthday, I got her something thoughtful: a custom necklace with her initials. I spent a lot of time choosing it and was so proud when I got it.

The day arrives, I give her the gift. She opens it and freezes. “It says... Jenna,” she says. Turns out, I ordered the wrong initials. Her name’s Jessica, but I accidentally got Jenna. Went from boyfriend of the year to the guy who can’t even remember her name properly.

6.

Saw a guy struggling to bench press at the gym. His arms were shaking, and he looked seconds away from dropping the bar. Trying to be a good guy, I rushed over, grabbed the bar, and helped him rack the weight. Expecting a “thanks, man,” I instead got the angriest look ever.

Turns out, he wasn’t struggling, he was doing a paused rep, where you hold the weight at the bottom before pushing up. I’d basically ruined his set. He took off his headphones, looked at me and said, “Bro... why?” I mumbled an apology and disappeared into the treadmill section, never to return.

7.

My manager finds a wallet in a cart at work. Brings it straight to me and I look in the wallet for ID. Call customer to come get wallet. Comes in, picks up wallet and then calls the police and tells them I stole $400 out of her wallet. I got to make a statement. Video is reviewed and proves she’s full of it.

Customer is still outraged and the police have to literally show her the video and threaten her before she backs down. Wallets just go straight into lost and found now. I make no effort to contact people any more.

AirVengeance / Reddit

8.

Got my parents a huge bouquet and those expensive fruits dipped in chocolate bouquets for their first anniversary since I started work. Mom comes in from work, sees the bouquets and says, “Of course your dad wouldn’t have gotten this, he’s done nothing for me in all these years.” They had a huge fight and my flowers and fruit just sat there on the dining table abandoned.

Unknown author / Reddit

9.

I had an old, lonely lady who used to come see me at work. She was sweet, and we would talk quite a bit, and she told me I was the only person who “understood her” or “took the time” with her. I gave her my personal phone number for her to give me a call whenever she felt depressed or lonely.

I ended up getting phone calls every hour throughout the night/day, which I couldn’t always answer because I had a job? A kid? I was sleeping? She began leaving me very nasty voicemails that I had “abandoned” her and “was just like everyone else.” It was wild.

Starlight_City45 / Reddit

10.

I saw a man outside 7-Eleven with a cup, and he asked me for some change. I pulled it out of my pocket and put it in his cup, it ended up being his cup of coffee.

Ze3ks / Reddit

Kids have a unique talent for saying the most random and hilarious things at the most unexpected times. Their unfiltered honesty and wild logic lead to some of the funniest and most brutally honest moments. These 10 stories show that when it comes to comedy, kids are the true masters of unintentional humor.