13 Stories of Good Intentions That People Wish They Could Forget

Sometimes, doing the right thing takes a painfully awkward turn—the kind that makes you wish you could disappear on the spot. These 13 stories prove that even the best intentions can lead to cringeworthy moments that linger like an unwelcome guest who just won’t leave.

• I used to live in a rough part of London. One night, after a night out, I was walking home when I saw two guys trying to bump-start a car. Wanting to be helpful, I offered to give them a hand.
  I spent about ten minutes pushing the car with them before it dawned on me — they weren’t trying to start it. They were trying to steal it, quietly rolling it away from the owner’s house before starting it up. © Unknown author / Reddit
• Last summer, my friend was asked to look after an elderly woman who lived down the block. The woman’s daughter told my friend the job would be easy — all she had to do was heat up a TV dinner and make sure the lady took her medications, which were conveniently kept near the microwave. On the day of the job, my friend arrived right on time. She tried to open the front door, but it was locked, so she figured she’d try the back entrance instead. Once inside, she headed straight to the kitchen — it was already lunchtime — and called out to the elderly woman sitting on the couch, asking what she’d like to eat. The woman looked at her, got up, and said, “Umm, I don’t know... whatever you feel like making.” After a few minutes of searching, my friend couldn’t find the medication or the TV dinners. Confused, she asked again, and the woman finally said, “Why are you here?” My friend replied, “Your daughter asked me to take care of you while she’s at work.” That’s when the woman calmly responded, “Well, I work and can definitely feed myself. But Jenny’s mom next door — she’s the one who needs your help.”
  Mortified, my friend apologized and hurried next door. There, she found the actual elderly woman she was meant to care for, sitting on the couch and happily exclaiming, “Hi Stephany! What are you going to make for lunch? I’m hungry!” © Unknown author / Reddit

• Two days ago, I was on a plane, returning from a business trip. Every seat had its own LCD screen and controller. Normally, I’d be excited about something like that — a long flight feels endless without something to watch. But that day, I was feeling really sick. Closing my eyes made me dizzy, and any movement in my line of sight was making me uncomfortable. A girl was sitting next to me, and I noticed her tapping the dark screen, trying to turn it on. I started feeling frustrated. After watching her repeat the same thing for about five minutes, I assumed she had no idea what she was doing. So I slowly reached over, pressed the large power button with the clear symbol on it, looked at her, and calmly said, “This is how you turn on the system.” She looked so surprised that I remember thinking, If I explained the function of the ESC button, she might be blown away. Only two hours later did I realize that the screen’s brightness was set so low that it looked black from the side — even though it was already on and running. She had actually been browsing through the menu to pick a movie when I abruptly turned off her screen and made my “helpful” comment. © rotirahn / Reddit
• This happened just a few days ago. I walked into a public restroom as a guy was finishing up at the urinal. Without thinking, I held the door open for him, not considering that he might want — or should want — to wash his hands. He hesitated for a moment, then started walking toward the exit. That’s when it hit me, and I blurted out, a bit too loudly and without thinking, “Are you going to wash your hands?” He looked clearly embarrassed and sheepishly turned back toward the sink. Needless to say, I felt pretty awkward afterward. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was at a restaurant with some friends when I noticed the waitress carrying a big tray full of plates. Thinking I’d be helpful, and seeing that her hands looked full, I reached out to grab my plate off the tray. Turns out, she had her own way of balancing everything, because the moment I grabbed my plate, the entire tray flipped and everything went crashing to the floor.
  Needless to say, that was pretty embarrassing. © go_dukes / Reddit
• My elderly Asian uncle was visiting America and went out for a walk. At an intersection, he paused and squinted at a window display across the street. A large woman noticed him, took him firmly by the arm, and guided him across the street, softly murmuring what sounded like comforting words. Feeling quite embarrassed, he pretended he had meant to cross the street all along and even “thanked” her. Once she disappeared from sight, he quietly crossed back to where he had started.
  © doctorawho / Reddit

• I was leaving a store and tried to be nice by holding the door open for someone coming in. They gave me a strange look and just kept walking down the street. © LethalShade / Reddit
• You know those dividers at grocery store checkout lines that separate your stuff from the person in front or behind you?
  Well, I was standing in line feeling generous, and there was this really cute girl behind me holding just a single bottle of Sprite. Without thinking, I grabbed the divider and put it down between us, nodding like, “Here, you can put your stuff here now.”
  But she only had that one bottle — so the divider was totally unnecessary. She just stared at me like I was the confused one. © kyzu / Reddit

• A friend of mine was at a continental breakfast, waiting in line for coffee. After pouring himself a cup, he noticed a lady behind him also waiting. Trying to be polite, he decided to hold out the coffee pot for her to take. But since coffee pots have only one handle, he ended up awkwardly holding a scalding hot cylinder right in front of her. They both stood there, unsure of what to do, until the lady finally said, “Just put it down.” He did. © Ipecacophony / Reddit
• A girl who used to work with me asked for a ride home after work. Being the nice guy I am, I said, “Yeah, of course, no problem.” It was about 15 minutes in the opposite direction from my own route, but I figured it was fine—I was doing someone a favor. Then she says, “Hey, you can drop me off at this corner coming up—I can walk the rest of the way.” I was like, “Are you sure? It’s no problem to drive you all the way home.” She insisted she was fine, so I let her get out. A week later, I found out she’d been telling everyone that I kicked her out of my car.
  Yeah, never gave that girl a ride again. © teenygoblin27 / Reddit

• I wanted to surprise my coworker Rachel for her birthday. I organized a secret gathering in the break room, dimmed the lights, and got everyone to yell “Surprise!” when the door opened.
  Only... it wasn’t Rachel. It was our CEO—on his first day visiting. He spilled hot coffee all over his suit and dropped his laptop bag.
  I still wake up in cold sweats thinking about that moment.
• I felt proud collecting warm clothes for the local shelter. I even gave a little speech when I dropped off the bags.
  A week later, my sister called in tears—apparently, I’d donated the jackets her late husband had left behind. I had grabbed the wrong bags.
  She forgave me, but I’ve never forgiven myself. Every time I drive past that shelter, my stomach twists.
• At a family wedding, I noticed my cousin looking stressed. I thought she might be overwhelmed, so I followed her discreetly to check in. I gently knocked and said, “Hey, you okay in there?” A deep male voice answered, “Uh... wrong bathroom?” Turns out, I’d followed the wrong person into the men’s room area. The worst part? Everyone at the open bar heard the whole thing.
  Yeah, I still can’t look Uncle Mike in the eyes.

Pranks might start off as harmless fun—but sometimes, they spiral so spectacularly that they become the stuff of family legend. In this article, we’ve rounded up 10 pranks that went way beyond a quick laugh. These moments left lasting impressions, sparking uncontrollable laughter or deep secondhand embarrassment that still makes people cringe years later. Before you go check out more articles here.