Years ago, I lived in a six-plex with my ex. There were three new tenants who had recently moved in above us—one man and two women—all working in the restaurant industry. Almost every weeknight, they’d come home at 2:00 a.m. and proceed to blast their TV, which was conveniently located right above our bedroom. The noise from their subwoofer was relentless, disrupting our sleep and leaving us frustrated.
One night, I finally had enough and went upstairs to knock on their door. The man answered, and I asked him why his TV was so loud. He casually informed me that it was probably the subwoofer causing the noise. I asked him if he could turn it down, and he responded with something along the lines of, “Well, after a long shift, we all like to wind down and watch a movie. Turning off the subwoofer would decrease the quality of the experience.”
I was dumbfounded by his lack of consideration. So, I went back downstairs and informed my then-girlfriend of what happened. Together, we devised a plan. All she had to do was take my phone and, every morning at 6:00 a.m., call the landline in our apartment from her mobile phone and let it ring continuously.
We set this up for every morning after they’d been loud the night before. For the next week, like clockwork, the phone rang at 6:00 a.m. sharp. At first, there was no immediate reaction, but I knew it was only a matter of time.
On the fourth day, we heard the man upstairs cursing loudly through the walls as the phone rang and rang. By the fifth day, we noticed the TV volume had decreased significantly. They still watched their movies, but the subwoofer was turned off, and the noise level was finally bearable.
The cherry on top was when I ran into the man a few days later. He looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, and barely managed a nod in my direction. I politely asked if they had been having any trouble sleeping recently. He just glared at me, muttered something under his breath, and walked away.
The best part? We never had another sleepless night due to their movie marathons. Our petty revenge had served its purpose perfectly, and we got our peace and quiet back.