Don't mess with the payroll expert ....
my cousin had worked for a small family run business since leaving college. Not our family, another family.

She'd started out as junior and worked her way up through the ranks, studying in her own time and ending up as the grandly titled "Finance Manager". She was basically a glorified accounts clerk, who kept the books balanced and, among other things, did the payroll.

All was well for some time, then gradually she realised that the atmosphere had cooled somewhat. Her immediate boss, a female, was less and less friendly and was nit-picking everything to death. Minor mistakes suddenly prompted bollockings of epic, nay gargantuan, proportions.

All became clear when the boss' son arrived to work for the family firm. He'd just been kicked out of university after spectacularly failing his exams. He was placed in my cousin's office and she was told to train him on everything she did. He constantly contradicted her, made bitchy remarks and blamed her when he mucked up. It didn't take Mystic Meg to figure out she was being pushed door-ward, so she started looking for another job.

By the time she handed in her notice, things were so bad that she could be at work all day and no-one would speak to her. The failed-student son, meanwhile, was operating a kind of backwards Midas touch - everything he touched turned to shit. His mother spent half her time correcting his mistakes and covering up for him. The one thing they didn't worry much about was the payroll, thanks to the all-singing, all-dancing software my cousin had suggested they buy.

So, on her last day, she input one tiny, minor change. To one person's record. The idiot son's. She changed the first number of his tax code from a 5 to a 3. Not the sharpest tool in the box, she reckoned he wouldn't even notice. He certainly would notice that he was suddenly paying more tax (£440 per year at the time). She was willing to bet, however, that he'd be too dumb to phone up the Revenue to check he had the right tax code.

She didn't touch anyone else's record, she didn't steal anything, she didn't muck anything up that couldn't be sorted in a couple of minutes. She merely ensured that a badly-educated, over-priviledged know-it-all would be a little short on beer tokens.
(TheWeeWitch hasn't been here much recently .., Thu 22 May 2008, 18:22, 6 replies)

I like.
A lot. But at least she didn't change the "L" at the end of the code for a "K" at the beginning...
(Home Bargains was last seen wanking like a safari park chimp:, Thu 22 May 2008, 21:05, closed)

That's awesome
The perfect revenge! Punish the perpetrator in a way that simple competence would allow them to resolve. That's how I want to do it next time! :o)
( betpet is the fun in dysfunctional, Thu 22 May 2008, 22:10, closed)

Brilliant
I love stories like these. A subtle yet ultimately satisfying revenge. Class!
(uk_viper stopped lurking on, Thu 22 May 2008, 23:17, closed)

I Like it...
But i'd change it to BR!
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Fri 23 May 2008, 8:44, closed)

Had it been me
@Hank and @Agnostic

I'd probably have changed it to D0 (40% tax code for those who don't know). My cousin is a nicer person than I am, though.
(TheWeeWitch hasn't been here much recently .., Fri 23 May 2008, 12:14, closed)

Brilliant....
Nice work. Subtle too, if the code had suddenly changed to D0 or K1961 (although that would max out at 50% salary) someone would have noticed...
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Fri 23 May 2008, 13:37, closed)