Losing a tuxedo jacket after a big corporate function is par for the course. But what if someone takes your borrowed jacket home and won’t give it back to you unless you find his jacket? Please enjoy this email exchange between two employees at a large South African tech company:

This email exchange was sent in by an anonymous tipster. Names of these two grown men have been changed to protect people from themselves. We can also confirm that both individuals hold senior positions at one of SA’s leading tech companies.

From: Fiery (ZA)
Sent: 29 October 2012 03:26 PM
To: Sheldon Karpinski (ZA)
Subject: Tuxedo Jacket

Hi Sheldon

Please let me know when I will be able to collect Andy Belmont’s Tuxedo jacket from you so that I can return it to him? As you are aware we have ascertained that the jacket that you have is Andrew’s and I would like to get it back to him this week.

Thanks

Regards

Fiery
Business Development Manager

 

From: Sheldon Karpinski (ZA)
Sent: 29 October 2012 03:41 PM
To: Fiery (ZA)
Subject: RE: Tuxedo Jacket

HI, as mentioned, I’m happy to give it back as soon as I receive a jacket in return – you mentioned someone brought 2 back….?

 

From: Fiery (ZA)
Sent: 29 October 2012 08:35 PM
To: Sheldon Karpinski (ZA)
Subject: RE: Tuxedo Jacket

Hi ,

I really thought that you were joking. Whilst it is unfortunate that your jacket went missing with your phone inside, taking someone else’s jacket when you could not find yours and then refusing to return it to the rightful owner is neither a reasonable solution nor acceptable practice and in fact not even a concept worthy of debate.
As it turns out Steven Henderson ended up with two jackets and will be bringing the other one in on Wednesday. This however has no relevance to our discussion and I expect Andrew’s jacket to be returned to me.

Regards
Fiery

 

From: Fiery (ZA)
Sent: 31 October 2012 07:08 PM
To: Sheldon Karpinski (ZA)
Subject: Tuxedo Jacket

Hi Sheldon

Having not had a response for two days I just want to point out that this is getting very frustrating.

I have provided you with a lead to chase up for another jacket which may be yours, I suggest you follow up with Steven Henderson. It is now over a week and I need to return the jacket to Andy who, as you know, is one of our suppliers. I expect the jacket to be returned to me before Friday.

I hope you manage to find yours.

Regards
Fiery

Our anonymous tipster who managed to get hold of these emails, also works at the same company. He/she confirms that ‘Fiery’ and ‘Sheldon’ were seen having a heated discussion and that Sheldon ‘refuses to budge.’ Sheldon apparently says he does not care that he has the wrong jacket and he will put in no effort to find his own – his view point is that he has one and that is that.

And the reason why there is no response to the most recent emails above? Sheldon said he has no time to respond to Fiery’s “cryptic” mails and it is Fiery’s job to find a jacket for him that fits before he returns the one that he openly acknowledges belongs to Fiery.

‘CRYPTIC’ emails? Haha!

God, this is just too special for words.

We will keep you posted as this story develops.

Don’t you find it amazing that people like this actually walk amongst us? How is it possible that people with this kind of mindset manage to succeed in life and to hold a fairly senior position at one of SA’s biggest tech companies?

But for now, what do you reckon, should he just give the jacket back? Or does he have a point?