Rude neighbor ignored repeated noise complaints and cranked the bass higher — his next move ended with police showing up at their apartment
When loud music shakes the walls of a home, a quiet request can seem like the easiest way to solve the problem. But things can get instantly worse when a neighbor refuses to listen. One individual found themselves dealing with exactly that after constant bass from the apartment below began disturbing their workdays. Their attempt to settle the matter politely did not go as planned. The story was later shared by the Reddit user on Sunday, August 30, 2026, under their handle, u/EnigmaShrouded. They explained how a noise complaint turned into a weeks-long dispute until they decided to unfold their petty little move.
They wanted a bass war, they just didn’t realize I had a better strategy.
by u/EnigmaShrouded in pettyrevenge
The resident said they worked from home and mainly wanted the floor to stop vibrating from the heavy bass. They went to the neighbors and asked if they could lower it, but the request was met with a slammed door and even louder music. The individual reported the issue to the building management several times, but the noise continued. After trying to handle things politely, they decided to fight back by playing their own heavy bass directly toward the neighbors' apartment. For this, they purchased a large portable speaker and "rigged up a diabolical setup." They placed it inside a cardboard box that was cut to direct the sound specifically towards the entitled residents. A heavy blanket was then placed over it to reduce the noise in their own home.
They perfectly used the setup whenever the neighbors tried to enjoy some quiet time. The situation had moved beyond a simple complaint, and they wanted the arrogant people next door to understand what the noise felt like. The individual also had an unusual advantage because their apartment was next to a busy highway. The traffic noise overpowered the music. The conflict continued for several weeks. Eventually, the neighbors could no longer handle the ordeal and moved out. The situation wouldn't have escalated had they chosen to be a little accommodating.
Not every attempt to ask a neighbor to turn down the volume has to turn into a full-blown argument. Some cases have resulted in an unexpected friendship, simply because two strangers chose to be understanding. In one such incident, a woman spoke up when loud television sounds from the apartment above kept her awake late at night. She reached out through the fellow resident's doorbell camera and politely explained the problem. The man lowered the volume without any argument and later left a note apologizing for the noise. He explained, “I got too carried away with watching recaps from the Super Bowl, and I didn't realize how loud my TV was.” He and his wife also thanked her for homemade cookies from their previous interaction, and offered to return the gesture with a bottle of wine, turning an awkward situation into a friendly one.
For more interesting stories, follow u/EnigmaShrouded on Reddit.