When it comes to neighbors you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes you hit the neighbor lottery and get someone who barely makes a sound.
Other times, however, you get stuck with THAT neighbor: the one who blasts death metal at 3 AM or has a dog that WON'T.STOP.BARKING. Or, in this case, has kids who think practicing piano before the sun rises is a good idea (it's not).
When London-based content creator Martina Panchetti's neighbors decided that the road to becoming famous concert pianists involved early morning practices she'd had just about all she could take. Wanting to avoid an uncomfortable confrontation, she wrote them a polite note to complain.
She wasn't prepared for their response.
The Neighbors "Sweet" Response
@maartinapanchetti On our way to cook some Italian sweets for them 🥹 #london #neighbours #livinginlondon
In a TikTok video that has gone viral with over 10 million views, Martina shares that she and her flatmates sent a letter to their neighbors asking them to keep it down in the mornings.
"We sent a letter to our neighbours politely asking to make less noise and possibly avoid playing piano too early in the morning," Martina wrote in the text overlay, noting she lives next to a family with kids. "This is how they replied..."
She then gave her viewers a sneak peek of the card she received in response.
Inside an envelope sealed with a smiley face was a card that read:
"Dear neighbours, Thank you for your kind message. We realise that sometimes we can be noisy and naughty."
Obviously written by the pint-sized offenders themselves, the kids explained that they had started learning piano "and our teachers tell us to practice every day." However, they recognized that they should have been more considerate about "considering the times of the day and the weekends" and "sincerely" apologized.
The kids also admitted Martina isn't the only one who is less than thrilled with their early morning concertos. So is their mom.
"To be honest, mommy has been telling us not to play in the mornings and she also wants to get some sleep on the weekends. We promise YOU and we promise our mommy to try to be more considerate."
To "sweeten" their apology, the kids also sent along a couple of their national treats — Azerbaijani Pakhlava, a pastry layered with nuts and syrup, and Shekerbura, a sweet pastry filled with ground nuts and sugar. (Because nothing says "I'm sorry" like delicious desserts).
"We're in tears," Martina ended the clip, mock crying and covering her face.
More than 727,000 have loved the post with nearly 2,000 commenters weighing in.
"It’s actually mental how much your mindset changes when your neighbours become people to us and not just noise! I have this with my stompy yet lovely upstairs fella 😅," wrote one.
Another joked, “Right then, you now owe them your life.”
"This would make me wanna put together a sorry basket for them 😂😂😂," said a third.
Follow-Up TikTok
@maartinapanchetti Replying to @Kelsey part 2 of the neighbours affair 😂
Not everyone appreciated Martina's handling of the situation, however. Some commenters took issue with her for complaining in the first place.
"Whats new 😳 a karen complaining about some noise 😏," wrote one commenter.
It prompted Martina to post a follow-up TikTok.
She began the clip, saying: "For all the people saying that I am the bad neighbor for complaining about kids making noise, our letter was very polite, very friendly, we weren't complaining about noise in general — it was specifically towards piano playing, early in the morning, at weekends."
She explained that she chose to write a note rather than confront them in person because she felt it was the best way to handle an "awkward situation." She didn't want the family to feel "ambushed" and wanted to give them a chance to respond in their own time.
She also explained that she and her friends actually enjoy hearing their neighbors practicing piano...just not at the crack of dawn. "It's relaxing," she said.
And, it turns out, their neighbors aren't the only ones who know their way around a good pastry.
Martina and her flatmates returned the treats with some treats of their own, gifting the neighbors with a box of Zeppola di San Giuseppe - an Italian sweet traditionally made for Father's Day.
Additionally, they decorated the box with cute drawings and wrote another note.
"Thank you for your lovely note and for sharing with us your traditional sweets. We all loved them, super tasty!" they wrote, adding, "P.S. Keep up the practising, we can hear the progress."
But it didn't end there...
One Note Turns Into An "Endless Exchange"
Martina Panchetti and her roommates receive sushi from their neighbors.
TikTok/@maartinapanchetti
Later that evening while Martina was out for dinner with her boyfriend, she received a message from her roommates on a group chat.
"The neighbors just sent us some sushi," she said, sharing a photo and laughing.
Instead of getting angry with the neighbors for being too noisy, Martina and her flatmates decided to go the kindness route, sharing their concerns politely and respectfully.
It's obviously paid off. Tag, you're it, Martina!
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