Who should pay for these tickets?

The whole issue is down to lack of clear communication on all parts, it seems.

Why did you not think that S&J would prefer to have the actual attendees pay for the tickets? Why not mention money?

You might say again that you’re not a ticket re-seller, but from S&P’s point of view you really did position yourself that way.

I think you have caused the problem by letting others use the tickets. In effect you are asking 2 people to pay for something that 2 other people used.

It depends on how the second set of people were invited. Were they told the price before agreeing to come? Or did they just assume it was free to them? Why wasn't who was paying not clarified before the event?

It's flaky of the original buyers. They should have paid or asked you if you knew anyone who wanted to buy the tickets from them.

It should have been the original buyers unless the second people offered then were asked to go knowing the cost.

Did the original buyers ask you to offer the tickets for free to others? Or did they ask you to sell them?

They’re not. I don’t care about the money, I care about Sarah and Philippa promising to pay for tickets and not doing so.

But you'd found people to take the tickets so S & P might not have expected to pay.

What are you going to do?

how much did they cost?

But they didn't agree to pay for two other people to attend! I would not expect to pay for tickets that somebody else used! If you don't want to ask Cheryl and Jessica to pay, you need to pay for them yourself. It's not up to you to decide that Phillipa and Sarah will pay for Cheryl and Jessica to attend! The normal etiquette is that the attendees pay! You can't expect someone else to pay for a gift you chose to make.

If you hadn't messaged the people who went with you with something like "I have tickets to XYZ event, they cost £ABC" then you can't expect payment, especially not after the fact. But if I were one of the first group, and I thought you's sold on and not given away my ticket, I'd be annoyed and wouldn't be inclined to pay. I'd think that's on you for not giving away and not selling on my ticket.

Useless for this situation, but next time, I'd want to collect money before buying tickets.

At first the original 2 should have paid however they both said they couldn’t go so you asked 2 people if they wanted to go, therefore they should have paid.

you are at fault for not indicating that they weren’t free tickets!

It sounds like you've shot yourself in the foot as you were so adamant Phillipa should pay (which they should if you didn't find replacements) but you've ended up giving the tickets to other people without asking for payment.

You should have agreed something in advance eg those standing in to pay half

Cheryl and Jessica should pay, unless you offered them for free, in which case it's up to you to pay, since you chose to gift the tickets. Philippa and Sarah shouldn't pay as it was your choice to gift the tickets not theirs, and there is no reason for them to pay for your other friends to attend the event.

But why would they pay for Cheryl and Jessica's tickets? Surely they have assumed you charged the people you took?

But they didn’t pay and sounds like they wouldn’t of paid because they didn’t go and you gave away the tickets. They should of paid before you ordered the tickets so you weren’t put out and then it’s their issue to sort when they decided they didn’t want to go but that wasn’t the case, you bought them, you gave them away without asking for payment

If you hadn’t asked C&J then S&P would still have been obliged to pay you.

all you needed to do was be clear in what you were doing. This is an absolute cluster fuck of poor communication from you.

Agree with this.

What was the time frame?

If S&P dropped out with weeks to spare and you managed to get J&C to replace them immediately then I'd expect J&C to have paid.

If it was a last minute cancellation then S&P should have already paid and wouldn't be refunded. Or should be liable to pay.

If there was sufficient notice though, you can't expect S&P to pay because you decided not to charge the replacements you took. That was on you.

I think you have left yourself in a horrible position. The tickets were not yours to give away for free and your message was not clear that the new people wouldn’t be paying for them. I can see why the original people assumed you would get cash for them! But you didn’t tell the new people they had to pay. So I’m not sure any of them are going to pay you!

It doesn't matter what would have happend in XYZ situation. You found other people to go with, so thinking about other scenarios is pointless. Jessica and Cheryl should pay as they were the ones who attended the event.

Cheryl and Jessica should pay

You made it sound like they didn’t need to pay. The costs of the tickets is down to you. Nobody owes anything.

C&J were not asked to pay prior to the event. S&P were not asked if they were happy for their tickets to be given away rather than sold.

Yes, you are.