Friend should pay me back?

OP, you've been perfectly clear, but there are always some who either can't understand or choose not to (because they enjoy stirring the pot).

I hope Friend 1 realises she's in the wrong and pays what she owes you!

I agree with this. The place was filled. Why should friend one pay for somebody else's day out. Not on.

Your friend isn’t being unreasonable.

If you couldn’t fill the place then yes she why have paid. But you did fill the place so it’s for the new person to pay it. It’s weird if the old friend pays and someone enjoys a spa day on her 🤣

Did Friend 2 go on the basis that it was a free holiday? Would she have paid to go (or can she afford to)?

Was there a misunderstanding, and did friend 1 assume that if you took someone else, then they would pay?

Could friend 1 and 2 split holiday cost 50:50?

I think it's really weird and wonder if there's a miss understanding as in "of course I will pay" so you don't end up paying the whole cost and the second part was of course invite someone to fill the place else if you can meaning she can't ask someone you don't know.

Are you ok???

My opinion is DIFFERENT to yours

You think friend 1 should pay, i think the friend who went should pay

It really is not that much of a big deal !!!
I really do not care

Have a lovely day 🌵

Friend 1 should not have said she would pay for someone else to go.

Friend 2 shouldn't have accepted a freebie. I'd always offer to pay in those circumstances as I'd had the value of the treatments. Or at least make a good contribution.

This.

You certainly shouldn't be paying. I think if the other friend went she should pay. But first friend was still out of order cancelling

If this was written differently I'm sure there would be a lot less people suggesting friend 2 should pay.

Imagine friend 2 wrote it:
"I was recently invited to a spa day with a friend. I wouldn't usually be able to afford it but she said it was already paid for and I could go along for free as another friend had cancelled.
Now that I've been to the spa, I'm being asked to pay my friend back. I can't afford it and wouldn't have gone if I'd known, what do I do?"

Obviously friend 2 shouldn't be asked to pay after the fact for what they were informed was a free trip to the spa! I wouldn't even let them know this was happening as I wouldn't want them paying out of guilt!

Friend 1 is a complete dick.

Saying she won't now pay is deplorable. I couldn't come back from this. She is no friend.

As if someone reported @PoopedAndScooped comment 😂 🌵

I think you need to chalk this up to experience.

Your friend should have said if you can't find anyone else to go and pay then I'll pay.

The other friend who did go should not be asked now because it's too late and there was no mention of her having to pay before going.

I'm not sure exactly what the cactus is supposed to signify but ok....

I think you will find that opinion is different to facts.

you are, of course, entitled to an opinion (that friend 1 should pay). I can disagree with you but neither of us can objectively be said to be wrong, even if I think your opinion is morally wrong.

but that is completely different to disputing the facts - which is what you are doing by making up a third friend that doesn't exist and a holiday friend 2 didn't go on. The point of the DISCUSSION (sic) is to DISCUSS the scenario the OP presents, not a completely different one that didn't happen.

Anyone with a shred of self-respect would just say 'Oops, I completely misread that, my mistake, but I still don't think Friend 1 should pay.' Continuing to insist that your completely made up version of events is right without any evidence to support it just makes you look vaguely unhinged and incapable of basic reading comprehension.

So basically you think friend 2 should learn an expensive lesson rather than OP or friend 1, who is the one at fault?
i.e. that if someone offers you something for free it's fine for them to then ask you for payment afterwards?

I literally can't understand all the posters who think friend 2 should be asked to pay. If you entered a competition and won a brand new car, drove it around for a few days and then got a phone call saying 'You owe us £40k for the car,' surely you'd laugh in their face?

The second friend didn't expect a free spa day. She was offered one, because the first friend said she would pay for it.

If the first friend had said "I can't go but will obviously pay for it. If you can find someone else to go with you who's happy to pay for it though that would be ideal!" then I don't think OP would have written this thread.

The friend that couldn’t go, should absolutely pay if you couldn’t use her spa day. However, when a new friend came, the new friend who is enjoying the spa should morally have paid, and it would all be sorted.

It’s annoying for the first friend to go back on her offer, but it’s very fucking cheeky for the second friend to expect a free spa day

First friend should pay, that was the promise. I'm surprised how many are saying otherwise. Maybe friend number two wouldn't have been interested if it wasn't free. Honestly, if I was friend two I would have offered, but sometimes you do things in order to appease a friend, but she may not have been super interested. It may have changed her decision if she knew from the start it wasn't free.

If I'd come along as second choice, don't worry it's all paid for - lovely, thank you! I wouldn't expect to pay on a deal that no show friend reneged on.
Def #1 should pay.

Erm. Because that's what she agreed to do

Second friend only went because it was a freebie.

I'd not be friends with the person who asked you to pay and said she'd pay you back anymore and I'd let other friends know what she did so they could avoid similar incidents.