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Friends asking for their money back

370 replies

Nicolasaa9 · 29/01/2026 11:41

Hi, I am not even sure if this is the right place to post this, but I really need to vent.

My two closest friends and I planned to go to an event together. I live in London, one friend is in Hertfordshire and the other lives up north. We agreed to book it in Leeds, get a hotel, and make a proper girls weekend of it, especially as the friend up north is usually the one travelling south.

Both friends have now said they are too unwell to go. They asked me to put their tickets up for resale, which I have done, and have also asked me to pay them back for their share of the hotel even though I am still going.

The hotel is non refundable, and I used around £200 of my own points to book it. There was an extra £60 to pay, which I asked them to split between them at £30 each, which felt fair given the points I used.

They are now asking for that £30 back. I am still going because I have wanted to see this event for ages, but it means driving four hours to something I could have reached in ten minutes on the tube, and spending the weekend alone.

Am I being unreasonable in feeling this is unfair

OP posts:
SissySpacekAteMyHamster · 29/01/2026 14:35

Oh bless you OP, no good deed goes unpunished!!!

I think they are a pair of cheeky buggers, and I'd just send back a what tge absolute fuck type text to them.

DeftGoldHedgehog · 29/01/2026 14:35

I'd say, I'm really sorry you can't make it but it's non-refundable at this short notice and I am seriously out of pocket myself on this, and leave it at that.

IdleThoughts · 29/01/2026 14:34

I'd say you used your points to get it cheap for them and would not have used the points or needed a hotel for that matter if it wasnt for going with them. They actually owe you £130 each, do they not realise this? I wouldn't be sending them a penny, cheeky fuckers.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 29/01/2026 14:31

These friends sound awful! I think they owe you money.

JustMyView13 · 29/01/2026 14:30

JHound · 29/01/2026 14:28

If the hotel is non refundable then they are not entitled to their money back.

This x2
Also, what happens if the tickets don't sell? Will they still be expecting you to reimburse them because they told you to sell them and you couldn't didn't? (Obvs that's a huge fuck off no!)

JHound · 29/01/2026 14:28

If the hotel is non refundable then they are not entitled to their money back.

Nicolasaa9 · 29/01/2026 14:28

Thanks for all your replies. In a nutshell they think that the points meant it was free for me and now they’re paying for me? I’m going to write a reply tonight when I’m home and basically say if I don’t go I’m down almost £300 for ticket and hotel so they can shut up about the £30 each! I was prob too honest when I booked it and said I’m happy to use my points if you both pay the remaining as I wanted to make the whole trip as affordable as possible for everyone.

OP posts:
Americasfavouritefightingfrenchman · 29/01/2026 14:27

If it was me I’d have offered you use the ticket and go with someone else if I couldn’t make it. Would no one local with you?

FrankSinatraonToast · 29/01/2026 14:25

Is it a Holiday Inn? I think you can cancel and although you can't get a monetary refund, get the points you used added back to your account.

berlinbaby2025 · 29/01/2026 14:23

Nicolasaa9 · 29/01/2026 14:17

Maybe I am a pushover because I’d never think of this and it makes sense x

Why be kind at this point to these piss takers? They owe you more than £36.50 each!

Nicolasaa9 · 29/01/2026 14:17

bumptybum · 29/01/2026 13:01

“I’m now down by £200 as the points I could have used elsewhere are non refundable.
If we are looking to balance things, I’ll take your 2x30 off my £200. So you owe me £70 each.
to be kind I’ll divide the £200 by 3 so I think that takes what you owe me down to £36.50”

Maybe I am a pushover because I’d never think of this and it makes sense x

OP posts:
OneDearFawn · 29/01/2026 14:12

Goldfsh · 29/01/2026 13:24

How is THIS thread the final straw for you? Have you even read any of the others? Have you seen what some people can do with a single chicken?

Can you signpost me to them please?

Bonkers1966 · 29/01/2026 14:08

Just tell them it's non refundable then stand your ground. Best of luck 🤞

Overwhelmedandtired · 29/01/2026 14:06

Certainly don't think you are unreasonable to not give the money back. You spent a lot more in actual value on the hotel, for £30 each they got a great deal. However, ultimately whether you choose to give their money back I would say is more related to if you want to maintain the friendship moving forwards. I suspect they would take it poorly for you not to 'pay them back'. So the friendship may not last or be the same. It also depends if you want to keep them as friends though, as they seem to have been flaky and cheap over this trip.

I would say definitely reasonable to keep the money, but if you do may cost you the friendships.

PurpleThistle7 · 29/01/2026 14:06

This is bewilderingly ridiculous.

Strawberrryfields · 29/01/2026 14:05

The absolute cheek. They’ve got a bargain on a hotel room and you’ve been massively inconvenienced. Can’t believe they wouldn’t write off the £30. I’m also dubious about this last minute sickness. Flaky, dishonest and entitled - what a combination!

Grumpynan · 29/01/2026 14:04

I would tell them the hotel is none refundable and that also goes for the points you used, as the points were £200 in value they also owe you an additional £65 each to cover the cost of that.

berlinbaby2025 · 29/01/2026 14:01

If they don’t cough up what they owe you for the hotel I would take the money from the ticket money, if they resell.

Truetoself · 29/01/2026 14:00

say hotel is non refundable but if they want you to lose financially through no fault of your own, then you will know what kind of fiends they are

diddl · 29/01/2026 13:57

I agree that they still owe money for the hotel.

If the tickets sell I'd keep that to pay what they owe plus comp for the pissing about & having to travel!

Changingtimes81 · 29/01/2026 13:55

Bruisername · 29/01/2026 11:48

agree you should tell them it’s non- refundable

if they fall out with you over it then they’re not really friends

This

EarringsandLipstick · 29/01/2026 13:45

The hotel is non refundable, and I used around £200 of my own points to book it. There was an extra £60 to pay, which I asked them to split between them at £30 each, which felt fair given the points I used.

I think I have read all the posts, but not sure I saw this point made.

I think you need to translate the 200 points into cash equivalent. I'm not sure that 200 points = £200 cash but for the purposes of this point, I will assume so.

Therefore the total cost was £260/3 = £86.66 each or so. You have £30 from each of them which you keep, of course, and they should now be paying you the balance they owe i.e. £56 odd each.

This way you have some money available for your own use, and haven't unnecessarily used all your points.

They are really horrible people, I'd find it hard to continue the friendship after this.

honeylulu · 29/01/2026 13:44

Cheeky fuckers! They are very lucky to only be losing £30. What part of non refundable do they not understand?

I will laugh if their tickets don't succeed in being resold. Will they ask you to pay them back for those too? Thank god you got the money from them earlier because it would be blood out of a stone otherwise.

Good for you deciding to go anyway, I hope you enjoy it and am glad your points wont be wasted. If I was the friend I would feel mortified about letting you down, not whining about £30 and a "bad leg" ffs.

Rhaidimiddim · 29/01/2026 13:43

Nicolasaa9 · 29/01/2026 11:44

I’m annoyed because I could have used those points towards my holiday with my kids or something

They can't help being ill, so that is the hit you have to take.

Your friends, in their turn, should accept that they have to take the financial hit of cancelling, too. It is crazy that they think you should absorb the cost to them of cancelling.

I hope you manage to enjoy the event, regardless of the circumstances.

DuckbilledSplatterPuff · 29/01/2026 13:41

Dear CF friends.

You are more than welcome to phone the hotel on xyz number and see if you can persuade them to refund you.