Friends asking for their money back

If id let my friend down like this id be saying heres £x to get you a meal or drinks etc. Not asking for my £30 back. Cheeky AF

This gets my vote. Spot on 🎯🎯🎯

"I'm actually out of pocket now as it's cost me points and it's non refundable, so I can't give you £30 and it's a bit rude of you to ask for that back when cancelling. Hope you feel better soon"

Then never see them again. How shady of them both plotting that behind your back ew

Because the CEO deals with customer service refund requests. 🙄

the other post might be more diplomatic but this would sum up my thoughts on their attitude!

OP still wants to go to the event though.

Why can't the put their own tickets up for resale?

Hotel is £260, you kindly offered to pay using points (lesson learnt-don't do it again!) Tell them as hotel is non-refundable either you use it and don't refund them £30 or you cancel altogether and they actually owe you another £55 to cover what your points you used.
Get them to sell their tickets as that's not on you to do.
Moral-don't book a weekend with them again!

I don't understand the part where OP says she has to now travel 4 hours for something she could have taken the tube in 10 mins to?

Anyway, if the friends agreed to go and backed out leaving OP unable to get a refund then No, OP should not be returning any money. I'd also do the math re the value of the points and explain I'd used them for the benefit of them as well and now they're lost as not refundable. So, of course it makes sense for OP to go and salvage what she can of the trip. Her friends are leaving her in the lurch with the burden of getting a refund on the tickets as well.

Frankly, the "friends" sound flaky, to say the least.

Yes, this says it clearly.

Could you change to a cheaper room & get any sort of refund?

This, completely.

OP it is irrelevant whether you used money or points. they owe you the full amount as you cannot recover the money.
these are not true friends if they still demand money and you have explained the situation.

They are not your friends because friends wouldn’t behave like that.

Email the CEO of Expedia if there is time for the room to be rebooked. It’s worth a shot if an event is on the same night others may need a room at short notice.

If you don’t ask you don’t get.

This is the response that is probably more sensible than mine!

"Dear friends, you're joking, right? I'm £300 down, and you want me to give you another £60? And all this for a gig I could have watched locally to me, rather than spend time and petrol going to Leeds to see it all on my own?"

Do you still want to be friends with them?

I'd give them one last chance, then give up on them. Maybe you could show them that you're all in it together:

" Hi friends, the tickets and hotel are non-refundable so the only way anyone is getting any money back is if we can sell the things on. It's a real shame that you both can't make it, and I'm not sure about going alone as it was supposed to be a night away to meet up with you, not to be in a hotel by myself. If you know of anyone who wants to buy the hotel and tickets then let me know and we can sort out what money is leftover after our costs. This has cost me nearly £300 so far (£200 worth of points and my ticket) and of course you've both paid £30 towards the hotel + your ticket. Hopefully we can find someone who wants to buy the hotel and tickets and we all get some money back."

Had this once with friends. I was the sick one and pulled out the night before. The friend I was sharing the room with had paid for the hotel in advance and I had forward on my share weeks in advance. It never crossed my mind to ask her to refund me. It was just my bad luck that I got sick and could not go.

Do you have two other friends who could come on the trip with you for free? Just pay for their own train fares.

You now know that your “friends” are happy to let you down at the last minute and behave like cheeky fuckers to screw you over. So don’t feel any remorse in being a bit cheeky back……… tell your friends that the tickets didn’t sell, plus tickets and hotel are non-refundable. You have already lost £200 and are not responsible in refunding their £30 lost each.

Go and enjoy it with two other people.

This is totally unreasonable of them. Why should you lose out due to their inability to go while they do their best to make sure that they personally don’t take a hit at all? You’re even having to do the work of listing the tickets.

Or she could block them without parting with more money that they aren't entitled to!

Was it an event where they had a southern and northern strand and you booked the northern to make it fair on northern friend and she’s just pulled out? You now have to go to the hassle of travelling 200+ miles for something you could have travelled to in less than an hour?

Pain in the arse friends, of course they can’t have their money back. As if they put the ticket resale pressure on you too! So rude.

Noooo! You are still £200 out though. You have used your points to go somewhere that you would have enjoyed had they been going but now have to go yourself or be £200 down - the previous poster who said tell them to send you extra money is absolutely correct. You might not have physically paid £200 out but you have lost those points if you don't go. Advise them that the room was non refundable and you are out £200 to each of their £30 so if they could transfer their share of the balance that would be great. They would have had to do this had you not used your points anyway. I see a shiny new backbone in your future OP! Good luck - you have got this!