To not refund this £2k

RefundOrNot · 2026-09-02T09:32:34+00:00

NC for this as it’s identifying. I organise women’s retreats. The next one is abroad at the end of September (Mediterranean). The retreat sold out 6 months ago and I had a big waiting list with lots of women contacting me saying to get in touch if there is a cancellation. One of the guests has cancelled - she had one of the biggest private en-suite rooms so her place was expensive (£2k). Her reason for cancelling isn’t an emergency and something she will have known about for a while. I thought I’d be able to fill her place quite easily and have contacted everyone on the waiting list but nobody can make it now. The cancellation policy is no refund within a month of the retreat. She cancelled 29 days before the retreat starts. She wants a full refund but I am going to really struggle to fill her place at such short notice. The retreat is organised by a not-for-profit women’s org. Everything is priced to break even so the org will have to make a £2k loss. It is a tiny org funded by donations and run by volunteers so this is a huge loss for the org. On the other hand I feel dreadful not offering a refund. AIBU not to refund it?

tiptoptoemaytoe · 09/09/2026 21:27

Wuhoo- love this thread!

Switchnow · 08/09/2026 17:28

Well done! Hope it all goes well.

Original poster

RefundOrNot · 08/09/2026 06:33

The place has been filled! What a relief 😅

Thank you for all the support and advice x

OP posts:

Original poster

RefundOrNot · 07/09/2026 18:59

Ohhh I don’t know why it was deleted! Maybe because I shared the booking link.

Anyway the place is still available and I would love it to find its way to a woman who needs it.

Please DM me if you are interested x

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Error404FucksNotFound · 07/09/2026 16:40

Probably looked like advertising.

donthaveaname · 07/09/2026 16:39

Would love to know what reply the op made that has been hidden! 👀

RefundOrNot · 06/09/2026 19:32

This reply has been hidden

This reply has been hidden until the MNHQ team can have a look at it.

Original poster

RefundOrNot · 05/09/2026 17:15

Thank you!! And of course nobody has to come from Gatwick - that is just where most of the staff will be flying from and we managed to get mega cheap flights 😅

Once you arrive there is a free transfer from the port or airport.

It really is an amazing retreat and I’m not just saying that because I help organise it. Such a beautiful location and the two therapists are brilliant. The guests from April all said it was life changing.

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HollaHolla · 05/09/2026 16:10

Looks amazing! What a shame it would be if someone doesn’t snap this up with the 50% discount. It’s not relevant for me, but hopefully this bumps it back up the thread! (Might also be worth clarifying if you have to go from Gatwick, as you mentioned further up the thread. It might have made some folks rule themselves out….)

nozbottheblue · 05/09/2026 15:55

Let us know if you get a booking!
It sounds wonderful.

YourFairCyanReader · 05/09/2026 14:16

RefundOrNot · 03/09/2026 09:08

It’s trying to balance the business head with the compassionate, human side too. It is such a lot of money for her to lose and the stress of not getting a refund will do the exact opposite of what a healing retreat is supposed to do.

It is very late in the day and very annoying but when women are dealing with trauma and mental health issues sometimes these things happen.

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I actually don't think you have a decision to make here. If it's a charity run by volunteers and reliant on donations, you have a duty to prioritise the interests of the charity. You can't just arbitrarily decide to waive Ts and Cs and incur a loss of £2k. The charity's board are the trustees of that money that the public have donated, and shouldn't use it to effectively pay costs incurred by someone who has chosen to renege on her contract/not get valid travel insurance to claim on. If it was your own company you cam choose to waive what you want, but not a charity.

BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows · 05/09/2026 13:57

We aren't forgetting about Gormanuary, are we...?

AnonyMumAuDHD · 05/09/2026 13:46

WerewolfOfLoudon · 05/09/2026 13:41

If a month was 28 days, there would be 13 months in a year.

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Indeed. And in UK law a ‘month’ is a full calendar month, so 29 days would only be applicable in a February of a leap year. The person involved gave notice at end of August, I think, so 31 days notice required.

Still hoping OP can fill the slot though so that some money can be refunded and she can feel better about an awkward situation.

WerewolfOfLoudon · 05/09/2026 13:41

SomeOtherUser · 04/09/2026 18:25

You could argue that "a month" is 4 weeks, i.e. 28 days. No bueno to be so vague in a business agreement.

If a month was 28 days, there would be 13 months in a year.

Original poster

RefundOrNot · 04/09/2026 21:34

Just want to say Sisters Heal has received a few donations today - I think as a result of this thread! So if you send over a donation please know it has been received with huge gratitude 🥰 We are fundraising to start some peer support groups for survivors of sexual violence and all donations go directly to that. If you are one of the anonymous donors then thank you so much 🙏

We’ve had lots of enquiries about the retreat but no booking yet.

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BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows · 04/09/2026 19:45

SomeOtherUser · 04/09/2026 18:25

You could argue that "a month" is 4 weeks, i.e. 28 days. No bueno to be so vague in a business agreement.

You could try to argue that, but unless it's one of 3 out of 48 months, you would have no logic to doing so, and would thus be unsuccessful.

A lot of people seem to be of the bizarre conviction that 4 weeks and a month are always the exact same amount of time, but the theory doesn't bear up to the slightest scrutiny. Just because of the example of 3 out of every 4 Februarys... that would be like insisting that, because there's a Thursday in every week, that must mean that every day is a Thursday!

Coconutter24 · 04/09/2026 19:34

SleeplessRoads · 02/09/2026 10:49

Well to be pedantic, every four years 29 days is exactly a month…

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We’re not in a leap year though so it doesn’t really count

SomeOtherUser · 04/09/2026 18:25

You could argue that "a month" is 4 weeks, i.e. 28 days. No bueno to be so vague in a business agreement.

Original poster

RefundOrNot · 04/09/2026 14:50

AnonyMumAuDHD · 04/09/2026 13:32

Goodness you sound absolutely lovely - and I can totally understand why you feel conflicted.

You are right, though, that the short notice is the issue with filling the spot as so many women have carer commitments and getting cover at short notice is really hard. I’d love to take up the space, but have 2 dogs and an autie DD in a MH crisis home from uni so cannot find anyone to step in for me … but I love the look of the retreats and keen to explore a future one.

Keeping fingers and toes crossed that you can fill the room. Will post the holiday on my FB page just in case anyone is around - my Director of Studies at Uni does lots of project with victims of DV so hopefully she will be able to share with people she works with.

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Aw thank you! You sound absolutely lovely too and I’m sorry you have so much going on at the moment. We are doing the same retreat in May 2027 and there are still spaces.

Thank you so much for sharing the info. Here is the Sisters Heal website again https://sistersheal.co.uk/

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AnonyMumAuDHD · 04/09/2026 13:32

RefundOrNot · 03/09/2026 09:08

It’s trying to balance the business head with the compassionate, human side too. It is such a lot of money for her to lose and the stress of not getting a refund will do the exact opposite of what a healing retreat is supposed to do.

It is very late in the day and very annoying but when women are dealing with trauma and mental health issues sometimes these things happen.

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Goodness you sound absolutely lovely - and I can totally understand why you feel conflicted.

You are right, though, that the short notice is the issue with filling the spot as so many women have carer commitments and getting cover at short notice is really hard. I’d love to take up the space, but have 2 dogs and an autie DD in a MH crisis home from uni so cannot find anyone to step in for me … but I love the look of the retreats and keen to explore a future one.

Keeping fingers and toes crossed that you can fill the room. Will post the holiday on my FB page just in case anyone is around - my Director of Studies at Uni does lots of project with victims of DV so hopefully she will be able to share with people she works with.

Franpie · 04/09/2026 13:16

That’s such a shame but I think you’ve gone above and beyond to try and refund some money, if it doesn’t work out, at least you can sleep easy knowing you’ve tried.

Original poster

RefundOrNot · 04/09/2026 12:12

We had another cancellation back in June for a totally legitimate reason and the space went almost instantly. Initial booker got a full refund and there was no drama. Such a different story when the retreat is only 3 weeks away.

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Original poster

RefundOrNot · 04/09/2026 12:09

No booking yet 😞

The owner of the venue (who is totally brilliant) has done a couple of Instagram videos so keeping everything crossed that the message finds its way to the right woman 🤞

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZzXRBSMwm7/?igsi=MTBiZjRyOG9wa3Btdw==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc3HDIYOzUq/?igsi=YnIyeG5vd2hoMzl1

Sisters Heal | Trauma Healing for Women on Instagram: "✨ If you’re a woman who needs a break from life, stop scrolling. ✨ This post found you for a reason. There is now just ONE space left on our next Serene Sisters Retreat in Syros, Greece 🇬🇷 from...

74 likes, 13 comments - sisters_heal on June 20, 2026: "✨ If you’re a woman who needs a break from life, stop scrolling. ✨ This post found you for a reason. There is now just ONE space left on our next Serene Sisters Retreat in Syros, Greece 🇬🇷 fro...

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZzXRBSMwm7/?igsi=MTBiZjRyOG9wa3Btdw==

OP posts:

Switchnow · 03/09/2026 13:14

BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows · 03/09/2026 09:25

To be fair, though, she can't be hard up if she was willing and able to pay £2K in the first place. Even if she adjudged attending the event as absolutely essential for her mental/physical/other wellbeing, she still went out of her way to select the most expensive option in doing so.

Just like a great many people cannot possibly do their jobs without the use of a reliable car... but it doesn't have to be a Lamborghini!

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All of that might be true, or she might have sacrificed numerous other things to save the money, and having the en suite/single
room option might have felt necessary for her to relax. I don’t think we can assume that she’s minted and it feels right that OP wants to live her values and not create stress on someone who obviously wanted to attend the retreat in the first place.

BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows · 03/09/2026 09:25

RefundOrNot · 03/09/2026 09:08

It’s trying to balance the business head with the compassionate, human side too. It is such a lot of money for her to lose and the stress of not getting a refund will do the exact opposite of what a healing retreat is supposed to do.

It is very late in the day and very annoying but when women are dealing with trauma and mental health issues sometimes these things happen.

Show quote history

To be fair, though, she can't be hard up if she was willing and able to pay £2K in the first place. Even if she adjudged attending the event as absolutely essential for her mental/physical/other wellbeing, she still went out of her way to select the most expensive option in doing so.

Just like a great many people cannot possibly do their jobs without the use of a reliable car... but it doesn't have to be a Lamborghini!