Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask for payment of deposit now

67 replies

Pinkerpellosa · 17/02/2020 15:39

I have booked a group thing for the summer. Deposit was unexpectedly 50%. Which came to a good few hundred pounds. I booked on my credit card so we wouldn't miss out. Should I ask other members of the group to pay their share of the deposit now?
On one hand I will be incurring interest on it up until the summer/until I can manage to pay it off.
On the other hand I and one other member of the group made the decision to book. We could have taken our chances and waited to get it later and risked there being no availability. Though everyone else is on board with it.

YABU take the money only when the thing happens
YANBU ask people for their share of the deposit now.

OP posts:
TheBouquets · 17/02/2020 15:47

Why should you or any single person in the group be out the money for the whole group.

LolaSmiles · 17/02/2020 15:53

You can ask now and it would be reasonable, but if you booked without checking everyone had the funds to pay now then you should be prepared to wait.

MazDazzle · 17/02/2020 15:54

Ask for the money now!

Inevitably, someone will back out and you’ll be left short.

TheDarkPassenger · 17/02/2020 15:55

I would always pay my way pre deposit

Hanab · 17/02/2020 15:56

Before booking I would have asked for the share of the deposit money .. hope everyone pays up ..

LoonyLunaLoo · 17/02/2020 15:56

Oh God, take the money now! You can guarantee people will start to back out or mess you around.

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 17/02/2020 15:57

You ask at the time you incur the spend.

No decent friend would leave you short - cc or not - when they have agreed to you paying on their behalf

RuggerHug · 17/02/2020 15:59

Get the money NOW!!! someone will drop out/try and change the arrangements and you're screwed. Only if you cleared the dates and details with everyone before you booked though.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 17/02/2020 16:02

Before booking I would have asked for the share of the deposit money

This ^^

You've not said how big the group is (?) but I'll be very surprised if at least a few don't mess you about - far better to have sorted it beforehand

Original poster
Pinkerpellosa · 17/02/2020 16:14

Aaarrrgh no!!!

I'm going to be all by myself doing this thing Confused
Yes, I should have double checked with everyone but it was a generally agreed to thing, just nobody was pulling the trigger on it. (Excuse that ridiculous phrase).

So IWNBU to ask all involved for a share of the deposit.

I should have got it ahead of time but as I was online it was saying X number of people interested Y availability left.... I was on the phone to one person and... Here I am!

OP posts:
catmumof1 · 17/02/2020 16:19

YANBU to ask for the money, be honest and say you weren't expecting them to take the 50% when you booked but it needs to be paid.
You shouldn't expect much out of people until after payday though (depending on how much it is obviously).
I did similar for a trip I helped organise but with a 25% deposit which was just over my full contribution so i kept quiet, then we had 2 drop outs and it got complicated and I was accused of not paying my share.
Start a spreadsheet of who's paid what.
Not recommending it but DH went on a stag do and the organiser posted a screenshot of the 'spreadsheet of shame' regularly to remind people to pay their installments.

LolaSmiles · 17/02/2020 16:21

So IWNBU to ask all involved for a share of the deposit.

I should have got it ahead of time but as I was online it was saying X number of people interested Y availability left.... I was on the phone to one person and... Here I am!
You can ask, but given you and the is other person unilaterally made the decision to book I think you've got to accept you could be waiting or someone could drop out.

billy1966 · 17/02/2020 16:27

I would ask for the deposit, at the very least it will weed out those who may let you down and you can find fill ins.

Get on it now.

Original poster
Pinkerpellosa · 17/02/2020 16:28

Yes, because I decided (with one other) to book I feel like I can't spring it on people. But they know from the group chat what the figures are.

Catsmum lol at the spreadsheet of shame 🤣

OP posts:
HopeYouStepOnALego · 17/02/2020 16:29

I'd give the group an option, either they can pay their full deposit now, or pay later and you'll add on the monthly interest that you incur on your credit card. Get their responses in writing, even if by text, so that you have written confirmation of their intention to pay.

FixTheBone · 17/02/2020 16:31

Why so much thought?

You were happy to pay the 50% at the time.

Message the group, apologise that you didn't foresee this happenjng., Explain that if anyone can pay the deposit now it'd really hp you out.

Be happy with whatever people are able to pay.

wowfudge · 17/02/2020 16:33

Just tell the group 50% deposit was required to book so it's X per person/per couple, etc and you've put it on your credit card so can they send their deposits to you and give your bank account details. Make sure they're correct!

rookiemere · 17/02/2020 16:39

Yes get the money. Otherwise if someone drops out for whatever reason you'll be totally out of pocket.
I recently refused to book group flights for a holiday- apart from everything else it's a real faff checking what luggage people want and adding in the passport details - and it turns out I dodged a bullet as someone's circumstances have changed and they now can't go.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 17/02/2020 16:45

I should have double checked with everyone but it was a generally agreed to thing

It wouldn't really have mattered if they'd sworn on their lives they were okay with it - nobody's committed in any way until they've put their money down, and unfortunately that makes it your problem

Personally I'd go with wowfudge's suggestion and ask for it straight away; if some are going to mess you around you might as well find out who they are now, rather than have the run up to the holiday spoiled with worry

dognamedspot · 17/02/2020 16:48

Everyone needs to pay whatever you would lose if they decide not to go. So if you would just lose the price of their deposit, that's what you need in your account now. If you'd lose the whole price of their holiday, or have to distribute it among everyone else, then everyone needs to pay in full now.

Thewarrenerswife · 17/02/2020 16:59

Ask for it straight away. Explain the interest charges, and say that anyone who can’t pay now will have the interest charges split.
I’m due to go on a group event, and that’s exactly what the friend who organises it did (after tickets were booked just as you are). A few didn’t put, and they split the little bit of interest that added on top. Fair.

FairyBatman · 17/02/2020 17:08

YANBU to ask for it now as you’ve paid it. YWBVVVU to start adding interest charges as per PP suggestion if you made a spur of the moment decision to book without warning!

Just ask, as said above if people are going to be flaky it’s better to find out now!!

GabriellaMontez · 17/02/2020 17:32

Explain as you did here, that you went ahead as there was limited availability and you wanted to save everyone money. Ask them to pay their share.

And always get thr money first!

Puzzledandpissedoff · 17/02/2020 17:52

I wasn't sure whether to mention this, but my cousin came a cropper in this way over her 70th birthday cruise. She discussed everything fully with the 7 other people who wanted to go, and then found an stunning deal which had to be booked by a certain date

Even then she didn't just assume but emailed everyone to check and got a blizzard of "amazing ... yes!!", "book it!!" and "I'll transfer the cash tomorrow" - only to see the shilly-shallying start the instant she'd paid

She lost a fortune Sad

LolaSmiles · 17/02/2020 20:32

Explain the interest charges, and say that anyone who can’t pay now will have the interest charges split.
Why should someone be paying interest for a payment on a credit card that they didn't sign up for?
Nobody can decide to make a payment on someone else's behalf without, spring the repayment on them and then tell them that if they don't cough up then they'll have to pay interest.
The OP's decision to buy it on credit card without discussing it with others doesn't make anyone else liable for the interest.