Who should pay?!

[Boatymcboatofftheboat]

The specifics of this are incredibly outing so changing a few of the details (hopefully it still makes sense! Please bear with me):

My friend has a boat she can no longer afford. I am interested in her boat, but not 100% sure I need one at this time. We had an agreement before lockdown that I would have 100% ownership of the boat for a trial period of 2 months (all of April and May). I would pay costs totalling 350£ a month for this period. In exchange I would have 100% use of the boat and my friend would not use it at all. Because of lockdown I am not able to use the boat, but I agreed to pay before this and a deal is a deal/I value my friendship so have paid for April and planned to pay for May. However my friend has mentioned several times that she has been using the boat during April.

DH thinks I would be crazy to pay for May as agreed since I have not used it and actually friend is using it which breaks our agreement/essentially means I am paying for her to use her own boat.

I am in two minds as I value her a friend and don’t want to be petty, and lockdown is not her fault obviously - but equally I’ve paid one month and I am rankled she has been using it.

YABU - pay for May as agreed
YANBU - you paid for one month already and that’s enough/don’t be a mug

If the boat is a narrow boat then the horse can walk along the tow path pulling the boat along and the OP can benefit from both purchases.

@Honeyroar

I do want the horse. But I equally don’t want to get attached to it if friend is no longer sure she will sell, and I also have an issue with the principle of the arrangement. I think what would be fair would be for me to have paid April as a gesture of good will/because we agreed it, but then not pay May and either cancel the trial or, if she becomes sure she will sell again, do the trial at a later date when lockdown allows.

I think it’s a bit cheeky of your friend to take your money if you can’t trial the horse. You’ve paid one month. You’d think she might have told you that you could just pay for one month as a compromise.

@Chesneyhawkes1

I changed the amount due to being cunning with detail changes. You know, like how it’s also not a boat or a car 🤪

@bettybattenburg

I’m never going to live this down 😂

Am I the only one who can’t see where the OP said car?

I’m so confused!!

I think your last post is the best course of action.

Definitely don’t pay for May. She shouldn’t have taken your money for April!

Do I have time for the panda?

I think riding a panda will be alot slower than a horse. I would buy the car as well and keep the Panda for recreation rather than commuting.

In which case, do you really need a boat?

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat

I thought I had deleted them all!

I’m never going to live this down

I think you're right but think how much you've cheered people up tonight when times are crap

@donquixotedelamancha

Do you think I can ride the Panda (or walk it) in lockdown? Hopefully no shortage of shoots

I think riding a panda will be alot slower than a horse. I would buy the car as well and keep the Panda for recreation rather than commuting

My poor brain is bamboozled by all this.

@bettybattenburg

Ah, it’s the little things! I’ve made myself laugh too with my own sheer stupidity/lack of proof reading skills

As in you’ve edited the OP since you posted? How?

Asap.
Friend, I haven't managed to ride horse due to lockdown. Restrictions mean we will have to revisit the trial period so I will pay you the second £350. when we have agreed on a month that I can actually get to
ride horse.

Ah I see 😂 I think a panda would be cheaper to keep 👍🏻😂

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat

I messaged MN in the hope that no eagle eyed MNetters would spot the error.

Now MN have edited it so, actually, this thread now looks completely fucking insane

I would pass my details on the the friend and petsuade her to let me buy the panda outright, leaving you free to renegotiate cars and boats and horses.

Do you think I can ride the Panda (or walk it) in lockdown?

Surprisingly I can't find that in the guidance. We have lots of bamboo in our garden so you could store it at ours for the lockdown. The kids would love a panda

I'm not paying for may though.

Nah it's not unreasonable to not pay, in honesty if I had made such an arrangement with a friend and a pandemic made it unsafe for them to use it, I wouldn't charge at all. Guessing the costs are what she would incur anyway, and nothing additional because you would be using it?

Has she only been to ride the panda after you found out you couldn't go? If so, it's a bit tricky, but I think you could leave it as is for April, but say seeing as she's not likely to sell and you therefore can't buy, you won't be paying for May.

In her heart if hearts, shed be a cf to not see that as reasonable.

I'm not paying for may though

YABVU! We will be providing a bamboo-removal service

Ok. Thank fuck for that. I thought my sleep deprivation had finally caught up with me and I was hallucinating.

Now MN have edited it so, actually, this thread now looks completely fucking insane

Yeah, that missing typo makes an otherwise perfectly normal thread seem silly.