Falling out over concert logistics

[RightWhereTheSpiritMeetsTheBones]

My childhood best friend moved across the world 3 years ago. Found out that there’d be a concert held where she is, and managed to snag 4 tickets for it. One for me, one for her, and another 2 for a friend and her boyfriend who wanted to get tickets too.

The vague plan was always for me to stay with my friend at her studio apartment and for the other friend and her boyfriend to get a hotel. We got tickets together but we’re not necessarily going together IYSWIM.

After seeing hotel prices though friend thinks they should stay with us!! Obviously that’s not going to happen especially since friend will not want strangers living in her apartment for a week and I’m not going to put her in the difficult position of being the ‘bad guy’.

Actually not even that chuffed to hand tickets over—they haven’t even paid—to friend and the boyfriend after how rude they’ve been about the whole thing but have accepted that I did promise them I’d get tickets for them.

AIBU to not be more accommodating to friend and boyfriend?

That would have been my immediate response. No pissed off, no “falling out”, no mumsnet thread 🤷‍♀️

I'll eat my hat if they pay.
If they are already bitching about the cost of accommodation I can't see them forking out for flights, transport, food etc while over there. You won't see that money and I'll be surprised if you hear from them again.

They will probably ignore you now.

It's amazing how many people haven't grasped the basics of OPs post and her many updates.

OP you've done the right thing setting a deadline.

Hope you get your money, have a good trip and enjoy the concert

Two different issues.
You're not her travel agent arranging accommodation and entertainment ffs

1." Hi got your tickets as requested.
Please make transfer of £X by Y.
If you've had second thoughts and don't want the tickets, no problem. I will readvertise them if you haven't come back to me by Y."
And do it.

"If you do go, obviously you can't stay with my mate as its tiny appartment.
I suggest looking in Booking.com or Z.
Maybe we can arrange to meet at the concert"

This

I'm sure OP is legit but it's really daft to be offering to buy random-person-on-the-internet's Swiftie Tickets. That's just asking to get ripped off.

Our town hosts a well known festival and tickets often change hands on our local closed Facebook pages - lots of people still got scammed this year.

it's not a risk when they can be resold in an instant at a hefty profit!!

How would the OP possibly know? If they send the money across to the OP, she'll (?) have no control over what happens to the tickets. Trying to control everything doesn't work

Have you asked in the group chat if anyone else wants first dibs on the tickets if they are no longer interested?

I'm confused by the whole thing to be honest. If my friend bought her and myself and my partner tickets to a concert in another country, I'd assume we were all travelling and spending the trip together. I'd be really hurt if my friend bought us all tickets for a concert, halfway across the world, then said " Oh but I don't wanna go to the concert with you, and I'm staying with my friend you'll have to go stay elsewhere". Really weird and hostile behaviour if you ask me. Maybe just sell the tickets and be done with it. I wouldn't expect that friendship to last much longer though.

Just say there's no room. Ask when they will pay for tickets, say you'll pop them in post when you are paid.
You don't need to get drawn into discussion

😂

“Sorry, my friend only has a studio. There’s no room. Also, did you get my bank details to pay for the tickets?”

I don't understand the issue here. You were buying tickets for the concert and agreed to buy 2 extra for friend who would pay you back. She hasn't. She's now suggesting she stays with your you and your friend because accommodation is too expensive for them. Surely the first response would be "You can't just randomly invite yourself to stay at a strangers house you CF!" How have you left it? Surely you've not given her the impression that you're going to ask!
As for the tickets, I'd be putting the feelers out for resales and giving a deadline for payment....maybe factor in payday. Ensure you have a text trail as proof. I'd go with whichever happens first, buyer or full payment. Be prepared for this friendship to come to sn end.
Enjoy your concert!

I'd have to be very good friends with someone to go on a round the world trip with someone.
I suspect what's happened here is the friends got carried away and assumed OP wouldn't be able to get the tickets. Then , once they did their homework on flight and hotel costs, decided that the only way they can afford it is with no accommodation to pay for.

Doesn't sound like OP was hugely friendly with them before so no great loss.

If it's Taylor swift you'll be lucky to get accommodation anyway! All the hotel for the gig in Melbourne for example sold out last week!

I’m still trying to get my head around people flying across the world for a Taylor Swift concert 😳
I mean, I get the whole “going to stay with a friend, and wanting to go with her” (kind of) but to travel tgat far purely for a concert sounds barking mad to me. At the very least, I’d have thought they would be travelling around for a couple of weeks and making the most of it.
Glad you’ve sorted it out now OP, let us know the update

@MamaAgainAt40 the OP explained how the purchasing tickets situation came about. You'd be less confused if you read that.
The agreement was that she would try to get tickets and they would pay her for them - there was never an agreement to holiday together.

Thought was a concert ticket the OPpaid for? Which she could easily sell. Not the bloody plane ticket. Or have I missed something '?

If by any chance this is for Taylor Swift in Sydney or Melbourne well done for getting tickets!! My daughter is travelling to Australia next year and stayed up from 1am to 8am trying to get tickets and failed and then had to go to work as a carer all day! Honestly they should be so grateful you got tickets as Twitter was in meltdown over how difficult it was. You go and tell them they either get the trip sorted for themselves or you’ll sell back the tickets (you can do this). Or I will pay for a ticket for my daughter!!!

Well it’s Tuesday and past their 9am deadline. I haven’t heard a word from them since I sent them my bank details.

Will be selling the tickets (at cost price) to an old Aussie mate of mine who actually WhatsApp’d me a screenshot of this post 30+ minutes after I made the OP asking ‘is this you 😂’.

I know you’re reading this, J, see you and your DD next February!!

I'm glad it's sorted op but this thread is bizarre!

How did posters know you were talking about Australia?

Who on earth would fly to Australia for a gig?

There’s been so much hype on TS Oz tour, I guessed from the first post but didn’t read the rest until after I posted! It will be an amazing concert OP, what a week you will have! They had their chance, I’d just message them asap incase they book flights today!!

Excellent result, OP. Your Aussie friend will be delighted. I would send your other CF "friend" a text saying "as per my text last week, I advised that you had until Tuesday at 9am to get in touch regarding payment of the tickets. As you have missed the deadline, I have now sold the tickets to someone else".

Yeah, I sent her a message too at around 9. Was instantly ‘blue ticked’ on the first one but went to correct my spelling in a second message and was ‘one ticked’. Her profile pic and ‘last seen’ status has also disappeared so guess I’ve been blocked! 😂