Is she being a CF or do I need to pay for the full journey?

[straighttalker99]

Yesterday, I wrote a thread about going away with a work 'friend' and had a bit of a bad time. I decided to leave early, and paid for a £90 train fare home. When she drove us to the work event, it ended up being a 6 hour trip. When we arrived, I offered her £40 which I thought would be more than enough for my share. She rejected and said I just fill up on the way back. That's fine I thought.

She text me yesterday very bluntly with the figure of £51.25 with her bank details.I told her surely it would be half of that as I only travelled with her one way up. Her logic is that because we agreed I would fill up on the way back, I should fill up, even though she didn't take me home.

I'm more than happy to pay the £40 for her taking me to the work event, as I believe that covered well over half of our journey, (even with the roadworks) but should I pay the amount she has quoted, even though she didn't take me home?

She's taking you for a ride.

Also why aren't work paying?

If it’s a work event why aren’t they paying?
but you should only pay for your share

She used the same amount of fuel whether you were a passenger both ways, so you should pay the same as you'd initially agreed. If you hadn't agreed to "car share", she may well have found someone else to share costs with or chosen to use public transport instead.

Why are you paying for travel to a work event? Claim it back and tell her to do the same.

We are self-employed, so it comes off our taxes.

@Badbadbunny it was only us two there, so nobody else could have car shared with her.

Would she have been going to the event anyway?

How many miles was the one way journey up there? I would multiply the miles by 45p and then divide the total by 2 and pay that amount.

I think I agree with this.

But like PPs I’m wondering about why you’re paying for the work event yourselves.

Sounds like she’s getting you to pay the full journey including her share!
as above, work should pay too so is she trying to rip you off?

I don’t know the background of this or why either of you are paying for a work event. But if you were happy to pay £40 then just pay the £51 as she was assuming she would share the petrol costs both ways.

I think it also depends on the reason you left early, was it really terrible?

But she might have decided to take the train if you hadn’t shared a lift and that could have been cheaper if booked in advance.
It must have been a long way away if oetrol was £100.

Sounds like relations are damaged anyway so I’d probably brazen it out and say “had to spend double that on train fare home so I won’t be able to cover fuel on top of that when you would have gone anyway. Hope you found the event helpful”

You offered her £40, she declined with a counter offer of filling up on the way back, which you accepted. Pay the £51.25. Unless you want to make some kind of stance over £11.25 and risk falling out with a co-worker over it.

I think you should pay as you did say that you'll cover the fuel on the return journey. Why should she be out of pocket because you've decided to take the train back?

She’d be the CF if she did this, because she chose to leave early cos her friend’s behaviour was irritating her. (As per yesterday’s thread.)

The £90 train fare is a red herring and has no bearing on the agreement on how fuel costs would be split. OP brought this on herself as the ‘escape tax’ for not being able to stand her friend for a day longer.

OP should honour the ‘fill up on the way back’ agreement - if that’s turned out to cost £51 rather than the £40 she’d offered, she should have said at the time ‘no I will give you £40’ and had that agreed before they travelled.

I'd send her the £40 as that was more than fair. She's self employed and will deduct this from her tax. Don't forget you paid for the train ticket home.

If you had agreed to share the cost then I think you should pay.

It was your decision to leave early and take the train, from your post yesterday she was just being irritating, but didn't really do anything particularly awful. And you admit yourself that your threshold was low...

Was the reason you left early due to her? And would she have gone to the event if she had thought she would end up paying for more than half the petrol?

Is she going to be claiming the petrol mileage on her taxes at 45p per mile?

Is it possible that with your £40 or £51.25 and claiming the rest on her taxes, that effectively the journey becomes free for her?

No, this doesn't make sense. She'll use that receipt against her taxes but you'll have paid for it in full.

I'd want to be sure the tank was full when you set off. Sounds very expensive to me. If you need to work together pay her £25. As that's half or were you supposed to pay the fuel and she was paying a different cost?

I think I'll just pay the amount she has quoted.

I think if you’d previously arranged to car share both ways and you then changed the plan (for whatever reason) and got the train back that’s your decision and you should pay for fuel. It’s only £11 more than you’d offered anyway. Obviously you won’t be arranging any more trips with her!

I’d do the same. She sounds a spectacularly irritating individual judging by your previous thread, and £11.25 seems like a bargain to be rid of her. I take it your “friendship” is dead in the water anyway?

I don't really understand why you went early. But if you'd agreed to come back with her and you changed your mind, thenyes, I think you are obligated to pay your share of the petrol.

£51 seems a lot though. My car could easily do between 400-500 miles on that if I was driving on the motorway.