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?

If it’s tax deductible then how is she out of pocket ?

Personally I'd pay the £51 which is only £11 more than what you offered. Ask her for a business invoice though so you can claim tax. (She may well try and get tax relief on the full amount...)

£11 more than you were planning to give her? I would just pay it.

For the sake of 11 pounds I would pay and then never go away with her again.

6 hours driving would probably be about £50 so just see it as you paid for the way there when you were in the car and she paid for the way back, you chose to leave early so she shouldn't be out of pocket, if traveling alone she may have bought an advance train ticket. While she sounds irritating I'm not sure my work would be ok with me leaving a work event early because I find a colleague irritating! Be glad you are self employed and don't travel with her again.

That was nice of her, confirming that she is, indeed, a bit of an arsehole. £11.25 extra is money well spent.

Foe the difference I would pay the 51 quid and never ever again engage in anything with her.

Perhaps she wouldn't have driven if she wasn't going to have a passenger to pay half.

I suppose paying £51 is a bargain, really, as you are now free of her and her awful behaviour.

Money well spent!

This. It wasn't your colleague's decision for you to leave early and get the train. I believe it is fair that you pay half of petrol costs for both journeys

You were happy to pay £40. Is it worth falling out over an extra £11? It was your choice to leave early and return home by train, and you had agreed to fill the car on the return journey. Is just pay up rather than having conflict over £11. And travel by train next time.

You should pay her for the cost of filling up on the way home, as you had agreed to.

On a separate point, how nice to be able to deduct work travel from your taxes. Thinking about how much I had to pay for my annual railcard just to get to work in the first place😕

I think I'd pay the £51 - but would let it be a lesson/warning to me for future car shares.

I’d pay full amount and ask for a receipt so you can deduct from tax.

I'm too late. I was going to say you should pay her unless it was her doing that you decided not to share her car going home - and now it seems it was.

Chalk the extra tenner this has cost you up to experience and don't get trapped with her again. I think you're probably wise overall to have paid her, though - certainly the easiest and most final option.

I would just pay it and have nothing more to do with her. Not worth dragging it into an argument, some people just can't see reason.

Tell her to send you the receipt so you can claim it first. Then you’ll see exactly what you’re being charged for.

You are talking about commuting. That’s not what OP is talking about. If you had to purchase a railcard to travel to somewhere other than your regular place of work, for work purposes, you can claim tax back on that.

For the sake of £11, I'd be inclined to just give it to her to get rid of her.

Give her a wide berth in future.

I’d pay but I’d ask that either she invoices you for it, or sends you the receipt (or at a push a copy of it) so that you can also claim it back.

That’s irrelevant. It was still your choice to spend money on top of what you agreed, which was to fill up on the way back. You referred to her as a ‘friend’ which suggests the parts of her behaviour which bothered you were already parts of her you knew about.

I'd ask for a receipt of what you paid her and then add it in to your business expenses. If no receipt then print off your payment from the bank as proof of payment and in future agree expenses or avoid her entirely.

I would pay her. She drove you up and it took 6 hrs. That sounds like a long and exhausting drive. She was obviously going to drive you home too and for 50 quid that sounds like a bit of a bargain round trip but for whatever reason you decided to leave early.
Would it have cost you 90 on the train up too?
You are offering her 40. Would the extra 10 kill you?
It sounds like you don't like each other too much but I think falling out over 10 quid is hardly worth it.

Of course you should pay it. I am not even judging whether she used that amount of fuel or not. I’m sure she did though. But why in earth would you argue over £11!! You’d already agreed to £40. This is nuts.

@Mary28 it's not a round trip. She took me up one way.