Woman Backs Out of Group Trip. Now, Her Friends Want Her to Cover Everyone's Financial Loss

Yahoo

2 days ago

After pulling out of a group trip for personal reasons, a woman finds herself at odds with friends who now expect her to take on the entire financial loss
A woman seeks advice from the Reddit community following a dispute with two friends over a canceled Airbnb trip.
The original plan was simple: three friends would be splitting a $600 rental, each contributing $200, with one friend, referred to as Friend A, paying the full amount upfront.
"Friend A was the one who made the reservation and paid in full so that me and friend B would give A our share ($200.00 each) later," the woman writes in her post. But plans changed when she decided not to go anymore, citing "personal and safety reasons."
Although the rental host "would only give a 50% refund" if they canceled, "both friend A and friend B still wanted to go."
Even though she backed out, the poster told her friends that she'd honor her part of the agreement. 'I said if they still wanted to go I would give my share ($200.00) since I took the responsibility of being part of it before,' she explains.
However, things took a turn when Friend A demanded more than just her original share. "Friend A said that I should pay $300.00 because I was the one who didn't want to go, not them, and if they were to cancel it that would be the total loss," she explains.
The poster didn't agree that she should be paying more than her portion, especially since the trip was still scheduled to move forward without her. 'Why would I pay for half of the trip when is not even canceled yet?' she questions, pushing back on what she saw as an unfair request.
Friend A then mentioned they would try to invite someone else to take her spot. But they made it clear that if that person declined, the poster would be expected to cover the full $300 shortfall.
The next day, Friend A messaged again with an update. 'They informed me that the other person they invited did not want to go and that they had cancelled the house,' the woman writes, adding that Friend A also sent proof of a refund.
Now, with the Airbnb officially canceled, Friend A insisted she should be held fully responsible for the loss. 'They expected that I paid the full amount of $300.00 because I backed out first,' she explains, even though both friends ultimately decided not to go.
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What made the situation even more frustrating was Friend A's refusal to ask Friend B for their share "because they too wanted to go."
"I told them that if they ask for person's B share or not is not my problem, my only responsibility now is paying my part," the woman replied.
To her, the fair thing would be for everyone to pay based on the final outcome. 'Now that the refund was made I believe that the correct amount for each person to pay is $100.00,' she argues, since the Airbnb host only refunded 50% of the $600 total.
She reiterates that she never asked the group to cancel. 'I never forced them to not go but actually said I would still pay MY part in full and they chose not to go,' she writes. From her perspective, she upheld her end of the plan, and what they did afterward was out of her hands.
Despite the pushback from Friend A, she decided to settle what she believed was fair. 'I refused and sent $105.00 for my share and told them that was my share and that it would be all I was going to pay,' she shares, sticking firmly to her decision.
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In an edit to the post, the woman shared that Friend A's "reasoning for not going through with the trip was because they didn't want to split food and gas into 2, but 3."
Adding yet another layer of tension to the story, the poster revealed that the friend initially "wanted a bigger and prettier house that could fit 4-5 people, but I didn't want that one because it was too expensive (about $850)."
The situation left her feeling stuck, unsure if setting boundaries over what she owes makes her selfish or simply fair. But one thing she's certain of is this: 'My only responsibility now is paying my part.'
Read the original article on People
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