Woman who’s refusing to give her friend back £130 after she pulled out of a theatre trip with non-refundable tickets divides opinion – with some saying she should ‘re-evaluate’ their friendship

• Woman, who lives in the UK, spent £130 on tickets for a friend and their daughter
• Posting on Mumsnet, explained the friend is demanding the money back 
• She argued they are being unreasonable as the tickets are non-refundable 
• Responses were torn, but the majority advised her not to send the money  

A woman has revealed how she might be left out of pocket after her friend asked for money back for non-refundable theatre tickets. 

Posting on UK-based forum Mumsnet, the woman explained she had been due to go to the theatre with her friend and her daughter. The tickets cost £65 each and her friend transferred her £130 for her two tickets. 

But the friend now no longer wants to go and has asked for the money back. 

The woman took to Mumsnet to ask if she was wrong to refuse the request, explaining the tickets were non-refundable and non-transferrable, so there would be no way for her to recoup the cost. 

Many responses to the post have agreed with the woman’s decision that it isn’t her responsibility to reimburse her friend, while others claimed they would try to sell the two tickets and give their friend any money made.  

A woman has sparked a debate about how to respond when a friend cancels plans on a non-refundable booking (file image)

Posting on Mumsnet, the woman explained her friend has asked her to return £130 after changing their mind about going to a theatre performance

The woman explained that she has always been close to her friend and it would be difficult to sell the two tickets without also losing her own because of how they were ordered.

She vented her frustration, writing: ‘A year ago during lockdown a close friend and I decided to book expensive theatre tickets for us and her teenage daughter. We paid £65 per ticket which was the top price on offer but we thought since we weren’t able to do much else we might as well splash out.

‘A couple of weeks ago she messaged me and said she’s changed her mind about going. She won’t tell me why but she has asked me to send her the £130 back. The tickets are non-refundable. 

‘I’m a single parent to a young child and I simply cannot afford it. She has argued that I can just ‘sell the tickets on’ but the even isn’t sold out and I would struggle to shift them and they’re non-refundable.

‘It’s not a financial thing with her, she’s having some issues with her mood and she is cancelled a lot of plans which I have empathy for but I think demanding this money is really unreasonable. 

‘I’ve told her that tickets were non-refundable and I don’t have that money to send her and now she isn’t replying to my messages.’ 

A flood of responses to the post advised the woman not to send her friend the money, while arguing she shouldn’t be left out of pocket

The woman added that it’s difficult to sell the tickets separately because they are in her name and she won’t receive them until a week before the event. 

A stream of responses to the post agreed that the woman shouldn’t send her friend the money for the tickets and argued it’s her friend’s responsibility to find a buyer to get the money back. 

One person wrote: ‘I’d go on my own. You owe her nothing. She agreed to buy the tickets and they are non-refundable. If she no longer wants to go, she has to take the hit and lose her money. Absolutely not your problem. 

‘If there is anyone else you could go with who might buy her tickets, that’s great. But if not, you are in no way responsible for reimbursing her.’   

Another said: ‘She is BVVVVU. Do not refund her the money! Tell her she is welcome to sell the tickets on if she doesn’t want to go anymore but as the tickets are non-refundable you can’t return them for a refund to the theatre. She has changed her mind. You should not be out of pocket.’ 

A third added: ‘I’d expect her to give you the money for your ticket. Why on earth would you refund her? That’s bonkers. She should be giving you the money for your ticket as you are unlikely to go on our own’ 

Other responses to the thread claimed they would try to sell their friend’s tickets at a discounted cost.

Others claimed they would try to sell the tickets to friends and family for a discounted cost and give the money made to their friend 

‘I would find some lovely friends of my own to go with, offer them the tickets very cheaply so they’re getting a bargain and send her the money telling her that’s all you could get. Even if just £20. You enjoy the show, they get discounted tickets, she gets some money back. Win win win!,’ one wrote.     

Another said: ‘I think some of the responses would be very different if she had a physical illness. I can’t see anyone calling her a CF if she had a cancer diagnosis? However that doesn’t mean you should be out of pocket. 

‘I’d try and get her the voucher if I was you or offer to book for all of you at a later date if you don’t want to go alone.’ 

A third wrote: ‘Do not send her any money. I would offer the tickets for sale to other friends and family but apart from that it’s really up to her to sell them if she wants any money back. ‘ 

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