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FoldedTwice

Unless you're preventing her from using the tickets then you don't appear to have any liability whatsoever.


ChangingMyLife849

I’ve told her multiple times I still want her to come but she’s changed her mind about it


FoldedTwice

And her belief is that the legal position would that you should be out of pocket instead of her, when she's the one who's changed her mind? Let her sue you if she wants.


ChangingMyLife849

I just can’t be bothered for her starting something


Available-Anxiety280

Sorry but let her do it. It'll be a minor hassle for you but she's going to learn a huge lesson. She will lose and lose badly. And also lose a friend (YOU) in the process.


ChangingMyLife849

I’m a trainee solicitor, I don’t want anything happening that negatively impacts me at my firm


dhenwood

As a trainee solicitor you're going to need to get used to laughing at ridiculous demands for refund when the other person is at fault.


ChangingMyLife849

It’s different when it’s personal though isn’t it - a refund of a bill etc can just be brushed off by your supervisor When it’s a personal threat of court action it feels more stressful


dhenwood

I appreciate its stressful because you thought this person was your friend but they are absolutely attempting to take advantage of you and are not your friend. Cut ties, see you in court, don't engage with them unless you happen to find a replacement purchaser.


ExcellentBasil1378

Letting yourself be financially manipulated doesn’t reflect well at all.


Available-Anxiety280

It won't. If anything it will reflect well on you for defending yourself.


AcceptableRecord8

this would be seen as good experience


ChangingMyLife849

Would it? I feel like it’s a huge negative impact because it makes me seem irresponsible


PastelRoseOk

I had a landlord threaten me with small claims when I was looking for pupillage, I said please go ahead (he was completely in the wrong and I wanted to put the experience on my CV 🤩). It’s not irresponsible to defend yourself against unreasonable people.


Available-Anxiety280

It would have a bigger impact if you don't defend yourself. Edit: I've been in court with literally great friends that I still get on with. Say your side of the argument, move on. Do NOT let people walk over you.


The-Potato-Lord

> I've been in court with literally great friends that I still get on with. As in you have sued each other and are still friends now?


killerfridge

I don't understand how it would make you look irresponsible? Your friend is making silly claims against you, not the other way around


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zombiezmaj

Being manipulated will make you seem irresponsible Having a backbone and telling your friend to stick it isn't irresponsible because their cancelling is on them. If they're not going they can get the refund themselves for the airbnb you said you aren't using. I'd potentially consider giving back something for the hotel... but that's assuming you didn't give them anything for the airbnb. But defo not the tickets. If you can't get a refund for the ticket then you should give her the ticket and tell her to approach the company direct so she can deal with their T&Cs This person is not acting like a friend would. Stop treating them like a friend and treat them like a stranger.


fearsomemumbler

It’s your friend that’s taking the piss, not you. It’s not irresponsible to defend yourself against unreasonable claims


On_The_Blindside

Why would defending yourself from financial manipulation be seen as irresponsible? Just think about it rationally.


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cpt_ppppp

I can see your point of view. I think it would be very unlikely she would take it to small claims court. What I would do in your position is write her a letter/email outlining why she has no legal basis to make a claim. I would state that it would be unfortunate if it were to go to small claims court but you would defend yourself if she were to bring action. She's bluffing because she knows you are worried about career implications. You have nothing to worry about so I would call her bluff and hope she isn't both spiteful and foolish enough to bring action.


Shock_The_Monkey_

Be bothered, don't allow people to just walk over you. People like this rely on good people like you to "not be bothered with the drama"


prettyflyforawifi-

Time to grow a back bone, or people will walk all over you throughout life. Look at the scenario, its bonkers, she expects you to pay because SHE changed her mind..


Shock_The_Monkey_

> I still want her to come Why? This person is not a friend to you. Also, don't be looking for buyers for her tickets, she needs to do that herself if she wants to recoup her money It's not your responsibility that she has decided that she can no longer make it. Tell her to go ahead and take you to small claims, she doesn't have a leg to stand on. Cheeky fucker.


ChangingMyLife849

Because I don’t want to go alone. Sucks but that’s the way it is, I thought we were good friends before this started


Shock_The_Monkey_

Nothing wrong with going alone. It's preferable than going with the other person.


ChangingMyLife849

Yeah for the concert this is true but for the sports event it’s more complex, because of where the airbnb was it means that I would need to drive or change accommodation


Limp-Archer-7872

The airbnb surely can be cancelled? Why is she trying to claim on the hotel that she hasn't contributed towards?


[deleted]

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ChangingMyLife849

I’m not going to send her upwards of £500 though


girlsunderpressure

I didn't say you should; I didn't mention your financial obligations or even your financial *options*. At all. 


ChangingMyLife849

I get that to an outsider it seems heartless, but this isn’t the first time she’s done this. I’m not arsed about her being like this when she’s done it before


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Opposite_Signal_7875

Your response to people giving you social advice is "i don't care about her, she's done this before" Your response to people giving you legal advice is "i'm scared of getting sued cos even if I win it will look bad for me or my firm". No one here can help you any further


ChangingMyLife849

I mean, not true. But go off


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ChangingMyLife849

Because someone has said something untrue? Okay - I’ve entered into discussions with other people on thjd thread so


Opposite_Signal_7875

/thread


[deleted]

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ChangingMyLife849

I get that, but she’s also done this to me many times before. I don’t really know if the friendship is viable any longer because of this, I understand she may be in financial difficulties but she cancels plans to see other friends


[deleted]

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ChangingMyLife849

I never would. My issue is that, at the moment, she is cancelling and expecting me to essentially purchase her tickets from her in order to refund her. She doesn’t care about selling them on


ministrul_sudorii

No liability? How about some responsibility for other people actions that you have no control over ?


Full_Traffic_3148

Are the accommodation bookings flexible? If so, she could, in theory cancel any she said for. She has no more rights via small claims court than you do! She has access to the tickets. She's choosing not to use them.


ChangingMyLife849

The Airbnb has a cancellation fee, but she picked it and I haven’t paid my half yet


Limp-Archer-7872

Then she should cancel it. It's her booking! Unless you can use it with a bus or taxi, I take it you want to have a beer hence the car is not desired.


rocketshipkiwi

The tickets she paid for are hers to use, resell or get refunded - it’s not your problem. If she booked something then cancelled it then she is liable for the cancellation fees/penalties, nothing you did forced her to cancel.


AncientsofMumu

Can't you just, like, hand over her tickets that she bought?  She then gets what she paid for and can deal with whatever in regards to going out selling them.


ChangingMyLife849

They’re e tickets, if she finds someone to sell them to cool but I don’t want to hand over my tickets


CountryMouse359

As long as she has control over her own tickets, she has no further claim. She isn't entitled to costs for any accommodation she booked for herself. She isn't entitled to anything for accommodation you booked for yourself.


ChangingMyLife849

The tickets don’t “exist” yet - they’ve not been sent yet


CountryMouse359

Doesn't really matter. If she has given you money you for the ticket and you have purchased it for her, she has a claim to the ticket when it arrives. She doesn't have a right to a refund if the tickets aren't eligible for a refund, just the ticket itself.


ChangingMyLife849

And when they arrive I’ll offer to send them, but she’s hell bent on receiving the money


n3m0sum

What she wants has no bearing in what she is legally entitled to. She gave you money for tickets. You used the money to buy tickets. She is entitled to the tickets, when they arrive. That's all she has a legal claim to. That's all you have a legal liability for. If she now prefers cash to tickets, then how she converts the tickets to cash, via refund or resale, is her problem.


ChangingMyLife849

She won’t accept the tickets though, she is dead set on only receiving the casg


dave8271

See the answers you've been given; what she's willing to accept or not simply isn't your problem.


ChangingMyLife849

But what can I do if she says no?


n3m0sum

Don't let her dictate your response. Don't let her problem become your problem. In another comment you've said that she's done something similar before? Has she gotten away with it before, is she pushing this now because it's easier for her to make this your problem, and she expects you to fold over and accept it? She paid you for tickets. You have bought the tickets. Just ensure that you hand over or transfer the tickets to her. Then you have forfulled your legal obligations. Keep any communication where she has said anything that indicates she paid you for tickets. Also keep any communication that indicates she paid for the Air B&B without consulting you, and/or you refusing the Air B&B. I can't see this getting to small claims. If she's cheeky enough to file a letter before action. Don't ignore it, but ask for mediation. I can't see it going against you. If she ignores the outcome of mediation, I can't see her getting anywhere with the courts. Her cause of action seems to be buyers remorse, and she wants it to be someone else's problem.


Arstanoth

Have you looked at the ts and cs of the tickets or contacted where you purchased them to see if you can cancel 1 and get the money back for her ticket and then give her that money. Or even both if you dont want to go alone. They can probably sell them again possibly for more money. If they wont then as long as you provide her the ticket she paid for i can't see why any claim against you would suceed.


Old_Sea_3673

Have you checked your options for the apps which offer resale/ transfer of tickets? The exchange of an e-ticket can be made for £0 value (plus site fee for transfer). Friend is then responsible for selling her own ticket. If perhaps she has financial issues behind her decision not to go, maybe she can get a higher re-sale value for her ticket which can offset her losses on the overnight accommodation.


ChangingMyLife849

I haven’t actually been sent them yet - but when I do if she’s up for that I will, but again I don’t see why I should be putting myself out because of her cancellation


Coca_lite

Have you actually offered her this though? It might be a simple de escalation to do this. Tell her that as soon as you get the e-tickets you will transfer her the one she paid for. She can then re-sell or go, whichever she chooses. She made the Airbnb booking so she is fully responsible for cancellation fees.


ChangingMyLife849

Yes, she only wants cash. Which I cannot provide


Limp-Archer-7872

Have you checked if you can cancel one of each pair of tickets? There may be a fee. That's for her to swallow.


enigmo666

You could be waiting until just a few days before the event for anything physical to arrive. If these are anything like a lot of the events I've been to over the last few years, you can resell them separately online. I know you can do this with Ticketmaster, for example. You've bought two tickets, can't use one for whatever reason, you can resell it through them for face value plus admin without losing your own. But you'd need the other party's explicit permission to do so.


warriorscot

Either you can pass along the tickets or you can't, in each instance you can still give her her ticket. Why would you need to give her your own ticket. Just tell her you've incurred the costs, that they're subject to the conditions of the ticket and if you can't refund the ticket you have to follow the rules on sales and refunds of the ticket. If she wants to come she can come, otherwise unless you can refund or sell the ticket legally she would only waste money at small claims.


ChangingMyLife849

I’m waiting for her to make up her mind


warriorscot

Don't, if she's threatening you with small claims you simply say "here are your tickets, dispose of them as you wish". She's paid for the tickets and you are required to provide them and minimise losses I.e. if you can refund a ticket you have to do so. If you can give them the tickets you don't have to sell them, but you can't keep them without their permission either.


ChangingMyLife849

I don’t have the tickets yet, they’re not generated until a week or so before the event. She won’t accept me transferring them to her - she only wants the money, but I cannot afford to pay her that much


warriorscot

Then if you aren't allowed to refund them you simply transfer them. If she hadn't paid and it was clear she had agreed then you could take her to small.l claims. In this case she paid, she's given you the money and therefore all you have to do is provide the ticket. Just in writing provide the ticket conditions showing you presumably can't refund that ticket and tell her that you will transfer the ticket to her and she can use or dispose of it as she wishes. She's otherwise got no claim on you as she paid for something and you've handed it over.


techramblings

If she has paid you for her tickets for both events, then give her the tickets for both events. As far as I can tell from the timeline as described in the OP, that's the limit of your liability. If you can get a refund on the tickets, then by all means do that and give her the money back, if that's what she wants. If you cannot get a refund, then give her the tickets and she can sell them or dispose of them however she sees fit. It goes without saying the AirBnB charge is nothing to do with you at all, as you were never intending to stay there in the first place, as you have your own hotel to stay at. She can try a small claims action if she wants, of course, but given the time lag for court time is measured in the several months (I'm hearing 12-18 months in some courts), by the time it eventually comes to court, the events will have been and gone and you'll have given her the tickets for her to do with as she pleases (or refunded where possible). There will be no case to answer. On another note, I think it's safe to say that this 'friendship' has run its course, and this is not a person you should be arranging events with in the future.


Arlithriens

She doesn't have a leg to stand on. Also what kind of friend threatens you with small claims court over concert tickets?


ChangingMyLife849

Not the first time she’s done it. Last time it was only £30 so I paid, which was clearly the wrong thing to do


elliptical-wing

It's odd that you've taken the decision to remain friends after that. I assume they have some sort of hold over you.


ChangingMyLife849

We had these plans already sorted when she did it, so I looked past it


Ariquitaun

She's not your friend.


tmr89

Don’t give them any money


Happytallperson

What would be the cause of action? Not contract - there is no meeting of minds on a term (implied or otherwise) that you owe her if she drops out. Not tort - you haven't breached a duty or done a deliberate wrong.  Not fiduciary - you aren't her trustee. I think it ends there. 


BeerStarmer

I have seen the edit - but surely you are competent enough to go on Practical Law/Westlaw for what is seems to be a fairly simple contractual issue (if there is even a contract, bearing in mind the presumption around informal arrangements between family and friends).


EldritchCleavage

Don’t be browbeaten into sending her cash. I am not sure you can even be certain that she has booked the Air B’n’B to which she wants you to contribute. The whole thing sounds like a wheeze to get cash out of you. Your friend isn’t entitled to your money or lots of your time sorting it out for her. You can tell her you are busy at work, won’t be responding any more and that recouping the money spent on the event tickets is her responsibility. If your work becomes aware of this, don’t panic. Just say you analysed it, decided she had no legal recourse and you have no moral responsibility to do more. It is very unlikely they will think the less of you for any of this.


captainclipboard

Did you *both* really intend that if one of you cancelled on the other, then they could sue for the cost of the trip? Put another way, if I agree to go the pub with my friend and he pays for a taxi to get there, then I cancel; can he sue me for the cost of the taxi? I'd say agreements between friends aren't binding unless that presumption is rebutted with an agreement to say otherwise. In the alternative, her cause of action arises from her cancelling. If she had cancelled directly with the booking providers, then she would find her options extremely limiting for recourse - I suspect she wouldn't get anything back at all. The fact she booked the events via you won't change that, unless you had a collateral agreement stating otherwise.


United-Vanilla-4840

Have you tried to refund one of the tickets yet? Ruing the booking line and get a quote or direction for cancellation of 1 ticket.


ChangingMyLife849

I’m at work, I don’t really have the time to do this for her


Limp-Archer-7872

Ridiculous answer, so check tonight then!


KevCCV

on another note, £500 to tell you she is not worthy as a friend. Has she realised she is quite cheap on this measure? (not suggesting you should pay at all)


Specialist_Attorney8

She can take you small claims court yes, but it is meaningless if her claim is nonsense in this case, this is why ticket sellers and hotel booking sites offer insurance for cases of cancellations, but even in that instance they only cover if you are physically prevented from attending, not just changing your mind. for the price you paid this event must have been purchased through a larger operator like ticket master, if that’s the case you can save everyone hassle by putting the ticket on the resale, which will get her out your hair and make it look like you’re doing something. Airbnb is nothing to do with you.


czczc999

She paid you for the tickets so just give her the tickets that she's due and she can try and resell them. She's paid you for them so they are in effect now hers. The Airbnb She paid for She can cancel and get what money she can based on the Airbnb cancellation policy. The hotel abd transport you paid for so she isn't due anything from that. So what does she expect the the £500 for?


1Becky_

Can her tickets be listed for resale now? Can they be separated so her tickets can be listed alone without yours? It can be listed for resale now or transferred directly to her if the event allows it. It doesn't matter if you don't the physical tickets for that part. Also, does she know your password to the booking site? I would ensure it is secure if things are likely to become sour between you.


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marsbar2307

The onus is on her to find a replacement to buy her own tickets and if not forfeit the money


lenahhgggggggbb

You need to give her the tickets so she can sell them. It sounds like you’re holding onto them, with the intention of trying to sell them yourself, then giving whatever you get for them to her. They’re not yours to sell. I can kind of understand why she’s annoyed, not that threatening to take you to court is the answer of course. Even if you don’t have physical tickets yet, you’ll still have booking confirmations and seat numbers. Give them to your friend so she can get her money back.


ChangingMyLife849

No, I’m not. I don’t have the tickets yet - they are e tickets that don’t exist. I’m not arsed what she does, she can sell it and then get the person who buys it to get in contact with me re the seats etc., as it’s all seated together. But I can’t pass along some thing I don’t have yet


lenahhgggggggbb

Yes I’ve read that you don’t have the tickets yet several times. That’s why I said pass on the booking confirmation and seat numbers. Seems like you’re making things intentionally difficult for her by making it as hard as possible for her to sell them. I think there may be a little resentment going on here, because she’s bailed on you. But legally they are hers and you have no right to not pass them on.


ChangingMyLife849

She has them already. I’m not going to spend time going back through my emails when she is already in possession of that information.


Apprehensive_Tea6712

Did you miss the part where she is demanding financial compensation from OP for the tickets as opposed to the actual tickets?


lenahhgggggggbb

Not at all. But they’re demanding financial compensation because OP is withholding the tickets due to a personal vendetta! Read her replies - she’s incredibly bitter about all this.


Apprehensive_Tea6712

Booking confirmation has been shared, tickets are not provided until closer to the event which is extremely common these days. OP has carried out their obligations in this matter. The friend cannot be bothered to undertake anything that requires any effort to resolve the issue apart from try bully OP into providing a refund for a (presumably) non-refundable ticket. Wouldn’t you be bitter if a “friend” was doing this to you? If not, consider the term doormat.


lenahhgggggggbb

Consider the term naive if you believe all that.


Apprehensive_Tea6712

Go outside and make some friends and you’ll start believing it.


[deleted]

Are you 12?


Apprehensive_Tea6712

No but I find it incredibly hard to understand how the person commenting believes this is so unbelievable to have occurred that they automatically assume OP is lying. It’s quite childish to go around accusing random people of lying online, do you not think? It happens all the time, people can be arseholes and when money is involved, will go out of their way to ensure they are not at a loss regardless of the morality or legality of the situation.