Real-life MMD: Should my replacement on theatre trip contribute to ticket cost?

Former_MSE_Debs · 12 December 2013 at 2:02PM

Money Moral Dilemma: Should my replacement on theatre trip contribute to ticket cost?

I was unwell, so unable to make a theatre visit. I asked the friend who organisedit if she knew someone who wanted my ticket. She found a replacement, but neither she nor her friend offered money towards the ticket that I had paid for. Should I broach it with them or assume I'm won't see any of the money?

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mgush5 · 17 December 2013 at 8:09PM

As she got the full benefit from the trip and you got nothing out of it she should pay at least half towards it, your friend could easily have called the theatres box office and cancelled that specific ticket and then got some of the money back minus the cancellation fee so someone else could use it, where as her friend got a full ticket to the theatre for nothing, it is unfair for you to fit the full burden on this just because you were ill - you could easily have not passed the ticket on at all.

tanith · 17 December 2013 at 8:21PM

Sorry but I see it differently, you offered your ticket to anyone who wanted it, unless you specifically said you wanted to sell it then I would of assumed you were making a nice gesture for someone to enjoy your ticket rather than it be wasted.

svmitche · 17 December 2013 at 8:34PM

If I had taken someone else's ticket, even at short notice I would expect to pay and would pay the full cost. Theatre tickets are not cheap, and even a last minute replacement should be expected to pay.

This being said, not everyone thinks this way, so if you didn't explicitly say you'd like some compensation when you told the organiser to find someone else, then I think you'll have to eat the cost this time, but say something up front if it ever happens again.

lauh88 · 17 December 2013 at 9:14PM

Did you say they could have it? Or did you ask them if they wanted to buy it? If it was the first one then whoever you gave it to might be a bit surprised or upset if you ask them for money now!

gloriouslyhappy · 17 December 2013 at 9:40PM

I have season tickets which occasionally I can't use or don't fancy the programme, and when I offer them to friends, I always make it clear I don't want any money and am just happy the seats won't be empty. If I were offered last minute tickets and money wasn't mentioned, I would ask if they'd like a contribution but wouldn't expect to pay full price unless it was something sold-out for which I'd tried to get tickets myself.

In your case, if you asked if anyone 'wanted' your tickets and didn't mention money, I think it's fair for the organiser and the eventual recipient to assume they were a gift. So I think you're right to suppose you won't see your money back, and that it's right not to ask for it now, but who knows, your good deed in passing on your ticket might come back to you one day when someone else is affected in a similar way.

Another consolation for you is that the cast and stage crew do notice empty seats, so you made them happy too!

happyinflorida · 17 December 2013 at 11:26PM

If you didn't say anything about this at the time you offered the ticket I think it is a bit unfair of you to ask later.

You were ill so the ticket would have gone to waste as you would not have been able to use it.

Unless you are financially suffering I really don't think you should say anything - remember this is the season of goodwill

brunettifan · 17 December 2013 at 11:32PM

It really depends how you broached the subject.

If it was that the ticket was going to waste could anyone use it, then it was used so you have no come back. If it was that you asked your friend to find a replacement for you to recoup some of the loss then that is different.

lvm · 18 December 2013 at 12:48AM

I think you should have made it clear before you offered anyone the chance to take your place.

You should have either offered it at a certain price or said it wasn't for sale, in which case you may have been able to claim against any insurance you had, if it covered events like this.

It doesn't sound like you confirmed a price to begin with so reckon you should let it go.

thegrifter · 18 December 2013 at 8:01AM

I suspect you haven't been clear in that you wanted reimbursing for the ticket when you offered it to the organiser. In this instance, I think that you need to let it go and should a similar situation arise in the future, be more specific! That said, had I been the recipient, I would have offered to pay, at least a proportion of the ticket price in any case.

akbrooker · 18 December 2013 at 8:35AM

My first thought was that of course you should get your money back, in full. But then it does depend on how you phrased the offer for someone else to use the ticket. We're often unclear about stating exactly what we want in case it sounds selfish or demanding. So something along the lines of, 'It's a pity I can't go... still, if someone else can use it, at least it won't go to waste...' makes it sound like you've written off the loss yourself and it was going begging.

Real-life MMD: Should my replacement on theatre trip contribute to ticket cost?

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