Money Moral Dilemma: Should we pay for their cut-short holiday?

ManAtHome

Agree with the others who said they should get food money (or food) back - no reason why the 'quitters' should subsidise eats for the 'hardy'.

iclayt

It's all very well to say "It's only £21 each so why not just give it to them?", but if it's apparently so low a sum to part with between friends why would the quitters expect to recieve it from you without asking for it? (I am assuming they haven't asked for it, you don't say they have anyway.)

In a sort of similar situation, a group of us went to a music festival a couple of years ago, and on the way there we stopped off for essential supplies (ie an awful lot of booze, crisps and cereal bars). We split the cost of this between all of us, paying with cash equally.

On the second day of the festival, after a night of shocking weather turning the place into a cold and miserable mudbath, 2 people decided camping wasn't for them after all and despite there being another full day of music and another night of camping they left early.

It didn't occur to them, nor did it occur to the remainder of us, to say "Hang on, before you go, here's your share of the lager and Pringles", or offer the money for them. They paid into a kitty for weekend supplies for the group, then chose to leave.

It's not worth creating a nasty situation over, so if your friends did specifically ask for some money back from everyone perhaps a group decision should be made to give them a token amount back. But if they didn't ask me, they wouldn't get it, I can't afford to be moral these days.

Townbake

I dont feel that you should give back £50. A smaller amount as a refund on the food but no way should you give more. They chose to leave so that is their decision.

daisey2008

I certainly wouldn't even consider repaying them any of the charter fees. Repaying the food money IMO would depend on whether or not it had already been spent in advance or you would be spending it as the trip progressed and as you needed additional food/drink. If the latter, yes I would refund it as the money was still available. If the former, I would consider whether it just got a little blowy & the three immediately chickened out or whether they were being constantly, violently, seasick & really couldn't continue - in which case, again, I would return the money. Just chickening out? No refund & I doubt I'd arrange to holiday with them again.

mr-tom_2

They chose to leave.

Seriously - who books a sailing holiday without expecting some bad weather?

We're not talking about you having sold the holiday to them and returning money, we're actually talking about you being fellow travellers.

Think about it like this - if you were on the National Express instead of a ship and a load of passengers got off early because the loo was blocked, would it be your job to refund their fare?

That would just leave you having paid even more for the same crappy experience.

kriss1977

No way! They paid for a holiday, turned up for it and then decided it wasn't for them. It is not as though they had to leave because of a death in the family or some other emergency out of their control - then, and only then, would I consider it though if you couldn't afford it even under those circs your departed friends would, I'm sure, understand you not participating especially as they haven't asked for the money in the first place.

I wonder if you explained to the friend who made the suggestion that you would be over budget and potentially overdrawn with your bank, whether they would then stump up your 'share' of this refund to your friends who left early?

If the food kitty hasn't been spent in advance, then you should give them their fair share of the pot back. In these circumstances I would expect this money back.

If it has been spent, as a gesture, I suppose you could give them any leftover food from the holiday if they want it though to be honest if I was them I wouldn't expect it then.

The only way I would consider a refund of the charter etc would be if they had decided in advance they couldn't make it and this only because they are friends - it would depend a lot on the reason and how much notice they gave and also whether everyone left in the group agreed beforehand to pay the extra it would mean for the charter but in this situation no, definitely not.

A few years ago I decided to try a beach resort holiday. I always thought it sounded so boring lying on a beach for 2 weeks doing nothing (I'm an adventure holiday girl) but don't like to slate something without any real knowledge and experience of my own and had enough friends who rated the relaxation of this type of holiday. In this instance, I was proved right. There was nothing to do nearby, no pretty scenery to get lost in and my daily routine consisted of lying by the pool, lying by the beach or walking round the same shops/town and eating each day. After less than a week I decided to call it quits. I found out I couldn't change my flight or get a refund on it but I did find a cheap flight home early. Weighing everything up I knew, despite the money I was losing, I would enjoy the rest of my holiday far more if I left and saw it as saving money on the booze I would have had to buy to hazed out the boredom in staying. My boyfriend was surprised but pleased to see me and I spent a lovely week at home doing things I enjoyed locally and went back to work thoroughly refreshed at the end of it.

From a money point of view I did lose out, but the point was it was my choice. I left with my eyes open knowing I had paid for a non-refundable ticket. This is not much different to your friends' decision to leave.

OnlyRob

Did I miss something where it was worked out to be 21, from my reading it sounds like each remaining person would pay back 50 to the pot to be split between the group who left...

Ebenezer_Screwj

You have answered your own dilemma. The trip was paid for, if they had never turned up at all they would lose the money they had paid, as you say - by their own choice.

yamster

I would view the food money as 'joint money'. If any was unspent at the end then you'd expect to divide it equally. Likewise, at the point they left, they should each receive their share of whatever was unspent.

With regard to food already purchased, I'd suggest they took whatever they want (up to their share).

Ellie-Emm

It would be fair to refund the food money in this case. From what I can gather, the people who went home haven't requested the return of any monies but if they are 'friends', then it would be a nice gesture. Think how pleased you would be, if the situation was reversed.