Friend Has Back Out of Holiday

Deepshadows11

Hello, I'm new and hoping for some advice.

Me and my roommate booked and paid in full for flights and accommodation for Benidorm last November. We are due to leave 9th September 2016.

She has a new boyfriend who was also a good friend of mine but me and him unfortunately fell out after I expressed doubts when told he was moving in - they had only been together 4 weeks! I have ended up moving back to my parents house and I text her to double check we were fine and everything was okay. I got no text back so tried call but no answer. I text her to ask if we could meet for lunch and clear the air but she text me back stating she no longer wanted to go on holiday.

The accommodation is non-refundable - I sent her a copy of this confirmation last year when we booked it so she is aware of this. We also have flights booked with Ryanair, again these are non-refundable but are transferable but you have to pay an extra £110 for name/flight/date change.

I have made her aware of all these factors but she is adamant that I have to sell them for the full price she paid because she wants her money back. I plan to still go to Benidorm as I have a family friend living there and the plan was to meet up and spend some time together. I have said that I would try and sell the ticket for £230 which is the total of what she paid. Unfortunately I have been struggling as it's less than 30 days before we are due to fly and other friends/family haven't got any holidays left or couldn't afford the £230 + £110 name change fee which she is expecting someone to pay.

I have explained my struggles to her over text (she won't answer my calls) and she told me to either put the whole holiday up for sale or give her the details for her flights and accommodation so she can sell it separately.

I am not keen to do this because she expects a couple to pay £340 each for 1 week, self catering in Benidorm for the 9th September (less that 4 weeks away!) and I lose out on a holiday I have been saving up for since last year and won't get to see my friend. Or I am going to be sharing with some random person I may not know which I do not feel comfortable with...

I am lead passenger for the flight so explained that she could sell the flight separate but would need to get the person buying it to contact me directly so I can pay the name change fee and check them in and print off the ticket for them.

I am also lead guest on the accommodation but I have stated that under no certain terms would I be able to share with someone I don't know.

I do have a cousin who said he may get time off work and offered to pay the name change fee of £110 and give her a goodwill gesture of £50 as he would struggle to get the full amount plus his spending money within the short time frame as he would only have one payday before we are due to travel. But she seems set on getting the full amount back

Unfortunately I have tried reasoning with her stating if we both cancel we don't get back and I even got advice from a local travel agent and she said that my friend would not get her money back if we had booked with them....

I'm not sure where I stand or what the right thing is to do in this situation and would love some guidance or opinions on the matter. (I don't want to be doing anything illegal or to get sued etc!)

Many thanks
Shadows xc

whitewing

If all else fails, go on your own.

She may be thinking that she can go with her boyfriend, having not been able to sell your half of the holiday.

Tell her that you are happy to go with her.

balletshoes

there is generally no refund insurance policy payout relevant for "i don't want to go anymore". So if you are unable to find someone suitable to take her place, and she doesn't want to go, she loses her money.

Caz3121

She has decided she does not want to go on holiday so surely she is the one that forfeits what she has paid...

elsien

I don't think she's being particularly reasonable in that if you still want to go she can't expect you to forgo the holiday, and as you say sharing accommodation with a stranger isn't something she should expect you to agree to.
I'd be saying to her that if she wants to sell the flights she can do but it needs to be in a way that doesn't leave you at risk of being out of pocket for the name change fee.
She's the one who's dropped out so the ball is in her court.

Westin

It sounds like you have been very reasonable, have a sensible head and done all you can to find a solution to the problem.

I don't think your ex-friend's subborn behaviour will help her position and as you say it is doubtful anyone will pay the full holiday price and the name change fee.

I think you have done all you can and given that she won't speak to you on the phone I would personally leave it at that and go and enjoy your holiday. Forget her. Her loss.

ohreally

I don't see what the issue is, her position has left her, err, Donald Ducked, her making, her lookout!

Voyager2002

By all means give her the details she has requested... I cannot imagine that she will find someone willing to pay the full price (plus change fee) to go on their own and share with a stranger, particularly not at this short notice.

If she has any sense at all, she will understand that she faces either losing the full amount she paid or going herself, and so long as you are pleasant as well as being straight with her, one hopes she will choose to take the holiday after all and perhaps even end up having a good time.

KingS6

Like what the others have said it's her mess and you've made reasonable efforts to remedy the situation. Be firm and stand your ground, hopefully she will realise that losing the holiday and the resulting money will worsen matters not better them.

If she attempted to claim the money through the courts she would be laughed at.

If she splits up with her fella what are the chances she will come crawling back or be kicking herself for siding with him?

photome

simple you go on your own, she loses all her money

happens all the time with youngsters after they have booked hols and then fallen out

budgetflyer

Her choice, her loss. Don't give her log in details or she could change YOUR details.
The offer you gave her was as good as it was ever likely to get.