I want to cancel a group booking, but my group doesn't want to

adbacus

TELLIT01 said:

Ergates said:

Your ex-friends *should* either agree to cancel or pay you your share, and the way they're behaving is selfish.

What we don't know is why the OP is no longer friends with the people he/she was to go with.  If the OP is at fault for the breakdown in the relationship the others may be using this as an opportunity for payback.

It also shows the importance of having formalised arrangements, even between friends, for what will happen if one or more members of the group booking can't go or no longer wish to go.

I appreciate that; unfortunately the person who made the booking has behaved towards me in such a way, I feel uncomfortable around them, insecure and I don't trust them anymore.

Simply put, I no longer feel part of the group, I don't feel welcome.

I had tried to keep it all very above board when I cancelled, expressing that the dynamic has changed a lot since we made the original booking 2 years ago.

It's subjective, but I don't feel it's good I join them and under the circumstances I don't feel it's fair I pay. I think you're very right in formalising arrangements in future - "what ifs".

cx6

This is a fairly common problem - four people (for example) book something together and one decides they don't want to go.

That person is, of course, at liberty to stay at home but cannot expect a refund and cannot expect the others to 'downgrade' what they have booked to something smaller.

Aylesbury_Duck

adbacus said:

TELLIT01 said:

Ergates said:

Your ex-friends *should* either agree to cancel or pay you your share, and the way they're behaving is selfish.

What we don't know is why the OP is no longer friends with the people he/she was to go with.  If the OP is at fault for the breakdown in the relationship the others may be using this as an opportunity for payback.

It also shows the importance of having formalised arrangements, even between friends, for what will happen if one or more members of the group booking can't go or no longer wish to go.

I appreciate that; unfortunately the person who made the booking has behaved towards me in such a way, I feel uncomfortable around them, insecure and I don't trust them anymore.

Simply put, I no longer feel part of the group, I don't feel welcome.

I had tried to keep it all very above board when I cancelled, expressing that the dynamic has changed a lot since we made the original booking 2 years ago.

It's subjective, but I don't feel it's good I join them and under the circumstances I don't feel it's fair I pay. I think you're very right in formalising arrangements in future - "what ifs".

Unfortunately, this means you don't have any rights, so it's down to negotiating what you can from the ticket purchaser or writing the money off.  If they're not prepared to refund you, that's it.

Brie

2 possible solutions.....

1) sell your portion of the ticket to some random stranger.  Maybe one with really poor hygiene and completely lacking in social skills (your ex mates will likely get along very well with him/her/it)
2) as it's a 6 person tent for 4 of you maybe you could take along your boy/girlfriend and spend the entire time having very noisy "close contact".  

adbacus

Manxman_in_exile said:

If you "secured" - whatever that means - the tickets etc and Glastonbury have told you that they can be cancelled, this has got nothing to do with consumer rights, has it?  You can either cancel or not.

If you want advice as to how to treat your friends - or want to complain about how they are treating you - you might as well post this on the Marriage, Relationships and Families board.

(Personally though, even with "former friends", I think I'd be far too embarrassed to even consider the possibility of causing them problems by letting them down and cancelling the whole thing.  If I couldn't find somebody who they were happy with to replace me - and I'd consider that to be primarily my responsibility although if the others  found a replacement for me it would be a bonus - then I'd either write the money off as a loss or just bite the bullet and go to the festival.)

Valid points, I honestly didn't expect this to play out the way it has. I had thought there'd be an understanding that the decision to camp together 2 years ago,was not the same commitment, the situation has changed.

But I do appreciate everyone's comments. Maybe I do bite the bullet.

IvanOpinion

I would approach it a different way.  Tell your ex-friends that they are free to find someone else to take your place and give you your money back (or at least a significant portion of it - say £200).  If they have not done that by the time of the festival then tell them you will be going. 

Whether or not you go is up to you, but at least they can't offer one of their other friends the space without you getting a refund of some sort.

neilmcl

No real consumer rights issues here. This is between you and your mates to sort out.

adbacus

IvanOpinion said:

I would approach it a different way.  Tell your ex-friends that they are free to find someone else to take your place and give you your money back (or at least a significant portion of it - say £200).  If they have not done that by the time of the festival then tell them you will be going. 

Whether or not you go is up to you, but at least they can't offer one of their other friends the space without you getting a refund of some sort.

This is actually really good. I haven't had a clear mind on the issue, and this actually makes a lot of sense.

TELLIT01

adbacus said:

IvanOpinion said:

I would approach it a different way.  Tell your ex-friends that they are free to find someone else to take your place and give you your money back (or at least a significant portion of it - say £200).  If they have not done that by the time of the festival then tell them you will be going. 

Whether or not you go is up to you, but at least they can't offer one of their other friends the space without you getting a refund of some sort.

This is actually really good. I haven't had a clear mind on the issue, and this actually makes a lot of sense.

That does look like a good way to apply pressure on them, and really about the only pressure they can apply.  As they didn't make the booking they can't sell on 1/4 of the booking.

Ergates

TELLIT01 said:

Ergates said:

Your ex-friends *should* either agree to cancel or pay you your share, and the way they're behaving is selfish.

What we don't know is why the OP is no longer friends with the people he/she was to go with.  If the OP is at fault for the breakdown in the relationship the others may be using this as an opportunity for payback.

It also shows the importance of having formalised arrangements, even between friends, for what will happen if one or more members of the group booking can't go or no longer wish to go.

Even if that was the case - £250 is not a trivial amount of money (to most people), so causing that degree of bother to someone out of spite would be unethical.