Worker Dubbed 'Thief' Cheered for Refusing to Pay Back Friend's Mom Money

A person reluctant to pay for concert tickets booked by a friend who owed them three times the amount due to be paid for the gig has divided users on Mumsnet, the U.K.-based online forum.

In a post on the Am I Being Unreasonable subform of Mumsnet, user bradtit said they lent £300 (around $366) to a friend six months ago and they've yet to receive the money even after the friend "promised" to pay them back.

According to a 2017 survey of 1,000 people in the U.S. conducted by Bank of America, just under three-quarters (71 percent) of Americans have lent friends money and not yet been repaid. Almost half (43 percent) of those surveyed said they would be willing to end a relationship with a friend who hadn't paid them back any money owed.

Nearly three-quarters said they would be willing to end a friendship for $500 or less of unpaid money, while one in three people said their breaking point would be $100 or less, and 4 percent said $10 or less of funds owed would also merit the ending of a friendship.

The user in the Mumsnet post was allegedly told they'd be paid on the friend's pay day. However, "she didn't give me a penny," the user said, "whilst the day before uploading pics of new trainers she bought herself and designer glasses."

The original poster said they and the friend purchased concert tickets worth £100 ($122) using her mom's credit card. The original poster said they'd pay the money owed for the gig on their pay day.

"My pay day came and she asked for the £100. I was fuming," the user said, adding they told the friend to "take it out of the £300 you owe me and just give me £200."

The original poster said: "All hell broke loose calling me a thief and told her mum I was refusing to pay her, writing all over Facebook how you can't trust anyone blah blah. Aibu?"

The viral post, which had received over 200 comments at the time of writing, sparked a debate on Mumsnet.

User Midnightblack said: "YANBU [you are not being unreasonable] I don't think you're going to get your money back though - sorry. This person sounds dreadful."

User BodenCardiganNot said: "The minute she refused to pay you was the minute you should have completely disengaged from any other financial transactions with her. Think you can kiss goodbye to the money now."

Several users said there were lessons to be learned in the latest situation.

Tessasanderson said; "2 lessons learnt. Never lend money to friends or family. This person [isn't] a friend," while MumTrain said: "Don't lend friends money. The end."

User kierenthecommunity warned: "Never lend what you wouldn't be prepared to lose. I'm surprised you didn't have this conversation when you bought the tickets. Or asked how she could have afforded them when she owed you £300..."

Other users said the original poster was "in the wrong" because the money is not owed to the friend but rather to her mom.

User Badfootkk said: "Unfortunately you are in the wrong. The debt for the tickets was with her mum. Her debt was to you. It shows what she thinks of you though, she is not a friend."

Straight Talking

MagneticRubberDucks agreed, explaining: "You are in the wrong because you said you would pay her back on payday without any intention to, you should have told her to take the £100 out of the money she owes you from the start."

User srey said: "You lent her money. You owe her mum money. Sorry. But two different people. You owe her mum the money."

Kanaloa was more diplomatic, saying: "I think it's all a bit unfortunate. Realistically she owes you a large amount of money so shouldn't be asking you for any. But it's the fact that her mum paid for them that makes it awkward.

"If she had paid you'd be well in the right to say 'take it out of what you owe me,' but it's her mum's money isn't it? Although if I'm honest I think £300 is a small price to be rid of a 'friend' like her," Kanaloa added.

Newsweek wasn't able to verify the details of this case.