The Student Room Group

friend booked this without asking me

hi so,
she asked if i wanted to go to reading festival and i said i cant afford it and i only know two artists per day.
i didn’t say yes or no. i should’ve said no so it’s my fault and if she told me she was gonna book i would’ve said it!!!
we were just messaging about it and she then said she booked it…. she’s paying for my ticket which is lovely of her but it’s far too much for her to pay and i’ll still have to pay for travel & hotel won’t i. it’s also not long before our holiday together too. i wouldn’t enjoy going as she’s picked a day she’ll love to go to but i don’t like many of them on that day. it’s nice she wants me to go with her but now i feel like im in a sticky situation because i don’t want to waste money on travel when i dont want to go.
what do j do? shes only paid for hers today and she’s paying for mine tomoz. ( she’s doing it monthly )

do i have to go now as i feel so bad ?? i should’ve communicated better????
not sure what to reply with! please help me.
i am so appreciative don’t get me wrong and it is a kind gesture for her to do. i would enjoy it if i knew more artists but she knows its not my cup of tea.

Reply 1

Original post by Anonymous
hi so,
she asked if i wanted to go to reading festival and i said i cant afford it and i only know two artists per day.
i didn’t say yes or no. i should’ve said no so it’s my fault and if she told me she was gonna book i would’ve said it!!!
we were just messaging about it and she then said she booked it…. she’s paying for my ticket which is lovely of her but it’s far too much for her to pay and i’ll still have to pay for travel & hotel won’t i. it’s also not long before our holiday together too. i wouldn’t enjoy going as she’s picked a day she’ll love to go to but i don’t like many of them on that day. it’s nice she wants me to go with her but now i feel like im in a sticky situation because i don’t want to waste money on travel when i dont want to go.
what do j do? shes only paid for hers today and she’s paying for mine tomoz. ( she’s doing it monthly )
do i have to go now as i feel so bad ?? i should’ve communicated better????
not sure what to reply with! please help me.
i am so appreciative don’t get me wrong and it is a kind gesture for her to do. i would enjoy it if i knew more artists but she knows its not my cup of tea.

hi!
I would explain to her that you're feeling really conflicted about the whole situation and that if she let you know prior to booking you would've declined. She could resell the tickets or take someone else that'll enjoy it I'm sure, and it means that both of you are having a good time, because there's no point going if you're not going to like it! Travel and hotels are also so expensive so if you're in a tough spot with money definitely don't go! I'm sure she'd understand because she's your friend and she wouldn't want you to have a bad time!

Reply 2

Well you did say you couldn’t afford it so she should really have taken that as a no. This said it is nice when someone desperately wants you to do something with them. You can legitimately say you don’t want to go or tell her you’re unhappy she booked it without your agreement but that as a one off you’ll come.

Reply 3

Tell her how you feel. Explain that you can't afford it unless she pays for everything and if she does you will feel very uncomfortable and it would ruin the whole trip so you don't see the point in it anyway.

I can understand your friend too (I'm that kind of friend ☺️). She probably wants to spend time with you and hopes (or knows) you will enjoy that too.

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