'WIBTA for scaring a struggling single mother into paying me?'
"WIBTA for scaring a struggling single mother into paying me?"
Think-Library9577
I (20F) had a medical situation arise 2 weeks prior to a music festival that I had been planning to attend. I posted my 2 tickets for sale on FB, and a mutual friend reached out saying she wanted to purchase them. Let’s call her El (19F).
Some background info:
El got pregnant in high school and now has a 4 year old. I had attended two school dances with her friend group years prior, so I knew who she was and I sorta considered her to be a friend.
She came from a good family, we had plenty of mutuals, and I felt she was a nice girl from the interactions we had. I originally purchased my 2 tickets for $600, but since I was selling them sorta last-minute.
I posted them for $450. El originally said she’d love to go, but she was recently diagnosed with Diabetes and had medical pills to pay. She asked if I’d accept $300 if nobody else bought them.
I wanted someone to get the opportunity to go to this festival even if I couldn’t, so I agreed. (This means I’d only get 50% of what I originally paid for the tickets, not including hotel and parking).
This event had wristband tickets, so El arrived at my house to pick up the wristbands the following Monday. She asked to pay in 2-3 installments because she needed to take care of her kid and had medical bills that needed to be paid off.
I told her that was fine, and she asked “would it be alright if I gave you money on Thursday since that’s when I get paid?”, I agreed again. (Like I said: I’d met this girl, we had mutuals, I knew her family. I trusted her).
Thursday came around, and El posts on FB that she took a spontaneous trip to Florida with her best friend. I asked if she was going to pay me, and she said she’d give me cash when she got back since she didn’t have Venmo.
El returns from vacation, and I text her again asking if she has my money. She says she’s been laid off from her job, but she’d borrow money from her mom to pay me that weekend.
The weekend comes, no word from her. I text her again, and she says she needs a bit longer but she promises she’s good for the cash and she’s sorry for how long it’s taken.
The event arrives and still nothing. El attends the 4-day festival, but upon her return I hear no word. She sends me a text saying she’s babysitting for cash and to please understand because she's struggling to even put gas in her car.
She says if she pays me, then she won't have money to take care of her kid. As I mentioned, l'm 20, and I have bills to pay too. It's been a month and a half now, and El still hasn't paid me a penny.
She says I’m being selfish for asking her for money when she has a kid to feed. I have friends in law enforcement. WIBTA if I had an officer show up to El's doorstep with me to ask her to pay me?
I feel I may be TA since she has a child to care for, but I also feel like I don't owe her anything, especially since l already gave her a discount of $300 and I have expenses too. I want her child to be taken care of, but I also feel like that's not my personal problem.
Here were the top rated comments from readers in response to the OP's post:
Mediocre-Victory-565
Don't do the scare tactic but do file a small claims suit against her. Even if it doesn't go anywhere, she needs to learn a lesson. The whole 'boo-hoo I'm a single mother, I have medical bills' is nothing but crybaby entitlement.
She shouldn't have agreed to pay for festival tickets if she can't afford to feed her kid. Give me an effing break, seriously? That's the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time and so appalling that you should GAF about her problems.
She's being selfish, manipulative and irresponsible. JC it's not like she stole bread for their supper, she wanted to go to a completely optional/recreational event. Wow, she's a HUGE AH.
Rhades
If any of your "friends" show up in PD uniforms and tell this woman she needs to pay you then they need to be fired. You want to file a police report, do it, it likely won't go anywhere, but that's your choice. If you feel it's reasonable to have a police officer threaten another person so you can get your way (and it would be seen as a threat if they show up in uniform), YTA.
bern_after_reeding
If your friend in LE was to actually go with you to “scare” this woman into paying you, they’d be TA. That’s super sketch and could and should get them fired. No LEO should be shaking people down to pay off debts. This is a civil matter that you can take her to small claims court over and you’ll win. Just gather your evidence and file the paperwork.
Character_Goat_6147
Sorry you got hustled. Like most folks, I am not sure the civil standby option would work here. She does not have have something tangible you can claim. She owes you money for an intangible item that cannot be reclaimed.
It sounds as if she never had any intention of paying you. You can try getting a judgment in small claims court, but it may not matter much if she doesn’t have it. You might have better luck talking to your mutual friends, letting them know what she did, and finding out if this is her usual routine. She may suddenly find the money if word starts getting around that she’s a scammer.
Otherwise-Wallaby815
OP if this girl was truly responsible, then she wouldn't have gone to Florida on money she owed someone else and she should've given you back the tickets, so you could've sold them to someone who had the money.
Unless you can prove you sold them to her and she didn't buy them herself, you're out the money. Having a child doesn't give her the right to use someone, or take advantage of them, she should've paid you.