Mother shares outrage after receiving bill for daughter’s vacation with friend’s family
A woman on Reddit shared her experience after her daughter went on vacation with a friend’s family in Costa Rica.
While the mother expected to pay for things like food and activities, she was shocked to receive a hefty bill from the family including things like car rental and accommodation.
“Why on earth did I assume she was tagging along? Because that’s what we did for my other daughter’s friend two years ago,” the woman shared on the r/WhatShouldIDo Subreddit.
“I would never dream of charging so much when I was going anyway,” she said.
She said she would pay the family the amount they’d asked for — but not without a conversation first.
In the comments section, many people agreed that the family were out of line for demanding such a hefty sum. Some even attempted to convince her not to part with her cash.
“This is garbage. Parents in my friend group only expected you to have spending money if you were invited along,” one commenter argued. “I could see maybe expecting adult guests’ charges to be split, but we’re literally talking about a kid here. You shouldn’t invite someone along on your already planned vacation unless you plan to cover it.”
“Yeah, if they were expecting you to pay, they should’ve made the expectation upfront. The car rental is ridiculous,” a second pointed out. “They would need that anyway. I would offer to pay for food and airfare.”
The mom then responded: “She sent me the bill via email and it would be a great face-to-face conversation to negotiate a compromise. Got any wording for me? Anyone?”
One helpful reader suggested she write back: “Thank you again for taking (daughter) with you, she had a wonderful time. I want to get you repaid promptly but to be honest this bill has thrown me for a loop, I must have misunderstood what it meant for come along with you. Can we talk (at school pick up/ next time you’ll see them / on the phone)?”
Luckily, the mom was let off the hook before she could reply. In an update to her original post, she said the “VRBO fee” was removed in a follow-up email from the family.
“I can’t believe it!! I just saved myself a lotta money by doing nothing! Next time I will def communicate my exact expectations,” she said.
