A MUM was left shocked after her friend charged her son £300 to join them on holiday – despite him then not being able to go.
The mum explained on Mumset that she had been friends with the family for more than 45 years.
Her teenage son was invited to join them on a holiday abroad, and was left hurt by how much they charged him despite him having to miss it due to last-minute exam changes due to Covid.
She said: "He bought his own flight and was charged for his accommodation (sharing a room with their son).
"Unfortunately Covid meant it had to be postponed until this January where it clashed with my son's final Uni exams (the exam dates were only released a few weeks beforehand so not much warning) which meant he couldn't go."
She explained that not only would he have missed an important exam, but he would have missed them all if he caught Covid while on holiday.
She continued: "My closest friend is keeping his accommodation money which I think is so morally wrong.
"The £300 was to cover his stay in the villa whilst he was there (showers, electricity etc) but the poor kid didn't go so he's basically given them almost £300 spending money for absolutely nothing!! It wasn't even as if my son had his own room."
She said not only was it not the first time they had done this – later finding out they charged him £270 to go on holiday to Spain with them a few years before – but that their daughter was invited on a different friend's holiday, and wasn't expected to pay.
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The mum finished: "I would expect them to pay for their own flight and spending money but I wouldn't charge them for staying with us.
"I am so shocked and hurt by this – a student who had worked hard during the summer to save up for the holiday and they felt they were totally justified in keeping his money."
Many people agreed with the mum that their friend was out of order, with some saying they were "gobsmacked".
Someone wrote: "One extra person in a villa makes no difference to the cost, especially as he's sharing a room. That's awful behaviour."
Another person said: "That’s horrible. We took a friend with one of ours once and they brought some spending money that’s all. The bonus for us was it made our teenager happy on the holiday."
One mum also wrote: "They should have rescheduled the holiday for a time he definitely wouldn't have exams since as a paying participant he has a right to the thing he has paid for."
Others shared what they would do in that situation: "Invite their son on holiday with your son, charge him however much they've charged your son for accommodation, got your money back."
The mum said she is no longer talking to the friend, but that their kids are still friends.
Back in 2019,a mum was left shocked after being asked to pay £800 to stay with a close friend in Italy.
And last year, a mum was left gutted after being charged £200 for a "damage fee" after staying at a holiday let – because she didn't vacuum enough.
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