A long time friend of mine woke me up at 3am with a phone call asking me to get up and drive them to an airport that is an hour and forty five minutes from my house so they could make a 6am flight. I said no, went back to sleep and woke up later that morning to a text from another friend saying my friend was very angry at me for refusing.
Some context to this scenario is that my friend had bought me a generous gift about a week before for my birthday when I visited them in their home state worth roughly 600 dollars which I appreciated greatly and felt slighted that I still refused their request. My issue with this is that my friend is a wealthy person who could easily afford an Uber to the airport but expected me to wake up in the middle of my sleep, get dressed and make the 3.5 hour round trip instead. Granted, I had nothing to do the next day, however I don’t think it is reasonable to expect me to wake up in the middle of the night to make such a long drive on absolutely zero notice and then hold a grudge against me for not doing so.
The only reason I answered the phone call was because I thought there might be an emergency (in which case I definitely would have gotten up and helped) but I would not consider this an emergency at all. They had plenty of time to order an Uber and make it to the airport and they also had no good reason besides wanting to go home sooner to buy such an early flight. If they had asked me the day before to stay up and bring them, I would have done it but given the circumstances I don’t think it fair to expect me to wake up and make such a long trip.
Some people I know agree with me, some don’t. What do you all think?
NTA. This is the kind of thing you arrange in advance, not at the last minute, in the middle of the night
Seriously who does that?
Rich people who think they bought you with a “gift”
NTA. Their failure to plan is not your responsibility. They called you at 3 AM and just expected you to get up for their convenience? Super entitled
NTA
Poor planning on their part does not necessitate an emergency on yours. If they’re the sort of person who is keeping score likethat, they’re not your friend. I’d send that gift they thought entitled them to do their bidding in the middle of the night like a servant right back to them.
NTA, I don’t think I can add anything to what’s already been said. Just wanted to make sure you are fully aware you’re not the AH in this absurd situation
Gifts worth $600 doesn’t means you’re their personal driver. NTA
An on call 24/7
What did I just read? You have a “friend” who thinks it’s ok to call you at 3am with no notice and demand an airport run? First off, I only do the drive to the airport that far away if someone is coming in for a funeral or emergency. Everyone else can arrange their transportation, since there is a closer airport, although it has higher fares. NTA. Even if this guy is poor, he needs to make arrangements ahead of time. Plus, he could have driven his own car and left it in their garage at the airport.
NTA. If they needed a ride to the airport, your friend should have asked you before the day of the flight. It is ridiculous to think that anyone would happily jump out of bed and drive 3.5 hours at 3am with no warning.
Like, the **audacity** of the request is shocking to me. WTAF is wrong with your friend? Are they just a disorganized mess of a human with no planning skills? Because no. Hard no. NTA.
NTA. I agree with you about emergencies which this was not. I’m assuming this trip was planned. Why didn’t she ask you earlier? There’s Uber or airport shuttle. Does she not drive? Economy parking isn’t that expensive. Her gift is irrelevant because it was a gift. She should have told you about the strings attached.
We live 15 minutes–at most–from a small regional airport. Everytime my husband has travel he ASKS me well in advance if I can take him the airport; he doesn’t just assume. He says things like, “I’ll have to be there at 5:30 a.m. I can take an Uber if you don’t want to get up that early.” Of course, I always take him to the airport (and give him the “look” while saying “The dog already has me up because she wants her breakfast.”) Notice he always asks. Same with the return flight. “The plane arrives at 10:30 p.m. I can get an Uber.” My reply is, “I’m up because I’m reading Reddit.” The entitlement of some people.
That person is not a friend. They were trying to buy your servitude.
>The dog already has me up because she wants her breakfast.
Let me guess, she’s *starving*, and if you don’t feed her *right now* she’ll just waste away, the poor neglected thing.
NTA
If your friend can afford a $600 gift, then they can afford an Uber at 3am. The Uber driver is standing by for the work and will be paid for it.