Angela, this person did NOT do anyone a
favor. What they actually did was to perform a
service.
When someone does a favor, it is just that, a favor. As far as I am concerned there is no debt owed when a favor is performed. Of course we usually feel indebted, morally, to the person who performed the favor, but only in the sense that somewhere down the road, if that person needed something, we would reciprocate and
return the favor. A favor is sort of a barter, a swapping, that is not under any time constraints or obligation in regards to paying it back
And a bill should
never be presented for performing a favor.
A bill is only presented for services rendered.
Now regardless of these differences, this person is still in a bind. They have a business relationship that they say needs to keep going.
Ordinarily, one would simply not pay. She is not legally bound. However, it might be in her best interest to pay, as she would like to keep her business relationship with this person on the up and up. They will be working on a large project together in the upcoming months. His help would be extremely beneficial, although no necessary.
If this is the case and the business relationship is an important one that may become more beneficial to this person down the road, then they will have to suck it up, pay this bill, and look at it as an investment in their business. Look at it as a cost of doing business. And chalk it off as that.
After all, this is the business they have chosen.
However, in the future they will need to make sure that they are never put into the same situation again by this business associate.
So when this person settles this debt, they really need to let the other party know that while this person truly and sincerely appreciates what was have done on their behalf, that in the future they'd like to know if these kinds of
billable favors are going to be attempted before they are actually carried out.
