It's always been tough to navigate the dating world, but technology has made things even more complicated. There are a ton of dating apps and services, there's pressure in maintaining a good online profile, and the electronic trail means that people can still contact you after a failed date.
One TikToker shared her story of a date gone wrong — and the weird fallout that resulted in her getting an invoice.
There's no manual for how to act on a first date, but most people probably agree it's best to keep things casual. You're just feeling each other out and assessing compatibility, after all, and there's no guarantee of a second date.
Fiona, who goes by @fifihopes on TikTok, shared a video describing how a recent first date went down. She explains that it started out fine, even though she wasn't particularly attracted to him.
"We went out for dinner, he offered to pay, I said no," she explained. "He was very adamant so I let him pay. I'm not going to beg to pay."
After that, things got weird. Fiona says her date started asking intensely personal questions about sex.
"Then he got really aggy when I said I had plans [later]," she said.
Fiona said her date was welcome to come along with her to meet her friend.
"We went out, we kissed, I really didn't fancy him," she said. After that, he sent her texts asking why there wasn't going to be a second date.
Yes, the invoice card.
After Fiona made it clear that she didn't like the guy enough to go on a second date, he literally sent her an invoice for the dinner that he'd insisted on paying. It was at this point that Fiona decided to share her story on TikTok.
An invoice is hardly a legally binding contract, but it still carries an air of official formality. Commenters couldn't believe that someone would be so petty as to invoice their date just because they weren't going to go on another date.
Plenty of commenters advised Fiona not to pay the invoice. Don't worry: she was never going to pay. She shared her video not to seek advice, but to share a story about how weird dating can get.
In a video captioned "Sorry mate, no refunds allowed," Fiona went a little more in-depth. In the background of the second video, you can see an image of the invoice she was sent. It's for £29, or about $33 USD.
The internet has enabled online dating profiles and instant messaging. It's also enabled services where a person can request money from another person. It's weird to see these two aspects of online culture colliding. Let's hope that date invoicing doesn't become a thing.
It's very important to note that Fiona was willing to pay and did not insist on having her meal paid for, meaning that her date insisted on paying, then sent an invoice. How would you handle this situation? Let us know in the comments!
