Sometimes things happen and someone can’t keep their RSVP commitment. Unfortunately, the group still has to pay for their seat/entry, especially if it’s last minute. Also, due to Meetup.com’s method of integrating with PayPal, refunds are extremely time-consuming (the PayPal payment is not tied to your meetup account, so its difficult to find the correct transaction).
This situation is made worse when a large number of people RSVP for events just to “save a spot”, but then change their RSVP and demand a refund 1 or 2 days prior to the event. This led to organizers spending as long as 2 hours per event doing nothing but hunting PayPal and processing refunds.
When folks RSVP, its considered a commitment to the group. As of January 2010, refunds are not available unless otherwise noted or the event was canceled.
