“They should subtract the $5000 from the ammount of business they lost because of her dumb ass and send her the bill for lost revenue.”
I like it.
If she has enough money to flit around the country, she should profusely apologize and write off the $500.
A deposit is a deposit- was it refundable?
I doubt it- you are booking the stores time and money and if you get sick its not THEIR fault.