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Beware Rip Off Ryanair!
//An elderly couple said they were "horrified" after being charged £110 by Ryanair for printing their tickets at the airport.
Ruth, 79, and Peter Jaffe, 80, told the BBC's Radio 4 Today Programme they had to pay the fee after they mistakenly downloaded their return tickets instead of their outgoing tickets.
Ryanair maintained the fees were in line with its policy.//
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That company really is the pits!
Ruth, 79, and Peter Jaffe, 80, told the BBC's Radio 4 Today Programme they had to pay the fee after they mistakenly downloaded their return tickets instead of their outgoing tickets.
Ryanair maintained the fees were in line with its policy.//
https:/
That company really is the pits!
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They've always charged for this, it's been highlighted many times
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I loathe RyanAir but this is not the only company that charges for 'extras' that aren't really extras
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I loathe RyanAir but this is not the only company that charges for 'extras' that aren't really extras
The thing is with Ryan air is that you have to know how to use them. People make the mistake of thinking they sell travel, they don't they sell extras, the travel is incidental to that so if you optimise then you can get a bargain. All the things they charge for are avoidable. I used to go to Dublin a lot and often would go for 1p (+ the tax) because I don't do anything they charge for. Use the right card, luggage, check in on line etc etc. If you analyse a typical flight, the total fares are a tiny proportion of the total income for that flight. You have to learn to play their game. Not easy I know because they move the goal posts a lot.
It *is* a bit scummy to charge £110 to print two tickets, but:
1. Ryanair's policy is clearly signposted at multiple points before, during, and after booking the flight;
2. This couple had ample time to print the correct tickets, as shown by the fact that they printed the wrong ones;
3. Although granted this could prove tricky for older people, they didn't even need to "print" the tickets at all, and could have checked-in online and downloaded the resulting boarding passes to their phone, or via the Ryanair App;
4. Even having got it wrong initially, it's surely part of anyone's pre-travel routine to confirm that you have definitely got the correct tickets and any other boarding documents (as well as everything else you need for travel, sorted if appropriate for ease of passing through security).
If this were small print in the T&Cs, which nobody can be expected to read in full, I'd have every sympathy. It wasn't. At some point, aren't customers also responsible for ensuring that they are aware of the rules/conditions of travel, and the consequences for breaking them?
1. Ryanair's policy is clearly signposted at multiple points before, during, and after booking the flight;
2. This couple had ample time to print the correct tickets, as shown by the fact that they printed the wrong ones;
3. Although granted this could prove tricky for older people, they didn't even need to "print" the tickets at all, and could have checked-in online and downloaded the resulting boarding passes to their phone, or via the Ryanair App;
4. Even having got it wrong initially, it's surely part of anyone's pre-travel routine to confirm that you have definitely got the correct tickets and any other boarding documents (as well as everything else you need for travel, sorted if appropriate for ease of passing through security).
If this were small print in the T&Cs, which nobody can be expected to read in full, I'd have every sympathy. It wasn't. At some point, aren't customers also responsible for ensuring that they are aware of the rules/conditions of travel, and the consequences for breaking them?
// There is all that but perhaps they're not frequent travellers and not 'tech' savvy.//
Yes, the latter is certainly a risk. But it's not a "tech savvy" thing to read your printed ticket to see which is the outbound/return flight and to check that the boarding time on it matches what you're expecting.
Yes, the latter is certainly a risk. But it's not a "tech savvy" thing to read your printed ticket to see which is the outbound/return flight and to check that the boarding time on it matches what you're expecting.
It's kind of like forgetting your passport. Whose problem is that? Yours.
That said, good customer service is to be flexible according to the circumstances. These travelers made a mistake. Ryanair could have rectified it quickly and cheaply, but they did not. Ryanair is probably really happy for the publicity, so that fewer other idiots have to deal with the same problem - that seems to be their attitude. They really are awful to deal with, so it's best not to if at all possible.
That said, good customer service is to be flexible according to the circumstances. These travelers made a mistake. Ryanair could have rectified it quickly and cheaply, but they did not. Ryanair is probably really happy for the publicity, so that fewer other idiots have to deal with the same problem - that seems to be their attitude. They really are awful to deal with, so it's best not to if at all possible.
I've travelled with Ryanair loads -- not by choice, though. I can't say I've ever "enjoyed" their flights, so much as endured them. So I have no desire to defend them at all.
Even with "extortionate" fees for extras, though, it often remains the cheapest option. For example, I checked alternative flights between Stansted and Bergerac, and if you didn't want to use Ryanair then you'd potentially end up paying five or ten times as much (ignoring excess luggage fees) -- *and* have to change flights at least once.
Even adding in the "extortionate" fee still ends up representing a saving on the other options. So in that context it's not extortionate unless all prices for flights are, which is another debate altogether.
Even with "extortionate" fees for extras, though, it often remains the cheapest option. For example, I checked alternative flights between Stansted and Bergerac, and if you didn't want to use Ryanair then you'd potentially end up paying five or ten times as much (ignoring excess luggage fees) -- *and* have to change flights at least once.
Even adding in the "extortionate" fee still ends up representing a saving on the other options. So in that context it's not extortionate unless all prices for flights are, which is another debate altogether.
I really went off Ryanair when I watched the shenanigans at a foreign departure gate when staff made people put coats on rather than carry them (one carry-on item only) and confiscated the carrier bags containing any purchases bought in the Departure Lounge that wouldn't fit into hand luggage. Broke my heart to see bottles of spirits, expensive perfumes and large packs of cigarettes go into the bin. I've travelled extensively but I've never experienced anything like that.
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