Gah Ryanair

platypus · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:12

And who said customer service was dead..

My girlfriend is away this week doing Home2Rome, some rally type challenge driving event. She is flying back on Saturday evening. On Sunday three of her close friends were killed in a car crash, and I've just spent about half an hour on the phone to Ryanair customer "support" trying to get her booking changed to an earlier flight so she can come back Saturday morning for the funeral.

They won't let me change the booking, but after much badgering acquiesced to allowing her to cancel the later flight and move her to an earlier one, refunding the cost of the later flight. However, they'll only do this if we write to them requesting it, with a copy of the death certificate: before the time the flight departs (~10pm this Saturday..).

So I've had to phone her in Italy and tell her she can pay an extra £250 to get back early, and then possibly get a refund which I'm sure they'd drag out for a long time anyway.

osc89er · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:16

As you probably already know, Ryanair are a bunch of cowboys.

Mat · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:17

Ryanair are the worst carrier I have ever used.
Sympathies to your gf though.

DampCat · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:20

Can you get a refund on the later flight and book a new one with someone else?

osc89er · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:23

Ryanair are only offering the refund because they are getting a second ticket out of this poor girl, and will then only refund if they see a death certificate that she and her bf will have to ask for from the grieving families. Which is perfectly horrible. You have my sympathy.

Rotty · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:24

Ryanair are always like this, they stink

platypus · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:25

DampCat said:
Can you get a refund on the later flight and book a new one with someone else?

After much head bashing, I can only get a refund apparently if I get a death certificate to them before the flight departure time. Which gives me one postal day to go to the grieving family and ask for a refund to get the £220 air ticket back. ********.

osc89er said:
Ryanair are only offering the refund because they are getting a second ticket out of this poor girl, and will then only refund if they see a death certificate that she and her bf will have to ask for from the grieving families. Which is perfectly horrible. You have my sympathy.

Thanks. It was a perfectly horrible experience being with her when she got the news, I then persuaded her to go on and had to take her to Dover to catch up with her crew.

subxero · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:29

Ryanair deserve to go bust. Nobody would miss them either.

Fenris · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:38

Ryanair charge people 10p to travel and then they wonder WHY they are so crap? You get what you pay for after all.

Being said however that is some seriousely bad customer service, I mean requested a death certificate? really?!

Fusion · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:39

Your girlfriend has my sympathy, that's awful news.

Ryanair are shocking, charging £20 each way on short haul flights just to take a bag in the cargo hold. I'd rather they include this in the flight price rather than tacking it on as an extra. Next they're going ot charge you to check in at the airport- you have to do it online beforehand.

What next, charging you for having a slash on the plane? Charging for a seat?

Don't like the ethos of the company or the chairman, they are Tesco-like in their relentless, profit driven aggression and I wouldn't shed a tear if they disappeared either.

ShaolinDreams · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:39

they i asked for a death certificate what the .... !

something like that would make me explode. i hope you complained. sorry to hear about your GF friends deaths, simply tragic

i would not bother their families with something so inappropriate, bother ryanair at the highest level.

Bat · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:44

I'd be sorely tempted to go to the press with this. It is totally unacceptable and heartless behaviour.

My sincerest sympathies to all involved.

Vixen · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:44

You should write in to one of the newspapers that has a "money matters" letters page, perhaps then she'd get the refund without having to bother the family for death certificates.

J1234 · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:46

That's Ryanair for you!

JBuk · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:48

Nice of them

Hxc · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:48

An awful company. None of the other budget airlines are even in the same class of crap as RyanAir.

mjt · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:52

it'll be in the terms and conditions. unless you're on a full flex ticket, changing flights will always incur a charge. we've had to buy my mum a new ticket on LOT as she now wants to come back a day later, but they want €110. a new ticket on the same flight is €102. you do the maths..

and, it's ryanair. they are notoriously rubbish, but they are very cheap. i can't understand why people constantly complain about them. if you don't like them, don't use them.
i don't like them, and i have no intention of ever setting foot on one of their aircraft, but i have very much respect for Mr O'Leary. The guy's a genius

JBuk · 30 Jul 2009 at 13:58

mjt said:
it'll be in the terms and conditions. unless you're on a full flex ticket, changing flights will always incur a charge. we've had to buy my mum a new ticket on LOT as she now wants to come back a day later, but they want €110. a new ticket on the same flight is €102. you do the maths..

and, it's ryanair. they are notoriously rubbish, but they are very cheap. i can't understand why people constantly complain about them. if you don't like them, don't use them.
i don't like them, and i have no intention of ever setting foot on one of their aircraft, but i have very much respect for Mr O'Leary. The guy's a genius

Yes, but a bit of compassion wouldn't go amiss would it?

DampCat · 30 Jul 2009 at 14:02

Fusion said:
What next, charging you for having a slash on the plane? Charging for a seat?

Yes. I saw on the BBC site once they were going to implement coin slots for lavatory doors? Not heard about it since though.

DampCat · 30 Jul 2009 at 14:03

mjt said:
and, it's ryanair. they are notoriously rubbish, but they are very cheap. i can't understand why people constantly complain about them. if you don't like them, don't use them.
i don't like them, and i have no intention of ever setting foot on one of their aircraft, but i have very much respect for Mr O'Leary. The guy's a genius

There's a difference between being a cheap airline that charges extras and demanding a death certificate to do something that isn't losing them any money. He'll be paying for another flight, it's not like he just wants a flat refund. They're out of line, however cheap they are.