Passenger Sends In Bailiff To Ryanair

[lindapalmara]

About time someone stood up these obnoxious bullies

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3425717/Passengers-sends-bailiffs-600-Ryanair-Victory-father-charged-budget-airline-just-checking-in.html

[andy-hughes]

It's a classic case of an organisation that is so big, it lets it automated procedures run roughshod over its customers, and then its inefficient method of dealing with complaints leads to it ignoring a court case, and getting stung for compensation.

I am always in favour of the customer over the corporation - this passenger has struck a blow for basic courtesy and common sense.

[SlackAlice]

Good for him. Too many companies think they can just ignore you and the problem/complaint will go away.

Strangely enough I am just escalating a complaint with a utility company, which I have no doubt will eventually end up with me taking them to Court. I can be extremely stubborn.

[LyndaB]

We have never had a problem with Ryanair and have used them many, many times and will continue to do so. I'm not sure what the problem with his booking reference was - but it states clearly in the terms and conditions that you must have a valid boarding pass, and that you must have checked in online before you get to the airport. As I say - we've never had a problem with them.

[agchristie]

The majority of people flying with the company will not have a problem but sometimes things go wrong and the only redress for the customer is to go through the courts as in this case. The court recognised a failure in service and ruled accordingly.

Makes me wonder generally how many consumers have winnable cases but do not have the means to challenge the might of companies....

[ichkeria]

I think this airline can best be summed up by a poster I saw last year at Stanstill Airport advising customers that they were allowed a bag from a Duty Free shop in the cabin in addition to the allowance ("Now also includes RyanAir").

So they used to be much worse. They've gradually been shamed into improving their image and relaxing their rules. Their attitude always seemed to be: "We give you cheap fares and boy we are not going to let you forget how generous we are to you plebs" :-)

[andy-hughes]

agchristie - //Makes me wonder generally how many consumers have winnable cases but do not have the means to challenge the might of companies.... //

I think the problem lies with the British inability to complain effectively.

Taking on a major company is usually free, at least initially, you simply need the determination to follow through with your complaint - and more often than not, you can win if they are in the wrong.

[-SharonA-]

Good for him!

[lindapalmara]

I've used low cost Airlines in the past but would never travel with this crowd who charge you for anything more than a toothbrush and drop you off nowhere near the city you thought you were going to in many instances.

[agchristie]

Andy- yes, I mostly agree though there are plenty of advice agencies, free of charge, that could assist people. I suppose it sometimes depends on the resolve, time and effort and how strongly one feels about the standard of service received.

[ummmm]

I fly with Ryanair often and I have no complaints.

They make everything pretty clear.

[Peter Pedant]

// Taking on a major company is usually free, at least initially, you simply need the determination to follow through with your complaint //

is usually free

pls pls let us not run away with our fantasies - he needed a letter before action and then the court fee - around £100 and also he needed the company NOT to defend the action so that he got a default judgement

The other things that people can comment on is that the cheque is not drawn on Ryan but is a cheque paid thro court

( and anyone who has done this like Andy has will know you are told NOT to pay the court but to pay the defendant. I think but I dont know that the court cheque is all part of the procedure of not getting the CCJ registered - so RyanAir doesnt get a crap credit reference )

[whiskeryron]

I would not use this company who I am sure would charge me to use their inflight outside toilet.

[agchristie]

WhiskeryRon - you may be peeing in the wind with that one! ;)

[mrblear]

Those who call Ryanair have forgotten how much they were charged to fly before they came along. Ryanair can only offer their fantastic prices by cutting service to the bone - follow the procedures properly and everything works fine. They charge highly for customer mistakes to make people follow the rules.

[ummmm]

My daughter came to England for my Nans funeral. 30 euros return. Who can complain about that???

[youngmafbog]

If this company is so bad, why is it still in business?

Could it be most people are happy with what is provided, ie a no frills airline?

[jno]

I've had no problems on my occasional flights with them. The question might be whose fault the "problem with his booking reference" was, but the Mail doesn't seem to have bothered asking.

[Dogsbody2]

Provided you follow the rules - their rules - to the letter, that's half the battle.

The second point is that they are remarkably recalcitrant at resolving things when aspects go wrong that they are not fully in control of - be it adverse weather, French air traffic controllers, the Friday before a busy bank holiday, bomb alerts at airports, whatever.

So that's about not picking Ryanair flights when one can reasonably judge that there might be a problem ahead - OK so bombs alerts can't be forecast. But trying to fly into Geneva on a Friday afternoon in February is more likely to result in trouble flying Ryanair because they allow less margin for error - that's how the flights are cheap.

One never knows for sure about a future journey, but it is about mitigating your risk and if you can't do that, choose another carrier for the journey.

[mikey4444]

Wonderful result !

I personally have never flown with RyanAir, and don't intend to, given all the bad reports I have heard about the airline. I once heard Michael O'Leary being interviewed on the BBC and he was so foul-mouthed and objectionable that I vowed never to fly with him.

Its about time this irrtating little man was brought down a peg or two !

[jourdain2]

Good for him! Great! I had to fly with Ryanair to get from Poitiers to Leeds/Bfd. It had been tiresome, but became a real challenge and, eventually, something I hated to do and only did in an emergency.
They then realised that they were losing money and became nicer to their customers again and it became quite tolerable. Booking seats was more and more difficult and expensive, though. Hopefully, the only time I'll have to do it again is whenever OH's house finally sells.