RyanAir Charges

[BigBruno]

Hi All,

I've just registered so please accept my appologies if this subject has already been covered.

Can anyone please tell me if it is Legal for Ryanair to charge individual Credit card Charges to everyone in a travelling party when they're ALL on the one booking instead of just one charge per booking?

If it isn't, does anyone know of any previous cases?

Thanks again to all for any responses

 

BB

[saintly_1]

Hi and Welcome to CAG

 

I will move your post to an other forum where it will get a better response

 

saint

[BigBruno]

Hi

saintly_1

Thanks very much! Cheers

BB

[geoff1248]

As I see it Ryanair can charge what they like for whatever they like. If they called it a "Booking Fee" or an "Admin Fee" would that make you happier?

The only query I would have is under the Trades Descriptions Act as to whether they can call something a credit card charge when it clearly is not.

[BigBruno]

Hi geoff1248

Thanks for your kind reply. For a minute there you read like an Employee

I'm not against Ryanair charging a fee (called by any name).

What I am questioning is the Legality of, say, in a party of 5 - why charge 5 fees when it is only 1 card belonging to 1 person that's making a booking that's only processed once? Happiness comes from clarification...

Thanks again

BB

[Folkiedave]

I am not a lawyer - so this advice is based purely on what I have read.

 

I am not sure what law you feel they might have broken. Their charges are there to see - albeit you may not have seen them.

 

Ryanair certainly feel they can charge what they like and treat customers outisde the norms of usual customer service.

 

While ever people continue to travel with them they will continue to do so. Peronally I would rather stick red-hot needles through my eyeballs.

[BigBruno]

Hi Folkiedave. Thanks for your reply.

Just found out most Card companies in the US have outlawed it and 10 States have made it illegal. Why not here? I think there is a reluctance in the UK to challenge this and we just can't be bothered with the hassle. Its the principle - we don't mind a charge - but make it FAIR

 

Quote. I asked Visa about the practice, and Ted Carr, spokesman, responded: "Visa does not allow merchants to charge consumers a fee for using a Visa card because we do not believe that cardholders should be penalised for using their cards. Checkout fees on purchases are harmful to consumers and unfairly shift the cost of electronic payments onto consumers"

Will update this post when I've contacted my own card company.

Thanks again

BB

[honeybee13]

This has been mentioned before, but I know from forced regular use of Ryanair [no other carrier goes there] that they charge £5 per person per flight, so £25 each way if you do a return trip for 5. I'm not saying I agree with it by any means, just clarifying.

 

There is something on this forum about the one card they don't charge for, but I don't recall the name of it.

 

The last booking I made with Ryanair the other day was more transparent than it used to be about charges. I can't remember if they added on the charge for using a credit card after I clicked to accept the booking, like they did last year. I know there is a facility to click through for information on charges, but of course if you book online, you have to use a card........

 

As for admin, tax and other charges, they are complete mystery to me and seem to vary according to the headline cost of the flight, as in they seem to be higher for the cheaper tickets.

 

I would love the OFT to look at this.

[Thailand]

The free payment method is a prepaid Mastercard.

 

The OFT have looked into it, honeybee.

 

OFT accuses Ryanair of 'almost taunting' passengers with 'puerile' charges | Mail Online

[honeybee13]

Thank you for the information. Sadly, the OFT can't seem to make much difference to this shower, can they? O'Leary just seems to think that any publicity is good publicity.

 

Kind regards.

[Thailand]

OFT don't make much difference with 'owt.

 

Just have to beat Ryanair at their own game....I always do.

[honeybee13]

You do? Please tell. HB

[Thailand]

Just things like only buying promotional fares...they come without online check-in charges. Know what free payment method they use, know hand luggage size restrictions and keep extras stuffed in pockets, a seperate carrier...wear extra things if need be. No proirity seating; there's always a seat. Eat before boarding the plane so there is no temptation to eat food with a 5000% mark up (guess) and I eat before going to the airport too, although MAN has a Greggs and I'm not that tight I won'y pay 52p for a sausage roll, lol.

 

Avoid giving them commissions by using hotel and car hire scrapers, and also never buy a ruddy gift certificate because they expire @ 6 months and they don't give change!! (paying for a £1 flight and using a £25 voucher?! - minimum denomination)

 

Just stuff like that really. Another one is to make sure you don't fall foul of any dodgy weighing machines and make you split weight across other people's luggage where possible (this usually involves moving womankinds extra weight to mankinds!!)

 

Just generally keep an eye on what they are planning and I always read their T&C's before booking incase they are trying something on. I can't stop now - also it has been alleged that Ryanair purposefully get people's salutation wrong and make purposeful errors with names. Whether that is the case or not I type out my details with paranoid precision and make sure the screen is still, computer not busy, and click submit once - double clicking makes Ryanair a fortune in their thoroughly annoying name change fees etc.

[honeybee13]

Thanks Thailand, it's kind of you to share that.

 

I think our problem is that we can't necessarily choose when we travel.

 

Have you experienced the problem of 'admin charges' varying with the price of tickets at all?

 

My best.

[Thailand]

No, but they have retained paid air passenger duty when it was not incurred (I never made the flight - so they didn't pay the APD). The swines, like others, charge an admin fee to issue the due refund which, funnily enough, is higher than the refund. There is no admin - it's just so they can keep your money.

 

Ryanair are so down on me though, I don't care anymore! My weight in kerosene does not cost 2p or £2 - which is just about the most I'll pay!

[Allwood]

Thanks Thailand, it's kind of you to share that.

 

I think our problem is that we can't necessarily choose when we travel.

 

Have you experienced the problem of 'admin charges' varying with the price of tickets at all?

 

My best.

 

I have used the same method as Thailand and got some very good deals...it is a problems when you have to book at a late stage of any journey...then you will have to pay through the nose. However, I agree there is no admin as if you try to recover any costs for anyone of their fligths the admin will be much more than than what the flight costs ie £1. or £5, which is most I have paid since 2005 with Ryain air

 

In 2005, I book to go to a wedding and I book which I thouhg was months in advance with a very good prices, however, when I got to the airport I was told that I was month late, I book it for April instead of May!!! How stupid is that!!!! it was a genuine error on my part. I was in total panic at the airport. I was told that if I want to travel that day I would have to pay £250.00 and the wedding was the next day therefore I had to fork out that amount of money for a standby flight which had empty seats on it????

 

After that experience I am very careful when booking for any flights or indeed train journeys....

[Thailand]

I turned up a day late at Girona once and Ryanair wouldn't accept my argument that 'our bums on a seat today are the same as our bums on a seat yesterday' LOL. Can't blame 'em for that. Thing is had to stay in ruddy Lloret de Mar for another 3 days in a hotel that catered for the Spanish grey euro as it was out of season...saved money by waiting 3 more days though!

 

Not the first time I've turned up a day late either *must not get so trollied on hols*

 

Standby is one way of putting it, Allwood, they know now that this policy makes them more money - in the good old days we could turn up at the airport and get a good deal!

 

I have booked two return journeys before now in case one goes t*ts up (as long as they were Ryanair and cost a penny)