Contacting Aer Lingus issues

Coillte_Bhoy

Has anyone had any issues trying to contact Aer Lingus? On Monday i tried to check in online, couldnt remember my log in details so requested password reset etc, didnt recognise my email address. So tried to ring them but the 1800 website help number on their site, gets through to UK Nationwide Ireland. After a couple of hours of trying i eventually got through to a regular number, explained my issues, was told they are having website problems and would be sorted in an hour, that was 48 hours ago. Tried twitter, got a reply straight away but a follow up query was only just dealt with now, 24 hours later. Its unbelievable that they dont have a Live Chat facility or email contacts.Thankfully my flight isn't imminent but if i had left it to the last minute i dont know what would have happened. :mad: Rant over.

VG31

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

Has anyone had any issues trying to contact Aer Lingus? On Monday i tried to check in online, couldnt remember my log in details so requested password reset etc, didnt recognise my email address. So tried to ring them but the 1800 website help number on their site, gets through to UK Nationwide Ireland. After a couple of hours of trying i eventually got through to a regular number, explained my issues, was told they are having website problems and would be sorted in an hour, that was 48 hours ago. Tried twitter, got a reply straight away but a follow up query was only just dealt with now, 24 hours later. Its unbelievable that they dont have a Live Chat facility or email contacts.Thankfully my flight isn't imminent but if i had left it to the last minute i dont know what would have happened. :mad: Rant over.

You might have had to check-in at the airport. Which would have been a total disaster?

goingnowhere

You need only the booking ref and surname to check in, no login, no email...

Coillte_Bhoy

VG31 wrote: »

You might have had to check-in at the airport. Which would have been a total disaster?

Actually it might well have been as i will be cutting it very tight, but thanks for your helpful advice :rolleyes:

VG31

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

Actually it might well have been as i will be cutting it very tight, but thanks for your helpful advice :rolleyes:

What do you mean by "cutting it very tight"? I'm not trying to be unhelpful but you seem to be making this out to be a major issue when it wasn't.

Coillte_Bhoy

goingnowhere wrote: »

You need only the booking ref and surname to check in, no login, no email...

Thank you, thought i needed to log in :o

Locker10a

Also why couldn't you just check in using your booking ref and surname as mentioned above ?

Coillte_Bhoy

Locker10a wrote: »

Also why couldn't you just check in using your booking ref and surname as mentioned above ?

because im an eejit Been years since i used them wasnt too familiar with website

cactusgal

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

because im an eejit Been years since i used them wasnt too familiar with website

All the same, they are next to impossible to contact. The service on the plane is good (bar having to pay for alcoholic drinks on transatlantic flights), but it you have a problem and need to contact AL, God help you. Their customer service is absolutely terrible.

JCX BXC

Have to agree, nightmare contacting them, 5 emails and 7months later, I got the refund I was due said it would take 28 days!

Locker10a

JCX BXC wrote: »

Have to agree, nightmare contacting them, 5 emails and 7months later, I got the refund I was due said it would take 28 days!

If I recall correctly, a number of years ago before social media became mainstream and long before household corporate names started using social media, both Aer Lingus and Ryanair only accepted official complaints via fax?! They learned that making the public jump through hoops to complain meant they get less of them!

john boye

JCX BXC wrote: »

Have to agree, nightmare contacting them, 5 emails and 7months later, I got the refund I was due said it would take 28 days!

They really are. And God help you if you need to change a flight at short notice.

kevinandrew

Overall Aer Lingus are poor at responding to complaints, refund requests or general issues. A lot of smaller issues can be taken care of via social media, it's faster and cheaper but bigger complaints that involve phone calls, emails or letters take forever to deal with. In all honesty very few airlines are good at this, it's an area of the business that has never seen any modernisation. 
If you manage to get through to Aer Lingus on the phone and request a flight/name change they'll do it there and then quite easily as I've experienced, they tend to be very friendly and helpful. Send them a complaint and you'll be waiting a while.