Big ole Ryanair Crank Fest super merge

Carlotta · 26-02-2009 07:46PM #1

Did anyone see that guy who on the RTE news who was verbally abuse via his blog by a Ryanair customer service rep? Then the head of customer relations came on to smugly defend what happened, no apology, nothing.

Sorry I have no link.

The list of public grievances against Ryanair grows.
- Paying for check in luggage
- Paying for wheelchairs
- Penalties for having too much carry on
- Crap customer service (more like customer abuse)
etc.....

That's on top of Michael O'Leary's increasingly frequent rants in the media on issues that have nothing to do with him.

Is it time the public voted with their feet?

mike65 · 26-02-2009 07:47PM

If you did that they'd be no competition and Aer Lingus would charge 200 for flying to London.

http://www.jason-roe.com/blog/free-ryanair-free-flight-bug/

Biggins · 26-02-2009 07:50PM

Read it. It was something I'd expect from someone crawling up from a gutter.

For a company trying to project a professional image - they have just fallen further down into the drain!

Budget airline Ryanair has become embroiled in a web row after it described a blogger as a "lunatic" and admitted an employee left abusive comments on his site.

Customer Jason Roe said he was shocked when a blog post he wrote received negative personal comments from an employee.
Ryanair's official spokesman confirmed the staffer called Mr Roe an "idiot and a liar" but dismissed the blogger as a "lunatic".
The web developer had written wrote a post describing how a bug on Ryanair's site appeared to make his flights free.

He was not able to actually book the tickets, but published screenshots explaining how he got the surprising result.
Within hours abusive posts appeared in the comments section from people calling themselves Ryanair employees.

"You're an idiot and a liar," someone called Ryanair Staff #1 wrote.
Another added: "Don't post b******s".

The web row quickly spread across the microblog siteTwitter as users described the indicident as a "social media disaster" for Ryanair.
Mr Roe has said he was "shocked" by the comments.
"I sat back for 10 minutes just to compose myself, did a little research and found that the IP address they used was from their HQ," he told the Joe Blogs site.
A spokesman for Ryanair confirmed a staff member did write on the site but dismissed Mr Roe as a lunatic and an idiot.
He said: "It is Ryanair policy not to waste time and energy in corresponding with idiot bloggers and Ryanair can confirm that it won't be happening again.

"Lunatic bloggers can have the blog sphere all to themselves as our people are far too busy driving down the cost of air travel," he added.

Site: CLICK HERE

AckwelFoley · 26-02-2009 07:52PM

Link or gtfo.

Anyhow.. no to the boycott thanks.

- Paying for check in luggage DONT FLY WITH THEM.. NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO USE THEM

- Paying for wheelchairs SO??? NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE

- Penalties for having too much carry on.. DONT CARRY IT ON.. YOU DONT NEED 6 BARS OF TOBLERONE

- Crap customer service (more like customer abuse) - FOR A 1 EURO FLIGHT WHAT DO YOU WANT? A PERSON ASSISTANT FOR EACH PASSENGER?

Carlotta · 26-02-2009 07:54PM

snyper wrote: »

Link or gtfo.

Anyhow.. no to the boycott thanks.

- Paying for check in luggage DONT FLY WITH THEM.. NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO USE THEM

- Paying for wheelchairs SO??? NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE

- Penalties for having too much carry on.. DONT CARRY IT ON.. YOU DONT NEED 6 BARS OF TOBLERONE

- Crap customer service (more like customer abuse) - FOR A 1 EURO FLIGHT WHAT DO YOU WANT? A PERSON ASSISTANT FOR EACH PASSENGER?

Didn't take you long to find this, Mr. O'Leary.

I'll take option 5 - I won't fly with Ryanair.

Carlotta · 26-02-2009 07:55PM

mike65 wrote: »

If you did that they'd be no competition and Aer Lingus would charge 200 for flying to London.

http://www.jason-roe.com/blog/free-ryanair-free-flight-bug/

To be honest, so what. Maybe another airline would enter the market, maybe not. The point is the public do not have to put up with such a despicable company.
I'm not a huge fan of Aer Lingus either.

JC 2K3 · 26-02-2009 07:56PM

Ryanair sell really cheap flights in return for a lack of luxuries. Why on earth would I boycott them for not providing these luxuries that I understand I'm not going to get without paying a lot extra?

The only good reason to boycott a company would be if they were being unethical in some way, not because you don't like their business model....

What's so despicible about them anyway? "How dare they offer a less than luxurious service to people who will pay for it!"?

byhookorbycrook · 26-02-2009 08:00PM

snyper wrote: »

- Paying for wheelchairs SO??? NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE

Hope it stays fine for you and you never need to use one. Go away, Mr O' Leary, take your poison elsewhere

spurious · 26-02-2009 08:00PM

I try to avoid Ryanair but last weekend flew with them as they were the only option from where I was.

Mid-flight, someone spewed into the back of the head of the person in the row ahead. It was all over the place. The unfortunate man was given a small bundle of those tissues from the toilet and left to get on with it.

Of course people can get sick on any airline, but at a minimum you'd think there would be some procedure for cleaning up such an incident, rather than leave the man sitting in it. I last saw him near the baggage hall, where I could see it had reached his waist down the back of his shirt. I hope they sent in cleaners during their quick turn around.

26-02-2009 08:01PM

Carlotta wrote: »

Did anyone see that guy who on the RTE news who was verbally abuse via his blog by a Ryanair customer service rep? Then the head of customer relations came on to smugly defend what happened, no apology, nothing.

Sorry I have no link.

The list of public grievances against Ryanair grows.
- Paying for check in luggage
- Paying for wheelchairs
- Penalties for having too much carry on
- Crap customer service (more like customer abuse)
etc.....

That's on top of Michael O'Leary's increasingly frequent rants in the media on issues that have nothing to do with him.

Is it time the public voted with their feet?

here

cooperla · 26-02-2009 08:01PM

I don't mind most of the charges....

I factor in the extras and if it's still cheap enough I'll book with them.
I don't always need to check in a bag so I'm happy when I don't have to pay for it.
It does bother me the card charges as it's pretty much impossible to avoid them (why doesn't Ryanair accept laser and not charge extra for it).

In fairness to their customer service, I fly back from France recently and this guy checking in decided he didn't want to check in a bag (despite having three, which he probably could have reduced to 2). The guy behind the desk put up with a load of abuse from him for 15-20 minutes (including swearing, verbal abuse) without raising his voice. In this case the customer acted completely out of order IMO, and I would have said it was fair play if Ryanair had simply said sorry mate, you're not flying with Ryanair - go fly with another airline.

As for Michael O'Leary, he's a great business man. I don't agree with everything he says but I think we could use a couple like him in politics.

AckwelFoley · 26-02-2009 08:01PM

JC 2K3 wrote: »

Ryanair sell really cheap flights in return for a lack of luxuries. Why on earth would I boycott them for not providing these luxuries that I understand I'm not going to get without paying a lot extra?

The only good reason to boycott a company would be if they were being unethical in some way, not because you don't like their business model....

What's so despicible about them anyway? "How dare they offer a less than luxurious service to people who will pay for it!"?

Yes indeed

I thought the concept was pretty apparent

mumhaabu · 26-02-2009 08:02PM

Drop nasty comments on fat bloggers site, get media attention around the world for free, including 5mins on RTÉ...... RESULT!!!

Gotta Love Mick, he probably wrote it himself, the result is tonnes of free publicity and as they say there is no thing as bad publicity.

If people really want to win against Mick, then the best thing is to ignore it, I didn't see RTÉ running with the story the time Servis Air screwed around with Damien Mulley a much more well known blogger of IOFFL fame.

homerjay2005 · 26-02-2009 08:02PM

ryanair are excellent IMO. they get me from a-b and back. i travel alot,over a 100 times in the past year and a half and about 60 with them. not once have i had a reason to give out about them. ive got flight to all sorts of places for €20 return in the past 6 months. it cost that for me to get a taxi home after a nite on the p*ss. the restrictions they have are there for a reason. to charge passengers who think that flying allows them to take half their wardrobe and the kitchen sink with them.

they are a no frills airline who get you to where you want to go. if you like paying more, then off to aerlingus you go. flights have come down with economic downturn and lowing fuel charges. ryanair have done excellent work at keeping the air industry alive in europe and michael o leary is a legend. if he ran the country, wed be in alot better position now.

AckwelFoley · 26-02-2009 08:03PM

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Hope it stays fine for you and you never need to use one. Go away, Mr O' Leary, take your poison elsewhere

Since when are wheelchairs free? Who provides them?

JC 2K3 · 26-02-2009 08:04PM

spurious wrote: »

I try to avoid Ryanair but last weekend flew with them as they were the only option from where I was.

Mid-flight, someone spewed into the back of the head of the person in the row ahead. It was all over the place. The unfortunate man was given a small bundle of those tissues from the toilet and left to get on with it.

Of course people can get sick on any airline, but at a minimum you'd think there would be some procedure for cleaning up such an incident, rather than leave the man sitting in it. I last saw him near the baggage hall, where I could see it had reached his waist down the back of his shirt. I hope they sent in cleaners during their quick turn around.

Would you expect the same on a bus?

Biggins · 26-02-2009 08:05PM

I posted the actual story up above and included a source link.

The chap involved actually proved visible proof for what he was claiming and Ryanair INCLUDING THEIR SPOKESMAN still turned around and called him a lunatic and an idiot (besides agreeing with the other insults!).

Remember that the next time you or a member of your family are put out by Ryan Air.
You will be able to tell just how much they value you and what they REALLY think of you!

Not exactly a professional way to run a business is it?

Richard · 26-02-2009 08:06PM

I travel Ryanair because they're cheap, but I find their spokespeople arrogant. They seemed to have stopped that irritating fanfare when they land on time, however.

DublinWriter · 26-02-2009 08:07PM

mike65 wrote: »

If you did that they'd be no competition and Aer Lingus would charge 200 500 for flying to London.

Fixed it for you Mike.

Seriously, I hope a happy medium is struck one day soon between olde-worlde Aer Lingus and Southwest Airlines (the airline on which Matt Ryan ordered O'Leary to travel out to the states to model).

Of course, as spurious pointed out, it's our god-given right as Irish to drink too much, travel, vomit, and then expect others to clean up after us.

homerjay2005 · 26-02-2009 08:08PM

Richard wrote: »

I travel Ryanair because they're cheap, but I find their spokespeople arrogant. They seemed to have stopped that irritating fanfare when they land on time, however.

nope its still there. jeez, people complain when there on time now eh? i bet youd be more irrated if the flight was late and there was no jingle....

26-02-2009 08:08PM

spurious wrote: »

I try to avoid Ryanair but last weekend flew with them as they were the only option from where I was.

Mid-flight, someone spewed into the back of the head of the person in the row ahead. It was all over the place. The unfortunate man was given a small bundle of those tissues from the toilet and left to get on with it.

Of course people can get sick on any airline, but at a minimum you'd think there would be some procedure for cleaning up such an incident, rather than leave the man sitting in it. I last saw him near the baggage hall, where I could see it had reached his waist down the back of his shirt. I hope they sent in cleaners during their quick turn around.

any link to that? its fcuking hilarious:pac:

AckwelFoley · 26-02-2009 08:10PM

DublinWriter wrote: »

Of course, as spurious pointed out, it's our god-given right as Irish to drink too much, travel, vomit, and then expect others to clean up after us.

Yes, with that €1 you spent to travel 1000 miles

Carlotta · 26-02-2009 08:11PM

JC 2K3 wrote: »

Ryanair sell really cheap flights in return for a lack of luxuries. Why on earth would I boycott them for not providing these luxuries that I understand I'm not going to get without paying a lot extra?

The only good reason to boycott a company would be if they were being unethical in some way, not because you don't like their business model....

What's so despicible about them anyway? "How dare they offer a less than luxurious service to people who will pay for it!"?

Don't need luxuries when I fly thanks, never said I did. I don't agree that Ryanair should be allowed to treat passengers with utter contempt.

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Hope it stays fine for you and you never need to use one. Go away, Mr O' Leary, take your poison elsewhere

+1. Anyone who thinks an elderly or disabled person should pay anything to use a wheelchair at an airport is beneath contempt.

snyper wrote: »

Yes indeed

I thought the concept was pretty apparent

Very apparent. No frills, keep prices down. Got it. They are not the only low-cost carrier in the world, just the most unprofessional and amoral.
In this case cheap is certainly not cheerful.

AckwelFoley · 26-02-2009 08:14PM

rarnes1 wrote: »

any link to that? its fcuking hilarious:pac:

i Seen it happen on a virgin atlantic flight.

An woman threw up on the way into boston all over the passanger beside her. Luckily he was sudaneese, and instead of getting upset about it, he scooped it up and put it into a food saver.

And they say theres no such thing as a free Lunch.

jhegarty · 26-02-2009 08:14PM

Is it the "no" or the "frills" you don't understand ?

mike65 · 26-02-2009 08:15PM

DublinWriter wrote: »

Fixed it for you Mike.

Ah inflation (not to mention euro/punt adjustment) I forgot. 500 to London could the kids imagine such a thing?

thelordofcheese · 26-02-2009 08:20PM

homerjay2005 wrote: »

Ryanair are excellent IMO. they get me from a to b. Usually via point F.

Fix'd

CiaranC · 26-02-2009 08:21PM

I love Ryanair, I flown maybe 12 times with them this year already. To all the whiners, piss of and use someone else if you dont like them.

26-02-2009 08:22PM

OP doesn't understand the good Ryanair has done for all of Europe. Jobs, Ease of travel for tourists and boosted the economies of areas with Secondary Airports.

He just doesn't understand anything about how the world works and how ridiculous it would be to boycott said company over one employee.

bless. he can go enjoy his aer lingus cause it's been managed so well.

Carlotta · 26-02-2009 08:22PM

jhegarty wrote: »

Is it the "no" or the "frills" you don't understand ?

Ok, so if they are going to be honest about their "no frills" policy why don't they scrap their customer service department. Why even bother having one? Harping on about them being "no frills" is not much of an argument tbh.

Or they should at least warn people that when they phone customer services they will under no circumstances be helped and will most likely get abuse.

If they just stated in their T&Cs that they offered no free extras AND their staff may decide to insult and abuse passengers when they felt like.

dvpower · 26-02-2009 08:23PM

Carlotta wrote: »

The list of public grievances against Ryanair grows.
- Paying for check in luggage

As Ryanair argue, there is a direct cost to them in carrying check-in luggage and they want to encourage people to make do with carry-on only. I wonder what percentage of passengers have check-in luggage. Maybe they could include the cost in the ticket price and offer a discount to people who only have carry-on.

Carlotta wrote: »

- Paying for wheelchairs

Not sure why Ryanair should cover this cost. If anyone should provide wheelchairs, it should be the airport authorities.

Carlotta wrote: »

- Penalties for having too much carry on

You think there should be no penalty for having too much carry on?

Big ole Ryanair Crank Fest super merge

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