Michelle Howard sent a message to Michael OLeary - CEO, Ryanair - Email Address that said:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I was in Holland last weekend and while there I booked a flight on my phone to go to Malaga with Ryanair on the 4th October to the 9th October. I am very definite about these dates as I am going to Malaga for an occasion. As one of my friends had already booked I took the opportunity to book myself over the weekend. I had to book using my mobile phone which did not have roaming (as that is not part of my package) but I was in a restaurant at the time which had wifi.
I booked my flights but when I returned to Dublin yesterday evening and my emails pinged in I noticed that for some reason the flights that were booked were for the 4th July to the 9th July. I would never intentionally book to go to Malaga in high season so this was either a typo by me or a computer glitch by Ryanair.
I have spoken to your customer service staff both by the email link and by telephone this morning and I was told that if I changed my flight it would cost me an extra €68 on top of the €360 that I have already paid for the flight. I was told also that if I were to change the name on the flight then it would cost an additional €100 (Your staff actually managed to be rude and uncompromising both by email and in person). Neither of the options given are very satisfactory and I was so surprised that given the circumstances that there was absolutely no understanding from Ryanair staff whatsoever. If I had wifi or roaming and could have checked my itinerary earlier (within the 24 hours required) I would have done so but unfortunately I didnt have wifi until I returned home yesterday evening.
If there is no chance whatsoever of changing the flight for free, I have no option but to request that this flight is cancelled and I am refunded the money. I shudder to think what Ryanair will charge me for this privledge. It is of no use to me or to anybody else I know as nobody wants to be in Marbella in peak season because of the heat.
I would be grateful if somebody could revert to me as soon as possible regarding a refund for cancelling my flight.
I have to say quite strenuously that I am extremely disappointed with the stand that Ryanair has taken in relation to my queries. If it was the case that I had booked a flight for the next few weeks I would understand this bad attitude but the flight that was actually booked wasnt for three months and the flight I had intended to book wasnt for another six months. Surely Ryanair could easily have moved this flight to October without charging excess as it was an honest mistake and would easily have sold my ticket again for probably a lot more.
I do understand that you have terms and conditions and that I agreed to them when I booked my flight but as it was so obviously an error, either on my part or on the websites part - it would cost Ryanair nothing whatsoever and would be a decent gesture of good faith to assist me this one time.
I am a very disillusioned and a very disappointed customer and while I know this doesnt mean much to Ryanair I would be a very very reluctant passenger in the future. Sometimes mistakes are made and sometimes a gesture of goodwill is all that is required to keep a customer happy. I am not looking for something for nothing.. I paid above and beyond for the price of my ticket and now I have to cancel or pay even more money to Ryanair.
Thank you
Michelle
Email: michelle@imf.ie
