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Aer Lingus' adverts & handling fee

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  • 22-03-2010 4:52pm
    #1
    Butch Cassidy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,409 ✭✭✭


    In the last few weeks I've seen a few of Aer Lingus adverts and have recieved a few emails. The most recent two seemed to be the exact same advert but with different wording and neither of them including their spurious "handling fee" that's added just before you sumbit payment details.

    The first was a "30% off sale" with that cute little piece of legalease "Discount applies to fare before taxes and charges".. Fair enough I thought so I had a gander at their flights and a flight to Glagsow was looking at about €29.99 one way including the "taxes and charges" but not the handling fee. Where they got their 30% off from I don't know but the cheapest flight came with a zero fare.

    Next email says "St. Patricks Day specials: Uk and Europe from €29.99 one way includng taxes and charges". This email advert doesn't mention anywhere the €5 handling fee you get stung with at the end. Again, a quick look at the Glasgow flight and it's €29.99 as before with this mystical "zero" fare price!


    Both seem to be the exact same advert and neither include the handling fee charge despite the little note that actually says "including taxes and charges"!


    What gives here? I thought the EU clamped down on this misleading advertising ? "Including taxes and charges" should mean including ALL mandatory charges. Are they allowed get away with this because they call it a "fee" and it's not mandatory if you have one of these Electron cards that no Irish person can get in Ireland?


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    #2
    newsizedbooty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 208 ✭✭newsizedbooty


    I know, it drives me mad too. i was looking at flights to Lanzarote and the discount is 5%, now I know that 30% discount on fares is "up to" 30% but theyahev soem cheek sendign out a promotional email with Lanzarote in the list whn only 5% discount is being offered! grr


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    #3
    Butch Cassidy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,409 ✭✭✭Butch Cassidy


    It's a percentage off of the "fare price" which can be zero or whatever amount. It didn't show you anywhere where you see that you're getting your % off or anything. Very dodgy adverts anyway.


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    #4
    dudara
    Registered Users Posts: 33,518 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    If you believe an advertisement to be misleading, then stop complaining about it on an Internet board and lodge a complaint with the ASAI. They investigate all complaints lodged with them, and will keep you up to date on the progress of your complaint.


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    #5
    Butch Cassidy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,409 ✭✭✭Butch Cassidy


    Another one, this time it's "20% off" how can you offer a sale or discounts on a /product service that increases in price over time? If you go far enough ahead of schedule you'll find their mythical "free" fares which of course go up closer to the date yet the ad doesn't attempt to state what you're getting 20% off! 20% off of nothing is still nothing.

    e0pd1f.jpg


    Oh, I've found their handling fee "tinchy-print"...
    Handling fee per passenger/per one-way flight: €5 per credit card transaction/ €5 per debit card transaction applies.

    Isn't this the same thing they were doing with the "free" flights adverts that the EU came down on? "Free flight" with the tiny print saying you had to pay such and such taxes and charges.


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