Ryanair flight to Spain NOT cancelled but country is on lockdown

paddy19

.G. wrote: »

Not everyone is getting those emails though so their approach is different to different people. I haven't got any email from them telling me I can't have a refund or that I have to wait until the crisis is over.

That's interesting can you post the email you got about your cancellation?

paddy19

dodgystats wrote: »

I didn't get a email with that detail - what I got and suspect most people recently got is:

Funny enough, I booked car hire under the same reference and that was refunded the next day - i know its a separate company but the right way to do refunds.

Isn't it amazing, the car hire company can refund in day but the airlines take weeks.

Maybe they found a hot programmer who was able to automate the process!

josip

Won't be long before the Ryan Air apologists arrive to tell us we're being unreasonable and that Ryan Air are no different to all the other airlines.

.G.

paddy19 wrote: »

That's interesting can you post the email you got about your cancellation?

Exact same wording as the one dodgystats posted above.

paddy19

"I didn't get a email with that detail - what I got and suspect most people recently got is:"

As previously advised, our Customer Services Team are experiencing an unprecedented high volume of requests due to the COVID-19 crisis and we are prioritising our most vulnerable customers.

Ah now, this from the airline that would cheerfully abandon you in some airport far far away and let you hike your way across Europe on your own. Then when asked for the legally entitled expenses question every euro spent.

This has been compounded by government public health restrictions on non-essential work travel which means we have less staff available to us during this busy time.

Ah, very sad. But could you not spare one of the 300 hot shot programmers you have to automate the refund process. The lads in the car hire business have worked out how to do it. Those computer lads are horrid smart and could probably do it all from home.

Please rest assured your refund request is currently in the queue and will be processed.

Is this the same queue that you said would not be looked at until Covid had abated. You wouldn't give us a wee hint as to when my hard earned cash will arrive back in my account. I know times are tough for you and you love the auld interest free loan but I need a few euros to feed the kids.

Those dastardly EU bureaucrats have dictated by regulation that refunds must be processed within 7 days. But what they know about running a lean business.
Sure breaking a law here or there is not an issue when your a big company.

Laws are for the little people.

If you have selected new travel dates and would prefer to move your booking, please contact us

You seem to have a rake of people that can help me with the re-booking but I suppose they are no good at processing refunds which obviously requires a totally different skill set, hitting different keys on the keyboard.

spurious

paddy19 wrote: »

You seem to have a rake of people that can help me with the re-booking but I suppose they are no good at processing refunds which obviously requires a totally different skill set, hitting different keys on the keyboard.

It may be something to do with secure connections from home accessing bank things.
Anyway, they are still well within the timeline they outlined to me.I would be more worried about getting a refund I am due from Air Baltic than from Ryanair.

yankinlk

Just offered a voucher for the first flight... after 27 days waiting for refund. Option to decline will be taken. Voucher was set to expire on this day 2021 so they can forget that.

I assume they are going to try and keep everyone's money basically .

mattser

yankinlk wrote: »

Just offered a voucher for the first flight... after 27 days waiting for refund. Option to decline will be taken. Voucher was set to expire on this day 2021 so they can forget that.

I assume they are going to try and keep everyone's money basically .

Same text here a few minutes ago. A bit pushy on taking the voucher, I thought.

Barely mentions the refund, just saying you'll have to wait until the pandemic is over.

waxmelts2000

same here just offered a voucher...not accepting this

Dear Customer,

Over the past months the spread of the Covid-19 virus has caused many EU governments to impose flight and/or travel bans which grounded over 99% of Ryanair’s flights. We are doing everything we can to support our customers, our people and protect jobs. We are ready to return flying when Covid-19 is defeated, hopefully sooner rather than later.

We regret that these Government travel restrictions have forced the cancellation of your Ryanair flight(s) under booking reference::

Please see below details of your travel voucher for xxxxxxx the full value of your unused booking. This amount can be used for the purchase of Ryanair flights and other services at any time over the next 12 months. It is simple to use this voucher when making a booking on the Ryanair website or app.

required to work from home to limit the spread of COVID-19 virus, payment security restrictions prevent us from processing refunds as quickly as we would like to.

We invite you to use your voucher to book your next trip and we look forward to seeing you again on a Ryanair flight in the near future. Passengers who made their bookings using travel agents, or on line travel agencies should contact these companies from where they purchased their tickets to find out more about their options.



seriously they are a joke, kept me waiting for over a month to then just offer voucher after saying bear with us processing refunds

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058063437&page=13

More of the same.

waxmelts2000

refund option on the site is not working to request the refund again..

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058070334

Another thread.

Maybe it would make sense to merge these threads.

dodgystats

Is 1 year legal on expiry of voucher? By the time flights are back to normal, it will be less time to use them.

Gatoh

We booked two flights this year with one of them famous budget airlines , one flight coming up in June and another one in August. Both tickets cost us almost 1K as there's 4 of us + luggage.
For the June's flight we already received an email with option to change our flight for free - I think in between 3 month time frame. Obviously this sort of change just won't suit for us ( we have another flight in August already planned we also may not be able to use ) so we weighted up the option to pay for the flight change and move it rather more to the future.

But we discarded that option. The thing is..airlines are under major pressure, there's a huge amount of staff they can not let go and therefore they are still on the payroll. But there are no flights taking off to bring any money in. And for a while, there won't be any. Airlines simply just surviving with the money you paid for your future flights - and that money wont last long. You do not need to have J.P. Morgan brains to figure out that many airlines just wont survive after Covid19 crisis. Internationally, analysts predict the coronavirus pandemic will bankrupt most of the world’s airlines by the summer.

That means any money you'll pay for rescheduling the flight(s) could be lost too. Furthermore, taking a refund voucher seems like a very big risk. When the airline shuts down that voucher will be just a worthless piece of paper. In my honest opinion I think many airline companies will be re-created. It is much easier and cost friendly to let airline to go bankrupt and simply just open another one. Instead of dealing with thousands of disappointed customers who do demand refund you can just ignore that problem all together. "Our Lady Air" shuts down and becomes " Cheap Flights Forever" and all the troubles for the airline will be solved just like that. Yes, it will be mildly painful process for little while but it will pay off. This sort of practice is fairly common in business world and has been done many times before.

Your best bet is still not to accept flight changes nor vouchers but full refund . You may be lucky and will get that refund. If airline won't honor refund request then they can be sued. And if there will be a lot of people with the same problem - class action lawsuit sounds like an option.

Might be I'm wrong...but might be I'm right?

paddy19

Gatoh wrote: »

"Our Lady Air" shuts down and becomes " Cheap Flights Forever" and all the troubles for the airline will be solved just like that. Yes, it will be mildly painful process for little while but it will pay off. This sort of practice is fairly common in business world and has been done many times before.

Your best bet is still not to accept flight changes nor vouchers but full refund . You may be lucky and will get that refund. If airline won't honor refund request then they can be sued. And if there will be a lot of people with the same problem - class action lawsuit sounds like an option.

Might be I'm wrong...but might be I'm right?

Brave person who'd say it couldn't happen but why take the chance anyway.

No need to sue (sounds like expensive folks with funny wigs).....

The good folks in the Small Claims Court in Swords will do the job for €25.

paddy19

dodgystats wrote: »

Is 1 year legal on expiry of voucher? By the time flights are back to normal, it will be less time to use them.

I'm sure, for a large fee, you could get a barrister to tell you it is or it isn't depending on your requirements.

Since the refund voucher is a voluntary offer it appears that the airline can set whatever conditions it likes subject to local and EU law.

You are free to accept or reject it.

The good news is that, thanks to the good auld EU you are entitled to a cash refund which you can enforce for €25 in the Swords Small Claims courts.
It's all online and you don't need to appear.

No need to involve the expensive folks in the funny wigs!

yankinlk

Looks like the entire island if Ireland has swamped the poor chatbot this morning. Im gonna wait a few weeks now that i have come across this dedicated FB group of refund seekers!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/263759814405650/

waxmelts2000

I rang them this morning, waiting 20 minutes so not too bad. The lady I spoke to again was saying to use the voucher. I repeatedly said I do not want to use the voucher please process the refund. She said she will process but it will take time as she is WFH and does not have access to credit cards (seriously...) she didn't fill me with a lot of confidence to be honest as even after saying she will request refund she was saying I can still access the voucher!!!

Gatoh

Would credit card/ debit card chargeback work in this case?

www.ccpc.ie states:

"If the supplier will not refund your money and you paid using a credit or debit card, your card provider – usually your bank – may agree to reverse the transaction. This is called a chargeback. In order to start a chargeback, you should contact your bank or credit card provider immediately."

embraer170

So after sending me an email confirming my refund was being processed a few days ago, Ryanair now sent me a link to accept a voucher.

Useless and dishonest.

billybonkers

Yeah they are avoiding giving the refund as they don't have the cash to do so many

All over the news now and Twitter

paddy19

billybonkers wrote: »

Yeah they are avoiding giving the refund as they don't have the cash to do so many

All over the news now and Twitter

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said the airline could survive a prolonged period of running no flights.

“Ryanair is a resilient airline group, with a very strong balance sheet, and substantial cash liquidity,” he said.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/coronavirus-ryanair-to-cut-jobs-and-pay-as-entire-fleet-could-be-grounded-1.4204023

long_b

Also received a voucher email.
Anyone got a link to a page to request a cash refund instead?

ICash refund is mentioned here but no details on how to apply for it

https://www.ryanair.com/ie/en/useful-info/refund-voucher

mattser

Just got a full refund from a Aer Lingus for a flight to Spain which was cancelled. ( March 26th ).
I know this is a Ryanair thread, but I'm still waitin for 2 Ryanair refunds for March also.

mattser

Just got refunded for my three cancelled March 2020 flights. Thanks Mick.

rx8

Same here, got €370 back from flights on March 21st.

..

dodgystats

rx8 wrote: »

Same here, got €370 back from flights on March 21st.

Was that with Aer Lingus as well?

rx8

dodgystats wrote: »

Was that with Aer Lingus as well?

Ah no, IT WAS RYANAIR !! (was replying to the post above it that thanked Mick O'Leary)

joeysoap

Got the email this morning saying my flight had been refunded. 7 days etc.

€312 not the end of the world but still very welcome home