Author Topic: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity  (Read 11344 times)

ch12

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RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« on: September 07, 2012, 06:05:21 AM »
It's actually refreshing for him to come out and tell us that Ryanair can offer $5 flights for stupid people who can subsidize the smart people.

O'Leary was speaking specifically about fliers who fail to print their boarding passes before they arrive at the airport, and are forced to pay Ryanair's 60-euro fee. The issue came to a head after a mom paid about $380 so her family could get the paperwork to fly home from Spain to Britain. She aired her concerns on Facebook and got hundreds of thousands of "likes." O'Leary responded to the controversy as many CEOs would after being administered a truth serum.
 
"We think Mrs. McLeod should pay 60 euros for being so stupid," he reportedly told The Telegraph before piling on the sarcasm. "She wasn't able to print her boarding card because, as you know, there are no Internet cafes in Alicante, no hotels where they could print them out for you, and you couldn't get to a fax machine so some friend at home can print them and fax them to you."

http://redtape.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/07/13710824-the-truth-comes-out-ceo-says-stupid-consumers-deserve-hefty-fees?lite

simonsez

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2012, 06:26:22 AM »
It's an egregious example but I have no problem/guilt receiving 5% cash back with my credit each for selected stores/types of purchases each quarter for things I would be buying anyway (groceries, gas).  I have a feeling if everyone wiped out their credit card balance every month and didn't pay interest or fees of any kind, there would be no reward programs for credit cards.

Kriegsspiel

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2012, 07:21:37 AM »
When I lived in Europe I used RA all the time, it was pretty awesome.   So, thank you stupid people! 

Jamesqf

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #3 on: September 07, 2012, 02:55:29 PM »
It's an egregious example but I have no problem/guilt receiving 5% cash back with my credit each for selected stores/types of purchases each quarter for things I would be buying anyway (groceries, gas).

Or even the 1% I get back for everything I buy on mine, plus the interest-free loan of however much I've charged this billing cycle.

chouchouu

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2012, 11:19:10 AM »
I have hardly ever flown Ryan Air and it annoys me how people can't work out how much it costs to fly with them! All they can see is the cheap airfare, say 50 euros versus 110 euros with a mainstream carrier. Except they don't add in the extra cost of getting to the airport which is minimum 25 pounds for the bus for one long ass trip versus about 4 pounds to Heathrow for your mainstream carrier. Then there's the fact that most Ryan Air flights leave before the bus/rail service begins so you can only get your ass out to the airport in the middle of whoop whoop by catching a taxi-add 80 pounds, this isn't including the return so double that, plus whichever whoop whoop place you land in, say they do have the bus service running- 25 euros min. So 100 euros in shuttle service plus 50 pounds versus 110 euros and maybe 15 pounds in training to your mainstream airport-plus not jhaving to fly out at 5:20 am and get charged a late fee even though you arrived 1.5 hours before departure (yes happened to my sister-her boss booked the ticket and they had an enormous queue and one staff member processing tickets and *late fees*)

Technically you could get your butt out to the airport the night before and then you would save ten pounds but you're sleeping in the airport and if you've got luggage well you can kiss that ten pounds goodbye!

Paul der Krake

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2012, 01:24:08 PM »
Except they don't add in the extra cost of getting to the airport which is minimum 25 pounds for the bus for one long ass trip versus about 4 pounds to Heathrow for your mainstream carrier. Then there's the fact that most Ryan Air flights leave before the bus/rail service begins so you can only get your ass out to the airport in the middle of whoop whoop by catching a taxi-add 80 pounds, this isn't including the return so double that, plus whichever whoop whoop place you land in, say they do have the bus service running- 25 euros min.

http://www.easybus.co.uk/

Cheap airport shuttles, they run (almost) around the clock.

Kriegsspiel

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2012, 02:44:28 PM »
I have hardly ever flown Ryan Air and it annoys me how people can't work out how much it costs to fly with them! All they can see is the cheap airfare, say 50 euros versus 110 euros with a mainstream carrier. Except they don't add in the extra cost of getting to the airport which is minimum 25 pounds for the bus for one long ass trip versus about 4 pounds to Heathrow for your mainstream carrier. Then there's the fact that most Ryan Air flights leave before the bus/rail service begins so you can only get your ass out to the airport in the middle of whoop whoop by catching a taxi-add 80 pounds, this isn't including the return so double that, plus whichever whoop whoop place you land in, say they do have the bus service running- 25 euros min. So 100 euros in shuttle service plus 50 pounds versus 110 euros and maybe 15 pounds in training to your mainstream airport-plus not jhaving to fly out at 5:20 am and get charged a late fee even though you arrived 1.5 hours before departure (yes happened to my sister-her boss booked the ticket and they had an enormous queue and one staff member processing tickets and *late fees*)

Technically you could get your butt out to the airport the night before and then you would save ten pounds but you're sleeping in the airport and if you've got luggage well you can kiss that ten pounds goodbye!

You might try working on not letting things that don't affect you, and can't be affected by you, annoy you.  Also, those situations don't apply to everyone.

SpendyMcSpend

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2012, 03:11:39 PM »
Don't know how I feel about this.  What about people who really *can't* get to the internet cafe easily (say they are disabled or no transportation)?

totoro

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2012, 03:27:31 PM »
Absolutely terrible customer service and practices.  I don't find this an example of stupid people, but rather an example of an ignorant CEO and a company operating with policies that are ridiculous. 

This woman was travelling with her two children and elderly parents.  She was unable to print the return boarding passes out before she left because they were not available due to the length of her trip. 

I would not travel on this airline after reading the full article.  As someone who travels a lot, both in Canada and abroad, and has misplaced a boarding pass before, I would say that the fee amounts to extortion.  Unless you pay it, you don't get to fly and it is waay out of whack with the staff time or paper cost to print another.

So, while cost is a factor in some consumer decisions, I also make decisions based on customer service - thanks for helping me to decide not to use Ryan Air. 


Paul der Krake

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2012, 03:29:20 PM »
Don't know how I feel about this.  What about people who really *can't* get to the internet cafe easily (say they are disabled or no transportation)?
I'm not buying it. When you book a Ryanair ticket they repeatedly tell you to print your boarding pass, both on the site and in the confirmation email, along with the fee you will incur if you don't. People who fly Ryanair do so to save money and therefore usually book their flights long in advance. I don't think it's too much to ask of people to actually read the instructions before boarding a complex multi-million dollar machine.

totoro

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2012, 03:35:43 PM »
What do reading instructions about printing a boarding pass have to do with the pilot operating a plane or the value of the plane?  Its not like passengers have to do anything but sit through a flight.  I don't see how a passenger printing a boarding pass or not is at all related to the value of the machine.  Are you stating it is a safety risk not to print a boarding pass?

As far as consumer policies go, they are entitled to institute whatever policies they wish.  If you have two children and elderly parents in tow and are less than technically savvy in a foreign country you might have difficulty in printing passes that were not available to print before you left.  To be berated by the CEO publicly when you object to the fees, well, that is just poor business practices imo.

My power as a consumer is to choose not to use their services if I disagree with how their CEO responds to a consumer complaint.   A little old-fashioned maybe, but price is not everything for me. 

thrifted

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #11 on: October 22, 2012, 03:58:11 PM »
Don't know how I feel about this.  What about people who really *can't* get to the internet cafe easily (say they are disabled or no transportation)?
I'm not buying it. When you book a Ryanair ticket they repeatedly tell you to print your boarding pass, both on the site and in the confirmation email, along with the fee you will incur if you don't. People who fly Ryanair do so to save money and therefore usually book their flights long in advance. I don't think it's too much to ask of people to actually read the instructions before boarding a complex multi-million dollar machine.

considering she goes on facebook to complain and understands the concept of 'like', i would think she is tech savvy enough to use/find a printer.  i would be frustrated with the experience but you can't fly without your passport/visa/id to in general.  a boarding pass is just another piece of paper to stay on top of.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9489365/Facebook-anger-over-Ryanair-fees.html

okits

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #12 on: October 22, 2012, 08:47:06 PM »
As far as consumer policies go, they are entitled to institute whatever policies they wish.  If you have two children and elderly parents in tow and are less than technically savvy in a foreign country you might have difficulty in printing passes that were not available to print before you left.  To be berated by the CEO publicly when you object to the fees, well, that is just poor business practices imo.

My power as a consumer is to choose not to use their services if I disagree with how their CEO responds to a consumer complaint.   A little old-fashioned maybe, but price is not everything for me.

O'Leary's gimmick is to be outrageous (I guess it saves on conventional marketing costs.)  Ryanair is all about the cheap price; they'll always have clientele based on that.  It's perhaps naive to think they'll be so much cheaper than regular airlines but still offer the full-service you're used to getting at the higher price. With tickets as low as £0.01 plus taxes I would expect to be nickeled and dimed to death if flying with them.

So if you're advised ahead of time that there's a fee to reprint your boarding card, I say fair game. You can plan ahead of time to print them, or if you can't, calculate the fee into your trip cost to see if flying with Ryanair still results in a cost savings. When I choose to deal with companies who operate lean-and-mean, I usually expect the offerings to be lean and the service to be a bit mean, because that's what keeps the price low. 

May be common sense, but perhaps not all that common.

totoro

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #13 on: October 23, 2012, 05:45:23 AM »
Well, you have a point with those prices.  I have not flown Ryan Air.  Just my response to the CEO's reaction.  As far as lean and mean goes, I suppose I'm just not that lean and mean... and I don't want to be.


grantmeaname

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #14 on: October 25, 2012, 10:04:02 AM »
Just don't forget your boarding pass and it won't affect you.

I don't get what's got mustachians all up in arms here. You personally can be on top of your shit and make sure you don't forget your boarding pass, and then you're fine and it's not your problem. It's the same reason I don't get up in arms at the high penalty rate on credit cards: why should I even  notice, much less care?

Jamesqf

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #15 on: October 25, 2012, 12:00:03 PM »
It's the same reason I don't get up in arms at the high penalty rate on credit cards: why should I even  notice, much less care?

Exactly.  Or why "Rachel from Cardholder Services" and I don't have much of a future together, even though she keeps on calling me offering to reduce my interest rate.  I pay everything by the due date, and thus don't pay interest.  Indeed, the cash-back on the cards means I'm actually paying negative interest :-)

totoro

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #16 on: October 25, 2012, 12:14:58 PM »
I too pay my cards in full each month and receive cash-back.  I also travel frequently, although never on Ryan Air. 

Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryan Air, told the London Telegraph that Mrs. McLeod should pay the 60 Euro fee for being “stupid” in not printing out her boarding passes.

There is a difference between requiring a passport in compliance with laws which are widely publicized and known, and feeling entitled to charge someone who is travelling with small children $600 to print out boarding passes for them, their two small children and their elderly parents.  That is way out of line with cost and there is no legal requirement to charge this fee - it is simply gouging.  This family did not have the option of printing out the passes from home before they left as they were not available. 

I prefer to travel with airlines that value people and provide good service.  The attitude here was one of blantant disrespect for people.   To me it has nothing to do with being frugal or smart.  It has everything to do with supporting a level of respect in our society.

grantmeaname

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #17 on: October 25, 2012, 12:47:51 PM »
Credit card fees have been compared to usury. That's disrespectful to people who don't try and maximize their benefit and minimize their penalty.

totoro

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #18 on: October 25, 2012, 01:05:05 PM »
I don't find credit card fees disrespectful to people who don't maximize their benefits - these fees are federally regulated, well publicized, and there are options to manage them including switching cards and consolidating loans - I find that system acceptable. 

I would find it disrespectful if the CEO of the credit card company called people who incur fees on their cards stupid for doing so. 

I would not be as supportive if credit card companies were unregulated and decided to institute policies which allowed them to reach truly usurious fees and charges.  I don't support the fees charged to prepaid credit cards which consumers have little knowledge of (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/10/24/f-prepaid-credit-cards.html) or the monthly fees that used to be applied to gift cards if they were not used until consumer protection laws were brought into place.

The free market can set prices but regulators may step in when the small print charges leave a consumer paying far more than is reasonable.  In the case of Ryan Air, these folks were about to board their flight.  They had no choice but to pay an enormous fee for a boarding pass which cost the company little and provided a crazy profit margin (like what, 600%?).  They obviously did not anticipate and then they were called stupid by the company.

unitsinc

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #19 on: October 25, 2012, 04:30:11 PM »


I would find it disrespectful if the CEO of the credit card company called people who incur fees on their cards stupid for doing so. 


I would have to ask why? It simply seems like he's being honest, which may not be a nice thing, but at least he isn't lying.

I personally agree that the people who end up with ridiculous fees probably messed up and deserve them.

totoro

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #20 on: October 25, 2012, 05:48:26 PM »
Why?  Because sometimes it is not stupidity and sometimes people are vulnerable.  Sometimes it is medical bills, a bad relationship, or legal troubles that are not predictable.  There are many reasons for debt, the purchase of non-essential consumer goods is only one.


sisca

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #22 on: November 04, 2012, 01:10:49 PM »
Ryanairs motto is something like "we dont care about you. Dont want to fly cheaply? Fine, someone else will".

Thats pretty much it. They spend as little as possible on everything, and add as many fee charging trip wires as they can. In Europe, everyone knows this. I fyou cant take it, fine, fly with someone else.

And O'Leary is damn smart. He will use any press state one thing "Fuck you, we are the cheapest".

Captain and Mrs Slow

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Re: RyanAir says they profit off of stupidity
« Reply #23 on: November 05, 2012, 01:55:37 PM »
Easyjet doesn't charge you a fee to print the boarding pass off nor do they make you check in at the gate, and charge a fee for the privalge for being non EU. Ryanair will cancel your ticket if your a non EU passport holder and try and do web check in.

Inspite of all that people still fly Ryanair, even though it's often more expensive than a regular airline.