error session locked

Am I alone in thinking that Trading Standards has been asleep at the wheel as far as Ryanair is concerned? First off there is Michael So Dreary’s claim that Ryanair is ‘Britain’s favourite airline.’

Not with anyone I know. Can he, I wonder, produce a single (sane) person, other than close family members and people who are on the Ryanair payroll, to support this claim?

But more worrying and insidious than the misleading ads, the on-line check in and inflated credit cards fees, and the lack of a contact email address (which breaches e-commerce regulations) is the ‘error - session locked’ message. A quick search of the internet reveals that many people have fallen victim to this recurring 'fault' with the airline's website, whereby you are 'locked out' of the site mid-transaction, in some cases after your credit card has been deducted.

If for example, a credit card is refused while trying amend a booking, it does not tell you or allow you to try again with another card but simply locks you out of the site, so that you can't check in online for your flight - even if you try from a different computer.

Having recently experienced this myself (and not for the first time) I was subsequently mugged for another €40 to check in at Poitiers airport.

After taking advice from Consumer Direct, I wrote to Ryanair to demand the money back. Nearly a month later I received an entirely irrelevant automated email, telling me that (doh!) I should have checked in online.

I've been advised to give the airline one last opportunity to return the money and if not the case will be taken up by Trading Standards.

So, for the benefit of anyone else who has been left out of pocket by ‘error session locked’, and in order to make a stand against Ryanair's customer service thuggery, I’m publishing below the letter that I sent, quoting the relevant clause of the Supply of Goods and Services Act.

It should (in theory) get you a refund. And if not .... well, bring on Trading Standards!

In the meantime, you might also find this website useful: www.ryanaircampaign.org
So far, unlike other websites that dare to publish complaints about 'Britain's favourite airline', it hasn't yet been closed down.

Ryanair UK Ltd
Satellite
London Stansted Airport
Stansted
Essex CM24 1RWl
company no 01917579

Dear Sir/Madam,

Flight booking ref: XXXX

I was recently made to pay €40 to have a boarding pass issued at Poitiers airport, as the Ryanair website had blocked my efforts to check-in on line, with a message saying ‘error - your session has been locked.’

Having paid to check-in online, your website made it impossible to do so, which means Ryanair failed to supply the services as specified.

This breaches the Supply of Goods & Services Act 1982, which states that services should be supplied with reasonable care and skill.

If I do not hear from you within two weeks of receipt of this (tracked) letter confirming a full refund has been issued, I will pursue this matter with Trading Standards.

Yours sincerely etc etc