Monarch In-Flight 23% covert exchange robbery

mystic_trev

Pollycat wrote: »

I've travelled quite a lot with Monarch and in my experience they have always been upfront with declaring the exchange rate for paying in non UK currency.
However, this is usually an announcement made (which the OP maybe missed) rather than information given to each passenger as they are served by the stewards.

Yeah totally agree. I'd assumed most people knew that Budget / Charter outfits use a crap ROE and even if you pay in sterling you'll still 'pay through the nose' Golden rule is NEVER buy anything on the Aircraft, take it with you.

Voyager2002

To answer the OP's question, there are NO rules about this. Airlines charge whatever the market will bear for all the services they provide, including the service of converting money for you.

Anyone who believes that they can assume that any business will limit the charges that customers don't ask about to a "reasonable" level has a great deal to learn.

Horace

hammy_the_hammer wrote: »

horace telling people what they don't want to hear isn't troll like behaviour.
now if you have travelled extensively around the World and never come across this problem before i can only assume that you don't fly charter or pay in the currency of the airline.
yes it could have been delayed , it could be really hot in the airport and you're tired and thirsty ....well personally i would have bought drinks airside in the airport (queue chance for everything including vending machines to be closed at airport) .
the same as your remark about the fiver being for a taxi ....well it may well have been, but again if that's all you've got left you're in poo street if you lose it or the taxi comes to £5.50.
there's part of adult life where you have to take some responsibility for your own actions ....i would never risk travelling without a 'float' of money in addition to cards so if problems occur eg a flight delay you aren't dependant on 1 drink every 4 hours from the airline.
likewise if they took me to a flea-pit for an overnighter caused by a delay i would have the funds to make my own arrangements. being a seasoned World traveller i thought you would appreciate that.
by all means click the red triangle thingy if and when you feel the need

There is no need to get snippy with me, because I have made what I thought was a reasonable comment and there is no need to berate the OP for being a tad silly - as already explained he/she had left their visa debit card behind and only had limited funds with them. They know that but they are making a coment on how unfair it is.

Admittedly I do not tend to fly on charter flights and I always carry fruit and water with me but hey that's me (I have to have additional supplies because of my health condition) but there is no need to take the OP to task about it. I am sure they have got the message now that they were a) stupid to pay and b) stupid enough to think that they may have got some support or at least a bit of sympathy from people on this forum.

Feel free to report me for daring to have an opinion.

Pollycat

I don't intend to get 'snippy' with anyone or call anyone (even the OP) silly.

The fact is, as Voyager2002 points out:

there are NO rules about this. Airlines charge whatever the market will bear for all the services they provide, including the service of converting money for you.

The OP asked:

Any thoughts or ideas on this 23% skim off scam?

A number of people have given THEIR thoughts and ideas.
They may or may not coincide with thoughts or views that other people hold, but HEY! we're all different - and 100% entitled to voice our views, especially when asked to do so.
It's not a question of 'daring to have an opinion'.
Your opinion just differs from the majority of those already aired.
Nobody says that majority are right, nobody says you (or the OP) are right.

And on the subject of offering support or a bit of sympathy, if I thought that the situation warranted it, I'd have been the first to offer it.
As I've already stated, I've travelled a lot with Monarch and, in my experience, whilst not advertising the exchange rate, they DO quote it.
It's up to each individual to decide whether to pay in a foreign currency and suffer a poor exchange rate.

ince_mon

Never buy anything on a plane.Always ask someone else can you have a bit of theirs.:p

loveangel

Obviously others who are on this forum on a regular basis spend a huge amount of their time traveling and mysteriously hear the exchange rates for drinks and food being mentioned several times as opposed to the exchange rates for what was know for duty free.
I wonder what woudl have happened i i had gone on this forum a couple of years ago and grumbled about the ''AMOUNT CHARGED'' for unauthorised overdraft fees - woudl teh same poeple have made comments like:-
' i never pay them i never go overdrawn'

'you need to be more careful as overdraft fees are expensive'

'you should open an old fashioned bulding society or deposit account so you cant go overdrawn'

'you should let me take over your account i;m clever and very tight and you can trust me'

'i have loads of money so i never go overdrawn'

'you shodul get a better job that pays moer so you don;t need to go overdrawn'

'you should always visit a cashpoint or go online to check your balance before taking money out'

'you should write in your diary or programme in a alert 1 week before every standing order or direct debot is due and check there is enough money in your account, even if you have 10 standing orders'

'you should hire a pa'

'you should get debt advice'

i imagine the list of helpful suggestions could have been endless but i feel with the banking charges viewed as excessive my point is proven, even though the matter is far from closed as there is an appeal towards the end of this year by the banks

WiseInvestor_2

Personally, I would've said all of the above

We're hearing more and more examples of businesses being creative with exchange rates (credit cards, foreign ATMs, foreign shops etc) so the fact that some airlines have started doing the same comes as no surprise. If nothing else, this thread should serve as a timely warning to other travellers. Buyer beware.

Incidentally, the only rude comment I've read on this thread was

loveangel wrote: »

trolly dolly

hammy_the_hammer

loveangel wrote: »

Obviously others who are on this forum on a regular basis spend a huge amount of their time traveling and mysteriously hear the exchange rates for drinks and food being mentioned several times as opposed to the exchange rates for what was know for duty free.
I wonder what woudl have happened i i had gone on this forum a couple of years ago and grumbled about the ''AMOUNT CHARGED'' for unauthorised overdraft fees - woudl teh same poeple have made comments like:-
' i never pay them i never go overdrawn'

'you need to be more careful as overdraft fees are expensive'

'you should open an old fashioned bulding society or deposit account so you cant go overdrawn'

'you should let me take over your account i;m clever and very tight and you can trust me'

'i have loads of money so i never go overdrawn'

'you shodul get a better job that pays moer so you don;t need to go overdrawn'

'you should always visit a cashpoint or go online to check your balance before taking money out'

'you should write in your diary or programme in a alert 1 week before every standing order or direct debot is due and check there is enough money in your account, even if you have 10 standing orders'

'you should hire a pa'

'you should get debt advice'

i imagine the list of helpful suggestions could have been endless but i feel with the banking charges viewed as excessive my point is proven, even though the matter is far from closed as there is an appeal towards the end of this year by the banks

an extremely long post... however bank overdraft charges and merchants currency exchange rates aren't related .
what do you think would be a fair exchange rate for the airline to charge ?
do you not think you were slightly naive to expect the visa interbank rate ?
as i posted before couldn't you have paid with the sterling you had left ?

Pollycat

Obviously others who are on this forum on a regular basis spend a huge amount of their time traveling and mysteriously hear the exchange rates for drinks and food being mentioned several times as opposed to the exchange rates for what was know for duty free.

Look, there's nothing mysterious about hearing an announcement.
You missed it and that cost you money.
It's not 'covert robbery' at all.

loveangel

I suppose the BBC report on a family that bought a holiday priced in euros on a uk webiste via a reputable holiday company where they also got nailed with a hugely unfavourable exchange rates invested by the company, was a silly programme as the family shound have listen to these phantom announcement that you hear with regards to everything.
I do hope you enjoyed your trip on the monarch flight i was on - i presume you were on it as that's the only way you coudl possibly confirm whether teh exchange rate for the refreshments was declared numerous times - troll!