JET2.com charging for FREE seat selection?

cyclotron

bought a return flight to Milan month ago with Jet2, cost around £200 all in once I had removed the extras, in flight 3 course sandwiches/insurance on my insurance etcetera. I chose Online Checkin/Online Boarding Card. Travelled with JET2 many times before and all was smooth. Now, its 4 days before I travel and I've gone online to register passport details etcetera, and print out my boarding card. JET2 inform me that "they have pre-selected a free seat for me, and should I wish however, I can buy an extra legroom seat for a tenner"
Whichever computer I check with, Windows 7 or Apple Mac - I find there are no seats available, only the 'tenner' extra special offer seats. it seems that I've got an (ticketless) airline ticket - but I don't have a seat or boarding card unless I pay extra, just befor flying!! Will I have to pay extra to BREATHE on the plane??? Will there be a USING THE STAIRS TO LEAVE THE AIRCRAFT supplemental charge?? I phoned the JET2 helpdesk who is located far-away, they were unable to give me a seat assignment.
I faxed JET2 corporate fax number as there is otherwise only a post office box number in LEEDS, with the promise to respond within 21 days after the flight!!!!!!!!!!!! No communication or assistance yet.

Has anyone had this particular seat run-around with JET2 or anyone else?
It seems like I can either buy (2 one there one back) extra legroom luxury seats for just the price of a night out at Harry Ramsdens or I can attempt to not book in online and talk to the rather stern people at the airport, try to blag my way onboard without a seat or boarding pass, risking being tasered as a terrorizt!? And I just want to fly!

I've been through all Terms and conditions from my flight booking and I cannot find my situation described. I am not a lawyer, but I'm tempted to complain to some European Ombudsman as I'm certainly paying nothing like what I thought I would be paying when I started this booking. I have nothing against JET2, I'm sure there are better and worse companies. I happen to be in a non-defined situation and there is no-one to help available from JET2's side. all my point of view.

NJW69

I've just checked in today for a flight to Prague and there were pre-selected seats that were no extra charge.

I just didn't click on any of the options and didn't get charged anything.

However despite there being loads of seats together we ended up sat either side of the isle from each other.

I'm sure that when we get on there will be loads of seats and we will sit where we want.

On the way back we're on the same side of the isle.

Dick_Van_Dyke

You have seats. Your simply being told if you dont want those you pay extra. Look up pre selected in the dictionary

KeithP

cyclotron wrote: »

JET2 inform me that "they have pre-selected a free seat for me, and should I wish however, I can buy an extra legroom seat for a tenner"

Seems quite clear to me (and !!!!!! Van Dyke).

You already have a free seat included in what you have paid already.

Posting all that was a bit of a waste of effort wasn't it OP?

Btw... welcome to the forums Cyclotron.

cyclotron

Yes, I agree with the comments - it says on the check-in webpage "we have allocated you a free seat", but they haven't! There's a box where the seat number should appear, eg 23B, but it's blank. I suspect it may be a bug, as it says "select the passenger name and choose where you'd like to sit - if it's different from the pre-allocated seat" The idea is to scam a small payment to allow a group to sit together, although the website says it "does try and allocate a group close together". As I'm a single traveller my name is already pre-selected, just I get an empty seat allocated box.
99% of the other seats on the aircraft are grey - reserved - a few are wheelchair, and the special offer extra legroom emergency seats are just a tenner extra. When I click the special offer extra tenner then I get a seat number in my box, and progress to a 'how would you like to pay page?'
everything else I try to verify/accept my "free, already allocated" seat gets me a "you must select a seat before continuing"

I suppose it's either a c**k-up or conspiracy, a web-error or a marketing push?
I have the choice (with 3 days to go to) A) contact Jet2, IMPOSSIBLE as they havent responded to my faxes (it is easter!) and the call centre can't allocate me a seat. They have said they can add a note to my booking that there is a problem, so I could go to the airport without a seat and hope that it's all an informatic pimple and is easily solved by the helpful JET2 staff??!!?? and that the note has been added to my ticket etcetera

I really only have choice C) for peace of mind, which is to pay for the extra seat - and thereby I make my claim that I'm being slightly screwed by a low cost airline, just in a new way that I hadn't predicted or expected.

Perhaps all seats on the vehicle are already allocated, everyone has already checked-in online and I'm the last person so have hobson's choice. Somehow I find this hard to believe.

It means next time, I have to not only buy a ticket on Day X, but then immediately check-in as soon as online boarding commences (28 days before flight?) try and reserve the free seat. There is no mention on my terms and conditions that there is a limit to the number of free seats.
There is only a mention that seating in 'standard' is free but can be upgraded for your comfort and enjoyment.

I will document everything and attempt a communication with JET2 customer service and probably the Leeds small claims court.

(Thanks for the welcome to the Forums, I have been lurking for years reading about NEXT & adding the odd IT comment to open discussions.
I am a reasonable person who rarely is cheated, probably in this case just accidentally by JET2, but already from Forum reading and replies I see it might not be deliberate.)
Trust but Verify!

ldale81

This happened to me but its all ok so stop panicking.
jet2.com were brilliant.
if you have printed your boarding card off you have been allocated a seat. its just a little hitch thats its not printed when get to airport just go to desk and they will write it on like they did for me.