Government to allow Ryanair to continue using unfair premium rate phone numbers

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  • malkie76
    malkie76 Posts: 6,170 Forumite
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    Why should the call centres be subsedised by those who don't use them or need them.

    I'd charge them £5 a minute, and keep the costs of flights down.

    Alternatively use another airline or mode of transport.

    Nothing unfair about this, hence your thread title needs editing!
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  • Bob_the_Saver
    Bob_the_Saver Posts: 5,610 Forumite
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    I've never needed to phone them in 300+ bookings so per booking that still works out at.................
  • NFH
    NFH Posts: 4,373 Forumite
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    malkie76 wrote: »
    Why should the call centres be subsedised by those who don't use them or need them.

    I'd charge them £5 a minute, and keep the costs of flights down.
    Answering phone calls is one of the costs of doing business. Like any other business, this cost should be absorbed by the airline. Airlines should not use high charges to deter existing customers with legitimate queries or complaints from contacting them or to derive revenue benefit from such contacts. Customers should not be made to pay extra for attempting to rectify problems which are not their fault. This principle is already reflected in the UK’s Phonepayplus code of conduct which requires the premium lines services they regulate to offer a non-premium rate number for complaints. The basic rate principle does not mean that calls will always be cheap – consumers understand that the time they make a call, the telephone package (bundle) they are on, whether they call from a landline or mobile, and where they call from, all dictate the ultimate price of the call, and these factors will continue to be relevant.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,101 Community Admin
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    I know. Ryanair must stop using 0871 numbers when everybody else stops using them. That's a fair compromise I think.
  • NFH
    NFH Posts: 4,373 Forumite
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    !!!!!! wrote: »
    I know. Ryanair must stop using 0871 numbers when everybody else stops using them. That's a fair compromise I think.
    It should stop using any numbers that cost callers more than the basic rate, which would exclude all 084, 087 and 09 numbers.
  • jpsartre
    jpsartre Posts: 4,085 Forumite
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    NFH wrote: »
    Like any other business, this cost should be absorbed by the airline.

    I disagree in so far as the service offered over the phone is one which the customer could do himself online or by looking at the T&C. I'm sure those calls must make out the vast majority of calls to Ryanair. In fact, I'm struggling to think of a reason for calling them which could not be handled by the passenger.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,101 Community Admin
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    NFH wrote: »
    It should stop using any numbers that cost callers more than the basic rate, which would exclude all 084, 087 and 09 numbers.
    And every other company that uses them? Or is this just a dig at Ryanair
  • NFH
    NFH Posts: 4,373 Forumite
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    !!!!!! wrote: »
    And every other company that uses them? Or is this just a dig at Ryanair
    I have already answered this question above. See post 3.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,101 Community Admin
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    NFH wrote: »
    I have already answered this question above. See post 3.
    Yes you said
    Ryanair is one of the few airlines which can be contacted for complaints and customer service issues only via a premium rate phone number.
    Together with
    Easyjet
    BA
    Jet2.com
    KLM
    Virgin
    etc

    The only 'sin' that Ryanair is guilty of is to have an 09 number for people who struggle to use the website for their booking. That I think is fair enough if somebody has to hold their hand to talk them through things.

    However it is not just limited to air travel. National Express, First Great Western, Virgin trains to name but a few other transport companies also only have premium rate contact numbers.


    Whether you like it or not, premium rate numbers throughout all industries have become the standard for customer services, even doctors surgeries are cashing in on them as well (although this directive may sort that)
  • malkie76
    malkie76 Posts: 6,170 Forumite
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    NFH wrote: »
    Answering phone calls is one of the costs of doing business. Like any other business, this cost should be absorbed by the airline.

    Totally disagree here. Their model is budget, not full service. Every element of their service is broken into bits, and you only pay for what you need to.

    Full service airlines give you free bags and absorb the cost in the overall ticket price - that's a waste of your money if you travel with no luggage or carry-on only.

    Conversely RyanAir charge you a cheaper fare, and offer you checked bags at a fee, hence saving the light traveller money.

    Similarly they charge you to call them - hence the call centres are being paid for by the people that use them, and hence this cost isn't passed onto the customer who doesn't use them.

    However, as I suggested above - it's a free market, and you are able to chose any airline you wish, or another mode of transport.
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