In message , at
21:47:49 on Tue, 13 Oct 2009, pete remarked:
No one should object to paying a low price and getting something basic
and, as far as I am aware, no one does. But they do object to getting
mugged.

Give an example of Ryanair mugging.

The programme gave two fairly explicit examples. The booking fees, which
are far beyond the actual cost of the transaction

The "mugging" referred to above was about unexpected, or "surprise"
charges. While the credit card fees are somewhat high (it's necessary to
factor in all the costs when buying these fares) they are not
unexpected, nor are they a surprise. Indeed, the very way we are
discussing them here indicates how familiar everyone is with them.

Other outfits charge "booking fees" and/or "Credit Card fees". Why do
cinemas charge *more* for you to buy online and pick up at the cinema,
than if you buy in person? Now that's what I call a surprise. Some train
companies are now charging such fees, so it's not just airlines (and
certainly not just Ryanair amongst the airlines) who charge these fees
for public transport.

and the "penalty" they impose if you forget to print or lose your
boarding pass.

Unlike the much more aptly named "Penalty Fare" on a train if you forget
to bring your ticket, or get on the wrong train? Or hotel vouchers,
which mean you have to pay again if you forget to take them with you?

The paradigm has changed, from paper tickets, to e-tickets, back to
paper print-your-own [1] which Ryanair prefer because to save money they
often use manual systems at the airport. Look on the bright side - at
least it's only £40, not a forfeit of the whole fare.

Just about the only one of their charges which I do object to (I think
it may have been swept aside in the 100% online-checkin scheme) was the
way you could only check in online if you had an EU passport. So other
nationalities couldn't avoid to paying to check in at the airport, even
if travelling only with hand baggage. At least one country apparently
deemed this discrimination illegal, and so the fee was waived when
checking in there, in these circumstances.

[1] They call it a boarding pass, but it's much more like a ticket.



Again, the charge is vastly in excess of the cost of the service.

A pint of cola in a pub costs them about 1p to produce, so there are
many examples of things not being priced on a "cost plus" basis.
--
Roland Perry

On Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:52:19 +0100, Roland Perry wrote:

Give an example of Ryanair mugging.

The programme gave two fairly explicit examples. The booking fees, which
are far beyond the actual cost of the transaction

The "mugging" referred to above was about unexpected, or "surprise"
charges. While the credit card fees are somewhat high (it's necessary to
factor in all the costs when buying these fares) they are not
unexpected, nor are they a surprise.

Yes they are. The "headline" fares (49p etc) don't include them, and
many people don't find out about them until they get to the booking
screen. Most reputable companies include any payment handling costs
(incl. cash handling) in their up-front prices.

Indeed, the very way we are
discussing them here indicates how familiar everyone is with them.

Only because they're notorious for being an unexpected, excessive
charge!

I guess if you mug someone in an area notorious for muggings, it
ceases to be one because they should have heard about it in advance
and expected it, and becomes a "walking down the street fee" instead?

In message , at 13:03:24 on
Thu, 15 Oct 2009, asdf remarked:
On Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:52:19 +0100, Roland Perry wrote:

Give an example of Ryanair mugging.

The programme gave two fairly explicit examples. The booking fees, which
are far beyond the actual cost of the transaction

The "mugging" referred to above was about unexpected, or "surprise"
charges. While the credit card fees are somewhat high (it's necessary to
factor in all the costs when buying these fares) they are not
unexpected, nor are they a surprise.

Yes they are. The "headline" fares (49p etc) don't include them, and
many people don't find out about them until they get to the booking
screen.

Actually, some of the fees are currently waived for the "promotional
fares", so be careful what you wish for.

Most reputable companies include any payment handling costs
(incl. cash handling) in their up-front prices.

In that case there are lots of disreputable companies around.

Indeed, the very way we are
discussing them here indicates how familiar everyone is with them.

Only because they're notorious for being an unexpected, excessive
charge!

They are notorious enough, that claiming you've never heard of them
doesn't wash. Ever thought that all the tales circulating about Ryanair
actually work to their *advantage*? They were prosecuted by Essex
Trading Standards, but got off on the grounds that "everyone has heard
the stories about us, and therefore expects extra fees".

I guess if you mug someone in an area notorious for muggings, it
ceases to be one because they should have heard about it in advance
and expected it, and becomes a "walking down the street fee" instead?

Frankly, yes.
--
Roland Perry

On 15 Oct, 13:18, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 13:03:24 on
Thu, 15 Oct 2009, asdf remarked:

On Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:52:19 +0100, Roland Perry wrote:

Give an example of Ryanair mugging.

The programme gave two fairly explicit examples. The booking fees, which
are far beyond the actual cost of the transaction

The "mugging" referred to above was about unexpected, or "surprise"
charges. While the credit card fees are somewhat high (it's necessary to
factor in all the costs when buying these fares) they are not
unexpected, nor are they a surprise.

Yes they are. The "headline" fares (49p etc) don't include them, and
many people don't find out about them until they get to the booking
screen.

Actually, some of the fees are currently waived for the "promotional
fares", so be careful what you wish for.

Most reputable companies include any payment handling costs
(incl. cash handling) in their up-front prices.

In that case there are lots of disreputable companies around.

Indeed, the very way we are
discussing them here indicates how familiar everyone is with them.

Only because they're notorious for being an unexpected, excessive
charge!

They are notorious enough, that claiming you've never heard of them
doesn't wash. Ever thought that all the tales circulating about Ryanair
actually work to their *advantage*? They were prosecuted by Essex
Trading Standards, but got off on the grounds that "everyone has heard
the stories about us, and therefore expects extra fees".

I guess if you mug someone in an area notorious for muggings, it
ceases to be one because they should have heard about it in advance
and expected it, and becomes a "walking down the street fee" instead?

Frankly, yes.
--
Roland Perry

So they've created such a lawless situation that anything goes. That
seems to me to be a Bad Thing and a situation that should be
rectified, not condoned.

In message
, at
08:56:29 on Thu, 15 Oct 2009, MIG
remarked:
I guess if you mug someone in an area notorious for muggings, it
ceases to be one because they should have heard about it in advance
and expected it, and becomes a "walking down the street fee" instead?

Frankly, yes.

So they've created such a lawless situation that anything goes. That
seems to me to be a Bad Thing and a situation that should be
rectified, not condoned.

Combating street crime is a long standing and difficult issue.
--
Roland Perry

On Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:52:19 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

Other outfits charge "booking fees" and/or "Credit Card fees". Why do
cinemas charge *more* for you to buy online and pick up at the cinema,
than if you buy in person? Now that's what I call a surprise.

I have always wondered why they did that. I've never gone to the
cinema and been turned away because it was full (this pretty much only
happens in the first few days of a major film). So why bother
booking?

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

In message , at 18:28:37 on Thu,
15 Oct 2009, Neil Williams remarked:
Other outfits charge "booking fees" and/or "Credit Card fees". Why do
cinemas charge *more* for you to buy online and pick up at the cinema,
than if you buy in person? Now that's what I call a surprise.

I have always wondered why they did that. I've never gone to the
cinema and been turned away because it was full (this pretty much only
happens in the first few days of a major film). So why bother
booking?

To avoid standing in a long queue to pay.

Also, I almost always only go to see major films when they are first
released. The other films aren't worth seeing, and if you've missed them
when first launched in the cinema, you might as well wait until they are
in Blockbuster.
--
Roland Perry