Heads up - Panorama tonight, BBC1 8.30pm

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.

On Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:34:40 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

One of the worst offences is threatening to sell only "Open Returns"
even when off-peak; and without any railcard discounts. I suspect they
should sell an Open Single if requested (then you can use the other half
of the ticket, you already have, to return on the "correct" train this
time).

I'd be surprised if they didn't sell a single on request. A single is
not, after all, a discounted ticket.

Or if you are time-rich/money-poor simply get an on-train 'penalty'
ticket to the next station, then get off and buy a discounted off-peak
ticket there, catching the following train to your actual destination. I
bet they never suggest that to people!

I have heard exactly that suggested by VT guards on several occasions.

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

On Oct 15, 8:25*pm, (Neil Williams)
wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:11:34 -0700 (PDT), "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe"

wrote:
a Ryanair hand job....I wonder how much they would charge for that ;-)

You do, presumably, recall O'Leary's comments on the business class of
his proposed transatlantic service?

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news....&story=gen-en-...

Neil

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

....sign me up ;-)

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:27:12 GMT, Neil Williams wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:47:49 GMT, pete wrote:

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

Not exactly a "mugging", though. Before you purchase your ticket, the
full price is made clear. And they have a single page on their
website listing all the fees.

and the "penalty" they
impose if you forget to print or lose your boarding pass. Again, the
charge is vastly in excess of the cost of the service.

If you forget your train ticket, you'll have to buy a new one. That
could be far more than 40 quid.

So are you saying you believe that if a second person mugs you for more
than a previous mugger did, the first one doesn't count?

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:25:00 GMT, pete wrote:

So are you saying you believe that if a second person mugs you for more
than a previous mugger did, the first one doesn't count?

No. It's a condition of travel by train that you carry a valid ticket
while doing so. It's a condition of travel by Ryanair that you carry
a valid boarding card while doing so. Where's the issue?

(Admittedly, it's a bit different in that by train the actual proof
that you're entitled to travel *is* the ticket, whereas with Ryanair
it's a record in a database. But I think they're still comparable
situations).

Neil

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

["Followup-To:" header set to alt.travel.uk.air.]
On Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:04:59 GMT, Neil Williams wrote:
On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:25:00 GMT, pete wrote:

So are you saying you believe that if a second person mugs you for more
than a previous mugger did, the first one doesn't count?

No. It's a condition of travel by train that you carry a valid ticket
while doing so. It's a condition of travel by Ryanair that you carry
a valid boarding card while doing so. Where's the issue?

(Admittedly, it's a bit different in that by train the actual proof
that you're entitled to travel *is* the ticket, whereas with Ryanair
it's a record in a database. But I think they're still comparable
situations).

comparable except for mugging people £40 to print a 1p piece of paper.

In message , at 09:46:39 on Fri, 16
Oct 2009, Huge remarked:
I saw a headline in the trade press yesterday: "Panorama fails to
'expose' Ryanair" which just about sums it up.

Indeed, since everyone knows that Ryanair are a bunch of lying, bait-and-switch
shysters.

Their charges aren't lies. They are very well documented.

--
Roland Perry

On Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:09:15 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

Their charges aren't lies. They are very well documented.

All in one place, clearly linked to from the front page, at that.

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs.php?sect=CHARGES

Neil

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

"Neil Williams" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:09:15 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

Their charges aren't lies. They are very well documented.

All in one place, clearly linked to from the front page, at that.

It took me a while to find the link from the home page.

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs.php?sect=CHARGES

It's not stated whether that £5 check-in charge is per return flight or each
way. And it doesn't mention that £40 penalty for re-issue of boarding card
either (and whether it's on top of the £5/£10 you may have already paid, and
whether the £40 is each way)

(The charges have also increased tremendously in last few years. In 2004,
the charges on top of a £0.00 return fare to Europe, with baggage, were £25
taxes plus I think some £4 debit card charges, total £29.

Now, it would be £50 taxes, plus £30 baggage, plus £10 check-in, plus £10
credit-card, some £100 (and a minimum of £60 without optional items)

If you wanted to take a bike with you (which I did often), the 2004 total
would have been £59. The 2009 total would be £180. For £80 extra you might
as well buy one at the destination then dump it before coming back.

Of course you have to add the actual 'fares' to these figures. A 'surcharge'
would be a better name.)

--
bartc