On 13 Oct, 08:38, Roland Perry wrote:
In message
, at
15:55:42 on Mon, 12 Oct 2009, MIG
remarked:

...there was nothing new or interesting in the programme

It lost credibility for me when they appeared to claim that Electron
cards were not available in the UK. Later they interviewed a lad who had
made several £5 all-inclusive trips, paying by Electron!

I think they said that UK banks don't issue them (whatever they are).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Electron*m'lud

Nevertheless, a very soft-hitting documentary. *The only thing that
really came through at all was the extent to which they see
vulnerability in others as of benefit to them, eg small airports,
aircraft manufacturers and .

It said they drove a hard bargain with their suppliers. Customers
fretting about this is what's know in the trade as "looking in other
people's pockets". Large numbers of businesses are just as hard-nosed,
and in some respects even worse. I bet Ryanair don't also expect Boeing
to give them an extra discount if all the seats on the plane aren't
filled, but I know of businesses who have models that would be analogous
to that!

Interestingly, they didn't allege that Ryanair is slow to pay its bills
(another common characteristic of hard-nosed business). Perhaps that,
and the ability to "sell and forget" is why Boeing (and others) are
happy to do business with them.

... inevitably, cash-strapped families

What are you referring to here? The only "vulnerability" that came up
was the charge for re-printing boarding cards. I agree it's a bit high,
but along with all their other charges, aren't the slightest bit
"hidden". Unlike, for example, the delivery charge I got lumbered with
from Currys last week, which amounted to paying £15 to have them
discharge their WEEE responsibilities (taking away the old TV).


But it's a bit like Oyster, isn't it. They make rules whose sole
purpose is to punish people for breaking the rules. Such people are
vulnerable to making a slight mistake which makes them fair game for
no end of penalties totally out of proportion (we object to this from
banks; what's the latest story on that?).

As for the documentary, there are far better examples that could have
been used, eg a disabled person hanging on a premium rate phone line
to book an essential wheelchair, people refused boarding because of a
bent passport on one flight but then accepted on the next at full
price ... but they pulled all the punches. No doubt those kind of
things are technically deniable, but given that they are why people
really hate Ryanair, there was no point in the documentary if they
weren't going to be included.

Can't see the point of it really. Looking at it along with the
pathetic Watchdog item, I wonder if the BBC is actively promoting
Ryanair on the "all publicity" principle.

"MIG" wrote in message
...

actively promoting Ryanair on the "all publicity" principle.

I wonder what Gerald Ratner thinks of that (nonsense) principle! ;-)

Ian