Ryanair using "unauthorised screen scraper" argument to refuse refund

1/11/2021 11:31:56 PM

I’ve had the same thing and have been driven mad trying to figure out if I inadvertently booked through an OTA… was so sure I hadn’t!

Anyway, after not being able to submit the OTA form (it said it didn’t recognise the details) I went on their online chat and said "I booked my flight through ryannair, how do I get a refund?". It then asked me if it was cancelled due to Covid and I clicked yes, it then gave me a link.

I assumed the link was going to send me straight back to the OTA Customer Verification form but it actually took me to a different page where I just entered my email address and booking number. I clicked submit and it said:

"Cash Refund
Your request has been sent
Your booking has now been placed in a queue for a cash refund in lieu of your travel voucher issued."

So, whilst I’ve no idea if it’ll actually work/how long it will take… it seemed liked progress!! Fingers crossed!

12/2/2020 7:09:03 AM

It looks like the most promising course of action is a chargeback. Before you do a chargeback, you do have to give them an opportunity to give a refund directly, and there is some degree of subjectivity just what constitutes a sufficient opportunity, but if you exhaust all communication methods, and wait a week, it would be hard to argue that you haven’t given them a fair chance. And "give them an opportunity to give a refund" doesn’t mean "jump though whatever hoops they decide to put in front of you". You do have to file the chargeback within 60 days of the statement that the charge appears on, which gives you at least to Dec 28 (plus however much time it took to get on your statement).

I don’t know what their argument is for refusing a refund for unauthorized booking method is. They didn’t provide the service, therefore submitting a transaction to the credit card network claiming that they did is fraud. Maybe they have some fine print saying that if you book through unauthorized methods, they can cancel your ticket and keep your money, but that sounds quite abusive and likely illegal.

I am US based, and these is some possibility that some of this does not apply to Europe, but network rules are pretty universal, and consumer protection laws are generally stronger in the EU.

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

Search Posts

Latest posts

Popular posts