This page is my record of how shit easyJet is. I bought a return ticket well over 8 weeks in advance of going to Portugal at the end of November 2014 (see Holiday Villa in Portugal), but within a week or so I changed my mind and decided to drive because I figured a car would be useful occasionally however hard I'll be working, commercial flying is generally an abjectly miserable experience anyway, especially with easyJet and Ryanair, and I need to pick up some stuff in France and a couple of bikes in north Portugal on the way past. Unfortunately, the inaccurately named "easyJet" told me with pitifully poor use of grammar and the dubious use of an adjective "easyJet are a non-refundable airline" (they actually mean "easyJet is a non-refunding airline") and, despite the 8 and 18 weeks they would have had to resell the tickets, they refused me a refund. "Well", said I, "I am a refundable customer, irrespective of what your airline is, and there are plenty of alternatives to your service". As indeed there are. I have booked a boat to Calais and will thoroughly enjoy the drive through France, Spain and Portugal, and as I have kept the flight booking open I will also enjoy the thought of someone on my flights unexpectedly getting two seats. From now on they can stick it up their check-in, it's life on the open road for me. Or a proper airline like BA.
7th October 2014: Reply from easyJet Customer "Services"
Dear Andy, Thank you for contacting easyJet. easyJet are a non-refundable airline and if you do wish to cancel your flight we are unable to offer you a refund. Please click on our 'terms and conditions' for more information under Article 6 refunds and cancellation fees. If you have travel insurance you may wish to consider whether you are able to make a claim with them. We can help you by providing an insurance letter. There is an administration fee of £10 for this letter. This may be refundable by your insurance provider. To obtain your insurance letter please contact our customer service team. Although we are unable to offer a refund there are other options available. You can change your flight to a future date and destination, or change the passenger name. To make changes online, please log in to your easyJet account via 'Manage bookings', locate your booking and select 'Transfer to another flight' or 'Change a passenger name' option. Once you have confirmed the new details you will need to pay any applicable fees or charges. The change fee per passenger per flight is: • GBP 35 – Through our website • GBP 40 – Through our contact centre For more information please click on 'fees and charges'. Your case number is xxxxxxxxx and can be used whilst corresponding with me. If you decide to cancel your flight you will be entitled to your un-used airport tax of 13.00GBP. Kind Regards Melissa easyJet Customer Services fly us: www.easyJet.com follow us: www.twitter.com/easyJet friend us: www.facebook.com/easyJet
i.e. cut and paste from their web site, no bloody use at all.
8th October 2014: I thought it might be worth a couple of stamps so I wrote by post to their Chairman Mr J. Barton and Cc'd their CEO Ms C. McCall saying more or less that their company has had it unless they change their policies. Actually I wouldn't mind if they offered a credit note, because even if I accept their ludicrous fees for a date change (which of course I don't as it's cheaper to buy new tickets) I still don't know now when I would want to change the date to. "easy"Jet, my arse. Even if their company survives its contemptible treatment of its customers in general, they will lose me for ever.
9th - 18th October 2014: no reply from anyone. I replied to the refusal copied above asking when I would expect a reply to my letters to Barton and McCall.
19th - 22nd October 2014: no reply from anyone
23rd October 2014: no reply from anyone. I sent this to their customer services "I sent you a reply to your e-mail under reference "Re: easyJet Customer Services [[ Reference ID: xxxxxxxxx ]]" five days ago and have not had a response. When can I expect one please?"
24th October 2014: I don't expect to hear back from any of these clowns, partly because I have discovered that even BA don't refund money for cancelled flights, but on the other hand they don't charge exorbitant rates for changes to seats or routes. Therefore I am not going to pursue this. I live and learn, not least that airlines are presumably in some sort of cartel as regards refunds, and all of them seem to treat their customers with total contempt. easyJet Customer service is a joke, and they now have lost me as a customer. I'll use BA or TAP from now on if I have to fly, or preferably drive.
easyJet really is shit.
I used the easyJet web site to send them a message about how to get off their site. It froze on me when I submitted the message so I used the form again, also explaining that they may get two similar messages because of this issue. I got this reply:
Dear Andy Thank you for contacting easyJet Customer Services, I'm sorry to hear that you the website has frozen, Please try refreshing the page or restarting the computer, check if you computer also needs updating. If the website is still unavailable please contact our Customer Service Team ( Lines open 7 days a week Uk local time 8 am-8pm). We look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards.
My reply:
No, no, no! Please read your messages! I was merely explaining why you might have received two similar messages. I'm entirely aware how to operate a computer, thank you very much for the technical advice. My technical advice to you is that if your web site will not run smoothly in Firefox 35.0.1 there is a problem with your site. You may disregard this advice if you wish, in fact I expect you to. Now please answer the question: My question, which you did not even attempt to answer (read my previous message), was how do I get my account closed and all my details permanently off your site. There appears to be no way to do this on the site, but I might have missed it, so please advise. That's what I want to do, nothing more, nothing less, i.e. leave the easyJet web site (and, as it happens, the easyJet company) and never have anything more to do with you. So please advise. Andy
They say:
Dear Andy Thank you for contacting easyJet. Please accept my apologies I can see we did not answer your query. You cannot delete your easyJet account online. This needs to be done via our Customer Services Team. I have forwarded your request to a Senior Agent who will delete your account for you. I am sorry you wish not to travel with us again and I sincerely hope you change your mind and decide to give us another chance. Kind Regards
So, I will see what happens and let you know.
My web account is still active and so I conclude that they are either incompetent or just can't even be arsed to delete it. Utterly useless! I've told them yet again I want the account erased and I'll let you know what they say. If anything. easyJet really is shit.
Woohoo! They finally did it and I am no longer on their site!
[But see Holiday Villa Portugal]