I know class action has a bad reputation, but this is the type of situation it was designed for. The courts can't handle 100,000 individual claims but it can handle one very large claim with 100,000 members.
Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?
31–40 of 159 posts
Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
The EU has strict rules around exactly this. If the flight is outside the rules, you submit the paperwork and wait for a response. I've done this 5 times the last year and won more than the flight cost, even those times I received a hotel and replacement flight. It makes EU flight planners very careful, I imagine, due to the expense of losing an entire flight income and more.
The author seems not to have been able to claim what he should under these rules.
Yes I wrote earlier, I had a similar problem that I won on. I think it was bad luck and worth pursuing further.
Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
The author seems not to have been able to claim what he should under these rules.
Yes I wrote earlier, I had a similar problem that I won on. I think it was bad luck and worth pursuing further.
I did eventually get compensation, the details are in the "Closure" section at the end of the post.
Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The author is thinking like an engineer, not like a businessperson. I'd rewrite this and say that the author is thinking ethically, not like scum. If the law or regulations say that you must compensate a customer for your failings, you should implement the most efficient system for you to do so (thus both you and the customer win) and focus the remaining resources on making sure you don't have to compensate custome…
As someone who works for a company focused on relentless customer service, I agree that that would be ideal. So far there hasn't been a profitable entrant into the airline business that's focused on customer service (EDIT: with the noteworthy exception of Southwest Airlines in the U.S.). Customers are notoriously price sensitive when it comes to non-business travel and unfortunately it's a race to the bottom. And you…
Of course, YMMV, but Southwest Airlines is very focused on customer service, and it is very successful.
Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
As someone who works for a company focused on relentless customer service, I agree that that would be ideal. So far there hasn't been a profitable entrant into the airline business that's focused on customer service (EDIT: with the noteworthy exception of Southwest Airlines in the U.S.). Customers are notoriously price sensitive when it comes to non-business travel and unfortunately it's a race to the bottom. And you…
Of course, YMMV, but Southwest Airlines is very focused on customer service, and it is very successful.
Indeed! But they rarely have the lowest prices anymore. Certainly not the kinds of bargains you find on RyanAir or easyJet. SWA also doesn't give refunds unless you fly unrestricted, which is usually 3x the price of a restricted fare. To their credit, they don't charge change fees.
The way I think of RyanAir or easyJet or the like is a bit like gambling. Maybe 90% of the time you'll get a super cheap flight and everything will go fine, but the other 10% you'll lose your money. In the long term, though, it's a good deal for the passenger.
Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?
#36> Given the original arrival time was delayed by more than three hours we were covered by EU Regulation 261/2004
I had similar situation a couple years ago and ended up using Airhelp.com to obtain my compensation. They took a cut of course but I had to do pretty much nothing beyond sending them my itinerary and I got a bank transfer in a couple of weeks. I am of course unaffiliated.
Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?
#37"Automated claims systems, why don’t airlines have these? They would save money on support staff/legal fees/etc. The could charge a couple of pounds/dollars/euros more per ticket and probably cover all compensation costs. We know that “no win no fee” claims services exist. They know they exist. They know that we know that they exist, so what the fuck are we all doing wasting our time here?" The answer is simple: You…
>> airlines are profit-seeking businesses
Which business except Silicon Valley 'valuation unicorns' isn't?
Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?
#38I know class action has a bad reputation, but this is the type of situation it was designed for. The courts can't handle 100,000 individual claims but it can handle one very large claim with 100,000 members.
Does class action have a bad reputation? I know businesses hate it and in the US are doing everything they can to eliminate it. But as a consumer, I see it as the only way to level the playing field. If it has a bad reputation, I speculate that is the result of businesses lobbying against it in the press and with politicians.
Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?
#39The actual problem is not easyJet, though. They are complaint to the letter of the law. The problem is the law which is written in a way that allows easyJet to make the claims process as painful as possible. I have gone through this with a lot of stuff, most notoriously when dealing with landlords. On its face the law seems consumer friendly, but only when you try to use it, do you realize that you need to spend mont…
The law gave the author a statutory right to ask easyJet to purchase an equivalent a flight for him at their cost at the time or claim compensation if their journey was delayed beyond a certain point. Neither would have required a lawyer, and easyJet gate agents would probably have sorted the alternative flight on the day as the best option for all parties
Instead they chose to pursue a third option the law didn't cover and purchased their own choice of alternative flight. Its not the law's fault that if people choose alternatives they don't have a statutory right to be compensated for when dealing with the sort of company that isn't inclined to be generous, they don't get resolution until the company decides it doesn't want the risk and cost of fighting any further.
Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
Amazon does a pretty good job automating returns. It’s also good enough to be a differentiator when choosing where to buy.
I had an Amazon item that didn't show up / got lost by UPS. The process presented by Amazon for this was pretty silly / tedious: 1) Initially, the tracking page said the item is late, maybe lost, if it doesn't arrive by X date (2-3 days after it was due), check back here to initiate a replacement / refund. 2) I went back on X date to arrange a refund. You click the button, initially it takes you to an automated chat…
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