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Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?

leejo.github.io

61–70 of 159 posts

Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?

#61
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Bad reading comprehension on my part. Was it under the EU rules, or something else?

Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?

#62
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did eventually get compensation, the details are in the "Closure" section at the end of the post.

Bad reading comprehension on my part. Was it under the EU rules, or something else?

EU rules - the solicitors threatened court action, easyJet caved. I think that's the fundamental difference between the first service I used (who went to the ADR) and the second, who say they have handled > 100,000 cases so know when to treaten court action (and clearly had automated most of the process).

Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?

#63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No that you said it, court systems should have overuse tariffs, so the people that overwhelm them subside the extra capacity they need.

A naive implementation wouldn't work though - some companies need to sue lots of people, but will win almost all the time. It seems wrong to penalise the defendant because they committed a tort against someone who regularly successfully sues others. Mind you, there's a "build footpaths where people walk" aspect here too. If someone is suing lots of people it might be that the law is 'wrong' (contrary to modal picnic…

The implementation that mostly works well in Canada and Alaska is a partial loser-pays system. The areas of the judiciary where it’s not strictly applied are the areas that have the most problems, namely Family Courts.

Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?

#65

Earlier 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…

> I'd rewrite this and say that the author is thinking ethically, not like scum. The Darwinian beauty of capitalism is that a firm that sacrifices maximum business efficiency for ethics will be destroyed and replaced by ones that do not have this defect.

If that were true, concepts such as fair trade, or impact investing, or sustainability should have never had a chance, yet they are experiencing phenomenal growth.

Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?

#66

Rather than booking the replacement flight directly the author should have had easyjet rebook him. The author did no-show on the replacement flight provided by easyJet, and all of the griping will get them nowhere. You can’t take things into your own hands and then expect the company to refund you, the company would have provided the free alternative flight (earlier than the one the next day) and the EU fine had they…

I've had this before. Gate agents told us we had to book online. Online the next available flight was Thursday. No true easyJet representative in the airport on a Sunday evening in a non-base airport. Phoned the call centre and assured that we'd be reimbursed for a replacement flight and reasonable expenses.

When back in the UK submitted receipts and told they would only pay for our meal.

Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?

#67

"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…

> 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…

Potayto, potahto...

Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?

#68
post #24

Probably just whoever was reading the paperwork on the day. That's an unfortunate turnout for the poster. I've had exactly the same experience but different departure airport and won (flight didn't go, I bought am immediate replacement seat myself, didn't use the one that was reassigned to me so I could get there faster). I use https://refund.me , excellent success rate and very little effort. It would be amazing to…

The UK Government announced their intention to adopt EU Regulation 261/2004 into UK law (although we've yet to see whether that will actually happen).

The EU Withdrawal Act of 2018 included 261/2004 in UK law.

Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?

#69

Rather than booking the replacement flight directly the author should have had easyjet rebook him. The author did no-show on the replacement flight provided by easyJet, and all of the griping will get them nowhere. You can’t take things into your own hands and then expect the company to refund you, the company would have provided the free alternative flight (earlier than the one the next day) and the EU fine had they…

Good luck with that. I've found gate agents either to not exist, or the 1-2 of them get completely overwhelemed as an entire flight needs to rebook. Passengers who were only connecting to another final destination add further complexity. Obviously the OP took a risk that the airline wouldn't refund his new flight but the alternative of waiting in a giant line or finding a non-existent agent from a budget carrier to hopefully rebook you isn't great either.

Re: Lawyers automate this, so why don't airlines?

#70

Rather than booking the replacement flight directly the author should have had easyjet rebook him. The author did no-show on the replacement flight provided by easyJet, and all of the griping will get them nowhere. You can’t take things into your own hands and then expect the company to refund you, the company would have provided the free alternative flight (earlier than the one the next day) and the EU fine had they…

I've had this before. Gate agents told us we had to book online. Online the next available flight was Thursday. No true easyJet representative in the airport on a Sunday evening in a non-base airport. Phoned the call centre and assured that we'd be reimbursed for a replacement flight and reasonable expenses. When back in the UK submitted receipts and told they would only pay for our meal.

^ This. When we got back into the gate (having been sat in the returned plane for over an hour) I checked the available flights - IIRC three seats remained on a flight to Liverpool, and nothing else that would get us closer (our original flight being Manchester). I booked them immediately.

The alternative would have been waiting to see an easyJet representative, in an overcrowded gate, two days before Xmas. Those seats would have gone. I've been through Geneva airport enough times to know how it functions and that we were going to get bumped to the next day.

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