Ryanair Refused to Refund Dead Man’s $1,100 Flight Tickets Unless He ‘Personally Applied’ For It
A mourning widow was left in distress after Ryanair insisted that her deceased husband personally request a refund for his flight tickets, despite her clarification that he had passed away.
Her husband passed away in April.
Colin Shields, who was a tetraplegic, had arranged flights to Venice for September to represent Scotland in a powerchair football match.
He succumbed to a brain hemorrhage in April, and when his widow Yvonne sought a refund for the tickets, Ryanair’s customer service denied her request.
He had made reservations for himself and his caregivers.
Shields had invested £827 (approximately $1,104) in tickets for himself and two necessary caregivers.
When Yvonne attempted to reclaim the funds, Ryanair’s customer service initially informed her that they could only refund the cost of his ticket, even though he had purchased tickets for all of them. However, that amount was also not refunded to her.
Subsequently, they informed her that he needed to be the one to make the request.
When she contacted the airline again, they stated that they could not proceed unless they spoke to the original booker, her deceased husband, whom she had already informed was no longer alive.
“Colin passed away on April 12th, and I reached out to them in April. I completed the form to request a refund for Colin and the caregivers. They approved part of the refund, but it was never sent,” Yvonne stated, according to GB News.
She even provided them with his death certificate.
“I submitted the death certificate and evidence that I am the executor of the will. They assured me that a refund would be processed within the next 24-48 hours. They claimed their policy only allows for a refund of Colin’s ticket, not the caregivers’. However, I have yet to receive it; there is nothing,” Yvonne continued.
Even her sister reached out to them regarding the issue.
The widow added, “I emailed them to inform them that I have not received the refund and that it has been over 48 hours. They responded that they must speak with the booker.”
“My sister contacted them and stated that the booker is deceased. It is incredibly distressing and trivial. I informed them back in April that he had passed, so there should be no reason for them to deny the refund.”
The entire situation has been overwhelming for her.
The widow articulated that she was unable to contact the caregivers of her deceased husband as their ‘contract had concluded’.
She expressed her distress regarding the airline’s ‘lack of empathy’, which caused her to ‘burst into tears’ while managing the situation amidst her grief for her husband.
Ryanair has since issued an apology.
The airline has subsequently apologized to Yvonne, stating that she had been ‘regrettably misinformed’ by a customer service representative.
A spokesperson for Ryanair elaborated: “Mr. Shields was scheduled to fly from Edinburgh to Venice on 16 September but unfortunately passed away before this flight.”
They provided an explanation of the events.
“Mrs. Shields sought to file a refund request on 26 April and was instructed to provide a death certificate and proof of executorship,” the airline’s spokesperson further noted.
“On 30 June, Mrs. Shields was notified that a refund had been processed and was regrettably misadvised by a customer service representative who mistakenly thought that the other two passengers on the reservation were not eligible for a refund.