The cancellation of tens of thousands of Ryanair flights across Europe last autumn saw a significant increase in the numbers complaining to the Irish arm of a pan-European consumer advocate.
Along with air travel, issues when buying furniture and electronic goods, hiring cars and sourcing accommodation in hotels and on platforms such as Airbnb were behind most cross-border headaches for people, the annual report published by the European Consumer Centre (ECC) said.
The number of complaints it handled last year jumped by 45 per cent, with issues related to air travel remaining the most likely source of problems.
As in previous years, air passenger rights continued to attract the greatest number of consumer complaints in 2017, accounting for more than 37 per cent of the total number, an increase of almost 14 per cent on the cases handled in 2016.
The majority of those complaints were made against airlines headquartered in Ireland, notably Ryanair which, as the biggest airline in Europe, is always likely to attract a large volume of complaints.
Given the impact of the mass flight cancellations announced by Ryanair last year, it is unsurprising that cancellations made up more than 60 per cent of complaints dealt with by ECC Ireland, the report said.
Intervention
Of the 1,031 cross-border cases which required direct intervention on behalf of consumers, 327 involved Irish consumers against traders based in other European countries. The remaining 704 cases related to complaints made by consumers from other European countries against traders in Ireland.
Many complaints were because of a perceived lack of information and assistance at the time of cancellation and many consumers sought advice and assistance on how to recoup the cost of unused flights, subsistence costs and consequential losses incurred as a result.
The other major cause of consumer concern when flying in 2017 were issues of a general nature ungoverned by EU regulations but by the terms and conditions of the contract between airlines and their passengers. These included problems when flights were subject to a schedule changes or passengers were unable to travel due to illness.
Last year, the ECC also saw a surge in the number of complaints received concerning the booking process and errors that occurred while making changes to flight itineraries or managing existing bookings.
The third highest category of air travel complaints pertained to damaged, delayed or lost luggage and problems with the baggage policy of the airline. Obtaining adequate compensation for misplaced or damaged luggage was, the ECC said, proving to be “challenging especially when passengers fail to report any irregularities as soon as they arise and are unable to furnish evidence supporting their claim”.
Furniture
The report said complaints from consumers buying furniture online increased dramatically and it attributed the rise to a significant increase in sales of furniture companies selling replicas of designer items. It also pointed to a surge in cross-border electronics sales with complaints in that sector jumping by 85 per cent.
Car rental, which featured in the top five complaints, remained a cause “of significant concern for consumers” with complaints including charges for alleged damage or fuel surcharges, deposits not being returned and the mis-selling of insurance products.
The fifth most common source of complaints was accommodation, which experienced a 54 per cent increase in 2017 compared with a year earlier. The ECC said this could be explained by the growing popularity of consumers booking DIY holidays, which lacked the protection of package travel legislation. It also noted a rise in accommodation sharing platforms such as Airbnb.
