Boardingpass may indeed be right here about the speedy boarding refund but unless you try you won't know.
It does not matter what the personal reasons are for purchasing speedy boarding. You purchase a whole package of products and EZY have not delivered on one of them......your choice of seat.
Just to give you a little more ammo I was pulled up by a trainer when I blocked seats for an expected wheelchair user. The rationale being that the speedy boarders, who had paid to have their choice of seat, should be able to choose from all 156 instead of 154 which would have been the case here.
On this occasion you chose your seat from the 156 and then had this taken away from you by the CC. Furthermore you were not asked to move you were "told" to even though you made it known you were a SpB.
This was also done with poor attitude and I wonder how the wheelchair user would have felt about this if he/she heard you being turfed out of your seat which you paid extra to obtain in such a way?
I note BP's location as continental europe where it is quite usual to board wheelchair users last. The SCCM does though know of their existance and can allocate a seat for them and their party.
At STN they should be pre boarded unless there is an operational reason why not. The same rules also apply to these pax re prompt attendance/check in as any other pax. Seat 1F is not in any way officially reserved for them and if there is more than one of these pax they have to sit elsewhere anyway. We do like to use this seat as crew because it is convienient for the pax but it is not carved in stone.
In the circumstances here it may have been more prudent for the SCCM to move a non SpB from row 2 or 3 and sit them were you eventually had to thus freeing the seat for the wheelchair user. That is what I would have done and also a lot more politely. They would also have had a complimentary drink of their choice for their co-operation in assisting an on time departure. I can't believe you only got a bottle of water when the Captain can authorise any complimentary drink for a good reason.
EZY make loads of money on speedy boarding. They also make a lot of money from the pax who don't complain when it frequently goes wrong for them. EZY have the "get out" clauses on the website about the bus situation at our outstations but they do not have the same clause for how you were treated here.
I think they would find it difficult to argue why you shouldn't be refunded here given that what they promise on their website you paid for but did not recieve.
People flagging up incidents such as this can only make us improve our customer service but it needs to go to the company not just this forum. Whether you get a refund or not you can rest assured feedback will be given to the appropriate people on this.
LCD
