Yvonne Shields said she was left in tears after a Ryanair customer service agent incorrectly informed her that she couldn’t get a refund for her husband Colin’s tickets following his death
A woman was left in tears when Ryanair refused to refund her dead husband’s £827 flights – telling her he needed to complain from beyond the grave.
Yvonne Shields’ husband Colin booked his flights to Venice, Italy, last year and was meant to fly out in September to represent Scotland at a powerchair football match. Colin was tetraplegic after he had an accident 14 years ago and needed two essential carers to accompany him on the flight, whose tickets he paid for.
But when Colin tragically passed away due to a brain bleed in April, Yvonne contacted Ryanair customer support to notify them and request a refund. The 44-year-old said she was told she could not get a refund for the carers’ tickets as it was against Ryanair’s policy despite Colin having paid for them.
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She was promised a refund of only £258 for his ticket but claims she has not even received that either. When Yvonne got back in touch to chase the refund, she was reportedly told they could not disclose any information unless they speak to the original booker – despite being informed the “booker is dead.”
The mum said she even provided Ryanair with Colin’s death certificate and proof that she is the will executor, but they still refused to speak with her and ended the chat. Ryanair have since apologised for the ordeal and said that she was “regrettably incorrectly advised wrongly” by their customer service agent.
Yvonne, from Glasgow, Scotland, said: “He was captain of the Scottish power football team and they were playing against other national teams. He was tetraplegic so he couldn’t go by himself and he had two essential carers. He often travelled with carers.
“He booked them through a company, it’s not like it’s personal carers, we don’t know these people. He paid for their tickets too, it was all through him. Colin passed on April 12 and I contacted them in April. I filled out the form to get a refund for Colin and the caters. They authorised part of the refund but they didn’t send it.
“I sent the death certificate and proof I am the will executor. They said a refund would come in the next 24-48 hours. They said their policy is to refund only Colin’s ticket, not the carers’. But I’ve not had it, there’s nothing. I emailed them to say I haven’t received the refund and it’s been over 48 hours. They said that they have to speak with the booker.
“My sister contacted them and said the booker is dead. It’s so upsetting and trivial. I told them back in April that he passed so there should be no reason why they can’t refund it. I can’t get in contact with these carers because the contract ended, but they didn’t pay for the tickets, Colin paid for the tickets.
“They said ‘I can’t disclose any information with someone not tied to the booking,’ even though they were discussing it with me in the past. They said ‘we would need the passengers to contact us to process,’ but I don’t have passengers to contact. They said there’s nothing else we can help you with and ended the chat.”
Yvonne said the lack of empathy and understanding from Ryanair is frustrating and caused her to burst into tears. The mum-of-two said it is a lot for her to deal with while also handling grief and feels like she is “bashing her head on a brick wall.”
Yvonne said: “I burst into tears because I have quite a lot to deal with right now since Colin passed. It’s a lot. It’s not like you’re getting this clean slate to start again. I constantly have to deal with things. I’ve got two kids as well, 14 and 17, and it’s dealing with their emotions as well.
“The fact they’re not even giving me the money back is infuriating. It’s like bashing your head on a brick wall. They’re trying to speak to someone that isn’t here, it’s an unreasonable request.
“It’s frustrating, it’s devastating, you feel like you’re nothing. We’ve dealt with so much because of his disability. Things are always that little bit tougher, harder.”
Colin was paralysed from the chest down after an accident in 2010 and developed a condition called autonomic dysreflexia, which meant his blood pressure could soar and cause a stroke if not treated – which is what led to his brain bleed. Yvonne said: “Colin had an accident 14 years ago, a month before our youngest was born. It’s just constant battling and I feel tired, I feel drained, sometimes I want to just ignore it but my sister says ‘you’re not ignoring this, they stole from you.’
“It’s the lack of empathy, lack of understanding, it’s not a box-standard person going on a flight, it’s a disabled person. If you had a family member who died, surely you would think it’s all cancelled.”
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “Mr Shields was due to travel from Edinburgh to Venice on 16 Sep’ 25 but passed away prior to this flight. Mrs Shields attempted to submit a refund request (26 Apr) and was advised to submit a death cert and proof of executorship.
“On 30 Jun, Mrs Shields was informed that a refund (£257.58) was issued and was regrettably incorrectly advised by a customer service agent who wrongly believed that the other two passengers on the booking were not entitled to a refund. Our Customer Service Department would be happy to further assist this passenger to correct this customer service agent’s error and assist this passenger with their refund.”
Ryanair admitted that the customer service agent also incorrectly informed Yvonne that the refund of £257.58 would be sent to her husband’s Ryanair wallet, instead of the card used to pay for the booking.