to think that Ryanair have got a scam to force people to pay for extras?

[MirandaGoshawk]

Long - sorry - and expletives have been removed (mostly)!
Last night I tried to book two seats on a return flight in April for £97 total. (The price had gone up from £86 two weeks ago, but that's a different story.) It said five seats available, all went well, I input the passenger names, declined all the add-ons (baggage etc). A pop-up appeared saying was I sure I didn't want to pay £5 for allocated seats? Clicked 'no thanks'. Ticked I accepted Ts&Cs. Then is payment, but when I clicked on it nothing happened, so I hadn't had a chance to choose Paypal or put in a credit card number. I waited, tried again a few times, it kept asking me if I wanted to continue. So I went into my account details and input my credit card, but still nothing. I tried it on my phone instead of the computer: same thing. Chat was closed and I'd been trying for over two hours, so I gave up.
This morning the flight had gone from £97 to £133! Still a bargain so tried again. Same. Waited in a queue for Chat, who said that their payment uses google Chrome and has problems with other browsers, also I should delete my browser history and it would work. I already use Chrome so I deleted all my history. Same. Tried to book on phone. Same. Asked DH to book it on his work computer, work email. He set up a new account in his name and IT STILL WOULDN'T TAKE PAYMENT!
So I went onto e-bookers, who booked it immediately with a £20 booking fee. I paid £153 by Paypal. Got a confirmation email from them immediately, at 10.18. Incredibly, I also got an email from Ryanair at 10.18. Thanks for booking, you have paid £133 by credit card 1234. (So e-bookers must pay them immediately by credit card.)
So, AIBU to think that Ryanair weren't going to accept my booking until I'd paid for some extras?

I've paid for three lots of Ryanair flights over the past three years. Have an account with all my details in it, and my travelling companion's details.

They are bastards.

If they price is rising delete cookies, change browser or use private mode. Common for all airlines to raise prices on repeat visits. Wait long enough and they'll come back down.

Maybe it was an IT glitch? I've booked through them without extras before, so if it's just this once I'd give them the benefit of the doubt.

You just had a glitch on your payment. No conspiracy. I've booked through Ryanair dozens of times and this has never happened. Yes they rinse you for extras but that's how they can offer flights for £20. I don't know why people bitch about Ryanair. They are very basic but they do what they are supposed to; get you reliably from A to B with minimal cost.

Surely if they wouldn't let you book without paying extras, they would let the booking agent do that either...

I've used Ryanair a few times, and always book the basic flight only initially, adding extras like luggage nearer the time. Never had a problem.

Everyone always says this but I've checked it again & again by deleting browsing history, deleting cookies, going incognito, using another laptop & it has never made the slightest difference.

This. It's an absolute myth.

I love that people complain about 'paying for extras' - perhaps it should be the other way - a seat is 500 quid and you get bits knocked off that you don't want? £50 off for no suit case, and other £50 for not wanting a preferred seat, another £50 off if you can bung your kids off to sit at the other end of the plane away from you, and so forth until I reach a suitable price for not caring where I sit with no luggage

This by Foyle, Arms and Hogg - Sums it up

Ryanair and easyJet changed everything with their "low fares but then sting you for every single little thing business model".

Now you end up in a scrum for seats, with nowhere to put your bag, because nobody wants to pay for the hold, and then loads of them get taken off people to get put in the hold anyway... the seats are uncomfortable and the food trolleys are shite.... they always seem to be delayed as well... wherever possible I pay more to avoid them, but sometimes it's not possible depending on the route or what friends want to pay.

That is not my experience, tbh and I use them 3-4 times a year

Me neither. They have a generous hand luggage allowance so we usually avoid suitcases. They check in the main hand luggage for free saving money and the hassle of carrying it on to the plane. Booking seats is an extra cost but obviously not obligatory especially for short journeys. They still seat children with parents even without pre paying seats. Every plane I've been on has been on time apart for a couple of completely unavoidable issues with snow and other passengers causing problems. I fly Ryanair at least twice a year and some years as a family we take up to 10 Ryanair flights between us without any problems.

Everyone always says this but I've checked it again & again by deleting browsing history, deleting cookies, going incognito, using another laptop & it has never made the slightest difference.

This. It's an absolute myth.

Totally agree!! I try this all of the time. Never been any different.

Fact is that Ryanair sell their seats at different prices. The first x number are very cheap. The prices rise in waves the closer you get to the departure. If you leave it says between booking you are probably missing out on the cheaper wave.

That is some severe paranoia you have got going there.