Ryanair allocated seating Grrrrrrr

[shebird]

So I just checked in online for my return flight in with Ryanair in 7days time (under their new policy the earliest you can checkin is 7days before unless you want to pay extra). At checkin it gives 2 options1. option to choose your seats (pay extra) or 2. not pay and be allocated seats chosen by Ryanair. So I chose the non payment seat allocation as this worked perfect for the outbound and then boarding passes pop up with no seats allocated and an error message saying 'there are no seats available on this flight'.
Slightly alarmed by this I go back to the website and see that if I choose the payment option there are rows of seats to choose from. So am I to be forced to pay for a seat when plenty are available for Ryanair to allocate and I have checked in as early as I am possibly allowed to do. I suspect this is a system error or a ploy to get terrified mums to pay for the certainty of sitting with their children.
So much for Ryanair turnover a new leaf

Maybe you've checked in too early? Try again in a few hours/tomorrow and it will probably be fine. Maybe the Bank Holiday has affected their systems.

It has allowed me to checkin and I have boarding passes but the issue is no seat numbers. As it is all allocated seating now (either paid or free selected by Ryanair) my worry is all seats will be allocated and as we have no seat number due to a system glitch we will be left scattered around the plane. Once you've checked in the only option is to pay for allocated seating

This is Ryanair! What did you expect? They want your money and if you do not pay you are at the bottom of the pile. They are waiting for everyone else on the flight to make a decision about to pay or not to pay. Only then will the non payers get seats! Otherwise what is the difference if the non payers get a choice of seats? I would never ever use this airline. You can pay in advance with BA, for example, but 24 hours before departure, seat choice opens up online for everyone else for free. Much more civilised all round!

contact the airline.

sorry, meant to say, the system worked fine for us recently. Ryanair is brilliant if you use it in the spirit it is intended - a budget option.

Chippy - HOW did it work for you? I mean, did you get seat numbers (unchosen by you) when you checked in online, or did you just get your seats allocated on arrival at the airport?

Milly, Ryanair is the only airline that services our airport in the NW that flies to where we need to be in France so like a lot of travellers we don't actually have the choice.

I've never had this problem shebird and we fly a lot between here and there. I'd keep trying or give them a ring. Good luck.

Squirrels, I did the online check in for me and 3 DC and it allocated us adjacent seats automatically. There wasn't a choice.

Thanks Chippy.
Just looked earlier, going out v v few are booked - although it is mid-Aug.
Coming back, more are booked (although not many), but also realised I won't be able to check in online before we go (away for 10 days, online check in is 7 days before without seat bookings), so would have to find somewhere to print boarding passes etc.
Might be less stressful to pay the £10pp to pre book coming back so we don't have to spend time rafting around finding somewhere to print out boarding passes over there.
Would probably not bother with pre booking seats going out though.

are you sure that it's 7 days max? we were away for 10 days and I checked in both ways before we left (although stupidly printed the boarding passes on either side of the same piece of paper . Luckily the resort reception printed the inbound ones for me - it is a pain finding a printer otherwise)

It is definitely seven days now for checking in without paying extra for allocated seating. However on both flights we were allocated three seats together so no complaints here!

That's sneaky. We travelled just before Easter, when the free seat allocations had just started - thought it was too good to be true.

I used Ryanair once about 15 years ago. I do appreciate they fly from local airports but we fly mostly long haul on holiday and I cannot stand hassle at the beginning of my holiday and constant worry about sitting together, luggage allowances and everything else. I have not flown with them since and I have no intention of ever doing so. I do live 40 minutes from Heathrow so it is a no brainer to use a scheduled airline.