SOLDIERS PAYING UP TO FORCE EXIT
Ex-troops shelled out over €286K to leave the military
IRISH airline Ryanair has said passengers who received refunds through ‘chargebacks’ on their credit cards will have to repay the money if they wish to travel with the low- cost flyer in the future.
A ‘chargeback’ allows consumers to secure a refund on a purchase by asking their credit or debit card company to charge the money back to the bank of the retailer in question.
A small number of customers who bought non-refundable tickets on Ryanair flights but then chose not to travel processed ‘chargebacks’ to recoup the loss, during the pandemic.
Unused
The airline said getting the money back this way was “unlawful”.
As a result, these passengers will be “required to settle their outstanding debt before they will be allowed to fly with Ryanair again”, the company said.
It comes after an investigation by MoneySavingExpert, which found that some travellers who received ‘chargeback’ refunds would be “barred” from flying with Ryanair until they paid them back.
MORE than 760 members of the Defence Forces have personally paid out to have themselves discharged from the military over the past three years.
The ex- soldiers paid out more than €287,000 to the Defence Forces so that they could leave service and return to civilian life.
Fees for discharge range from just €30 for new recruits up to € 6,345 depending on length of service and the role they held in the Defence Forces.
Figures released by the military reveal that 142 people had al ready sought release from their military service by purchase by the end of July this year.
Lower
In 2020, figures were somewhat lower than n usual with 259 personnel el buying their way out of f the Defence Forces.
That compared to a total of 367 in 2019, according to records released under FOI.
The military said they had collected discharge fees of € 68,230 between January and August of this year.
That compared to €104,038 throughout last year, and discharge purchase fees of €115,706 that were collected from July to December in 2019. An information note from the Defence Forces said that set fees applied to enlisted personnel for discharge dependent on rank and the specifics of their case.
They said: “Officer discharges are dealt with on a case-bycase basis in order to ascertain any remaining undertaking they may have agai nst their service.”
Emergency
According to internal guidelines, a member of the Defence Forces can discharge for just €30 within three months of their attestation unless there is a “period of o emergency”.
Other fees applicable include in up to €6,345 for s somebody who is enlisted as a technician while other soldiers can pay between €1,265 and €6,345 with the fee increasing according to length of service.
There is also discretion for some part ofthefeestobewaivedif“sufficient cause” can be shown.