bigkacker,
while i personally agree with your view, and your right to argue your point, i think that you could well come unstuck dealing with some of the people manning the desks of the lo cost carriers.
with some i have come across you get 2 options -pay the money or don't travel.
believe me, i have seen various people trying to argue their case with ryanair, whether on weight or size, and i have never seen anyone win.
the argument they use is that their scales are calibrated, and the official ones, and any others are irrelevant. you are then asked to pay, or go to another desk to pay.if you continue to argue they simply call security, have you removed from the queue and then you can argue with security - a quick way to be off loaded -or take up your complaint up with the staff on the main desk.
so, if you do get pulled for the scales being wrong, in your opinion, you would be better arguing with the people on the main desk rather than the check-in agent, as they may be more inclined to reweigh your case.
i also think that others in the queue will not immediately back you up, as their cases have not yet been weighed, but they probably will if you are all at the main desk.

note, if you do intend to argue your case you should also be aware of the time to go to departure, as regardless of you possibly being right, the gate will close on time and they will not care that you have missed it because there was a problem with your case, even if you were right.
and if they are really p*****d off with you they may insist on you paying full fare for the next flight.

And in answer to your question yes, it is still happening at Newcastle Airport because hand my luggage was weighing 8Kg when I left for Turkey on 4/8/10 (even though they didn't charge me). The independent scales at the terminal enterance weighed my hand luggage case at under 5Kg.

So did you do anything about it? Advise Trading Standards for example.
There is still a discrepancy between the scales - so which is right?

fwh

Yes trading standards have been informed, watch this space/

Look we can argue all day about charges etc...

I have challenged these charges twice now when my case has been below the max weight but their scales have said they are over. On each occasion the charges have been waivered after I have stood my ground.

It's funny you mentioned the main desk, I was sent by the check in clerk on this particular occasion to go to the desk and complain, her attitude was a one of "yes the scales are out, yes you are being ripped off, there's nothing you can do about it so just pay up like a good little boy." I refused to go to the desk and demanded somebody from the desk to come to the check in desk, after holding the queue up arguing for about ten minutes the manager reluctantly came down from the desk and when I demanded to see calibration records, they immediately backed down when other customers started getting restless in the queue.

They knew the scales were weighing over and that they were ripping people off but that the majority of people just went quietly. People in this country are far to willing to hand money over when they know they are in the right because they don't want to complain. Well I suppose a fool and his gold are easily parted.

i have seen various people trying to argue their case with ryanair, whether on weight or size, and i have never seen anyone win.

I have successfully argued the case twice in the airport and had the charges waivered, when I knew I was under the weight. You are probably right about Ryan air, and I probably would come unstuck but I would never check luggage in on a Ryan Air Flight, you are just asking for trouble.

So have you made a new complaint to Trading Standards?

hi all.....this seems to be a newcastle check in problem.....maybe the scales are old and need replacing....when scales get old they can get faulty....and need adjusting to get an acurate reading ....and as time goes on the problem gets worse....they need more adjusting more often....they could be put right one day but by the next after all the cases that have been wieghed on them they could be out again......hence could be reason found OK by weights and measures the day after complaints of them being wrong....with the ecomomic climate the way it is maybe they dont want to replace them....even if they know there is a problem.....as it seems strange that they ignored an 8kg hand luggage.....could understand a nice check in girl turning a blind eye to 5 and a half or even 6kgs....but 8gs .....

My only suggestion is everyone who has had thier case wiegh over what they know it to be should phone weights and measures.....even if its when they come back from holidays.....if enough do it weights and measures wil look closer and futher into the problem.....then it might get resolved once and for all........keep reciepts for charges for kg's over.

If all the scales were put in around the same time it could explain why wieghts and measures found the scales complained about OK....but others that werent....they could all be past thier sell by date...the check in girls arent sychic and so can only go by what the readings on the scales say....tweetie

And I think it's worth remembering that the scales aren't 'owned' by the airlines - they rent the check-in desks and the weighing equipment from the airport. It's one of the reasons why some airlines have loads of desks with few queues and others appear never to have enough desks to cope with demand - cutting back on the number of check-in desks they have is one of the ways they can reduce their overheads. And why Ryanair would really like us all to check-in on-line and board with just hand luggage - eliminate the need for check-in desks entirely and they cut out a significant overhead cost.

So any complaints need to be directed to the airport operator/owner because they are the ones responsible for maintaining the equipment and not the indiviual airlines - let alone the clerks staffing the desks who bear the brunt of the consequences if the scales aren't properly maintianed or are inaccurate.

SM

hi sma.....thats why I believe its more a newcatle airport problem rather than an airline one...but maybe while the airlines are getting extra revenue from it they dont deem it to be a big problem.....atleaste not while nobody is reporting it on a regular basis to wieghts and measures.....and whilst the discrepancy was a small one no one was arguing just paying for the extra 1kg.....in this case things seem to have been allowed to slide to the point where the difference is 2 or 3kgs ....and people know they are not over to that extent....and its a lot extra to pay when you know you arent that much over....and people are complaining.....and becoming known to others with the same grievances .....and things have now ended up being discussed on HT...

The airlines could sort this matter very easily.....it should be standard procedure to check the accuracy of the scales before begining bussiness each day.....and if a passenger complains believing thier cases are not over the limit.....simply by having a standard set of weights kept at the desk....say 4 x 5kg weights....which can easily be used to check if scales reading correctly....Im not sure if the set up is such that the result could be recorded as proof they had been checked that day......but this would put both passengers and check out staff in a happier situation than they are now...

Much better if it goes this way
" your cases are 2kgs over wieght....you need pay £24 please"
" no way my cases are spot on 20kgs...I already wieghed them at home "
" in that case we will check the scales for you "
Saves arguments and upsets....and would hold the queue up for less time.....and once the remaing people in the queue saw the scales being checked they would be happier too...

But this is too simple an answer....so dont really envisage it happening ...tweetie

ps.....would stop the queues of passengers carrying bags of potatoes to check out the scales .....and the staff needing to dispose of them

The scales at Newcastle were spot on with our luggage scales with my cases on 6 August (well the Easy Jet SB bag drop at any rate!

no way my cases are spot on 20kgs...I already weighed them at home "

That does of course make an assumption! The scales at home are right - are you sure?

fwh

hi fwh...think you missed my point........

This is the usual type of conversation when some one is told that they need pay as cases are over the 20kg allowance

check in girl " your cases are 2kgs overweight it will cost you £24 "

passenger " no way Im not paying that much ...my cases are spot on ...I weighed them at home "

check in girl " our scales say its 2kgs over...your scales are wrong...well if you dont pay you cant take your case"

passenger " Well Im not paying ...its a rip off "

Then what follows is a big argument that cant be settled unless passenger pays leaving him disgrunteled and believing he has been ripped of.......his scales at home could well be wrong....but thats not what he will believe.........

If there were test weights available... so passenger can see the truth for himself....the conversation would be simpler....shorter....less stressful for both check in girl and passenger....I was not stating a fact about cases being right weight as they had been already weighed at home....but giving an example of possible contents of a conversation between passenger and check in girl.....tweetie