Ryanair and the “funny” CM problem

I admit that I had not seen one of the last tweets from the Ryanair account until my brother told me. And for a moment, in the first instance, I thought that I would have preferred to continue like this, without seeing it, because the mixture of bewilderment and embarrassment that I have experienced are not exactly the taste in my mouth with which I feel like facing this sunny Friday afternoon. I would rather have nothing at all than have seen that tweet.

But, after thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion that a reflection is necessary, a collective reflection on the profile that more and more companies are adopting in social networks, and that is perfectly exemplified in said tweet from the airline. But in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, first I’ll give you some background, then I’ll present my opinion and, of course, I hope to read yours, because as I mentioned at the beginning, I think that the reflection should be collective.

It all starts when a passenger on a Ryanair flight posts a tweet criticizing the little space between seats, something that affects her especially for being a tall person. In her tweet, moreover, she posts a picture in which she shows that she had to twist her legs to be able to sit on her seat. A criticism of Ryanair that I have heard before, both from strangers on social media and in my own personal circle.

feeling once again discriminated against for being tall thanks to @Ryanair pic.twitter.com/gj5YhBszDw

— Bianka Randell🗽✨ (@BiankaRandell) May 24, 2022

Ryanair, without a doubt, has every right in the world to defend itself, and surely it can claim many points to answer. From the cheapness of their fares to the standards today in commercial aviation, or even the difference between some seats and others. I don’t know, at one point several reasonable answers occur to me. Or, in the worst case, if you don’t know what to say, the best possible option is always to say nothing. Or apologize, propose alternatives and that’s it. What would not cross my mind is to answer what the Ryanair account has answered:

I include a screenshot, instead of the original tweet (which at least for now you can find in this link) before the possibility that, after thinking about it, they decide to delete the message.

What Twitter has become a waste sink It’s been obvious for quite some time, but even at such a low level, a tweet like this from Ryanair to a person who has been a customer of the company seems to me a perfect example of how bad things are, how to be funny (or pretending to be, as in this case) is not always the best option, and that adopting certain attitudes due to fashion only serves to demonstrate how insubstantial we can become.

I clarify, just in case, that I have nothing against humor, far from it. What’s more, I have a certain preference for charcoal black humor. Now, just as it would not occur to me to reproduce here any of the barbarities (because I recognize that they are) that can make me laugh in private, I do not think that the attitude of Ricky Gervais of selling everything at a store for one euro is the most appropriate in managing customer and user complaints. And yes, by balance humorist I mean the Ryanair CM responsible for that response.

I have never believed, and this also seems important to clarify, that the customer is always right. There are clients who have it and clients who don’t, and there are clients who are beautiful people and others who couldn’t be more stupid or training every day. As the popular saying goes, there are foolish days, and there are fools every day. Thus, I am not saying that Ryanair has to agree with all the company’s customers and fall into servility, nothing is further from my position.

And to point out even more, I also don’t think it’s bad that the CMs of the brands have a sense of humor and apply it to their accounts. From the unforgettable Carlos Fernández at the helm of the National Police Twitter account, to accounts always ready to joke about themselves like Cruzcampo’s (which seems like a gem to me), we have many examples of accounts that know how to combine good humor with know to be.

Telling a user who is dissatisfied with the Ryanair service to bend her knees does not strike me as a joke, it does not strike me as humorous, and Coming from a corporate account I find it somewhat unfortunate. Because it is one thing to respond jokingly to criticism, and quite another to disrespect a person as has happened in this case. And in an answer that, furthermore, is as funny as my face when I just got up after sleeping four hours less than I would have liked, that is, none.

I don’t know who manages the Ryanair account on Twitter, and I don’t want to know either, because I understand that above the person who posted that message there is another who is the one who has defined Ryanair Spain’s communication policy on Twitter, and that above that person is the Ryanair manager who has given his OK to said communication policy. In other words, I think that the problem is not limited exclusively to a CM that pretends to be funny without being funny at all and that confuse joking with disrespectI think the virus is more widespread within the company.

In my opinion, CMs like Ryanair should retrace part of the path they have traveled so far, and treat users/clients again with closeness and in a good mood, but with respect. Because if we start to disrespect, that path is bidirectional and tends to grow exponentially. And that is bad for all parties, and for communication in the networks.

What do you think? Do you agree with the response of the Ryanair CM to the user who criticizes the lack of space between seats? Or do you think it’s excessive and that he should apologize for over braking?