Holidaymaker forces easyJet to refund baggage fine she was 'bullied' into paying - here's the simple technique she used

An Irish holidaymaker has emerged victorious after forcing easyJet to refund her for a £48 baggage charge they 'bullied' her into paying.

Alison Evans, 36, from Northern Ireland, flew with her nine-year-old son Arthur from Belfast International Airport to London's Stansted to visit her father in July.

She claimed a member of staff at the gate informed her that her son's cabin bag handle was 'slightly sticking up' and that it did not fit the sizer, and she would need to pay a £48 charge.

The mother said: 'At the gate there was a woman at the desk who approached me and got me to put [my bag] in the little holders they have there. She said, "It's too big [with the handle]."

'There's a handle on the side of the bag and that must've been slightly sticking up and I said I could push the handle down. Even with the handle it still fit in the measurement checker but she was adamant that my bag was too big.'

Alison said she was left 'shocked' as she had already measured the suitcase at home herself, and had even flown with it twice with no issues.

But the full-time carer, who said she was travelling on a 'very tight budget,' felt she was pressured into settling the fine on the spot, and reluctantly paid despite it putting a 'financial strain' on her trip.

She explained: 'The staff member thrusted the card machine in my face and I reluctantly paid it but she didn't give me a receipt.

'I felt ripped off. She was quite rude and I felt bullied because I thought if 'I don't pay this I won't be able to board my flight and go and see my dad. I just felt very victimised and that I didn't have a choice to not pay it.'

Despite paying the charge, Alison made sure to take photographs of Arthur's suitcase as evidence to later use to complain against the airline.

The mother took to social media, where she shared images of the luggage fitting seamlessly into the airline's sizer, captioned: 'Please explain why I was charged £48 for this bag when it fits.'

On their return trip, Alison discovered that the charge for a large cabin bag was £32, which she'd purchased to avoid a heftier fine at the gate.

She said: 'I reluctantly put my bag through as a large bag even though it's not a large bag but on the way home I didn't get looked at at all. I just felt conned because my bag met the requirements but they stung me for an extra £16.'

She later wrote to easyJet accusing them of 'money-grabbing tactics', and demanded a refund.

In their initial response to the mother, they informed her that the charge was non-refundable, but they have since admitted after observing photos that the bag appears to 'fit within the gauge'.

The mother said: 'I feel like I deserve my £48 back. That's all I'm asking EasyJet to do is admit they made a mistake. I feel it could've been dealt with a lot better and it's put me off using the airline again.'

After a full investigation, they acknowledged an 'error' was made and refunded her £48 for the first charge and £32 for the large cabin bag Alison had pre-paid for as a 'gesture of goodwill'.

The mother encourages all passengers to 'measure their bags', and take photographs as evidence in the event of being wrongfully charged, adding: 'Don't be conned out of your money.'

An EasyJet spokesperson said: 'Bag sizing is inclusive of wheels and handles and we provide very clear information on our bag sizing policies and options to customers.

'Given the bag shown appears to fit within the gauge, we are investigating further and will refund the extra charges incurred by the family as a gesture of goodwill if an error has been made in this instance.'