I was wondering if someone had a way of getting Alitalia to respond to damaged baggage claims.

I filed a claim in August in person at their Empire State Building office. I was told to start calling a month afterward to follow-up, which I did. But calling the number multiple times over the next weeks got me nowhere: I would end up, after holding for 15 minutes, connected to a voicemail that was full. During a quick trip to NYC, I stopped by the office again to see if I could get somewhere in person only to find that it was (or seemed) permanently closed. And when I called the "general" number (which was answered rather quickly) I was told that other than the phone number which I had been trying, there was no other way to get in touch with the people who handle these claims. (I sent a fax anyway.)

Are there backdoors? Are there other (enforcement) agencies that you would consider talking to before going down that lawyer road? I'm loath to do the whole small claims thing, but the clock is ticking.

Thank you!

aril

I have this number 800‑223‑5730 and by pressing * you will get a human to respond. Surely someone there can give you a good answer. Have you tried sending a letter? When I have had an issue with Delta that is how I have handled it in the past.
Good luck. I know how frustrating it gets to deal with awful customer service

Alitalia is the worst. They will delay and push you until you give up trying. DO NOT GIVE UP!!!

Welcome to FT, aril. I am moving this thread over to the FT "Other European" Forums, which is where one will typically find questions relative to Alitalia. Please continue to follow there.
Thanks...
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

with alitalia you should be gratefull that you got your bag at all.

If you are after a small amount that don't waste any further time on it. Alitalia are great for loosing and damaging luggage. You are lucky you have your bag and all your belongings. If it is a large sum you are after than count on a good year of follow ups and even then you will get little. As you know the airline is broke so are not parting with any cash easily!! I hope you had a cheap ticket!!

I have this number 800‑223‑5730 and by pressing * you will get a human to respond.That's the number for the outsourced reservations staff in Palermo (Italy). They can't handle any post-travel issues.

And when I called the "general" number (which was answered rather quickly)You're certainly on the right track, as the switchboard number is your only real chance of speaking to a human at the NYC office. Do keep calling and try asking for a specific individual by name (or position).

A baggage claim is, typically, a rather lengthy process with any airline, and AZ is no exception...

All those replies up there are so wonderfully, um, depressing... :rolleyes:

Thanks for the help and encouragement; I'll keep on it.

(Yes, [Golden] it was a cheaper ticket by hundreds of dollars, but it seems I now know why. And [Gajules] I haven't yet sent a letter, though I did send a fax. I'll try more calls and add in a letter.)

Assuming there are other plagued folks, if I find some way through that seemed to work better than others, I'll definitely pass it along.

Thanks again,

aril

[btw. In all fairness to Alitalia, some of this is because of the heightened security ridiculousness that suddenly happened while I was abroad this past summer. I showed up at the airport to find brand new rules for folks traveling into the USA requiring items that did not belong under the plane going under the plane. I even hand delivered the item, etc., to no avail...]

with alitalia you should be gratefull that you got your bag at all.


Why is that? I got all my bags on all my AZ flights on time. Despite the bad things around with AZ, there was never an issue with late or lost bagagge. I wish they would lose my bags so that I can buy new things and being reimbursed by my insurance but it never happend.

Sorry I have to add to the bad news. AZ lost my luggage too, a few years ago, and never contacted me (and certainly did not offer any compensation). Phone calls, faxes, and registered letters to their NY office were all ignored. Fortunately I had insurance. Can't imagine the situation has got any better lately.

Sorry I have to add to the bad news. AZ lost my luggage too, a few years ago, and never contacted me (and certainly did not offer any compensation). Phone calls, faxes, and registered letters to their NY office were all ignored. Fortunately I had insurance. Can't imagine the situation has got any better lately.

So, what am I suppost to do if I want them to lose my bags or deliver late? :rolleyes: I really wants to happen this on my next trip to New York. I could buy many, many new clothes on behalf of my insurance :D

Never seems to work... Touch wood, etc, and I shouldn't say this, but in I'd guess 100 flights with Alitalia, all with baggage, they have always delivered my luggage on to the belt on arrival. That includes connecting in LIN/MXP/FCO about 50 times. Actually I've never missed an AZ-AZ connection there either. Must be lucky I suppose. Just my luck something will go wrong in 2007...

When I was in Italy last week and called the customer service phone line (06-22-22) there was a voice prompt option for the lost baggage department.

Note a couple things:
1. I didn't make note of which prompt number you had to select. Sorry.
2. This was under the Italian language options, I don't know if it's available in English.
3. Their IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system is lousy. There is no "back" button, so if you choose the wrong selection you get stuck in a dead end, and have to hang up and call back.

Their U.S./English site does have a page on lost baggage (http://www.alitalia.com/US_EN/contact_assistance/baggage_assistance/damaged_lost.htm) and an on-line baggage tracking system.

Four months after I filed my delayed baggage claim, I received a letter telling me that Alitalia would send me a check, in 4 to 8 weeks, for less than half of my documented damages. I told them no thanks and filed in small claims court.

I received the check from Alitalia today.

As the previous poster wrote, they low-balled the replacement cost (it's ~60%), but I took it.

Anyway, I spoke to a live person [imagine that] a few months ago who told me that Alitalia's customer service had been in a transition period, with admittedly poor response times. Supposedly, he said, it's now cleaned up.

It only took 7 months.

Good luck...

Ari

As the previous poster wrote, they low-balled the replacement cost (it's ~60%), but I took it.Airlines do not pay replacement costs on damaged/lost baggage. They only reimburse the actual market value of the item(s) at the time of the loss ...

Alitalia, like other airline company, do not lose luggages.
Most of the times is the handling agent in the airport that looses the luggage. So it could happen on AZ flight or US airways flight, Delta Airline, Continental, North west etc etc.
And usually you cannot claim anything after you have left the airport.
Everyone here seems to hate AZ.
I know that it not the best airline but most of the times I read bad opinion based on old thoughts. I always read not to buy AZ flight because is about to collapse and so on. It will not happen.