Not my department...Sorry
May 20, 2002, 9:53 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum (3MM), QF Lifetime Gold, Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, Ex-Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 7,541
Not my department...Sorry
I have twice run into difficulty with BA while at T-4 at LHR, which I perceived was the centerpiece of "BA World"...but have found out otherwise:
1. I tried to inquire at the big round Customer Service station in the middle of the concourse to find out what my BA EC number was only to be told that they had no way of determining that info for me, either using their computer terminals or the phones they have there, which are for "internal calls only". I responded that I would have thought a call to BA's Executive Club was an "internal call", but apparently not.
2. All this had to do with my bigger challenge, which was returning a purse I purchased from duty free (silly me, it didn't have a shoulder strap and was therefore no use). Turns out this is a very difficult thing to do...even with perfect documentation (which I didn't have). There certainly is no place to do this at the airport in London, certainly not in T-4, or thru or with the help of any of the customer service people from the Concorde Room staff on down...or on-board (even for an exchange towards another similarly priced or more expensive items).
No, you have to mail the item, hopefully with your receipt, to BA Duty Free in Oxon.
Well, I didn't have a receipt, but I did get BA EC points for my purchase (lumped together with a few other purchases, such as Zudes, and sunglasses), so I wanted to note my EC number in a letter which I was enclosing together with the purse (hence the inquiry from Customer Service in 1 above).
I then had to go back out thru Customs/Arrivals, and go find a the post office on the departure level...of course the PO doesn't take dollars or credit cards, so I then had to go back to the middle of the concourse and change $10 (because there's a 1.5 GBP service fee per transaction) to get enough money to pay for postage and an envelope (with a couple of pounds left over) and mail the item back to the Duty Free department in Oxon.
The whole process took more than an hour and was rather frustrating...
Moral of the story: don't buy it unless you plan on keeping it, because they certainly make it difficult for you to return it.
[This message has been edited by nologic (edited 05-20-2002).]
1. I tried to inquire at the big round Customer Service station in the middle of the concourse to find out what my BA EC number was only to be told that they had no way of determining that info for me, either using their computer terminals or the phones they have there, which are for "internal calls only". I responded that I would have thought a call to BA's Executive Club was an "internal call", but apparently not.
2. All this had to do with my bigger challenge, which was returning a purse I purchased from duty free (silly me, it didn't have a shoulder strap and was therefore no use). Turns out this is a very difficult thing to do...even with perfect documentation (which I didn't have). There certainly is no place to do this at the airport in London, certainly not in T-4, or thru or with the help of any of the customer service people from the Concorde Room staff on down...or on-board (even for an exchange towards another similarly priced or more expensive items).
No, you have to mail the item, hopefully with your receipt, to BA Duty Free in Oxon.
Well, I didn't have a receipt, but I did get BA EC points for my purchase (lumped together with a few other purchases, such as Zudes, and sunglasses), so I wanted to note my EC number in a letter which I was enclosing together with the purse (hence the inquiry from Customer Service in 1 above).
I then had to go back out thru Customs/Arrivals, and go find a the post office on the departure level...of course the PO doesn't take dollars or credit cards, so I then had to go back to the middle of the concourse and change $10 (because there's a 1.5 GBP service fee per transaction) to get enough money to pay for postage and an envelope (with a couple of pounds left over) and mail the item back to the Duty Free department in Oxon.
The whole process took more than an hour and was rather frustrating...
Moral of the story: don't buy it unless you plan on keeping it, because they certainly make it difficult for you to return it.
[This message has been edited by nologic (edited 05-20-2002).]
May 20, 2002, 11:22 am
#3
Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 6,084
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Merry:
why didn't you just look at your Boarding Pass for your EC number? Or give Customer Services a copy of your Boarding Pass so they could look up your EC number in the reservation?</font>
why didn't you just look at your Boarding Pass for your EC number? Or give Customer Services a copy of your Boarding Pass so they could look up your EC number in the reservation?</font>
May 20, 2002, 11:22 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum (3MM), QF Lifetime Gold, Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, Ex-Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 7,541
Nick,
Thanks...it wasn't on my boarding pass because some people here have convinced me to go for QF Platinum...so my boarding pass had my Qantas number on it...
I emailed BA customer support last week and asked them what to do about returning the item and they didn't indicate anything about a free return packet from the Duty Free company...they too said to mail it to Oxon.
I had hoped that either once on baord, or at the airport, I would have better luck, but had I known about a return pouch, I would have waitied and requested one and mailed it from here (Boston).
C'est la vie...
Thanks...it wasn't on my boarding pass because some people here have convinced me to go for QF Platinum...so my boarding pass had my Qantas number on it...
I emailed BA customer support last week and asked them what to do about returning the item and they didn't indicate anything about a free return packet from the Duty Free company...they too said to mail it to Oxon.
I had hoped that either once on baord, or at the airport, I would have better luck, but had I known about a return pouch, I would have waitied and requested one and mailed it from here (Boston).
C'est la vie...
May 20, 2002, 11:48 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum (3MM), QF Lifetime Gold, Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, Ex-Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 7,541
Possibly...
I know you advised otherwise...
There may be a difference if I am traveling primarily on BA in terms of local recoginition...not that First doesn't do just about enough...
On the other hand, I sure heard many BA Gold's griping about the program in Stockholm the other night...
The BA/QF award redemption differential is also a little bit of a bummer...but this Flagship Lounge US access dimension is attractive, as is the concept of lifetime QF Gold, which is free lifetime Admiral's Club in the US...
Right now I just don't know what my future travel international plans are going to be...so it's hard to say whether the easier/quicker route to Emerald on QF is relevant or not vs. BA.
I know you advised otherwise...
There may be a difference if I am traveling primarily on BA in terms of local recoginition...not that First doesn't do just about enough...
On the other hand, I sure heard many BA Gold's griping about the program in Stockholm the other night...
The BA/QF award redemption differential is also a little bit of a bummer...but this Flagship Lounge US access dimension is attractive, as is the concept of lifetime QF Gold, which is free lifetime Admiral's Club in the US...
Right now I just don't know what my future travel international plans are going to be...so it's hard to say whether the easier/quicker route to Emerald on QF is relevant or not vs. BA.