Last Monday I flew into IAD on BA217, after driving south for 150 miles, I realised I had left a wash bag (Anya Hindmarch grey Flying boat ..of course !) on my seat filled with cables and 2 powered down cell phones.

Immediately after checking into my hotel, I logged on to BA.com and searched for 'lost property', this gave me a very informative PDF file with contact numbers for (probably) every airport that BA flies into.

For IAD and 'property left on incoming plane', it gave me a phone number (703 572 8706). I phoned it and listened to an english-accented voicemail telling me it was the 'BA baggage service voicemail' and that I should leave my contact details and 'an agent would contact me as soon as one was available'. So, I left my name, contact number, flight details, seat number and lost item details.

After hearing nothing for 24 hours, I phoned again, left another voicemail with an additional contact number.

Another 24 hours passed and I phoned again (different times of the day/night each time) and left my BA Exec number, so that they could email me.

After the 3rd day, I phoned the BA Exec number in the US and told my tale to the agent, he put me on hold for 5 minutes then told me to phone .. you've guessed it, the number I had been constantly ringing. When I asked him for another BA contact number in IAD, he said he didn't know any and that my only other course of action was 'go to the airport' !!!. After reminding him that I was a 3 hour car journey away, I put the phone down.

Since then I have phoned another 10 times, the phone has always gone to voicemail and left 2 further voicemails.

I am due to fly back through IAD next Wednesday night and would prefer to know the whereabouts of my phones before then (as they are powered down, I can't track them). I suspect that when I get to the airport, I will be told that 'Baggage Services' has gone home for the day unless I get there around the time of the last incoming flight !!

I assume that my next course of action should be to phone BA in the UK, should I go for Customer Services or BAEC (or both) ?