Originally Posted by Aviatrix
I've not complained to KLM for a couple of years or so now (!), but in the past I've usually found them to be quite willing to offer some kind of goodwill gesture. I've had money, I've had miles, I've had a travel voucher, I've had a food hamper, I've had a case of wine...
Sometimes they will try to fob you off by sending a letter full of boiler plate text picked from some standard template. If they do that just write and tell them that their Standard Letter No 27 does not address the points in your letter at all and that you would like them to now please read your letter and respond to the points you made. This usually works...
The first time I complained to KLM I received a small case of wine. It was my first journey with them, which should have been a warning.
Since that first complaint I have received nothing but standard-issue nonsense repsonses to further issues, usually between two and six MONTHS after posting my letters. Complaining about the response usually results in an even more baffling or irrelevent reply. About a year ago I sent a detailed letter giving a point by point breakdown of problems with Servisair handling at EDI and explaining that it was my second time of writing about that particular issue. Despite a reply from Customer Relations promising that the problems would be "raised with local managers" I can confirm that the Servisair manager at EDI has never seen my letter, nor heard of it, nor been made aware of the issues raised. Either that or she is lying.
MAN Flyer is right on the button. The airline contracts out the ground handling to a bunch of imbeciles in order to save money. The ground handling agent employs check-in staff who are not generally trained in ramp operations (except perhaps dispatch) and ramp agents who have no understanding of check-in or wider customer service consequences of their actions. The result is a total lack of basic communication about day-to-day handling issues - and the astonishing situation in which the ground staff:
1. fail to load the bags of a top tier elite FFer who is on a connection (either through obstinacy, as suggested here, or because the F100 was overweight in the hold)
2. fail to notify pax or ground staff in AMS of this situation
3. fail to take the obvious remedial action of loading the bag on the very next flight
Other airlines short-ship bags all the time, nobody is perfect. But I do know that when BD short-ships a connecting bag or a Star Gold bag at EDI there is an internal review and a log kept so that staff can be retrained or reappraised of the cost and consequences for the customer. Will this happen at MAN if you make a complaint? Will it f***.