I think if you read through the comments on this forum, you would not have gone in with such high expectations - many FT'ers, including myself, have commented on how RL service has gone downhill over the last couple years and to be honest, was not all that great to begin with.

For example, I've flown BR RL ever since CI axed F on TPACs and not once have I ever been escorted to my seat (sample size in the double digits), although I'll note that, experiencing it regularly on BA F, I personally don't care for this service. But as an example of service decline, not allowing any items to be stowed at the seat is a recent policy and they do not handle it well at all; as I've mentioned in other posts in this forum, FAs on multiple occasions have simply grabbed my stuff and tried to stow it without even asking me to do it first. This perhaps epitomizes the attitude of the newer FA class on BR - efficiency over all else, including service.

The one point on which I'll disagree is the food - while it's certainly wildly hit or miss (just check the RL meal thread), I think the better BR dishes are at least pretty good even when comparing to TPAC competition at large. And even some of the Western dishes are passable, which is definitely not something I'd say for competitors.

As a final note, I was going to mention that Lucky's RL review was from several years ago and thus might explain the different experiences, but I just checked the blog and noticed that both he and Matthew have written absolutely glowing reviews of RL this year. I suppose it just shows that a broader range of experiences is needed to better reflect reality.

I haven't noticed any difference, so I'm not sure it applies to BR. Wouldn't be surprised if true, though - it's widely accepted to be true on other carriers like CX.