Phlump

Having used this forum a few months back to assess my options before I lodged my dispute with BA, I thought it might be useful to others to summarise my experience several months in. And also to ask for advice on where I might go with it next.


Having lived in Dubai for several years, and now in Singapore, I normally fly Emirates. And I fly premium a lot. Not that that should in any way change how BA treats me compared to anyone else who suffers an imperfect service.


Back on 22 March 2017, I flew CPT-LHR on BA58. With work the day before the flight and the day after, I flew overnight in Club World planning to sleep on the flight. Shortly after take-off, I tried to recline my seat and found it was broken. No recline at all.


After 20 minutes stood in the aisle watching several FAs try to fix the seat, they decided there was nothing they could do. And, with no alternative seats on the flight, I was stuck with it. After assuring me I would get a full refund, and placing an (entirely ineffective) cubic bag of headphones between my seat and the foot stool to try to create some sort of lie-flat option, the FA left me to it.


I tried to sleep, but couldn't. I gave up and sat bolt upright for the next nine hours watching the time tick by. As we were beginning our descent, the FA came by looking rather sheepish, and said that, having checked, it turned out that I would only be getting BA's standard compensation of a £50 voucher. Recognising my, erm, disappointment, he agreed to lodge a complaint for me.


The complaints service, as many others seem to have found with BA, is essentially an exercise in them responding to every email with a shallow apology and a repeated offer of the same £50 voucher. After three attempts (including making an offer to BA to accept compensation of the difference between the Business Class and Economy Class fares), I emailed the executive team, including Alex Cruz. My next email was from the same customer services guy, thanking me for contacting Alex and the offering me the same £50 voucher. I emailed the executives once more, and this time I got an email from someone new in the customer services team offering me the same £50 voucher, closing the discussion and inviting me to lodge a case with the CEDR.


I lodged the CEDR case using their website which, despite the fact that the instructions clearly said a case could be opened either a minimum of 8 weeks after the incident or when the airline has suggested resolution through the CEDR, wouldn't let me lodge the case until the 8 weeks were up.


BA then offered me any one of a £200 (or was it £300?) voucher, 30,000 Avios points, or an upgrade on my next BA flight. After the appalling way I had been treated so far, I had (and still have) no intention of ever flying BA again, so none of these offers had any value to me. I pointed that out, and BA had the temerity to respond saying that a reclining seat was only one of the many benefits of flying Club World, including use of the lounge, an amenity kit and, with no hint of irony, a luxury fleece blanket (which, as I noted, might have had some value if I'd been lying on a seat that reclined).


The case then went to adjudication, which took several weeks longer than the website suggested (during which time, my requests for an update through the CEDR website were all ignored). The decision came through yesterday that, in line with the Montreal Convention, there is no compensation due for "loss of enjoyment" and I am therefore due no compensation. Case closed.


This was never about loss of enjoyment for me. It's about not being provided with the advertised service for which BA charged over £2,000 (including a return Economy Class leg which I only booked because that was cheaper overall than a simple Business Class single ticket - I had no intention of taking that second leg flight). I don't know whether that means I need to rely on the Consumer Rights Act or Trading Standards instead. Any advice as to where next gratefully received.


The most disappointing thing? BA genuinely couldn't care less. They made every effort to fob me off over the last 7 months. I will never fly with them again, and will tell anyone who'll listen that they should do the same. I work in business and things go wrong. It's how business react when they do go wrong that defines the business. And if this is how BA wants to define itself, then I'll stick to Emirates, thanks.