PSA: If United loses your bag you
must file a claim in person or over the phone (*or online via
this form as
PTahCha points out). You cannot use the regular Customer Care form that conveniently has a Baggage/Lost Item category.
United “lost” my bag for 3 days in May. When my flight arrived sans bag, I went to the baggage office to find that it was closed: lights off, door locked. I proceeded home and filled out the Baggage/Lost Item form with my bag tag number. They didn’t even get back to me until after the bag showed up a few days later. They also called the number on the bag instead of me directly (the bag tag was intact) but okay. Whatever.
Well, I wrote in to get some goodwill comp like a good FTer and had the following exchange:
Me: You lost my bag. ETC please?
UA: Please provide the “file reference number.”
Me: Here’s the form I submitted and Case ID.
UA: Do you have the “Delayed Baggage Reference Number"?
Me: Neither a "File Reference Number" nor a "Delayed Baggage Reference Number" was generated for my initial complaint as evidenced in the attached file KMM... It is unclear to me why you keep asking for a reference number that does not exist.
UA: Only the local baggage office can open a luggage claim and generate a reference number.
Me: The office was closed when I arrived.
UA: We can’t do anything without that magic claim number.
I wrote to Oscar twice(!) regarding this issue but no one from his office bothered responding. It was only when I CC’d another exec today that someone was kind enough to give me a call and provide some soft (read patronizing) education on the matter. Unbelievable. At least I got my ETC in the end!