FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - BA lost baggage - good service, but why is information so poor?
Old Jan 3, 2020, 4:46 pm
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Gagravarr
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC GGL, HHonors Diamond, IHG Uninspired, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium, UK AMEX Plat
Posts: 2,147
BA lost baggage - good service, but why is information so poor?

Despite CWS having told me several times that it's best not to check luggage, we did. Liquid-based Christmas presents plus warm clothes meant HBO wasn't an option. As is the risk, the bag didn't turn up....

Flying LHR to Chicago ORD, the bag didn't appear on the belt. No notification / announcements / etc of the problem, and ORD doesn't show "all bags on belt", so had to stand around a long time before deciding it wasn't coming out.

Reporting the bag lost was actually fairly quick, I'd say half the time compared to when I lost a bag arriving at LHR. World Tracer reference issued and letter with basic info, but no information on purchasing essentials or allowed limits until we explicitly asked. No suggestions on where to go at ORD to buy some clothes, luckily the AA staff printing our next boarding pass knew somewhere!

Next day - BA missing bag site showed missing

Day 3 - Missing bag site showed "Found - getting ready for delivery. Your bag is being processed for delivery to you." Timestamp showed it'd been updated overnight. However, no information on what side of the Atlantic it had been found on, nor when we might expect it... Took advantage of a family member going shopping to buy some more clothes (no car and nothing within walking distance, American suburbia is such fun!)

Day 4 - Missing bag site still showed "Found - getting ready for delivery". Open front door mid-morning, find suitcase outside! Apparently Fedex employ ninjas who can't use a doorbell...

Day 5 - Missing bag site still showed "Found - getting ready for delivery". Look up GBP amounts on credit card statements, submit claim

Day 6 - Missing bag site still showed "Found - getting ready for delivery". Email from BA, claim paid! Email goes on to say how luggage gets lost at Heathrow when changing planes, despite us checking bag at LHR

Day 10 - Missing bag site still showed "Found - getting ready for delivery".....

So, speed of getting the lost bag back to us over Christmas, great! Speed and non-quibbling over cost of several days essential clothes, great! Family members putting up with wait to get their presents, not bad

However, overall provision + timeliness + accuracy of information - poor.

Anyone know how/why BA managed to be so good at finding+delivering the bag, but so bad at all things information around it?
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