I have just had an exasperating exchange of e-mails using the "Ask BA" e-mail service on the website. Because of the appalling layout of the BA site, I have only been able to find an award chart for economy travel on partner airlines and no information on one-way awards. So I sent an e-mail seeking an answer, to which I received a non-responsive form letter telling me to call Dedicated Reservations. I replied stating that the agent had obviously not read my e-mail and that I did not wish to make a booking, I just wanted this information about Exec Club benefits. This time again not substantive answer, just a response saying they are unable to provide this kind of advice and to call Dedicated Reservations.

What the h&ll is going on there? Is this e-mail service just a sham to show that BA "offers" this type of service? If the agents are unable to answer fairly basic membership enquiries, what is the point of having an e-mail service? If I had wanted to call dedicated Reservation I would have done so at the outset!

Based on the stilted English used in one of the responses, I suspect that this is another example of a British company transferring a "call centre" to India to save on labour costs. The result is that consumers must deal with clueless employees who have no personal "context" at all with which to respond to consumer enquiries apart from canned responses provided in barely intelligible English. Why bother at all if that is the level of service they are going to afford?