johan rebel

KL damaged my luggage the other week. No, I still don't check bags unless absolutely necessary (once a year or so), but I was told to leave this bag at the bottom of the aircraft stairs, even though it was regulation size and not too heavy. I made sure I was the last to board, in the hope that the bag would at least end up on top of the pile, and not be crushed under the weight of other luggage. The bag contained fragile items (e.g. a limited-edition glass oil lamp, four WBC Delft Blue houses), so I feared the worst. With reason, because when I retrieved the bag it was full of shards, and books and clothing were soaked in jenever. OK, I can imagine worse things to soak books and clothing in, but still.

I did not have the time to file a regular damaged luggage claim at the airport (I would have missed my train, and thus probably only arrived home the following morning instead of that evening), so I e-mailed KLM Customer Care Nordic Platinum. I declined an initial offer to pay my dry cleaning bill (the bag contained cottons only), and suggested they instead send me new WBC houses & credit goodwill miles. In response I was told they could not send houses, as "these are not held in stock and only available on board", but offered me 50,000 miles instead. A Generous By Nature offer which I was happy to accept.

A few days later, 5,000 miles posted. KLM Customer Care Nordic Platinum now claim it was all a mistake, 5,000 was all they ever intended to offer. Perhaps, but I still think that it would be reasonable to honor what they actually promised in writing.

One thing is for sure, next time I'm asked to leave a bag at the aircraft stairs, I shall follow the example of most other pax: ignore the request and carry the bag on board.

Johan