Another delayed bag screw-up by AF!
Jan 6, 2008, 4:57 am
#1
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Another delayed bag screw-up by AF!
I flew CDG-GRU in J 2 weeks ago with my wife and daughter. As it happens very often on AF (at least to me), one of our bags was missing upon our arrival.
This was 2 days before Xmas (Dec. 22nd)
As some our Xmas presents were inside the bag, I specifically told the AF agent on site that I needed the bag to be delivered before 11 AM 2 days later (Dec. 24th) as I was driving to another city on that same day.
I called the delayed bag hotline the next day (Dec. 23rd) to make sure they had this information. (The bag was supposed to be sent on the following flight arriving on Dec. 23rd). The person I talked to told me they could not guarantee my bag would be delivered before 6 PM BUT that it would be delivered by 6 PM for sure. As I insisted (since it was the 3rd business class flight in a row that one of my bags was missing upon arrival), she made a few phone calls and told me she had arranged things for my bags to be delivered on Dec. 24th before 11 AM.
So I was happy!
However that bag was never delivered before 11 AM. I even waited until 2 PM and it didn't show up. It was impossible to call the helpline (busy tone for 2 hours). We finally left without the bag.
2 days later still no news from AF. Impossible to call their helpline in Brazil (busy tone for 3 hours in a row, dialing every 10 secs).
I called the elite line in France only to be told that they couldn't do anything as I had to find a way to reach the Brazilian helpline!!!
I finally managed to reach them after another 2 hours on the phone. They told me they had delivered my bag at 10:30 PM on Dec. 24th.
I, then, told them I hadn't received it. They first argued this was impossible. After putting me on hold for 15 mins, I was told that they had left my bag at a neighbor's!!!!!!!
When I asked them if they had asked for my authorization to do this or why they hadn't tried to call me, there was a long silence. They didn't even leave a note in my mailbox to inform me of this.
I went to check at the neighbor's and there was my bag, hopefully intact.
I can't believe AF screwed things up that bad:
- Didn't deliver my bag upon arrival (ok that happens often I know).
- Promised to deliver my bag before 11 AM on Dec. 24th: promise not kept as it was delivered at 10:30 PM
- Failure to deliver the bag to the right person/address
I, then, asked the person I was talking to how they were planning to deal with the fact that I had made emergency purchases thanks to my Amex card insurance. But that since the voucher from AF said it was delievered on Dec. 24th, Amex would probably not reimburse me.
I was then transfered to someone who proposed to forge the date of delivery which, I, evidently, declined!
I recevied a few days later a letter stating the fact that AF had failed to deliver my bag to the right address and that it was only delivered to me on Dec. 26th.
This was 2 days before Xmas (Dec. 22nd)
As some our Xmas presents were inside the bag, I specifically told the AF agent on site that I needed the bag to be delivered before 11 AM 2 days later (Dec. 24th) as I was driving to another city on that same day.
I called the delayed bag hotline the next day (Dec. 23rd) to make sure they had this information. (The bag was supposed to be sent on the following flight arriving on Dec. 23rd). The person I talked to told me they could not guarantee my bag would be delivered before 6 PM BUT that it would be delivered by 6 PM for sure. As I insisted (since it was the 3rd business class flight in a row that one of my bags was missing upon arrival), she made a few phone calls and told me she had arranged things for my bags to be delivered on Dec. 24th before 11 AM.
So I was happy!
However that bag was never delivered before 11 AM. I even waited until 2 PM and it didn't show up. It was impossible to call the helpline (busy tone for 2 hours). We finally left without the bag.
2 days later still no news from AF. Impossible to call their helpline in Brazil (busy tone for 3 hours in a row, dialing every 10 secs).
I called the elite line in France only to be told that they couldn't do anything as I had to find a way to reach the Brazilian helpline!!!
I finally managed to reach them after another 2 hours on the phone. They told me they had delivered my bag at 10:30 PM on Dec. 24th.
I, then, told them I hadn't received it. They first argued this was impossible. After putting me on hold for 15 mins, I was told that they had left my bag at a neighbor's!!!!!!!
When I asked them if they had asked for my authorization to do this or why they hadn't tried to call me, there was a long silence. They didn't even leave a note in my mailbox to inform me of this.
I went to check at the neighbor's and there was my bag, hopefully intact.
I can't believe AF screwed things up that bad:
- Didn't deliver my bag upon arrival (ok that happens often I know).
- Promised to deliver my bag before 11 AM on Dec. 24th: promise not kept as it was delivered at 10:30 PM
- Failure to deliver the bag to the right person/address
I, then, asked the person I was talking to how they were planning to deal with the fact that I had made emergency purchases thanks to my Amex card insurance. But that since the voucher from AF said it was delievered on Dec. 24th, Amex would probably not reimburse me.
I was then transfered to someone who proposed to forge the date of delivery which, I, evidently, declined!
I recevied a few days later a letter stating the fact that AF had failed to deliver my bag to the right address and that it was only delivered to me on Dec. 26th.
Jan 6, 2008, 6:41 am
#2
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sounds like AF to me 
honestly, if they don't fix their luggage problems at least for priority luggage, I will switch to other carriers as well.
Amex should be fine, since they pay if your luggage is > 6 hrs late, certainly 2 days late. However, I think AF needs to cough up the $$$s here; why make Amex insurance pay if AF screws up?
honestly, if they don't fix their luggage problems at least for priority luggage, I will switch to other carriers as well.
Amex should be fine, since they pay if your luggage is > 6 hrs late, certainly 2 days late. However, I think AF needs to cough up the $$$s here; why make Amex insurance pay if AF screws up?
Jan 6, 2008, 9:13 am
#3
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I totally agree with the fact that AF should pay and not Amex.
I also forgot to mention that none of our bags had priority tags (which I forgot to check at check-in).
In my experience, 75% of the time they don't put priority tags on my bags unless I ask them too. And they usually look pretty annoyed by my request...
I also forgot to mention that none of our bags had priority tags (which I forgot to check at check-in).
In my experience, 75% of the time they don't put priority tags on my bags unless I ask them too. And they usually look pretty annoyed by my request...
Jan 6, 2008, 10:57 pm
#5
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My bags always come out last as well... That's probably why the ground staff looks annoyed when I ask them to put priority tags on my bags since they know these tags are useless!!
Jan 27, 2008, 4:23 am
#6
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Bottom line of the story:
To correct my first post: I had not actually made the emergency purchases mentioned in the post (but was about to leave in order to do so when I finally managed to reach AF over the phone). I said I had, over the phone, for them to realize how wrong they were in their management of the situation and how "serious" the consequences of their screw-up could be.
Anyway, I still sent a complaint letter 2 days letter, not asking for any reimbursement of emergency purchases (I hadn't made any) BUT I did bill them for 3 hours of my time spent over the phone trying to reach them.
I asked for 300 euros/hour which makes a total of 900 euros. They paid that amount in full. (I had threatened never to fly AF again and to use all my influence to discourage anyone to do so). I guess they realized they were VERY wrong.
I would encourage anyone to ask for compensation since I really think AF need to realize they have a big problem with their baggage management.
To correct my first post: I had not actually made the emergency purchases mentioned in the post (but was about to leave in order to do so when I finally managed to reach AF over the phone). I said I had, over the phone, for them to realize how wrong they were in their management of the situation and how "serious" the consequences of their screw-up could be.
Anyway, I still sent a complaint letter 2 days letter, not asking for any reimbursement of emergency purchases (I hadn't made any) BUT I did bill them for 3 hours of my time spent over the phone trying to reach them.
I asked for 300 euros/hour which makes a total of 900 euros. They paid that amount in full. (I had threatened never to fly AF again and to use all my influence to discourage anyone to do so). I guess they realized they were VERY wrong.
I would encourage anyone to ask for compensation since I really think AF need to realize they have a big problem with their baggage management.
they paid 900 EUR 
maybe I should bill them for past luggage screw-ups as well
Jan 27, 2008, 9:46 am
#8
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I'm not even talking stress-related compensation, just time.
Feb 4, 2008, 11:57 pm
#10
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: NYC
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Posts: 33
I've had luggage delayed on both AF and AZ on flights leaving from CDG.
The airlines ALWAYS promise to deliver the bags by a certain time, but it NEVER arrives at the promised hour.
That said, the last time my luggage was delayed on AF, I spoke with a really nice AF baggage agent at JFK who said that most of the airlines contract out the delivery service....in the NYC area it is handled by a company called Perfect Delivery, and the agent said that once the luggage is handed over to them, it is pretty much out of the airline's hands. However, I have noticed with this delivery company that even though they arrive several hours late, they always call me 10 minutes before they arrive.
Re: those priority luggage tags - my luggage also usually comes out last - though had a nice surprise when I flew CDG-EWR on CO last week - CO had put "Priority Elite Access" tags on my luggage and they were the first ones out! I think that is the first time that has ever happened to me in 8 years of flying AF/SkyTeam...
The airlines ALWAYS promise to deliver the bags by a certain time, but it NEVER arrives at the promised hour.
That said, the last time my luggage was delayed on AF, I spoke with a really nice AF baggage agent at JFK who said that most of the airlines contract out the delivery service....in the NYC area it is handled by a company called Perfect Delivery, and the agent said that once the luggage is handed over to them, it is pretty much out of the airline's hands. However, I have noticed with this delivery company that even though they arrive several hours late, they always call me 10 minutes before they arrive.
Re: those priority luggage tags - my luggage also usually comes out last - though had a nice surprise when I flew CDG-EWR on CO last week - CO had put "Priority Elite Access" tags on my luggage and they were the first ones out! I think that is the first time that has ever happened to me in 8 years of flying AF/SkyTeam...