Can I help you

It's not acceptable, we all agree but I see no point moaning on here, if you don't like how BA are treating you as a customer take your business elsewhere.
I can assure you that internally us staff are telling our management that are customers are not happy but nobody seems to be listening or care.

HarryKUK

Well we both agree on that - nothing will change until customers vote with their feet. Sadly for those who don't, lower passenger volumes will only result in less revenue which will inevitably lead to things like this getting worse.

I'm not anti-BA by any measure, but perhaps more impartial than others. I probably fly BA as often as non-BA, but since I am based in London and BA has a dominance on slots and direct routes, it just happens to be convenient. I just wish they wouldn't exploit their market dominance at Heathrow in the way that they do, and get away with it so easily.

As I believe I posted elsewhere, my first F about two weeks ago was great, and I look forward to my return in F in about ten days time. Assuming the bed lies flat I mean.

T8191

I will have to say "Thank You" (to all who do that) for passing this up the chain. ^

And, yes, much of our custom goes elsewhere nowadays. Curiously, that saddens me, because we're British and some sense of 'culture' makes us want to fly BRITISH Airways. But, we have discovered that better (and cheaper) options exist, so we now minimise our exposure to the formerly 'Great British Air', and only use it on a 2-4-1 of if there's a seriously good sale offer.

simons1

I would be surprised if this wasn't the case for the majority of travellers.

I know some will be there because of corporate policies etc but of those who have a choice I doubt many are buying because of the food, priority boarding etc or just because it's a nicer seat.

As you say we are all agreed on this, I can appreciate it's out of your hands as much as it's out of mine, ultimately it's just part of the pattern of steady deterioration of BA as an airline.

6 months ago I thought all was set fair for BA, at least on the financial side, however with the uncertainty of Brexit I can see choppy waters looming and I would have thought treating customers fairly was one thing they could focus on, albeit that for most airlines it is a bit of an alien concept.

justforfun

The one time I don't check if the seat works before take-off! Just got off a JFK-LHR flight in Club and the seat had no power whatsoever. No lights, no privacy screen, no recline. Cabin full. Not a happy camper. Sent in complaint. Let's see what paltry compensation I'll receive. This was a revenue ticket crediting to AA, so Avios are worthless to me. I asked for a partial refund. Ha!

justforfun

Unbelievable response from BA. 5,000 avions points deposited into an account I haven't used in years. My AA # was in the reservation.

Dear justforfun,

Thanks for your email on XX August. I'm sorry for the delay in my response. I'm aware of the challenges you had in-flight to London Heathrow on XX August. I understand you had issues with your seat and I apologise for the inconvenience this caused.

I'm concerned to read your seat in Club World was inoperable with no power, lights or recline. I can see we tried to move you but couldn't due to Club World being full. We want to make sure your flight with us is relaxing. If there’s a problem on board one of our aircraft, when you land, our cabin crew send a report straight to our Maintenance team. They work hard to fix any issues they find as soon as possible and this means they’re able to carry out any repairs before the next service departs. However, I realise this doesn’t change how difficult your journey was.

Your seat is a very important part of our service. I’m pleased you let our cabin crew know you were unhappy so they could try and fix your seat themselves. Although, I’m disappointed they couldn’t fix the problem before you landed at London Heathrow. We’re grateful you've taken the time to give us your feedback as it’s only through your comments we’re able to focus on areas where we need to improve.

To show you how much we appreciate your support, I’ve added 5,000 Avios to your Blue Executive Club account. Please accept them as an apology. Subject to availability, you can put your Avios towards future bookings or use them to upgrade your class of travel next time you fly with us. They can also be used for hotels and car hire. Please visit www.ba.com/executiveclub to find out more.

Thanks again for contacting us. I'm sorry about the challenges you had. We value your feedback and hope to see you flying again soon. If you have any other queries please contact us via the blue link below.


Best regards

British Airways Customer Relations

mec72

Ahahahahhahaha!

Inoperable CW seat on 9 more flights, and you'll have enough Avios for a one-way CW redemption to NYC

Paralytic

If I had a CW flight with a non-reclining seat and no other seats were available, I'd regard that as very close to a downgrade and would find 5,000 avios derisory.

Even if I had little chance of winning, I'd still submit a MCOL.

V10

Yep, I think this is as near as dammit to an involuntary downgrade to WTP, and a refund of a chunk of the fare paid ought to be forthcoming.

justforfun

Second response after I replied that 5,000 Avios were unacceptable. What's my next move?

Dear justforfun

Thanks for coming back to us about the challenges you had in-flight to London Heathrow on XX August with your seating. You’re clearly unhappy with our response to your concerns and I’m sorry you feel we’ve mishandled your complaint. I completely understand why you’re feeling let down.

I understand that on-flight you had received a broken seat and we were unable to move you because the flight was full. I understand how crucial this is for the comfort of your flight and I apologise.

I'm concerned to read you were unhappy with the transfer of 5,000 Avios to your Blue Executive Club account. I understand your frustration as you no longer use this card. However, I'm afraid this is the only route we have for transferring the Avios. From what you’ve told us, we certainly haven’t met our usual high standards and I’m so sorry we’ve disappointed you.

I'm aware that you feel this gesture of good will doesn't cover the challenges you had faced. I've re-assessed your case and I'm afraid we're unable to increase this amount. We have to be fair and consistent to all our passengers so we can't make an exception in this case. I understand this isn't what you were hoping for and I apologise.

Thanks again for getting in touch with us about this. We value your support as a Blue member of our Executive Club. I hope we can welcome you on board again soon. Please feel free to contact me directly by using the blue link below if I can help you with anything else.

Lefly

Theoretically, a good reason for someone to book CW is to sleep/lie flat. 5000 avios for a not lie-flat seat, and no other CW seats available, it's a (bad) joke.

From now on I will try to check seat's functions before departure if I fly BA CW. But... if the seat is broken and there are no spares, what are my rights? Can I ask to disembark and be booked onto another service with no added costs?

SoggyDollar

Seem to remember someone previously posted the engineer's seat reset code - (can't find the thread, where's Jerry when you need him? )

Anyway, I shall certainly be checking the seat function on boarding every time from now on.

FlyerTalker7654

Where does the Op stand legally with this? For example, could he/she dispute the transaction with his cc company (assuming he/she paid for the ticket with a cc). You pay, in good faith, to receive a product, based on what BA advertise on their website. Obviously that has not happened here.

Virazuno

What a joke!

I would ask them what financial compensation they will offer, then go down the MCOL route if none/little is offered. This amounts to a downgrade, really.

elitetraveler

There is still more personal space in CW than WT+ if the CW seat doesn't recline. That said, I think the point that was being made is take the seat away, and the WT+ vs. CW experience onboard probably wouldn't get people to pay thousands of dollars more.