FlyerTalker39574

orbitmic

Personally I think there is absolutely no point in complaining. Ba’s customer service couldn’t care less and you’ll just get a very frustrating and quite frankly dishonest answer of the ‘we care and I’ve passed it on to the catering manager’ type.

LondonElite

I honestly think that complaints about food [with any airline] simply get filed in the big round bin. At a unit cost of about £8, what do you expect?

subject2load

I do see your rationale orbitmic, believe me !

However, does this really mean that the failures described (not least given that they relate to an expensive flight in a ‘premium cabin’) should go completely unquestioned ...... ? Have things really got to that point ..... ??

South London Bon Viveur

Complain but keep your expectations low.

simons1

Sadly this is one of those cases where complaining will serve no point. You will get a canned reply and your communication will be placed with all others awaiting recycling to toilet paper.

You could pursue the airline using CEDR, MCOL, CRA or whatever, however to me life is too short, just learn your lesson and give your business to a different carrier next time.

DYKWIA

Surely the stopover is around 24 hours? How much time would you suggest is enough?

IAN-UK

I think there is a point to registering a complaint. In the OP's case there will be some (small) measure of satisfaction in getting the complaint acknowledged, and in receiving a (small) fistful of Avios.

The wider result might even be the drip, drip of unhappiness tipping the airline into improvement mode (cf cleaning aircraft more thoroughly).

It also mitigates against any claim the airline might make that reducing the effort and cost going into catering was an enhancement based on passenger feedback.

BertieBadger

The oft-reported occurrence of "copy-paste" responses might lead one to such a conclusion, but even a brief look at the Avios compensation thread would confirm it is by no means certain. There are a number of reports relevant to compensation received for food issues.

Perhaps the most appropriate one is this (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28829756-post502.html) as it closely mirrors williamn78's complaint:

I do not know what will happen if the OP complains. There may be a substantive response. There may not. But in the example I quote above the poster would have 10,000 less Avios had they followed the advice "don't bother". And having given BA a chance to remediate, the OP will surely be in a better, more informed position to decide where to spend their money in the future.

So I'd suggest the following suggestion is the way to go:

williamn78

The YYZ-LGW route only operates a few days a week so I am guessing the crew for this Friday flight would have come in on the Tuesday?

williamn78

Well I did complain and just got a response. No avios, but it is at least a decently written response and it came relatively quickly. Interesting to note that they refer to the lounge in YYZ as being closed for refurbishment. I shall keep my fingers crossed for some service recovery on my next flight!

Thanks for contacting us about your flight to London Gatwick on 04 May, when you travelled in our Club World cabin. Please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you.I'm sorry to hear about the issues you had when travelling with us. In particular, the poor food and drink you received on board, as well as the slow service. I understand how frustrating this must have been for you, as you weren't made aware that your flight was operating as a sleeper service, so you only received a two course meal. I don't underestimate your disappointment, especially as the lounge in Toronto is closed for refurbishment, and this has lead to limited options for pre-flight dining. I note from your email you were served the vegetarian lasagne, which you found simply unacceptable for a Club World product both in taste and presentation. We refresh our menus in Club World every month and we include dishes that our customers tell us they enjoy. We also use Umami rich ingredients in our meals, as this improves the flavour of our food when in the air. All meals we serve in Club World are freshly prepared and we use locally sourced and seasonal ingredients wherever possible. We normally get very good feedback about our catering, so I’m disappointed to hear we didn’t meet your expectations. I’m sorry you feel let down.I regret to learn it took 40 minutes for the drinks service to commence, and we didn't have your first two choices of wine available. It can be hard to get it right on every flight. We also have to bear in mind the limited space in our galleys, which means we can’t carry the full range of products for everyone on board.I've made our Customer Experience team aware of what happened when you travelled with us. I know they'll value your insight. It's only through your comments we're able to focus on areas where we need to improve. Thanks again for contacting us. We really appreciate your support as a Silver member of our Executive Club, and we look forward to welcoming you on board your flight to London Heathrow on 14 July. If there's anything else I can help with, please use the blue link below my name to contact me directly

NWIFlyer

I think that’s an amazingly poor response - it screams “not our fault guv” when clearly all of it was (“it can be hard to get it right on every flight” - seriously?) - let alone the inaccuracy regarding the YYZ lounge.

I’d probably be inclined to write back expressing your disappointment, pointing out you didn’t get what was advertised or could be reasonably expected, and suggesting a compensation figure of at least 5,000 Avios (so ask for 10k!).

The onboard service recovery is a much longer shot, I’m afraid.

T8191

That’s a very well composed “Tough Titty” response. Deffo worth pursuing again.

simons1

As predicted a total waste of time. I doubt the experience people will ever see your communication and it certainly won't make any difference.

Still if it makes you feel better it has served its purpose.

LondonElite

What a laughable response. Here is the template for food complaints:

Thanks for contacting us about your flight to (insert destination) on (insert date), when you travelled in our (insert cabin of travel) cabin. Please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you.I'm sorry to hear about the issues you had when travelling with us. In particular, the poor (insert whatever pax is complaining about) you received on board, as well as (insert something else). I understand how frustrating this must have been for you, as you weren't made aware that (insert excuse). I don't underestimate your disappointment, especially as (insert some weak further reason). I note from your email you were served the (insert food pax is complaining about), which you found simply unacceptable for a (insert cabin again) product both in taste and presentation. We refresh our menus in (insert cabin again) every month and we include dishes that our customers tell us they enjoy. We also use Umami rich ingredients in our meals, as this improves the flavour of our food when in the air. All meals we serve in (insert cabin again) are freshly prepared and we use locally sourced and seasonal ingredients wherever possible. We normally get very good feedback about our catering, so I’m disappointed to hear we didn’t meet your expectations. I’m sorry you feel let down. I regret to learn it took (insert time pax is complaining about) for the drinks service to commence, and we didn't have your first two choices of wine available. It can be hard to get it right on every flight. We also have to bear in mind the limited space in our galleys, which means we can’t carry the full range of products for everyone on board. I've made our Customer Experience team aware of what happened when you travelled with us. I know they'll value your insight. It's only through your comments we're able to focus on areas where we need to improve. Thanks again for contacting us. We really appreciate your support as a (insert tier) member of our Executive Club, and we look forward to welcoming you on board your flight to London Heathrow on (insert date). If there's anything else I can help with, please use the blue link below my name to contact me directly