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How to get attention from BA when they don't respond back to complaints?

How to get attention from BA when they don't respond back to complaints?

Old Oct 11, 2005, 10:28 pm
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How to get attention from BA when they don't respond back to complaints?

For the handful of people who were following my adventure in Nairobi in this thread, I need advice on how to follow up on complaint letters I had sent out after my flights that sucked featuring the following:

1) Lack of food in F due to the unofficial industrial action on NBO-LHR on 11 August.
2) Delayed luggage for 3 days (Luggage came on the 14th), forcing me to stay in Nairobi an extra day and shorten a safari.
3) The back to back cancellations in Nairobi (August 27th and 28th).

Over a a month ago, I sent out a EU Claim form for back to back cancellations. I also sent a complaint letter via registered mail to the US office (in Jackson Heights) and both UK offices (in Harmondsworth and Sudbury). I sent in another piece of mail for the extra night at the hotel due to delayed luggage to see if I can get that paid for. I also faxed in a copy of my complaint letter a week ago to the US office in Jackson Heights.

Now, I'm a pretty reasonable person, and I'm getting a little frustrated at the lack of response. I don't know who I can contact and since I don't have status with BA (I'm just an AA EXP), I'm at an impasse. Any suggestions/advice?

thanks, dg
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Old Oct 12, 2005, 1:37 am
  #2  
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Originally Posted by DisgruntledGoat
For the handful of people who were following my adventure in Nairobi in this thread, I need advice on how to follow up on complaint letters I had sent out after my flights that sucked featuring the following:

1) Lack of food in F due to the unofficial industrial action on NBO-LHR on 11 August.
2) Delayed luggage for 3 days (Luggage came on the 14th), forcing me to stay in Nairobi an extra day and shorten a safari.
3) The back to back cancellations in Nairobi (August 27th and 28th).

Over a a month ago, I sent out a EU Claim form for back to back cancellations. I also sent a complaint letter via registered mail to the US office (in Jackson Heights) and both UK offices (in Harmondsworth and Sudbury). I sent in another piece of mail for the extra night at the hotel due to delayed luggage to see if I can get that paid for. I also faxed in a copy of my complaint letter a week ago to the US office in Jackson Heights.

Now, I'm a pretty reasonable person, and I'm getting a little frustrated at the lack of response. I don't know who I can contact and since I don't have status with BA (I'm just an AA EXP), I'm at an impasse. Any suggestions/advice?

thanks, dg
DG,

I've just been to Watership Down and am jumping in here. CR are absolutely deluged with similar complaints and it is taking ages to get them sorted. I would imagine that the US office is in similar mode. Sorry, time prevents me reading any long threads so I have not followed all the ins and outs but would advise that you get your Secretary/PA or whoever to call Customer Relations, and ask when you might expect the courtesy of a reply rather than an acknowledgement of your complaint. I am happy - once you have exhausted that route to give you one or two pointers in a PM if you mail me. Let's see what you get from this and then we might take this to another level. Do excuse me from not posting this publicly but I would not trust this information to anyone. You have been missing from these parts for a little while, but you sound like someone travels actually rather than vicariously - you get my drift. I have to say where you paying or on an award - and yes it does make a difference to CR whether the pax was revenue or not. Sorry, but there it is.

If I can help, I will.


PG
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Old Oct 12, 2005, 2:20 am
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I believe we met in the lounge before the attempted flights.

It took a month for BA Customer Relations to reply and only then because I kept calling them, chasing a response. Having had received a response I was unhappy with, I have now written, recorded delivery, to the CEO. I will let you know if I have any joy with this route.

I spoke to the CSD on the flight and he implied that BA were trying to minimise compensation payments at the moment because they had lost so much over the GG problems.
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Old Oct 12, 2005, 1:58 pm
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Originally Posted by Polk
I believe we met in the lounge before the attempted flights.

It took a month for BA Customer Relations to reply and only then because I kept calling them, chasing a response. Having had received a response I was unhappy with, I have now written, recorded delivery, to the CEO. I will let you know if I have any joy with this route.

I spoke to the CSD on the flight and he implied that BA were trying to minimise compensation payments at the moment because they had lost so much over the GG problems.
I was the funny guy with the bigass hat with the stack of Tusker cans.

I'll periodically bump this thread if I hear anything back, but I'm starting to doubt it. It's not like I want a bunch of money - a bunch of miles would be nice. j/k But you have to admit, it wasn't one of those normal things that happens. Their act was slightly better the second night than the first night but it was just one of those things where everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong.

I'm pretty sure that BA is being hammered, but I'm hoping to at least get an acknowledgement of my letters so I know that they haven't ended up in the shredder.
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Old Nov 3, 2005, 12:36 pm
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So I got an offer from BA today. $250 voucher and 5000 BA miles. This is a bunch of crap IMO. Time to write more letters!
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Old Nov 3, 2005, 12:50 pm
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A month is a record... this is how BA prioritises:

Same flight, same complaint, one of us a BA EC Blue, the other non-BA OW Emerald:

BA Blue - response within a month
Non-BA OW Emerald - 3 months

What a shambles....

As for any gesture made in the reply, BA clearly has no interest in any non-BA scheme members who fill its premium cabins.

Maybe someone like Pucci can lend a more qualified voice - based on PAX manifests - as to what the ratio looks like BA elites to non-BA OW program member....

Update Nov 2005:

Very mysterious... The one of us who is a non-BA OW Emerald also, coincidentally, holds a (seldom used) BA Blue card. When the apology email did finally arrive, it offered 6K miles, credited to the BA EC account despite this information not having anything to do with the original booking or subsequent complaint (a data protection issue here?)

Anyway, he emailed back to customer services and after 3 weeks of hearing nothing further called them up. He said he was confused though unbothered about the miles being credited to the unconnected BA EC account, but was surprised that others caught up in the same situation had been offered upwards of 50K miles by way of apology, while he had been offered just 6K. Moments later, 45K miles landed in the account.

Last edited by virtualtroy; Nov 18, 2005 at 12:14 pm
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Old Nov 3, 2005, 1:28 pm
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I like the fact that I am BA Blue and OW Emerald and it took a long time for BA to get back to me despite that. And 5000 miles? C'mon - on AA I could get 5000 miles for a broken IFE.

I feel like I was punched in the stomach.
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Old Nov 3, 2005, 4:36 pm
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Well seeing as I got 5K for two round trips ex-LHR to LIN with little catering (but mostly on time), I would say that's very pathetic indeed. Heck, most folks can wangle 6K for a Club return ex-LHR now.

You might want suggest to them an orifice where their offer might be better received and remind them of the 100,000 miles they were showering folks with at the beginning of the catering debacle.

Good luck, as I fear you'll need it.
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Old Nov 4, 2005, 4:22 am
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Originally Posted by DisgruntledGoat
Over a a month ago, I sent out a EU Claim form for back to back cancellations. I also sent a complaint letter via registered mail to the US office (in Jackson Heights) and both UK offices (in Harmondsworth and Sudbury).

I didn't expect the British Airline to be so ignorant to their customers! Do you have an insurance against such cases? They may give you a lawyer?
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Old Nov 18, 2005, 9:23 am
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I got an email response from someone in Willie Walsh's office and they said that they have addressed my concerns by offering me 5000 miles, a $250 voucher and they paid for my night at the hotel while I waited 3 days for my luggage.

This is insane and very frustrating. So much for BA's customer service...
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Old Nov 18, 2005, 2:04 pm
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Am not sure whether it is the catering complaints which are taking time to answer.. I last month had a problem about something else altogether and called customer relations - once I had got over the "It's better to log your complaint on ba.com" bit I spoke to a very helpful CR representative who took down all of the information, emailed me within a week with a suggested resolution and some compensation and emailed back again within a week when I said I wasn't happy. Altogether a quick(ish) resolution to an issue and I am a happy chappy (and no, I didn't even receive any miles as part of the deal). Either it is luck of the draw or being persistent in actually wanting to speak directly to CR may be the key..? Oh, and be polite!!!
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Old Nov 19, 2005, 1:51 pm
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If you are AA EXP, I would call the Executive offices at AA. Explain to them that if you wanted to be treated like this, you would have earned your miles on United, that since they signed up with BA that you expect them to take care of it, and that if you had wanted coach quality service you'd have booked a coach award. At a minimum, get AA to refund you the miles from F->Y and let them go argue with BA.

AA routinely gives EXPs 5,000-7,500 miles for a legitimate mechanical diversion, much less a multiple-night delay. I am certain that somebody there will be appalled at the way which you have been treated.
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Old Nov 19, 2005, 2:10 pm
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Originally Posted by ThatT1Feeling
Am not sure whether it is the catering complaints which are taking time to answer.. I last month had a problem about something else altogether and called customer relations - once I had got over the "It's better to log your complaint on ba.com" bit I spoke to a very helpful CR representative who took down all of the information, emailed me within a week with a suggested resolution and some compensation and emailed back again within a week when I said I wasn't happy. Altogether a quick(ish) resolution to an issue and I am a happy chappy (and no, I didn't even receive any miles as part of the deal). Either it is luck of the draw or being persistent in actually wanting to speak directly to CR may be the key..? Oh, and be polite!!!
Hi
I have also made a complaint about something NON-GG related and still not had an acknowledgement from BA Customer Services. I think I might just give them a call on Monday.

regards
John
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Old Dec 28, 2005, 8:13 am
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To bring this story up to date, I've talked with the Executive Offices at BA a few times and all they can allegedly offer me is 5000 miles and a $250 voucher. I talked with another FT member who was on my flight (BA Silver, in World Traveller) managed to get a free flight.

I've written a letter to the Air Transport Users Council about this in the hope that they can address this issue.

Anyone else have any other advice, or is my Quixotic efforts running into an end?
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Old Dec 28, 2005, 8:30 am
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I'm kinda curious - with a monicker like "DisgruntledGoat" - and with over 3346 posts - is that all you do - complain about everything in the world?

From what i see, you received the following:

- 5000 BA miles
- $250 travel voucher
- hotel night(s) covered

and since your bags were delayed by more than 6 hours, I am sure you must have dinged your travel insurance for delayed baggage compensation (and depending what card you used, they can be quite generous actually).

If all else fails, jump up and down at the BA office and see if someone responds.
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