Is it really worth a complaint ?
 

Just arrived back from a 10 hour Vancouver / Amsterdam flight. No video/audio was available at my seat 2B, despite the crews best efforts.

Got to be worth it, you never know.
They will probably just say that it's an Operations matter but include your FB number and they may give you some miles.

I would do it only if you want to become even more pissed off than you were when you wrote this post as one thing for sure they are good at is making you feel like it was your fault and then they will ask you why you expected to be entertained when their job is to transport you from A to B

Let's face it - these things happen. And if they can't fix it, and they haven't got another seat to move you to, then what are they supposed to do? Turn the aircraft round?

Still... you were inconvenienced, and I'm sure that if you were to write to customer service about this they'd probably give you something - miles, a voucher, whatever (I even had a hamper once!). As it only requires a fairly brief simple letter I think it's probably worth the effort.

It would make a lot of sense to provide the pursers with coupons denominated in miles which can be handed out in compensation for problems encountered on board.

Johan

A hamper????

They aren't supposed to turn the plane around; they are supposed to take notice when a passenger reports malfunctioning IFE and then either fix it or not assign the seat on the next flight. A year ago I took a flight on a 747 with no sound in the headphone jack in 77A. On the return flight a week later the same seat was still broken. I reported both times to the purser.

Asking for compensation is one (small) way of adding the tiniest bit of accountability to a company which operates in a largely accountability-free manner.

Yes, a big basket full of edible goodies. Didn't have to go grocery shopping for weeks!

You should've sticked with the connection on NW then probably ;)

Seriously though, I would write a short letter, it should yield you some goodwill miles...

The plane would never get off the ground due to the extra weight they would need to carry in vouchers :D

In 2000 I flew back from the States on NW in business. The over-head light was broken and could not be fixed. No empty seats left either. The FA gave me a portable clip-on light and a 5000 miles coupon (pre-printed) in compensation for the inconvenience. Service as it is supposed to be!

I flew CDG - SFO in February in economy on an award ticket and my in flight entertainment system did not work. I kept complaining, asked to see the purser and after several resets we gave up on it. The flight was fully booked so there was nowhere else to sit.

The purser apologised a great deal, he was very professional and whipped out a voucher for 6,000 Frequence Plus miles (that Flying Poo accepted) or 30 EUR cash or 60 EUR off a future ticket with AF. I also asked him for some magazines since I had planned to watch a couple of movies on the flight, he brought 4 of them very promptly, still with a thousand apologies.

Guess its embarassing for them when things don't work... My advice is to write a letter, but in future, pester them on board - they surely have vouchers that they can distribute.

Well, there you go...a very quick reply :

Thank you for your email from which I regret to learn of your disappointment whilst travelling with KLM recently. At the outset may I offer my sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.

We are aware of the importance of rendering the highest quality of service to our customers and I am therefore very sorry to learn that your personal audio and video system malfunctioned during your flight.

Whilst the in-flight entertainment does not form part of our Conditions of Carriage, we recognise that for many customers the in-flight entertainment represents a fundamental part of the enjoyment of a long flight. All our systems are subject to stringent tests and maintenance. As you might imagine, these systems contain intricate wiring, and whilst our staff are able to repair many minor faults onboard, more complicated problems often cannot be repaired until an aircraft returns to the ground.

When such problems do arise, our staff will endeavour to find an alternative seat, however on a full aircraft this is not always possible. Once again, please accept my apologies.

If ever we fail to provide our valued Platinum Elite members with the service they deserve, we are disappointed. I therefore hope that you will accept my genuine apology and not permit this unfortunate experience to continue to reflect unfavourably upon us. May we again express our very sincere regret for the difficulties you experienced.

Yours sincerely

What a lot of waffle. I'd be hitting reply and insisting on 5,000 miles.

Of course IFE is not in the Conditions of Carriage...but neither are food, water and a functioning lavatory. IFE is part of the product for which you paid.

I'll give it a go !!