Delayed Baggage, *********** Personnel and Poor Handling of a Situation

<p>I have had to manually track my mother's (the actual flier) luggage down after it did not land with her on the 7th of January. When we checked her and her baggage in on the 6th, there was an issue with the luggage conveyor. We were assured that she would have access to her luggage. Upon her landing and discovering her luggage was not there as well, she filled in the corresponding forms and was once again assured that her luggage would be returned to her within 24 hours and if not, she would be compensated for necessities. Neither occurred. She went online and saw that they assured it would be returned in 72 hours as advertised and accessed her own funds to supply herself with a week's clothing and toiletries. I took with tracking down her luggage manually, calling the airports and emailing the international courier companies to try and find her luggage. Menzies Aviation (whom I must commend for their prompt replies and absolute helpful demeanour) discovered within 15 hours that her luggage was last recorded at Heathrow Airport. From there, using BA's online luggage tracking system, I was forced to contact City Bags, the company that was supposed to forward her luggage to her hotel room but had not managed to within the time that she was available. They have informed me that her luggage is to return with her on her flight this evening and that it is now British Airways' responsibility. Also this afternoon, I recieved a phonecall from my mother (who was in tears), informing me that the clerk at the airport almost refused her passage back to south Africa because she was carrying more than what was allotted in her carry on, and only because her actual travel case still had not been returned to her. I cannot believe that British Airways has been rated so highly.</p> <p>This afternoon, I had to write the following email to the customer services of British Airways. I am still awaiting a reply.</p> <p>"Greetings, To whom it may concern,</p> <p>I am contacting you on behalf of my mother who flew the flight from Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo) on the 6th of January 2017, boarded 21h00. Both she and I have never been quite so appalled by an airport or airline in our lives. Between British Airways and Heathrow Airport, you didn't manage to return her delayed luggage (Reference Number: LHRBA85820, we have filed a form online) for the entire journey, you didn't compensate her for necessities such as toiletries and you failed to even reply to her emails. I will never in my entire life fly British Airways, not after this, and I will never let an acquaintance or relative do so either. Do not advertise compensation or the return of delayed luggage within 72 hours if you cannot comply.</p> <p>In 2015 I flew with Emirates to Australia, a connecting flight, and when my first flight was delayed and I missed my next flight, they booked me hotel suite, offered to find my luggage for my use, made certain I had transport and compensated me with a food allowance and I was only stuck in Dubai for less that 10 hours. If they can be as helpful but British Airways cannot, I struggle to see why you were voted one of the top ten airlines this year and they were not.</p> <p>Bear in mind that if my mother's luggage is not returned, you will face action and be glad I advised her to pack extra things in her carry on. The absolute cherry on this awful cake was the fact that when she arrived at Heathrow this evening to check in for her return flight, one of your clerks almost denied her passage because she had more than three carry on bags. If I must deal with one more phone call from her (especially one more teary phone call), you will wish you had rep**** and sorted this all out on day one. For a further record: your phone call consultants in South Africa are absolutely useless and probably illiterate.</p> <p>I will be publishing on other social media exactly how terrible your service is and how useless you are when you are required to make up for a mistake.</p> <p>And no, you will be having no signature from my mother as she is due to board a plane. Once I have collected her tomorrow (except in the case of bad weather, etc), I will submit another complaint with her signature.</p> <p>I have worked in service delivery and I am appalled at how shoddily and ***********ly your personnel dealt with this situation. Please be advised that you had best reply to this correspondence as soon as possible.</p> <p>Regards."</p>