Worse experience.

Worse experience I have never had! See complaint I sent to Lufthansa below: Nothing. Pure abuse and carelessness. First, I would like to say that I have traveled my whole life, I’m 45 years old, and I have never made a claim with an airline before. I understand that mistakes and changes can happen (canceled flights, delays, broken suitcases, misplaced luggage, etc.), but what I just experienced with your company is just unreal and unacceptable, and honestly, almost ******** at that point. It just went from bad to worse, and a trip that was well-planned and should have lasted 1 day and a half ended up being 4 days and costing me thousands of dollars, anxiety, and pure panic. The only thing I’m grateful for is that the planes didn’t crash, I guess. I had booked plane tickets from Houston to Frankfurt to Naples, on March 25th, for 2 adults and 4 dogs, 2 in the cabin and 2 in hold. We also had 4 big suitcases and 2 carry-ons, as I’m moving overseas. I would start by saying that we checked in in Houston, and all the staff was wonderful. Polite, helpful, and reassuring, as I was extremely nervous for the big dogs to fly in the belly of the plane for the first time. Both are rescues and are extremely nervous and “special,” and I had spent almost $2,000 on Impact kennels, made in the US with aluminum, and extremely secure and safe to make sure they would be safe and secured. After working in animal welfare for 15 years, those are considered some of the best and safest options, and I made sure everything was perfect. The staff even commented during the crate inspection in Houston on how well-built those were and how well-prepared I was. When we arrived in Frankfurt, we made it to the gate for our second plane to Naples. I went to the counter to ask a question about the dogs, and a supervisor was around and said to me, “Oh, you are the lady with the 4 dogs.” I thought it was a little weird she knew that but didn’t think more of it. I did see her on the phone and dealing with something, as the gate agent made us check in our carry-ons because the plane was full. Anyway, a few minutes later, the gate agent informed me that there was an issue with my dogs and that they would not be able to make it on the second plane. When I asked what happened, he just told me the crates had been destroyed and that the dogs would have to be transferred, and I should take my plane to Naples, and they would send the dogs to me when possible on another plane. I asked for more details about what happened and I wanted to know how my dogs were doing I told him would not leave Germany without my pets, but he got defensive and insisted I should go on the plane. I said no and told them to make sure my luggage and carry-on were coming off ASAP, and then I asked to talk to a supervisor (who had quickly disappeared). I was told to go to gate 22 at the information desk and wait for the supervisor; he also said, “Don’t worry, she knows who you are.” I waited for a long time. I was told she was busy. I waited, wondering if my dogs were alive and well, and what happened to damage those extremely solid and expensive crates I had bought. At some point, I was in total panic. Finally, the supervisor showed, up and said she didn't know exactly where my dogs were, but they were okay. She then started to try to blame me. First, the crates weren’t well-built enough, but when I showed her what it was and the videos with 1400 pounds on them, she said it happened because of turbulence. When I said the crates should have been secured and we didn’t have much turbulence, she said the crates were too small, and the dogs couldn’t stand or lay down properly, which is 100% false. They are 1 or 2 sizes bigger than needed, but I use them all the time and want my dogs to be comfortable during the long trip. When I asked if I could see my dogs, she said no. If I could see the crates, she said no. If I could have pictures or videos, I was told no. And all this time, I’m thinking something horrible happened and the crates were destroyed with my dogs in them. I also was really worried about my dogs being out of their kennels because they can be difficult when scared and stressed, and I was worried an employee could get hurt. I mentioned this to every person I talked to, but none showed any concern. She then walked us to the information counter and asked about 10 employees behind the desks who would like to help us, and none volunteered. Honestly, I was in total disbelief at the treatment we received. Finally, an agent called to find out what was happening and get an update on the dogs, who had made it to the dog lounge. I was then told that the dogs were okay and that the crates were missing parts (still no explanation on how), but the staff would be able to put them back together and get the dogs and us on the same flight the next day. I asked to talk to the dog personnel for reassurance and was told no. I asked for pictures or videos and was told no. So, we got booked on the same flight for the next day, and the dogs stayed at the dog lounge with me worried about them and the staff. I asked about getting our luggage and was told it wasn’t possible. I asked to get my carry-on back since I had my personal items and medications in it, but I was told it wasn’t possible. The same carry-on I was told to check in when they knew my dogs would make the flight (I still do not understand the purpose of this). Now, we were left with nothing, no medications, no clothes, or even a toothbrush, and no dog food for the 2 dogs traveling with us in the cabin, and we had to buy a few things. The next day we took the second flight with all the dogs and finally made it to Naples, but when we grabbed our luggage, we could tell that they had been opened and searched, but we didn’t see any of the inspection stickers usually used. My friend's TSA-approved lock had been removed from her suitcase as well. But we kept on because, in the meantime, I had lost my car rental, which was prepaid and also $400, and a big event to accommodate all the dogs, humans, and luggage, a hard thing to find in Europe. We ended up taking an 18-hour ferry ride (another $533) to make it to our destination 2 days later. If only the story ended here. When I arrived at our final destination and started unpacking, I discovered that thousands of dollars of stuff were missing from my luggage: bottles of expensive perfume, new pairs of sneakers, expensive Japanese cooking knives that were in their original boxes and nicely wrapped as recommended for staff safety (one was a gift from my sister a few months ago right before she took her life by lying on the train tracks, so its sentimental value cannot be replaced), and also all my social media/TikTok equipment, new creme face and makeup, a full bag of cables, USBs, memory cards, external batteries. I'm not exactly sure where this happened since we went through Houston, Frankfurt, and Naples but I would bet this happened during the luggage stay overnight in Frankfurt because it must have taken some time to go through every suitcase without making a mess and pick anything new or of value. Nothing was taken from my friend's suitcase since she only had some basic vacation items and clothes. Anyway, at this point, I’m not sure what to say, but I hope your company will have the decency to look into this and try to make it right. The way I was treated in Frankfurt is unacceptable, so much so that one of your own employees came running down the hall to meet us. She said she wanted to tell us she was at her desk and heard the whole story and was mortified. She said she wanted to apologize for what happened to us and how Lufthansa was treating us. She said I went far and above to make sure my animals were safe, and with all her years around, she could count on one hand the customers who had gone to such extremes and spent that much money and energy to make sure their dogs would be safe. She went to a desk at some point and gave us a pamphlet on “your passenger rights.” Your own employee was horrified by the situation; it says a lot. I wonder what she would say about the missing items on top of everything else. I would like to be compensated for the crate I cannot use anymore because of the missing part, lost damage by the airline, and for the ****** items at least and what we had to buy in Frankfurt overnight (which is only a charger and dog food, because I didn't want to overdo it). This doesn't even start to make up for the loss of time, money emotional toll, and feeling of violation this has created. I would love to talk to someone and address the situation. I was told I needed a police report, but from where since my luggage went through 3 countries while in Lufthansa's procession?