Coming back from Miami yesterday, I made the mistake of leaving my Nintendo
DS Lite in the storage underneath my seat on British Airways, forgetting it when
I left the plane. Since then, it’s been both an enlightening and frustrating
experience to learn how poorly the company handles lost items.
Before I’d even left the airport, about 30 to 45 minutes after leaving the
plane, I realized I’d left the DS in its game case on the plane. I was getting
into my car outside the terminal, so I couldn’t dash into a BA counter for help.
Instead, I phoned the main BA number for advice and to see if someone could get
it off the aircraft.
I was given a number to call (it was 0208-745-7727, for others who might have
lost property at Heathrow). Unfortunately, the office wasn’t open (this was
about 7:45am). So I drove to the petrol station at the airport to fill my tank
and wait a bit, figuring that it was worthwhile to stay there a bit longer, in
case they could get my property quickly.
When someone answered, I quickly learned that BA doesn’t handle lost property
themselves. Instead, they contract this out to the Excess Baggage Company, which
also handles
lost property for all of Heathrow. I was told there was no way they could go
onto the plane to check for my DS. Instead, I had to wait until after 11am, for
when they get a bulk delivery of everything that is found left on BA planes.
I waited until around 1pm and called back. Nope, nothing was found. I was
told to try again the next day, then to try again for seven days altogether. And
if it didn’t turn up, then it was probably stolen.
Great. I know security is all about keeping things off of airplanes, but
you’d think there were some procedures in place to log what comes off plus you’d
hope that items left behind weren’t going to be stolen by those servicing the
aircraft.
I decided to try BA again. I called the main number, then was routed over
this time to someone from the Aircraft Search department. Aircraft Search? Yes,
he explained to me that I should have been sent to this department when I called
originally. Had that happened, someone would have gone onto the plane and gotten
my DS off.
BA never mentioned this when I called originally, nor did Excess Baggage
mention this when I called them as instructed. That sucks, because it would have
greatly increased the odds of getting my DS back (along with its game case,
headphones and five games).
Next, I tried calling BA Customer Relations, to see if they could do anything
to speed up the search process and if there was going to be any compensation if
the DS had indeed turned out to be stolen, especially since I’d been incorrectly
routed on my call. After about 15 minutes on hold, I decided to take up the
offer and send in a request for help via the web. Using this
form,
off it went. A full day later, I’ve had no response. I’m glad I wasn’t emailing
about some lost prescription medicine I needed or anything super crucial.
I had enough energy for one last attempt. I called Excess Baggage again. This
time, the agent explained that no deliveries had come in from BA at all in the
latest shipment, increasing the chances that my item had been found and not
delivered, rather than stolen. I was told again to try back the next day, after
11am.
That’s what I did today. Sadly, it hasn’t come in yet. I was told to keep
checking for another five days, especially since my flight came into Terminal 3,
which BA rarely uses. That could add to the delay in getting it to me.
I also asked if there was a way to know if any items were found on a
particular flight. It seems like it should be pretty easy for someone to check a
database somewhere rather than me being kept guessing to see if my DS turns up
in the Great Lost Property Lottery. I was told that BA does fill out a paper
showing what flights items were found on, but these aren’t given to Excess
Baggage.
I went back to BA. Didn’t they have a database they could check? No. But what
about these records that are logged? No info on that, other than there was
nothing for the customer service agent to check. Would they be compensating me
for the loss? No, especially since it could have been taken by one of the other
passengers.
I doubt that. I came back business class on BA. The seats all have these
little lockable storage compartments under them. The DS wasn’t sitting out on
display, for someone to walk off with. For another passenger to have taken it,
they would have had to open all the little compartments under each seat when
leaving. I highly doubt this happened.
No, if the DS is gone, this is what happened:
- Someone working directly or indirectly for BA checking all the
compartments found it, took it and failed to log it. - The aircraft wasn’t fully checked and cleaned (which wouldn’t surprise
me), and so another passenger came across it when sitting in my seat.
Heck, for all I and BA knows, it might be sitting in that compartment still,
flying around the skies. People don’t tend to use the compartments, from what I
can see. I rarely do because I’m paranoid that I might forget about putting
something in them (which is exactly what happened).
Even the customer service rep agreed that if the DS doesn’t turn up, it’s not
likely that another passenger took it. And so I wait, hoping the next five days
might have better news.
The loss won’t be a crisis for me, of course. I can get another DS and suffer
the embarrassment of taking less care of mine than I always warn the kids to do
with theirs! It’s more annoying, than anything. It’s definitely my fault for
forgetting the darn thing. But I’m really surprised at how unresponsive BA was
in trying to find it when I called, especially at a time when it was more likely
to get found. Frankly, they didn’t really seem to care. I’ll keep that in mind.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I had exactly the same experience - and I eventually wrote to Willie Walsh asking whether he thought it was acceptable service. A month later I get a call from BA telling me that they do have their own lost property office and they give me another number. I ask if this office has my ipod, and they haven’t checked - I have to do that.
I ring and eventually I get a voicemail message saying it is the Heathrow lost property office and I should call the same number you had.
They have absolutley no idea about customer service.
I left a hat on the plane on Friday night and realised once I was through passport control. Not being able to go back through I asked if someone from BA may be able to bring it through. No contact Lost Property. Well this was the most unfriendly customer experience I can ever had imagined. No wonder BAA is being sold off. BA rinsed their hands of my lost property and the main office once I finally got hold of them did not even ask what flight it was left on. For all I know it went back to Sweden and is left in their lost property. There is nothing worse than a system that clearly doesn’t work and has mgmt that do not care for the customer. To keep hearing “keep trying to see if it is here” sends shivers down my spine…..
I had a Gift Fossil watch, Camera left in the seat bag when I flew from Dallas to Heathrow T5.BIG MISTAKE!! Its been 2 days and there is no information.
I left my wallet (cards, cash etc) in the little drawer under the BA business class seat today at T5 flying back from SF. Realised as soon as I got to car in car park. Dashed back, consulted customer services on level three. Had to wait 40 minutes. But someone went and retrieved it from the cleaners before it got into the whole lost property system. Cash intact. Good job - thanks.
Wow! Sounds like I’m not the only one that has experienced problems with BA. I recently returned to the US from a trip to Europe (Bordeaux & Barcelona). BA misplaced my luggage in London - not once but twice during the trip. When my luggage was finally returned the first time after two days (just hours before my flight out of Barcelona), I realized a jacket containing my iPhone, iPod, and earphones had been stolen and the wheels to my suitcase damaged. I don’t know if it just did not make it back into my bag when it went through customs in London and is located in some Lost and Found department there or if it was stolen. BA would not give me the number to talk to an actual person or to check to see if it came up in Lost and Found. Instead, they said I needed to make a claim on line - which kept displaying error messages, even after several hours of trying. Again, on the trip back, my luggage was again left somewhere in London. I did not want to again take the chance of something else getting stolen, so I took off work and drove back to the airport the following morning to pick it up as soon as it arrived. I requested reimbursement for the lost/stolen items, the damage to the suitcase, clothes and toiletries purchased when my luggage was delayed the first time, and expenses (parking) for getting my luggage back the second time. Four days later, i finally heard back from BA. They say that they will not reimburse for anything but the jacket and toiletries I needed to purchase during the 2 days I had no clothes, etc. Their reasoning was that they allow for 1 carry on item and a purse (which I had) and expect that there will be “no valuables” in checked luggage. Of course, they don’t define “valuable” - but isn’t just about anything contained in one’s luggage (either checked or carried on) valuable? How can they do this? I would really appreciate it if anyone has any phone numbers they could provide that may be helpful. I’m still hoping that these items will show up som ewhere in London — i just don’t know who to call — and BA is not being at all helpful!!!