[Falcon7x]

whilst not a downgrade….last month I flew back from LAX to LHR via YYZ (the only routing to get me back for my son’s birthday); it turned out that the routing and stopover time was near impossible to be made with bags, so they were left in YYZ. After 4 days they finally made it home (with my sons presents inside). I had a moan and a groan (BAEC Gold) and got 30k Avios.

Hope this gives you some kind of ballpark.

I personally think that the standard refunds that you are entitled to and enough points for a return CE Avios flight would be fair.

[peterraven]

Alexpo

Make sure you keep us advised of the result from BA

Curious to know…

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Update:

after 40 minutes on the phone to BA Customer Relations in the UK, the refund stands at £30 and ???? Avios (Neil didn’t know exactly)…something to do with the difference between a CE and Y booking using Avios, and which I didn’t understand as it was a revenue booking and the cheap upgrade option was also paid for.

So, make of that what you will.

IMO, a pretty poor show from BA.

I will make a further complaint, but this time via e-mail!..and when I have the energy.

And just to add to the other subjects raised in this thread: I am not a big talker but really enjoy listening to some fellow passengers. And I always know if my neighbour wishes to engage in conversation or not and never push my luck.

I miss Kingfisher too…

And absolutely no offence intended Swedish posters and your sense of humour.

OK, time to move on.

[IanFromHKG]

alexpo, the EU261-mandated compensation for an involuntary downgrade is 30% of the ticket price (on a flight of that length). Is GBP30 more or less than that?

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Good evening Ian

I know the exact price paid for the return upgrade LHR DUB LHR – 138 GBP…the pound symbol always disappears mysteriously when I look for it!

As for original booking…somewhere in the region of 180 return.

At least the usual 40 TPs have been credited for this segment.

[canucklad]

alexpo, trust me, if BA’s CRM team are up to scratch they’ll respond positively to your Tweet.

It should put you into a good place for your next complaint e-mail.
On your Tweet I’d now mention “Neil at BA no longer values me”

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Thanks canucklad. I am quite new to Twitter believe it or not and am not quite sure how to compose my tweet. And Neil was just doing his job and personally I only force an issue in rare circumstances and it is not pleasant lol.

I just thought I would highlight my downgrade issue yesterday as it was a first for me.

[rattipatti]

hi. regarding compaining about these things (and indeed MANY others), a friend told me about a new App called Resolver. They also have a website http://www.resolver.co.uk . makes the whole process of complaining much easier and they also chase it up for you if you dont hear back within a reasonable time.

[AMcWhirter]

Hello rattipatti,

Sorry to detract from alexpo1’s thread …

But the section on UK rail compensation shown by resolver is inaccurate. I just wonder about the rest of the information ?

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Final word here until I hear further news:

on reflection, I should have been informed at check-in yesterday morning that I had been downgraded. Not the case.

Just for the record, it was the BA827 11:45 departure.

Thanks everyone

edit: an irrelevant correction to one of my above posts…I flew Economy on HBO fare LUX LHR

[IanFromHKG]

Well, Alexpo, on that basis I would say BA are offering you a fraction of what you are entitled to – which is shabby, but entirely predictable (sadly). I find it shameful that BA fail to inform passengers of their statutory rights (especially when they are required to do so) and then try to fob them off with less than they are entitled to. Trying to fob you off with significantly less than the one-way cost (ie half of the return cost) of the upgrade adds significant insult to injury

As to next steps,I suppose it really depends how valuable the Avios are to you, or whether you would rather have a lot more cash.

In a situation such as yours, though, I wonder how the compensation should be calculated? I would have thought it should be 30% of the combined price for ticket and upgrade since that is the total fare you paid. On that basis they seem to be offering you a fraction of what they are required, by law, to give you.

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Have just received this reply from BA Customer Relations:

Dear Mr X

Thank you very much for your time on the phone today. I am sorry we could not accommodate you in our Club Europe cabin on your flight from Dublin to London Heathrow on 06 August 2014. I do appreciate how disappointing this must have been for you, especially as you had paid for the upgrade online. It is not the kind of thing you were expecting from British Airways and I can see why you have contacted us about it. Please accept my sincere apologies for the inconvenience.

It is standard practice for airlines to book more passengers than there are seats on some busier flights. It allows for the fact that a lot of people pre-book and then don’t turn up. By overbooking, we can avoid flying with empty seats – which ultimately helps us keep down our fares.

We keep data on how many people do not turn up for their flights. From this we calculate how many seats we can overbook on each flight, and we usually get it right.
I am afraid that there are occasionally times when more people arrive for their flight than we predicted. Please accept our sincere apologies that we got it wrong this time and for the inconvenience we caused you.

I am sorry no compensation was arranged for you in Dublin airport. I have arranged for a payment of €37.77 as downgrading compensation between the cabin booked and the cabin flown. The funds will appear in your Post Office account in about three to five working days. The amount we offered you is a set limit (in line with other airlines) and I am afraid we won’t be able to increase it.

You are entitled to a refund of the upgrade fee you paid online. I have sent off a request to our Refunds team to have this refunded back to the original form of payment you used to pay for the fare difference.

Your business as a Silver member of the Executive Club is invaluable to us. We don’t take our customers for granted and know you have a choice when it comes to booking your flights. Thank you for getting in touch and giving me the chance to respond. I hope this will not deter you from flying with us again in much happier circumstances.

Best regards

Neil Adair
British Airways Customer Relations
Your case reference is:12548885

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Yes, BA you got it wrong this time!!

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

FFS, give me Ryanair or easyJet when you know exactly just what you are paying for.

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Nicely worded reply but pathetic result. After being BA Gold for a short period (neither here nor there under the circumstances) and was about to attempt to retain Silver as I am well aware of the benefits, I have decided now not to bother.

Your loss BA.

[Author]

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