Leadership in Customer Care

[wgt]

At the beginning of January, I suffered breakage and loss of items in baggage checked with American Airlines. The problem was discovered immediately upon reclaiming baggage, and a claim form was filed. Follow-up revealed that the claim form had not been processed and was also missing. An attempt was made to refile with Central Baggage. After inconsistent treatment, they finally advised that the window of opportunity for filing had passed, and the claim would be denied. I appealed to the Customer Service Department and eventually got the ball rolling again (I will not describe the difficulties and expense of refiling the claim through a US post office box from a third-worldish locale outside of the US).

I subsequently received an e-mail communication from Central Baggage, requiring that more forms be filled out and that previously submitted documents be resubmitted. An added twist was that receipts be included for items valued at over $100. Two of the three missing items that met this criterion had been purchased through ST. What do you suppose the chances of coming up with the receipts for these items with the passage of time and my having moved to yet another country? You are correct, about zero. Nevertheless, I PM'd Joe and received e-mailed copies of the receipts within hours.

First major point:
The loss, even if uncompensated cannot be considered disastrous. Although the claim is valued at over $800, this was the first significant baggage problem that I have experienced in over 15 years. That equates to an annual loss of about $50 (travel insurance -- must get travel insurance).

Second Major Point:
I am not slagging American Airlines. It is undeniable that they dropped the ball on customer service, but I think that they should be given the chance to recover the fumble. We shall see.

Third Major Point:
Joe and ST did not drop the ball and acted promptly on an opportunity to maintain exemplary customer service. While my jury-of-one deliberates on whether American Airlines has repented, ST demonstrated a strict willingness to do the meaningful things that kept a faithful customer happy.

Because I am certain that I invested hours in dealing with a breach in customer care from American Airlines, I feel the need to invest at least a few minutes in offering kudos to ST for showing leadership in providing value to customers, even when the cash register was not ringing.

Well done and thank you, ST!!

[fisheater]

ScubaToys always comes through.

[Lulubelle]

Warnock,

Sorry about your loss. I cannot believe they asked you for receipts for items over 100 dollars! Was there a time limit or depreciation on worn or used items? I wonder if that is common. I say this because generally I toss a receipt for anything that is beyond it's warranty period unless it is a very high dollar item which would not be in checked luggage if I was traveling.

If this was your first major baggage incident in 15 years, you are one lucky man indeed, I will agree.

And I don't think American is any worse than any of the others. They all drop balls.

I had to take on Air France when my luggage was lost/actually misdirected to Bombay. That was interesting to say the least. I had to finally resort to acting American, a loud and insistent one at that, something I NEVER do when traveling. The good news is that I did receive 600 dollars or so based on my days without luggage which purchased me a few fine french things. And I was fortunate enough to get my bag back eventually.

I am sorry you lost your things and hope that there was nothing terribly personal or irreplaceable in there.

L

[dallasdivergirl]

Wgt,

glad the guys could help. Hopefully this means you get new and shiny stuff now?

[chilly willy]

WGT,
I had a problem with AA last year that resulted with the loss of a springsuit, fins, and mask that was removed from my checked luggage coming home from Hawaii. The total value was $270 and the same was true for receipts in this case also. It took a total of 4 months for them to take care of it, but they finally did. As a side note, if you gripe enough to a customer service rep you can get a good amount of frequent flyer miles added to your account, (I got 4000). Hope they don't let you down.

[wgt]

I don't know what their take on depreciation will be, although I am sure that they would have a formula. Whether the formula will be applicable is hard to say, as I am anticipating being told "sorry" before the next round of the fight.

While a few of the damaged items would be considered special (souveneirs from Indonesia), they were not high-dollar. Strangely, the high-dollar artwork survived.

Originally Posted by Lulubelle

Warnock,

Sorry about your loss. I cannot believe they asked you for receipts for items over 100 dollars! Was there a time limit or depreciation on worn or used items? I wonder if that is common. I say this because generally I toss a receipt for anything that is beyond it's warranty period unless it is a very high dollar item which would not be in checked luggage if I was traveling.

If this was your first major baggage incident in 15 years, you are one lucky man indeed, I will agree.

And I don't think American is any worse than any of the others. They all drop balls.

I had to take on Air France when my luggage was lost/actually misdirected to Bombay. That was interesting to say the least. I had to finally resort to acting American, a loud and insistent one at that, something I NEVER do when traveling. The good news is that I did receive 600 dollars or so based on my days without luggage which purchased me a few fine french things. And I was fortunate enough to get my bag back eventually.

I am sorry you lost your things and hope that there was nothing terribly personal or irreplaceable in there.

L

[wgt]

Hey, DDG -- long time...

Did you say new and shiny stuff?

Originally Posted by dallasdivergirl

Wgt,

glad the guys could help. Hopefully this means you get new and shiny stuff now?

[wgt]

Thanks for the thoughtful comments, CW.

Originally Posted by chilly willy

WGT,
I had a problem with AA last year that resulted with the loss of a springsuit, fins, and mask that was removed from my checked luggage coming home from Hawaii. The total value was $270 and the same was true for receipts in this case also. It took a total of 4 months for them to take care of it, but they finally did. As a side note, if you gripe enough to a customer service rep you can get a good amount of frequent flyer miles added to your account, (I got 4000). Hope they don't let you down.