BA customer service e-mail? [Archive]

Chuchinchow

17th Jun 2010, 18:39

You are quite correct: there is no BA Customer Services email address.

Given that, and the fact that all responses from BA Customer Services are oleaginous in the extreme, you might be advised to send your message to Email God - Your Prayer in the Cracks of Wailing Wall: Send a Mail to God (http://www.email-god.org/email_god_send.html)

I know this is not BA Customer Services, but the response time from the URL quoted above might be quicker - and more effective.

BAAlltheway

17th Jun 2010, 21:28

Hi.
Don't know if I will be able to help, but if you can give me a clue as to the type of query, i might be able to make a suggestion. Feel free to PM me if you dont want to post it on forum.

BAATW

ExXB

18th Jun 2010, 06:40

It relates to my flight booked to depart the day before the last series of strikes which connected to a flight on the first day. BA gave me NO rerouting options other than to travel one day earlier. I also incurred some costs (due to their stupidity, imho). Not a lot of money, but enough. I'm not looking for compensation (in the sense of EC Regulation 261). I did lose a day of my hard-earned vacation, which didn't have to happen had they shown any flexibility.

I'm ex Gold, currently Silver but expect to be soon Blue.

Capetonian

18th Jun 2010, 07:21

I would write, as in paper and envelope, enclosing supporting documents, and send it registered mail. That forces them to acknowledge receipt and to take it seriously.

By all means address it to WW at BA, Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth UB7 0GB. WW won't get to see it but it will go higher up than the junio clerks who normally deal with complaints at BA by sending out standard cut and paste replies, and who in fairness are probably overloaded these days anyway.

Hartington

18th Jun 2010, 15:14

I am also a believer in recorded/registered snail mail but if you insist on e-mail have a look at the "on your side" wiki here British Airways (http://onyoursi.de/wiki/airline/british-airways/)

BAAlltheway

18th Jun 2010, 16:20

ExXB,

Apols if you have already explore this route..
Have you tried contacting the exec club direct? If you are a Silver card holder, it should bump you up priority wise to see if they can help. No email address but a phone number i am sure you probably have. 0844 493 0 747.

If you decide to write to CR, then ensure you include your Tier and silver card number. It helps. Make it clear at the top of the letter that your letter is regarding the strikes, it will help get your letter sent to the correct queue first time round. As Capetonian suggests, include as much detail as is actually relevant, and your receipts for expenses. Take copies and keep them. Feel free to send registered/recorded for additional security that it has arrived. Please be aware, that there IS a longer than usual response time at the moment as a result of both the strikes and the volcanic ash, so you may not get an acknowledgement of receipt even with a signed for letter even if you demand one. You will know it has been received however. It is frustrating waiting for a reply, but they are doing their best- there have even been additional staff of all grades drafted in from other departments and trained, in order to help deal with the Volcanic ash claims as quickly as possible, which is helping the rest of the CR staff deal with strike correspondence.

Capetonian, i'm sorry if you find letters from CR oleaginous. But having had letters back from a number of other airlines, i'd prefer that to dismissive and bluntly rude!

BAATW

Capetonian

18th Jun 2010, 16:49

BAAlltheway

'oleaginous' is not a word I would have used in this context (if only because I'd have to think fairly hard about how to spell it!). Better descriptions of letters I've had from them would be :

vacuous
evasive
pointless
dishonest
insulting to my intelligence and knowledge of the industry
irrelevant
unhelpful

It is primarily because of the way that they responded to complaints I made in the past that I now boycott BA. Your loyalty to your employer is admirable but I fear they do not deserve it and I doubt if it will be rewarded. Unless you are WW under cover!

BAAlltheway

18th Jun 2010, 18:15

Capetonian.

You are totally correct. It is entirely my error in ascribing that description as being from you. Hands up. I sincerely apologise.

I also apologise that it seems the contact you have had with that department has been less than satisfactory. I would love to think that the airline was above reproach, but sadly, i recognise that is not always the case. You are correct in that i AM an incredibly loyal employee, who used to be in a customer contact role, which is why i do take it personally when customers are unhappy with interactions and service. I wish i could be in every department dealing with every customer so i could give the service that i think BA can offer when its on top form, but i cant.
I'll just have to do my best in the job that i do do, and hope that the many other BA staff who i know feel the same way, do what i would do.

And no, i'm not WW! (phew!)
BAATW

Haven't a clue

18th Jun 2010, 20:52

FWIW I have been chasing BA customer services through the Silver Exec Club phone number for my refund of a fully flexible business class fare of over £5000 for a flight on April 17 which which BA cancelled (rightly) due to the volcanic ash cloud. Each time I call I am told that my refund is just about to be made.

In my book holding on to my money for over two months is a act of theft. BA corporate extol the virtue of their positive cash balance. Unfortunately it would seem that, based on my experience, most of that money strictly isn't theirs.

Capetonian

18th Jun 2010, 21:18

BAAlltheway When I read comments such as yours I feel that there may yet be some hope for the airline. I have friends who work for BA who are hardworking and diligent and who love the airline and its customers. I have met BA staff who still have the old attitude. It's a pity that the face of BA is so different.

Haven't a clue A friend of mine voluntarily cancelled a O/W full economy ticket LON-JNB, on the BA website. The credit hit her Visa card account 4 days later. Why yours is taking so long I cannot imagine, as the process is automated.

BAAlltheway

18th Jun 2010, 21:18

Havent a clue,

How have you asked the refund to be made? CC or cheque?
Unfortunately due to the unprecedented numbers of people claiming for volcanic ash expenses etc, there is a longer wait than usual, as it is impossible to get through the sheer numbers of payments waiting as quickly as normal despite drafting in extra staff from other departments and paying overtime to the regular staff to do more hours. I don't suppose their is any reason for you to believe me, but i am totally genuine when i say that any delay in processing refunds is not through ill intent or slipperiness, it is just the physical time it is taking to get through the huge queue waiting to be processed. I believe it has been up to 8 weeks. Not good enough, but they are going as fast as they can.

I really apologise that you are being kept waiting.

wowzz

18th Jun 2010, 21:25

If I may just add an aside - in February we flew to Tampa with BA and just after landing my wife developed severe food sickness symptoms [I will spare you the details]. The timings were consistent with the main food service on our flight.
On our return to the UK we complained by e-mail [3 times and counting] about my wife's sickness and we are still to receive a specific reply and explanation.
I know BA has problems at the moment, but the customer service department is not helping the corporate image!
I accept that we are not frequent fliers but BA's response [or lack of] has meant that our future long-haul flights are with other carriers.

BAAlltheway

18th Jun 2010, 21:26

When I read comments such as yours I feel that there may yet be some hope for the airline. I have friends who work for BA who are hardworking and diligent and who love the airline and its customers. I have met BA staff who still have the old attitude. It's a pity that the face of BA is so different.

Thank you. I appreciate it, and i agree, there are some "old schoolers" who do let the company down. But i am reassured that they seem to be dying out as the company realises it has to move with the times and the dinosaurs want out. The impact that the strikes has had on the staff at BA has been really interesting. There is a real sense of purpose and pulling together, that has made the rest of the staff, non striking crew and non crew, incredibly proud of BA in a way i havent felt in a long while, and people feel really bought in to keeping BA flying and customers happy. I'm hoping that once it is all over, the BA that i want to be seen, and the one that i think you hope for, will really be out there.

I hope you give us another chance.

Thx

BAATW

(ps, apols if i made you heave!:) )

BAAlltheway

18th Jun 2010, 21:30

Why yours is taking so long I cannot imagine, as the process is automated.

FYI, if ticket refunds are done on BA.com, then yes, they are automated through the system, and should go through quite quickly. If they are done requested over the phone, it is not automated.

If Havent a Clue's refund was initiated via BA.com, and is still missing, then you are right, i would be worried as to why it was taking so long.

BAAlltheway

18th Jun 2010, 21:32

At the risk of being a one-person apology machine, sorry you have been let down by the response time to your complaint. Threatened strikes, strikes and Ash are all reasons why it might have taken so long, but they are no excuse.:(

Haven't a clue

19th Jun 2010, 08:22

BAalltheway Thanks for the comments. The booking was indeed made on BA.com, but I had checked in online before the flight was cancelled. Options usually available before checking in such as rebooking or cancelling are then disabled. I changed the booking over the phone and then, when the rebooked flight on April 17 was cancelled, I cancelled the whole booking again over the phone. I have assumed that the refund would be made to my (BA) Amex card used for the booking.

So I agree that cancelling on BA.com would have generated an automatic refund (I cancelled £15k of tickets this way a year or so ago with no problem). But because I was forced to use the phone, my refund is at the behest of a human. And we are now at 9 weeks after the event.

But this is a simple refund - a total cancelation; no compensation sought whatsoever. Yet.

BAAlltheway

19th Jun 2010, 08:25

Havent a clue.

I dont have access to the system all the time, but if you wanted to PM me with a case number or booking reference, I could try to have a look next time i'm able, just to make sure it is just delay, and not a problem.

BAATW

bandit2106

19th Jun 2010, 14:01

It's interesting to read that some pax are able to use BA.com to cancel flights. Certainly it's not available to me. Despite having originally booked on BA.com, all those options are greyed out. This obliges me to cancel by phone, which doubles the price.

After I'd been assured that the dates I was being offered for rebooking a strike blighted flight, could be changed later, I find that the reality is somewhat different. When I phoned the Exec Club I was told "£60 to change dates + extra flight costs, no refunds, and you're only allowed 1 change". Just those words and in quite an abrupt way too. Tried emailing....4 days later the mail comes, and suggests I phone them :mad:

I've had some exchange of mails with Consumer Direct who have given me a case number and quoted the applicable law, if I fancy taking BA to the Small Claims Court over breach of booking contract.

It's probably just cheaper for me to book and fly with other carriers in future, it was not an expensive flight, and nowhere near the value that Haven't a clue is chasing :eek:

Pilotinmydreams

21st Jun 2010, 09:54

When I last flew BA to BCN I had a valid complaint about their 'express' check-in in Spain. I mentioned it to one of the cabin crew who was apologetic and gave me a customer comment form to fill in onboard the aircraft. She came and found me later to get it back once I had wrtten my complaint - excellent onboard service I thought.

A couple of weeks later I received a very apologetc reply from BA along with £150 of vouchers off my next flight with them (£50 each per person). Cracking service and most unexpected gesture with the vouchers. Sadly I never got to use them as the flight I booked to Florida was never taken to due a divorce... but that's a different story.

radeng

21st Jun 2010, 11:45

With the US trip coming up, I tried to update the Advance Passenger information: it wouldn't let me because it didn't agree with my passport number, and it wouldn't let me update that. But a very helpful lady at the exec Club Gold line sorted it out very rapidly. So it's not all bad, and I find the CC very good - far better than other airlines I've flown, although Baboo and Qantas have proved very nearly as good.

But there is incompetence in management. It is widely known that the amount of duty free alcohol sold on flights to Switzerland frequently exhausts stocks such that there isn't any left for the return flight. So why do they not increase the stock, as I'm told CC have repeatedly requested?

Haven't a clue

26th Jun 2010, 15:36

I want to thank fellow PPRuner BAAlltheway who firstly took the time to respond to my earlier post about a substantial missing refund and then set about trying to sort my problem out. Successfully too, because within 7 days of making my post the refund hit my credit card account. There was a technical problem with the refund process which frustrated the refund.

Many, many thanks for your help :D:D:D

BAAlltheway

26th Jun 2010, 20:36

Havent a clue. Thanks for the thanks.:O
Its always nice to make a difference. I'm glad i could be of help, and that the refund has hit your account already.

profot

27th Jun 2010, 12:36

I have no idea why we still debate BA's lack of customer service, we all know that the airline has zero interest in its customers which is why all its loyal customers have buggered off (me included) and now travel with airlines that at least pretend they care when there is a problem.

I was loyal to BA for over 15 years and spent a fortune on them along with my staff, we haven't spent a penny for over a year now with them and I hope along with thousands of others like me its hurting, BA deserve everything they get.

Some may say this is harsh but that is how they like to treat customers so why shouldn't it be

Rusland 17

27th Jun 2010, 12:52

I have no idea why we still debate BA's lack of customer service, we all know that the airline has zero interest in its customers which is why all its loyal customers have buggered off (me included) and now travel with airlines that at least pretend they care when there is a problem.No, we don't all know that BA has "zero interest" in its customers, and I don't even believe it's even true.

I am not blindly loyal to any airline, but still tend to choose BA over other airlines if they fly where I wish to go and am am rarely disappointed in the level of care and customer service I receive - which is more than I can say for the likes of Air France, SAS and Lufthansa, all of which I actively avoid.

I've had some very good experiences recently on Austrian, Ethiopian, Emirates and Aeroflot, but would still choose BA over any of them if only they served those routes.

Capetonian

27th Jun 2010, 13:50

Some may say this is harsh but that is how they like to treat customers so why shouldn't it be

It is harsh. The truth often is.

profot

30th Jun 2010, 19:33

Ok, well I believe, with some others, that BA has zero interest in its customers, that ok for you?

radeng

1st Jul 2010, 10:35

My observation is that the BA management appears to have little interest in the customers: I find that ground staff, CC and flight crew are interested in keeping the pax as happy as they can, in spite of the management run 'business prevention department'.

Of course, having just qualified in 9 months (yet again - for the 6th year) for a Gold Card, maybe that has some effect.

profot

1st Jul 2010, 10:49

Radeng

you are quite right, I do not have any issue with the ground staff or cc they do the best they can with a bad lot.

I should have been clearer that I meant the Management side when I say BA has no interest

I was surprised to learn a while back how important the cc often value GC holders, I used to think they found us irritating

Capot

1st Jul 2010, 22:19

I tried this morning to book a flight to Talinn for an urgent, unforeseen visit next week.

Various options of which the best, for the day I needed, was offered by BA. So I ignore our company policy, pull the CBs on all the alarm bells about booking BA for anything, and process the booking for £277 or so, until, after providing debit card details and hitting the "complete booking" button, I get a screen which says something about "...system error...try again later. ...strongly recommend...contact us..... see if booking made or not".

So I ring the website help number, to listen to a recording recommending using the website because otherwise they'll charge me a heavy fine. Eventually get told that the booking was not made, try again.

Second attempt; same result. Back to website help. Same recorded recommendations on how it's best to use the website to book a flight.

Eventually a person suggests it's because our company card is being rejected. I check that immediately by putting a similar payment through on the card, using our card machine in the office. No problem. Then I go through the booking again, with him on the line. Price has now gone up to £340 or so. He says that's not right, his screen says it's nearly £500.

Now get this; he explains that the price on the website means nothing because the system may not be updated with the correct price, unlike his system. He says that the booking therefore keeps on failing because it's being rejected by the other airline involved, and will go on doing so no matter how often I try.

By this time I've spent an hour of my life on this farce and lose my temper totally. The sanctimonious :mad: admonishes me for using bad language, and suggests I book by telephone paying the huge fare as well as the telephone booking penalty.

I don't do that. I call the people I'm meeting, beg them to change the day, they agree. Now I can use Easyjet, and I book the flights on line for £200 or so in about 5 minutes flat.

Do you know, I couldn't give a toss if BA folds tomorrow. In fact I hope they do. They do not deserve to survive. Their loss will create room for a good new company to develop, which may have a better understanding of what the words "customer service" and "customers have a choice" actually mean.

Haven't a clue

2nd Jul 2010, 09:37

Capot as I understand it from similar experiences and conversations with Customer Support people the problem lies with the capability of BA.com. If you want to do something straight forward it works (mostly) every time. If you want to do something less ordinary - in your case it seems you were trying to book a codeshare flight of some sort - you find that all the links aren't really there.

As an example I booked a discounted C class ticket to HKG on the system recently. No problem with that. A few days before the outbound sector I looked at the booking through Manage Your Booking and, in banner headlines across the top of the page, a notice said "Upgrade your outbound flight to First for £ 450, only available on BA.com" The words and the amount may not be precise but you get the idea. The upgrade offer presented by BA.com had radio buttons to select the outbound sector, as quoted, plus a second option offering both outbound and return for £3000 or so. Needless to say I selected outbound only.

So I tried, and got a "Unable to process your request, please try later" type message.

So I tried again, and again, and again.

On the day before I was due to travel I tried selecting both outbound and return, and, surprise, surprise, it worked. Needless to say I didn't proceed.

I phoned customer services suggesting that if the only offer really available was upgrading both sectors, then that was annoying and possibly a tad naughty. A very helpful person sorted it for me, and apologised, blaming the faults on the limitations of BA.com.

Good result for me. Sorry about yours.

Ancient Observer

2nd Jul 2010, 12:17

I.T. is not BA's strongpoint. Neither is Virgin any good at it. Virgin HAVE to promise "it is cheaper on our website - if you find it cheaper elsewhere, we'll refund the difference" - because Virgin long-haul fares on its website are often wrong, not updated, and are normally cheaper at one of the consolidators.
Both need to employ some of the folk that run N American airline IT sites. Even the dreaded Continental's is better than BA's !!!

Skipness One Echo

2nd Jul 2010, 13:27

Sounds quite familiar to me. Not so long ago you were put through to a helpful UK call centre or the US office when the UK one closed. As a full service airline, that ought to be an absolute necessity. However having dealt with bmi's Indian call centre, it could be worse believe me.

I know that BA don't fly to Talinn so sounds like a typical IT muck up on the code share. I hope that once the current cabin crew savings are implemented and the merger goes through with Iberia, this may be revisited.

It's comedy cuts that they don't have a 24 hour contact number given that they fly alll across the globe. False savings BA if you're reading.

We know you do.....

nina45459

19th Jun 2013, 16:20

Hello, I am wondering if you can advise on below issue.

This is regarding refund of the charges related to 6DQ32U.

I checked-in for YGPQRE at home for the return flight - Amman -London, June 9th, and was planing to collect my boarding pass at the airport.
Fare for 6DQ32U (around $1000) was charged to my PC Master card at the check-in counter. I showed the credit card to BA clerk as an extra proof of my identity after he informed me that my boarding pass for the checked-in flight YGPQRE was refused by the system based on the fact that my Visa credit card, the one I used to pay for YGPQRE on May 16th, was cancelled on May 31. The clerk agreed that it was some kind of miscommunication between Visa and BA, but he was not able to override the system and issue my YGPQRE boarding pass and advised me that purchasing different ticket - 6DQ32U- was the only way for me to travel that day and that all charges will be refunded.

I've sent the initial message on 10.6, then follow up msg and left two voice mails on 1-718-425-5550. I haven't receive any response so far.

Should I contact my credit card and try to stop the payment?

Please advise. Thank you.

chrissw

24th Jun 2013, 06:59

@Capot:

If BA were to disappear, I doubt they would be replaced by a "better" company. I rather think that the loss of BA would just accelerate the race to the bottom which seems to be the general direction of air travel nowadays.

By that I mean that they would be replaced by another self-avowedly cost- and service-cutting outfit, the likes of which are all too familiar to everyone who reads this forum.

But if that's what the market wants, who am I to complain?

My experience of BA recently has been variable. I've paid for early seat selection in economy, then decided to upgrade to business when the price was right. I could only get a refund on my original seat purchase by phoning at least two different numbers; there is clearly no integrated international customer service. On a recent long-haul in World Traveller Plus, in the outbound direction the cabin crew were almost invisible outside meal services, but on the return flight they couldn't have been better; and I've made sure to write about the contrast everywhere I can, and specifically congratulated the returning CC on the BA website. I hope these things make a difference.

ExXB

24th Jun 2013, 17:00

I opened this thread three years ago.

I thought I'd mention that I did write to BA with my complaint. I received a response about three weeks later asking me to bear with them, as they were very busy (not) dealing with all the complaints they had at that time. I gave them another month before writing to them not to bother, as I would never fly with them again.

Funny, I never heard from them again - other when they extended my silver for another year, and then a year later when I became blue.

I lied, I did burn my remaining miles - but I haven't spent a centeme on them since.

Captivep

1st Jul 2013, 12:08

I love this type of thread...

The OP had a flight cancelled (and an alternative offered) because of a strike (which he doesn't say was by BA staff or other people). He wasn't happy with that and complained (the response to which did seem rather slow, I admit).

Three months later he throws his toys out of the pram and tells BA that he'll never fly with them again. He is surprised that they don't respond (what did he expect? A minibus of nubile BA cabin crew on his doorstep?). But proudly, he tell us that he has managed to spend all his BA miles. Well, bully for him...

Another poster gets sniffy when his assertion that "we all know" that BA is not interested in customers is challenged.

The reason why I love these type of threads? It's because they all share this trait of extrapolating from the particular to the general. And because the posters usually sound so pompous about the whole thing...

ExXB

1st Jul 2013, 13:14

The toys were not thrown out of the Pram. I decided, after waiting months for something other than an acknowledgment, that I had enough of their crappy customer service. This incident was not the first problem I'd had with BA but I wowed it would be the last.

It has been.

I certainly didn't expect them to respond to my 'I'll not fly with you again' comment. And, for once, they didn't disappoint me.

When I opened this thread I was actually hoping that BA would handle my issues, but they didn't have the courtesy to respond. Caveat Emptor.

crewmeal

2nd Jul 2013, 05:25

When I opened this thread I was actually hoping that BA would handle my issues, but they didn't have the courtesy to respond.

BA or any other carrier are not in the habit of discussing individual issues on an open forum where everyone and his dog can comment. If you have an issue I suggest you go back to the old fashioned way of communicating and that's by pen and paper.

airsmiles

2nd Jul 2013, 07:59

My experience of BA pretty much mirrors most of the negative posters on this thread.

I like the BA ground staff, the cabin crew and the overall hard product but BA.com can be exceedingly frustrating and customer service is barely above useless during the times I've tried to resolve things with them.

I've regularly flown mostly BA to the USA over the last 10 years but also to other long-haul destinations. I was a Silver card holder for many years. Every 2 or 3 years BA seriously p#ss me off with an inability to resolve a simple problem with either a booking or a subsequent change of travel plans. Customer service/Exec club then make a complete dog's dinner out of something that ought to take 10 minutes to resolve. When you're in a foreign country and need help you haven't got time to play games.

Twice I've changed my allegiance to other airlines and I've subsequently tried BA again, only to get p#ssed off by BA.com and Customer Service again. If BA could sort these problems out they'd have a loyal frequent flyer still on their books.

Currently, I'm not flying BA unless I'm forced to and I'm a Blue card holder. Other airlines are getting my business. After 10 years they still haven't learnt any lessons. Why is it so difficult?