BA response time to complaint?
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Having worked for BA and lived with someone who spent some 18 years dealing with cases similar to yours, within BA, I must say that perhaps you have not given all the facts of the case.
Particularly as you have now egged the story by playing on the "Jennifer's ear" aspect of the case.
Normally BA tend to err on the side of the complainant unless there are strong reasons for not doing so.
Particularly as you have now egged the story by playing on the "Jennifer's ear" aspect of the case.
Normally BA tend to err on the side of the complainant unless there are strong reasons for not doing so.
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Hi Finncappt
All the facts have been provided. Jennifer's Ear - don't know that one. MB was being questioned by the press. But it's quite true. She was a psychiatric nurse for 40 years so BA hold no terrors.
Mr Chuchinchow - deepest apologies sir! Anyway as advised I started a thread on Flyertalk which seems to have become quite popular.
All the facts have been provided. Jennifer's Ear - don't know that one. MB was being questioned by the press. But it's quite true. She was a psychiatric nurse for 40 years so BA hold no terrors.
Mr Chuchinchow - deepest apologies sir! Anyway as advised I started a thread on Flyertalk which seems to have become quite popular.
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Hi guys
just as an update. BA have, without our agreement, sent us a cheque for £495.25. This was their original offer on expenses (Easyjet fare + £50 "goodwill gesture" towards the cost of me having to drive down to Glasgow to pick up the MB.
We have therefore sent BA a letter stressing a) We do not accept this sum as final settlement of the problem b) We won't be cashing it until the problem is settled.
Seems a good example of BA attempting to steamroller an agrrement on their terms.
There's been a very positive response (backing us) on Flyertalk. We mailed a copy of the newspaper article to Keith Williams but have seen no signs of movement or heard any more from BA.
We'll start the small claims process next week but it could take a while. We'll keep you posted.
cheers
Astir & MB
just as an update. BA have, without our agreement, sent us a cheque for £495.25. This was their original offer on expenses (Easyjet fare + £50 "goodwill gesture" towards the cost of me having to drive down to Glasgow to pick up the MB.
We have therefore sent BA a letter stressing a) We do not accept this sum as final settlement of the problem b) We won't be cashing it until the problem is settled.
Seems a good example of BA attempting to steamroller an agrrement on their terms.
There's been a very positive response (backing us) on Flyertalk. We mailed a copy of the newspaper article to Keith Williams but have seen no signs of movement or heard any more from BA.
We'll start the small claims process next week but it could take a while. We'll keep you posted.
cheers
Astir & MB
Paxing All Over The World
Paxing All Over The World
An interesting, but possibly unrelated, item. I post this as an example of mgmt making changes to make savings and making things worse, whilst the staff are ignored.
I live in the Home Counties of the UK (i.e. in a country that neighbours to Greater London) and we have noticed our postal delivery getting erratic and much later in the day - across the last number of weeks. I now read that (and here I edit down from the article but do NOT paraphrase):
The Communication Workers Union said the problem had been caused by postmen being given larger rounds to complete. The [area] delivery manager for Royal Mail, said it was trying to balance "cost and service".
The Union, said some rounds had increased by 200 to 300 drop points. "The normal time of leaving the office would be about 10:00 BST to get their deliveries finished by 14:00 BST.We've [now] got postmen not leaving here until 11:00 BST or sometimes 13:00 BST so it's been impossible for them to do a complete delivery of their mail."
[Area manager's name] said managers were now checking that routes had been planned correctly and staff were working at the appropriate rate. He added: "My anticipation is that we will have the routes back on an even keel by this timenext week."
So ... the manager made changes that did not work and caused problems for the customers and staff. Now they are reviewing it and hope to make it work in just a week? Hhmm, sounds like another manager that does not know his job and did not ask anyone that DOES the job before introducing changes. Had they thought of testing it out carefully before upsetting customers whose alternatives are minimal?
I'm glad they want to save money but there is always the point at which you meet the law of diminshing returns and very few managers seem to know where that line is these days.
I live in the Home Counties of the UK (i.e. in a country that neighbours to Greater London) and we have noticed our postal delivery getting erratic and much later in the day - across the last number of weeks. I now read that (and here I edit down from the article but do NOT paraphrase):
The Communication Workers Union said the problem had been caused by postmen being given larger rounds to complete. The [area] delivery manager for Royal Mail, said it was trying to balance "cost and service".
The Union, said some rounds had increased by 200 to 300 drop points. "The normal time of leaving the office would be about 10:00 BST to get their deliveries finished by 14:00 BST.We've [now] got postmen not leaving here until 11:00 BST or sometimes 13:00 BST so it's been impossible for them to do a complete delivery of their mail."
[Area manager's name] said managers were now checking that routes had been planned correctly and staff were working at the appropriate rate. He added: "My anticipation is that we will have the routes back on an even keel by this timenext week."
So ... the manager made changes that did not work and caused problems for the customers and staff. Now they are reviewing it and hope to make it work in just a week? Hhmm, sounds like another manager that does not know his job and did not ask anyone that DOES the job before introducing changes. Had they thought of testing it out carefully before upsetting customers whose alternatives are minimal?
I'm glad they want to save money but there is always the point at which you meet the law of diminshing returns and very few managers seem to know where that line is these days.
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So ... the manager made changes that did not work and caused problems for the customers and staff. Now they are reviewing it and hope to make it work in just a week? Hhmm, sounds like another manager that does not know his job and did not ask anyone that DOES the job before introducing changes. Had they thought of testing it out carefully before upsetting customers whose alternatives are minimal?
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Happens only too often these days. It's the same where I work. Too many educated (I use the term advisedly) university graduates with a sack full of paper qualifications but no work experience whatsoever in the industry they're managing in. They honestly believe that simply because of their mountain of academic qualifications they know it all and never bother to consult and learn from those in the front line. It's a cancer in many industries.
There's a program in Germany called "Jugend forscht", a competition for young scientists that translates literally as "Youth researches".
We had waves of rocket-arse graduates, reinventing the wheel (the one with a rim and no spokes that every KNEW didn't work...) and decrying anyone with a) experience and b) no tertiary qualifications as ""sticks in the mud" or worse.
I can accept scepticism when confronted with old fogies saying "We've tried that and it didn't work", but NOT if it's "We've tried that and it didn't work because of xyz"
They then fly off to wreak irreparable damage elsewhere.
Royal Mail needed to rapid prototype a route to get proof of concept, adjust for the unexpected and THEN implement.
Anything else in madness.
We had waves of rocket-arse graduates, reinventing the wheel (the one with a rim and no spokes that every KNEW didn't work...) and decrying anyone with a) experience and b) no tertiary qualifications as ""sticks in the mud" or worse.
I can accept scepticism when confronted with old fogies saying "We've tried that and it didn't work", but NOT if it's "We've tried that and it didn't work because of xyz"
They then fly off to wreak irreparable damage elsewhere.
Royal Mail needed to rapid prototype a route to get proof of concept, adjust for the unexpected and THEN implement.
Anything else in madness.
Paxing All Over The World
All too true. I was very lucky in my telecommunications career in that, when I started there were no courses and qualifications as the particular job was new and the field in which I landed was expanding very rapidly (1979 onwards). So you just did and got promoted or chucked out.
Consequently, I started as a telephone operator - yes with large headphones and plugging cables into sockets! I then became Supervisor, deputy manager, manager and so on until I was a freelance consultant. At the end of my time in the game (2003 and in my mid-40s) I was 'Amused' to find that the 25 year olds knew more than I did.
In another thread, I posted recently that my supermarket delivery men have difficulty with the hand held electronic device for monitoring their round and getting customer signatures. It is often unreliable. I made a suggestion to one of the men and he said, "No point in telling my manager that - he already knows everything."
In the above Royal Mail story, I don't doubt that there might have been an element of recalcitrance from the staff BUT it is the managers job to handle that too. In the MBA that call that 'getting buy in from all'. It would appear that the 'manager' didn't do that either.
When I hear these stories - and simialr from my friends that still work as employees in commerce - I am so glad to be pottering along quietly as self-employed. I only have to argue with/blame myself.
Consequently, I started as a telephone operator - yes with large headphones and plugging cables into sockets! I then became Supervisor, deputy manager, manager and so on until I was a freelance consultant. At the end of my time in the game (2003 and in my mid-40s) I was 'Amused' to find that the 25 year olds knew more than I did.
In another thread, I posted recently that my supermarket delivery men have difficulty with the hand held electronic device for monitoring their round and getting customer signatures. It is often unreliable. I made a suggestion to one of the men and he said, "No point in telling my manager that - he already knows everything."
In the above Royal Mail story, I don't doubt that there might have been an element of recalcitrance from the staff BUT it is the managers job to handle that too. In the MBA that call that 'getting buy in from all'. It would appear that the 'manager' didn't do that either.
When I hear these stories - and simialr from my friends that still work as employees in commerce - I am so glad to be pottering along quietly as self-employed. I only have to argue with/blame myself.
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Mr Chuchinchow and other interested readers
Believe me, this is not going to die out with a whimper.
The situation currently is that Mrs A emailed BA Customer Relations on 15th September. She stated that the cheque for £495 (Easyjet fare plus the £50 "goodwill gesture" which had been unilaterally sent to her would not be accepted as final settlement nor cashed until agreement is reached.
She restated a claim for a total of £573 (our expenses) plus 400 Euros as compensation for BA's breach of contract in cancelling her ticket. The figure of 400 Euros was arrived at as being the equivalent of the EU 261 "Denied boarding" compensation.
On the 15th she also surface mailed a letter addressed to Keith Williams, enclosing a copy of the newspaper article and photograph "Ex nurse battles BA over flight problems" , restating the story of the whole fiasco and especially the unhelpful attitude of the BA representatives in Gibraltar.
She restated her case for £573 expenses plus Eu400 compensation resulting from BA's breach of contract and explaining her reason for rejecting the reduced expenses plus £250 discount voucher originally offered by BA. She told the CEO that she would if necessary pursue the claim legally and requested his assistance to sort out the problem.
A week later there has been absolutely no response to either communication
Oh except of course a new set of adverts "To Fly, To Serve"!!!! on the TV.
So today she will be sending a formal letter to BA giving them 7 days to respond to the problem. This is an essential component of the Small Claims legal process.
Believe me, this is not going to die out with a whimper.
The situation currently is that Mrs A emailed BA Customer Relations on 15th September. She stated that the cheque for £495 (Easyjet fare plus the £50 "goodwill gesture" which had been unilaterally sent to her would not be accepted as final settlement nor cashed until agreement is reached.
She restated a claim for a total of £573 (our expenses) plus 400 Euros as compensation for BA's breach of contract in cancelling her ticket. The figure of 400 Euros was arrived at as being the equivalent of the EU 261 "Denied boarding" compensation.
On the 15th she also surface mailed a letter addressed to Keith Williams, enclosing a copy of the newspaper article and photograph "Ex nurse battles BA over flight problems" , restating the story of the whole fiasco and especially the unhelpful attitude of the BA representatives in Gibraltar.
She restated her case for £573 expenses plus Eu400 compensation resulting from BA's breach of contract and explaining her reason for rejecting the reduced expenses plus £250 discount voucher originally offered by BA. She told the CEO that she would if necessary pursue the claim legally and requested his assistance to sort out the problem.
A week later there has been absolutely no response to either communication
Oh except of course a new set of adverts "To Fly, To Serve"!!!! on the TV.
So today she will be sending a formal letter to BA giving them 7 days to respond to the problem. This is an essential component of the Small Claims legal process.
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Just seen the pop up latest from BA
"To fly, to serve" Because it's not just a slogan, it's a promise"
Does this mean that the Much Beloved can sue BA for breach of promise?
a) They refused to fly her
b) The service from the BA staff in Gibraltar was non existent
"To fly, to serve" Because it's not just a slogan, it's a promise"
Does this mean that the Much Beloved can sue BA for breach of promise?
a) They refused to fly her
b) The service from the BA staff in Gibraltar was non existent
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They don't actually say they are going to fly, or serve, you (or MB). From my experiences they certainly didn't serve me.
Paxing All Over The World
Perhaps the logo/slogan/motto (that I have though damm silly the moment it was introduced) is aspirational, not promissary?
If they had admitted the problem with the carriage of a 8/MB, and paid a little more than what they would have liked, they would be home and dry with a reputation for sorting out problems. But the modern mgmt style of sticking to the rules means they will have already spent infinetly more on responding to the claim - whilst producing bad publicity. It is so obvious and simple but many corporates have lost the human touch and fail to place themselves in the position of their client. So often corporates are their own worst enemies.
If they had admitted the problem with the carriage of a 8/MB, and paid a little more than what they would have liked, they would be home and dry with a reputation for sorting out problems. But the modern mgmt style of sticking to the rules means they will have already spent infinetly more on responding to the claim - whilst producing bad publicity. It is so obvious and simple but many corporates have lost the human touch and fail to place themselves in the position of their client. So often corporates are their own worst enemies.
probably caused by teh advent of load of young MBAs with no experience in eitehr management or customer relations. Of course, usually, MBA stands for Much Bigger As***le.
Paxing All Over The World
Once again in this forum I exhort BA mgmt to look at the history of Continental and read about Gordon Bethune and his four-point Go Forward Pla. Not an elegant name - but it saved the company, saved the jobs and brought them back from the brink.
Once again, as I have said before, BA is not yet on the brink and the nature of humans is that they cannot pul back UNTIL they are on the brink.
Once again, I do not wish to see BA / IAG fail but they have a loooong way to go before they are safe. Meanwhile, there is so much that they could do. All that is needed, is some people interested in running an airline business, rather than running any business and it happens to be an airline.
The same problem is regularly visible in Hollywood with people who would get as much enjoyment from making baked beans.
Once again, as I have said before, BA is not yet on the brink and the nature of humans is that they cannot pul back UNTIL they are on the brink.
Once again, I do not wish to see BA / IAG fail but they have a loooong way to go before they are safe. Meanwhile, there is so much that they could do. All that is needed, is some people interested in running an airline business, rather than running any business and it happens to be an airline.
The same problem is regularly visible in Hollywood with people who would get as much enjoyment from making baked beans.