Lost luggage and the worst customer service in aviation
 

This is what you get from BA when flying business/first class.
- Priority luggage - BA makes sure that your luggage is lost first! (get it first class:)
- Priority Customer Service - BA makes sure you are the first to receive their BS and lies
Here's the deal. On Sept 21st flying from Australia to London connecting to Rome on BA, they lost my luggage. At this point it's an inconvenience. BA tells me at 11am on the 22nd that the luggage is in LHR and will be in Rome by 7pm that evening. No luggage arrives.
Next day BA promises that the luggage will arrive at 7pm - not good as I am on business and all my business clothes etc are in the case. Have to cancel meetings to buy some clothes for the afternoons business. No case arrives that evening.
Same scenario the next day but BA says the case has now been lost in Rome airport but will be with me at 7pm. No show again.
Morning of the 25th I receive a call with a gentleman congratulating me on the fact that my case has been found and it will be delivered at 1pm. Good because I am checking out and leaving the hotel at 4pm. I suggest me picking it up at the airport. Told this isn't possible.
By 4pm no case has arrived and I have called BA baggage service a number of times between 1-4pm. Each time being told the luggage is on the way.
I arrive at the airport 5.30pm (minus the case), check-in and go to baggage service in person. I am told that the computer says that I have the luggage. Erhmm no I don't. No the computer says I received it at 1pm. Errr no I didn't etc etc.
I ask BA to get it sent to the airport now then. BA tells me to go back to the hotel (2hr round trip) and collect it myself! A number of expletives followed:mad:
I asked the BA rep to guarantee that the case is at the hotel. BA wouldn't and they weren't even prepared to call the hotel and check. So travel across Rome to the hotel where there is no guarantee that my luggage is there, and also miss my flight - you must be joking.
Told BA that I am in London for 3 days and they should send it to my hotel. BA tells me that it is not possible to send my case within 3 days as this is the minimum time. So why were they telling me from the time I arrived that the case would be there that first, second, third evening. The lying deceitful pricks!
So gave BA my address in Australia to send it to. And to date I have had 1 email from BA offering £50 compensation for the disruption and hassle they caused me. I paid £5,000 for the ticket - hmm 1% seems very reasonable. Not mention of the out-of-pocket expenses for having to buy a new business wardrobe and the the fact I will have to travel again for the missed meetings. Somehow I won't be on BA (ever again).
So to sum it all up - fly BA and lose your luggage. Don't expect follow up or compensation. Don't expect to talk to someone - it's all online forms that go into a pixel ether.
Do expect to be lied to, deceived, given the run around and be valued as much as a limp lettuce leaf.
Travel BA first or business at your peril.
Travel BA economy (don't even go there).
BTW: I still haven't received my luggage over 1 month later and I have had no correspondence from BA.
BA are you listening?

Am I looking at the same nightmare?
 

I find it amazing that airlines feel that baggage handling is not of their responsibility! Lufthansa outsources its baggage handling in Germany to a third party, forgetting that poor performance by the third party would reflect poorly on them. I feel that BA has gone out of its way not to face its responsibility! YOU CAN'T EVEN SPEAK TO A REPRESENTATIVE IN THE US. It is an automated message, telling you that your luggage was shipped to your destination (not your home)... No winter clothes with 10F, -9C outside!

it gets worse (or funnier)
 

No looking good for you. I just flew LH long hual and they were shocking - frugal, thrifty and unhelpful when I missed my connection.
The BA problem got resolved but it took 2 months to get compensation that they capped at the industry limited liability of around 1,300 euro's as per the Warsaw Convention. Which wasn't good as my luggage had over 3k value in it and I had spent 1.2k in replacement items .
Now the funny part - BA said that the luggage was written off as permanently lost. This after 6 weeks. Then another 2 weeks for them to agree to the compensation - the max 1,300 euro's. Same date as the transfer arrives in my bank, I get a call from the local airport to come and pick up my luggage - it had un-lost itself without BA's help or knowledge!
The Caveat - I had to travel 70 miles to collect my luggage - err no chance. So Cathy Pacific footed the billed to taxi it to my house.
Yippeee my luggage is back and I have nearly broken even on the receipts. Then I open the case. Yep it was half empty - even my medications had been stolen. So I cut my losses here and as I state NEVER AGAIN BA!