My letter to Delta about my bag
 

I would like to enlighten you and few problems and concerns I have pertaining to your company and their customer service. I have had quite a few troubles over two days starting the night I arrived in Jacksonville, Florida and into the next day. When I arrived in Jacksonville my bag did not arrive along with me. This was very troublesome to me because there were things I needed to use immediately. Starting with my medical equipment that I needed right away to help with my sickness. The things I use are bigger and harder to carry onto an airplane. It would take too much of my time to go through extra security just so I can use that equipment. Since I could not use my equipment or take my medicines my night was ruined and the next day. The next day was also very important to me and the rest of my family because it was my sister’s wedding shower. I am the maid of honor and had special things that I needed to wear to her shower. I had to get up early in the morning and make a trip to the mall to replace my dress and other things. To say the least my sisters shower was a disaster. Luckily my bag arrived shortly after her shower was over. My next problem is when my bag finally arrived it was trashed. There were black scuff marks all over it, there we scratches, some burn marks, and the lock was broken. I will say that I understand about scuff marks and those do happen so that is not my biggest problem. I don’t understand how scratches can happen and especially burn marks. When I went to the Daytona Beach airport to put in a claim about my bag the woman that helped us in the baggage department was flat out rude. She was childish, to say the least, I was complaining and said that you lost my bag and she said back to me something like no I didn’t lose your bag. I was acting like an adult and assuming that when your company hires employees that they are there to represent your company. She also informed me and three other witnesses that bags from your airplanes often come out on fire. Now many people I have talked to about my experiences are shocked that their luggage often comes out on fire. I also have a problem with the lock on my bag being broken. I can not really travel with this bag anymore since it will be popping open. I will mention that this expensive piece of luggage did hove more meaning to me. I would really just like to hear what your company has to say about my experience and really examine your customer service. Thank you.

Poor Princess... my sympathies on your trauma

why, why, why would you check important medication. even if it was a bit larger but it would still fit into the overhead bin, you should have carried it on. end of that fight. my bag is scratched up too, but IT HAPPENS, when you travel and check a bag you cant expect it to come out looking brand new all the time. it gets thrown, dragged etc. all behind the scenes. as far as your lock, tsa probably had to open it and it was locked. they have special locks at any store you can buy that tsa can open it without breaking the lock. the shower was a disaster because you didn't have what you wanted to wear??? i really doubt that!! come on!

Now I know why my bag was late getting to me last week. They had to put out the fire!

My sympathies to the poor, poor little Princess.

LOL, I do find it funny if the agent really said that.

Per the lock being broken ... that was more than likely broken by TSA. If the bag is locked, and they have to check it, they will break the lock. Glad you understand that scuff marks, etc., will happen. They do happen, and that is the purpose of luggage, to protects it's contents, and take the wear and tear, so the contents do not.

Per burn marks. I had a ladies bag fall against the muffler of a belt loader, once, as burn the bag. The airline bought her a new bag, exactly like the one that was burned. If the bag was truly burned, they should replace it.

The airlines will usually never replace, compensate, or have repaired, damaged such as scrapes, scratches, tears that are along a seam, broken wheels, handles, stands, zippers, or any other items that protrude from the bag, or are along an area (such as a seam) that is a "weak" point. Usually a bag will only be covered if the frame of the bag is damaged, or overall the bag has been completely destroyed. Burn marks, I would think, consititute some form of compensation, or replacement. It does, at least, at my airline.

Per the agent, and her saying she is not to blame for your bag. That is 100% correct, she is not to blame, and it solves nothing, to make that statement to her/him. It comes across as a personal attack, especially if it is said in a not so nice tone. Agents may "represent" the airline, but they don't "represent" every other employees job, nor do they make the policies of the airlines. They are hired to help customers, not to stand there and take the blame, and have customers berate them. In fact, per the airline I work for, if a customer becomes rude, makes personal attacks, uses bad language, etc., I can refuse to assist them further. It isn't my job to have a passenger go off, to me, about the problem. It is my job to try to help resolve the problem. Making things personal, whether intentional, or not, WILL NEVER fix the situation. Best thing to do, is explain what has happened to the agent, and ask them what can be done. If something can be done, let them do it. If not, don't take it out on them, that nothing can be done. It isn't their fault, and they don't make the policies, and rules. They are doing what they are hired to do. If you don't accept that the airline will not do anything, politely ask the agent, who, higher up, you can contact, to pursue it futher. The agent doesn't have the authority to override policy. Some people, higher up, do. Thank the agent for their attempt, at least to help, and for, hopefully, providing you information to pursue it further, and leave it at that. Arguing will not solve the problem. In fact, it hurts your chances of resolving it, further up the chain, because more than likely that agent will document your reservation, with your behavior, and everybody, thereafter, will see it. It will not help your cause.

If I cannot help a customer, due to some policy, or rule, that I cannot go above, I will refer them to who they can talk to, further up. Some agents will automatically do that, some you just need to ask. There is never a reason to be rude to someone, who honestly, isn't to blame, nor will it fix the problem, EVEN, if they were to blame.

All that not to say that you were rude, just trying to make a point.

A few pointers on writing a professional and concise letter of complaint:

I would like to enlighten you? Wow, how condescending. If I were reading this letter regardless of the reason for the complaint I would have been immediately put off by this opening statement. Why not simply state "I wish to inform you of a recent issue regarding my baggage and my poor experience with a customer service agent."

As has already been pointed out if there are medicines/equipment which are vital to your health and well being you shouldn't pack them in a checked bag. If you have items which are large but medically necessary the airline will allow you to carry them on regardless of their size and weight as long as it is not equipment, such as oxygen, which is prohibited on an aircraft. The fact that you chose to check them was your mistake and should have been left out of this letter.

Although this may seem important for you to mention it is rather superfluous. People travel for showers, weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, funerals, etc. all the time. It's a shame that your bag was delayed and you couldn't wear the dress you wanted, not needed, to wear but wasn't your presence at the event the important thing? Let's keep things in perspective here.

How was that the airline's fault?

At the airport your bags are transported on high speed conveyor belts and sorted by heavy machinery before being loaded on the plane. It is unreasonable to expect that a bag used to travel by air will remain in like-new condition forever. I have a bag which I use exclusively for carryon and it has become scuffed and scraped and marked by grease from the overhead bins. Not much you can do about it. Regarding the "burn" marks is it possible the bag was caught up in a belt and the friction caused a mark which looked like a burn? I doubt it was actually on fire in the baggage hold of the plane!

Using adjectives such as "rude" and "childish" to describe an employee's actions or demeanor is your perception. Although it is valid it is also better to simply state the facts and that you felt the employee's actions or statements were "unprofessional." It is a much better term to use for service which wasn't up to your expectations and the company is more likely to act on "unprofessional" behavior which has accepted standards rather than "childish" behavior which is subjective.

As I said before I highly doubt your bag was actually on fire. I thnk this might have been an attempt at humor on the part of the agent. Perhaps she was just trying to diffuse a tense moment?

The bag shouldn't have been locked unless it was a TSA approved lock as mentioned above. Expensive luggage doesn't always mean it's durable. I've seen some really expensive looking luggage (Louis Vuitton comes to mind) that look like they've been trampled by a heard of elephants when they arrived at baggage claim. When buying lugage the most important thing to consider is the denier rating. The higher the number the more durable the bag. It also pays to shop at a luggage store rather than a department or discount store as the sales people are generally more knowledgeable.

As for a piece of luggage having significant meaning to you it's just a thing. Clothing are just things. The reason for your travel was so YOU could attend your sister's wedding shower. I'm sure she could have cared less if you showed up in a burlap sack!