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Virgin Atlantic Airways Complaint - Do not agree to help the airline - Overbooking
Overbooking - Complaint
WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- On June 24th, I boarded my Virgin Atlantic flight to London (flight VS22 from IAD to LHR). They had been looking for passengers to give up their seats on an overbooked flight. After everyone had boarded, they were still calling for two volunteers. I agreed because my work meeting didn't start for 18 hours after I arrived and they were offering two free tickets anywhere Virgin Atlantic flies. I got OFF the plane, was asked to sit in the boarding area for another 15 minutes while they got my bags off and did the paperwork. Then it turned out they didn't need both of us and without consultation, I was just told to get back on the flight. I was assured that my bags were being checked back on and would be on my flight.
I arrived in London with no signs of my bag and spent three horrible days sloshing in cold, rainy London without appropriate clothing for the work meeting or the starkly different weather. (It had been sunny and warm when I left the states.)
I filed a baggage claim for delayed baggage for the trip and months later still haven't received the baggage office's promised reimbursement of GBP 100 (in U.S. Dollars equivalent) nor any correspondence explaining its delay. I had to spend nearly GBP300 to purchase clothes and shoes I could wear to my two day work meeting. Part of the reason it was so high is I would gradually get basic items of clothing to look presentable -- underwear, socks and shoes one day, a jacket the next day, then work clothes the last day. My bag arrived the evening before I returned to the States.
In addition, I emailed a complaint with Virgin Atlantic about the situation that led to my bags being taken off the plane before take-off and not restored, and haven't heard anything from the company on this matter except for receipts for my email. I was literally thrown back on like baggage without acknowledgement for my effort to help the airline deal with an oversold flight. I can't believe airlines are allowed to treat people this way. And to think I thought I was trying to help.
I arrived in London with no signs of my bag and spent three horrible days sloshing in cold, rainy London without appropriate clothing for the work meeting or the starkly different weather. (It had been sunny and warm when I left the states.)
I filed a baggage claim for delayed baggage for the trip and months later still haven't received the baggage office's promised reimbursement of GBP 100 (in U.S. Dollars equivalent) nor any correspondence explaining its delay. I had to spend nearly GBP300 to purchase clothes and shoes I could wear to my two day work meeting. Part of the reason it was so high is I would gradually get basic items of clothing to look presentable -- underwear, socks and shoes one day, a jacket the next day, then work clothes the last day. My bag arrived the evening before I returned to the States.
In addition, I emailed a complaint with Virgin Atlantic about the situation that led to my bags being taken off the plane before take-off and not restored, and haven't heard anything from the company on this matter except for receipts for my email. I was literally thrown back on like baggage without acknowledgement for my effort to help the airline deal with an oversold flight. I can't believe airlines are allowed to treat people this way. And to think I thought I was trying to help.
Comments:
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2006-11-04:
It's unfortunate that this happened to you. However, I don't think it is their usual practice. Compared to the other airlines, I think Virgin has the least complaints (I could be wrong, nothing official)...Everyone who travels knows they can not depend on the weather being the same at the place of arrival as it is at the place of departure...Especially if you're traveling overseas. Lost or misdirected luggage is a common problem in the airline industry...and a traveler has to prepare themself before they leave with a "What If..." attitude...slushing around in cold rain for three days? Why didn't you get yourself what you needed, if it was that bad, I would have went right out and bought the shoes or boots and rain gear...It's LONDON...it Rains!
Posted by Tatyana on 2006-11-04:
Virgin Atlantic baggage services said my bag would be on the next flight that was supposed to arrive later that day so I didn't want to spend unnecessary money on boots. Boots are not cheap. My clothes for London were in my bag that was taken off the plane and didn't arrive, duh! My bag was not on that flight or the next flight or the next flight... and wasn't delivered until days later. Why are you turning on me? What a weird misdirected comment. I've given Virgin Atlantic four months (two emails) to remedy the situation and there has been no follow-up.
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2006-11-04:
I understand what you're saying...however, after the luggage didn't come on all those flights, something should have told you "I better be prepared in case they don't show up at all"...I understand your main complaint is that you were willing to do them a favor by giving up your seat and they didn't have your bags on the flight they should have been...unfortunatly it isn't unusaly for things like this to happen on airlines, people who travel need to prepare themself for things like this...that's all I'm saying...Thankfully you did get your luggage back before your return home, if not that could have set you back for additional days before they caught up with you. But to complain about the weather and the fact that when you left the airport Without your luggage, that is when you should have gotten the necessary things to get you through until you did get your stuff back...yeah, it cost money, but it was obviously your choice to spend the money or get wet.
Posted by Tatyana on 2006-11-05:
respectfully, you missed my points: my complaint isn't about being wet in London. let me spell it out for you: 1/ I agreed to give up my seat, Virgin didn't stick to their end of the bargain or even make sure my bags that they took off got back on the flight (the airline has record of taking my bags off the flight when they called down and said they had a volunteer willing to give up their seat. So, I was inconvenienced after trying to help them. 2/ they haven't sent me my baggage claim reimbursement and it's been four months. I'd write a review about London if I was complaining about being wet.
Posted by Tatyana on 2006-11-05:
... also I was there for a meeting that was every day, from 8-6. Since they kept saying my luggage would be on the next flight, I didn't see the point in dropping $600 for work clothes and boots for a 2 day meeting. June 25 -- the day I arrived was a Sunday. If you've been to London, you know the stores close very early, if they're open at all on Sunday. Your comments are totally unhelpful.
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2006-11-06:
Respectfully, you missed my point...They are still an Airline...it is normal for this to happen with Airlines...frustrating to the travelers, but it happens...if you have a fool proof solution to lost luggage, please share it with them.
Posted by WB on 2007-09-17:
Virgin Atlantic totally sucks - we had such high expectations and heard a lot about them - but our first trip with them is the last. They lost my daughter's suitcase from New York to New Delhi and did not respond to our claims for 4 months. We were told to file a claim at the destination and because we did not have the receipts for everything (you carry receipts for all the baggage when traveling?) - they deducted 50% from the payout - which was half of what is on the Ticket as per the Geneva conventions to start with - basically couple of hundred dollars for a $1000 claim. They were so arrogant and unhelpful - we called EVERY day for 1 month and then gave up - they did not even give us anything in Delhi to go out and buy emergency clothes. My wife is a radio jockey with an listener base of 500,000++ in New York/New Jersey area and we are now constantly advising people to dump this airline - even if we succeed in turning 5-10 people away, it will be a solace.
Posted by dj tenn on 2008-05-21:
Yes, NEVER EVER under ANY circumstance offer to help not only Virgin but any of these foul Sky Pirates. I went thru the same nonsense on Jet Blue on a flight from Ft. Laud to JFK NY.
I offered to give up my seat having a few days left before returning to work & was told I would be compensated with a free tix on their airline. Well they turned out not to need my seat, then when I reboarded the plane , they proceeded to lose my luggage, which resulted in a 2 day nitemare of going back and forth to JFK to finally have to pick up the luggage @ my own expense. Have yet to reimbursed for "Helping" them out.
Virgin has ROTTEN customer service ESPECIALLY since their Billionaire CEO Sir Richard Branson moved his customer service and reservations to a New Delhi where people are paid 2.00 per hour, cannot speak English properly and on top of it have you on a line with a bad connection ..
I tell you , the entire corporate world is about shafting the consumer any way possible while their profit margins continue to soar & customer service continues to decline.
AWFUL.
I offered to give up my seat having a few days left before returning to work & was told I would be compensated with a free tix on their airline. Well they turned out not to need my seat, then when I reboarded the plane , they proceeded to lose my luggage, which resulted in a 2 day nitemare of going back and forth to JFK to finally have to pick up the luggage @ my own expense. Have yet to reimbursed for "Helping" them out.
Virgin has ROTTEN customer service ESPECIALLY since their Billionaire CEO Sir Richard Branson moved his customer service and reservations to a New Delhi where people are paid 2.00 per hour, cannot speak English properly and on top of it have you on a line with a bad connection ..
I tell you , the entire corporate world is about shafting the consumer any way possible while their profit margins continue to soar & customer service continues to decline.
AWFUL.
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