BA IT failure – they won’t pay alternative flight costs!

[Lady London]

(1) as SamG mentioned of course an attempt to reach BA, or a BA person at Innsbruck (no point going to SZG as no flight out of there for 6 days) would have been made but BA was not contactable. Time was of the essence as very few alternative flights. This was peak school hols /ski season. We also had multiple reports of people not even getting connected to a ring tone connected to a phone queue. That weekend was particularly dire.

Buchanan101 had no chance of getting through whilst making his way to Innsbruck in transit crossing multiple cell areas – even if he had been able to even get a ringtone or even if BA’s phone system would have accepted him into a queue which connection would have had to be sustained. High likelihood of BA phone system hanging up on him every hour or so but he would never have got that far.

(2) Buchanan101 a reminder on no account ask for or accept any refund for your original tix. The moment you do BA is off the hook for the greater rerouting cost you paid. Add 8% pa statutory interest to all monies on your claim if they don’t pay or have given a final refusal or refused to deal with it any more.

PS taxi cost not unreasonable. Would prob have cost more to get train+connecting taxis from Innsnruck station to Innsbruck airport. That’s if you couldveven be sure there was a taxi available when you got there. Often there are very long waits at mountain stations for taxis and sometimes there can be none. So they owe you diff between your paid SZG taxi,vand the taxi to alternative flight.

[buchanan101]

SamG wrote:

buchanan101 wrote:

What I find obscene is that they haven’t even refunded the cancelled flight* (which they should if refusing to cover the new one) – they aren’t even looking at the cases, just saying “no”.

*ok, it was Avios and a bit of cash, so not expensive, but…

Just to be clear again – DO NOT mention refund anywhere to BA. One remedy allowed is to refund you and then the matter is closed and you’d be very out of pocket

This is not the case. EU261 says that even if unilaterally they refund the original cost you are still entitled to the difference

[buchanan101]

@Lady London

I have call proof on my phone for both the Austria contact number and UK number – that’s an 0844 so I hung up quickly (no geographical number provided) at 04:08 UK time (I wake early…!)

I got the last tickets out of Innsbruck – time was certainly of the essence. (I checked again minutes later – sold out)

If they unilaterally refund the original ticket, I am still entitled to the difference (according to EU261)

I should be entitled to the full taxi cost as the original was cancelled too late to get a refund (on a transfer day in Austria, you book a taxi in advance for an early flight)

What is the basis for the 8%? I may add that in the letter to Legal as I am so pissed off (and £1620 out of pocket). Will be interested what Which Legal say on Monday.

(They have agreed the €250pp compensation, and have agreed in full a claim for ski hire for delayed skis and damage to the ski bag in it being routed London>Vienna>Frankfurt>Salzburg)

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[Lady London]

buchanan101 wrote:

SamG wrote:

buchanan101 wrote:

What I find obscene is that they haven’t even refunded the cancelled flight* (which they should if refusing to cover the new one) – they aren’t even looking at the cases, just saying “no”.

*ok, it was Avios and a bit of cash, so not expensive, but…

Just to be clear again – DO NOT mention refund anywhere to BA. One remedy allowed is to refund you and then the matter is closed and you’d be very out of pocket

This is not the case. EU261 says that even if unilaterally they refund the original cost you are still entitled to the difference

Buchanan101 do not ask for a refund. If one arrives remind them of the options legally available to you you chose rerouting, not refund, and you are require all monies due to you to be paid (repeat value of claim incl the 8% pa statutory interest on all amounts claimed till paid).

This is because BA are ruthless. They will take any opportunity to muddy the waters by claiming you accepted xyz as settlement or default. They even told someone the other day that by looking at the reroute options in MMB online (without accepting any) they had by default accepted BA’s proposed rerouting. Instead of the later date rerouting option the passenger was requesting and had a right to. Later reroute was sure to cost BA more in actual cash – as BA stopped flying the route. So another airline needed to be paid if passenger took this option).

[buchanan101]

@meta – I have call logs for 4am UK time for both Austria and Uk numbers (Austria wasn’t open until 9am local). Waiting until 8am would’ve been no flights left – I got the last two from Innsbruck, none available from Salzburg. There may have been a few more from Munich, but this was a half term weekend day…

Oh – and the message to anyone affected was “don’t go to the airport”…

[The real Swiss Tony]

Te 8% is just a figure agreed in law for overdue payments. I believe it’s actually 8% over base rate, too, which is likely to become more important going forward.

Mind, EUR300 does seem punchy for a cab from Zell to INN. The train is as fast and would have been a fraction of the price at EUR30 in standard, EUR60 in first and there are even direct trains between the two places. But agree that’s BA’s problem, not yours.

[buchanan101]

@Lady London

I have mentioned that they didn’t even refund (in my letter to Doyle and Stevens) as the “icing on the cake” in the debacle… I haven’t asked for it, and I know the rights about re-routing now from EU261.

They will be trying this on wherever they can – that was a very expensive 10 days for them

[Lady London]

buchanan101 wrote:

@meta – I have call logs for 4am UK time for both Austria and Uk numbers (Austria wasn’t open until 9am local). Waiting until 8am would’ve been no flights left – I got the last two from Innsbruck, none available from Salzburg. There may have been a few more from Munich, but this was a half term weekend day…

Oh – and the message to anyone affected was “don’t go to the airport”…

Excellent, Buchanan101. Truly excellent.

[Lady London]

buchanan101 wrote:

@Lady London

I have mentioned that they didn’t even refund (in my letter to Doyle and Stevens) as the “icing on the cake” in the debacle… I haven’t asked for it, and I know the rights about re-routing now from EU261.

They will be trying this on wherever they can – that was a very expensive 10 days for them

Sorry, you should *not* have mentioned “they didn’t even refund”. See above.

[buchanan101]

The real Swiss Tony wrote:

Te 8% is just a figure agreed in law for overdue payments. I believe it’s actually 8% over base rate, too, which is likely to become more important going forward.

Mind, EUR300 does seem punchy for a cab from Zell to INN. The train is as fast and would have been a fraction of the price at EUR30 in standard, EUR60 in first and there are even direct trains between the two places. But agree that’s BA’s problem, not yours.

Not quite so bothered about the taxi cost: I want some of it, but they’ve paid €500 for the delay. Need to add taxis both ends. (I checked online as well and taxi prices were of the same order – I booked through the hotel). The near €1600 for the two tickets is what I want paid

[NorthernLass]

I’d be arguing that taking a taxi is entirely reasonable if you had a lot of luggage, skis etc. Though a couple of years ago I took the airport train from Vienna and it was amazing – heated, spacious luggage racks, wifi and USB ports! The last time I got the train to MAN I ended up standing the whole way with my wheelie case wedged between my feet, by comparison.

[buchanan101]

@NorthernLass Yup – a double ski bag, a boot bag, two suitcases and two backpacks…

Taxi costs the least of my worries – just good to get to Innsbruck comfortably in time and be first to check in (we got row 1 – but of course they were filling the middle seats, so it was basically economy with a pretty rubbish meal – worst I’ve had in Club – and a free drink)

[meta]

@buchanan101 It wasn’t clear from your original post. Then just do letter before action to Waterside address. Stop dealing with CS. Then I am afraid it’s to MCOL if they don’t agree. And under no circumstance accept a refund. BA does have a habit of unilaterally refunding people that’s why you need to act fast and issue a LBA in which you specifically refuse a refund.

[buchanan101]

@meta it’s ok. EU261 says if they unilaterally refund I’d still be entitled to the difference. Letter to legal is ready to send – just waiting until after chat with Which Legal on Monday to see if there’s anything to add/tweak.

[buchanan101]

Lady London wrote:

buchanan101 wrote:

@meta – I have call logs for 4am UK time for both Austria and Uk numbers (Austria wasn’t open until 9am local). Waiting until 8am would’ve been no flights left – I got the last two from Innsbruck, none available from Salzburg. There may have been a few more from Munich, but this was a half term weekend day…

Oh – and the message to anyone affected was “don’t go to the airport”…

Excellent, Buchanan101. Truly excellent.

Lady London wrote:

buchanan101 wrote:

@Lady London

I have mentioned that they didn’t even refund (in my letter to Doyle and Stevens) as the “icing on the cake” in the debacle… I haven’t asked for it, and I know the rights about re-routing now from EU261.

They will be trying this on wherever they can – that was a very expensive 10 days for them

Sorry, you should *not* have mentioned “they didn’t even refund”. See above.

It’s part of the complaint about how sh1t they’ve been, and if they refund unilaterally – I haven’t asked for it – I am still legally entitled to the difference in cost; it’s all laid out in EU261. Not too worried about that

[buchanan101]

Lady London wrote:

buchanan101 wrote:

@meta – I have call logs for 4am UK time for both Austria and Uk numbers (Austria wasn’t open until 9am local). Waiting until 8am would’ve been no flights left – I got the last two from Innsbruck, none available from Salzburg. There may have been a few more from Munich, but this was a half term weekend day…

Oh – and the message to anyone affected was “don’t go to the airport”…

Excellent, Buchanan101. Truly excellent.

I did hang up on the call to BA U.K. on the number shown. It’s an 0844 number so can be quite costly. Great service from BA; cancel your flight and then charge you an unknown amount to try to change it. So effing cynical.

[PGW]

I’m not remotely qualified to help the OP with this but fortunately there are many people contributing who look to me like they know what they’re talking about. I have to say that the regularity with which this sort of thing crops up increasingly leads me to wonder why people are so happy to give BA their business. I must say I become more and more reluctant to trust them with my money every time I read threads of this sort.

[Londonsteve]

+1
I don’t have confidence that my flight would take off as planned without being rescheduled, that a last minute meltdown will not end up ruining my holiday or missing Christmas with family, that I would receive on board what I am expecting to receive and that my luggage will also make it on the same flight. The combination of BA and Heathrow is toxic and together they have zero operational resilience. I always book a non-BA flight prior to Christmas and in the unlikely event they are unable to get me back in time, I can still use Avios to buy a last minute flight on BA if they’re working ok. If neither option works, it’s time to set up the Christmas tree abroad and stop worrying.

[buchanan101]

@PGW first time I’ve had a problem in 8+ years of 3 return flights a year. Strangely enough they had no problem with compensation for late ski delivery and damage to ski bag on the flight out. Paying in full.

Be interesting to see what Which Legal say tomorrow. Letter all ready to send to BA Legal after I’ve talked to Which.

[Lady London]

@Buchanan101 this is to replace a reply the system this forum runs on AGAIN lost.**

Regarding the cost of your phone calls to try to reach BA following them cancelling your flight, BA must pay 2 phone calls or internet under duty of care part of EU261 / its UK equivalent. Claim those costs in your claim as well and BA must pay.

[Lady London]

buchanan101 wrote:

Lady London wrote:

buchanan101 wrote:

@meta – I have call logs for 4am UK time for both Austria and Uk numbers (Austria wasn’t open until 9am local). Waiting until 8am would’ve been no flights left – I got the last two from Innsbruck, none available from Salzburg. There may have been a few more from Munich, but this was a half term weekend day…

Oh – and the message to anyone affected was “don’t go to the airport”…

Excellent, Buchanan101. Truly excellent.

I did hang up on the call to BA U.K. on the number shown. It’s an 0844 number so can be quite costly. Great service from BA; cancel your flight and then charge you an unknown amount to try to change it. So effing cynical.

@Buchanan101 BA owes you for the cost of 2 phone calls due to their cancellation. Absolutely add this to your claim. It’s specifically listed as a duty of care item in EU261 and its UK equivalent they must pay you.

[buchanan101]

OK, have talked to Which Legal and what folk have advised here is what they advise. They can only think that BA will say I didn’t contact them first, but advised that I include terms such as I “acted to mitigate costs to BA” (flights v staying in a hotel for up to a week) and that I “acted in the hest interests of both parties”.

Also said mark “LETTER BEFORE ACTION” and to send both Special Delivery and by normal mail.

And 14 days is the minimum they should be given. Will give them 21 as suggested here. (Realistically it’d be 28 as I will be away skiing again!!)

The BA legal – that’s at this address??

Waterside
PO BOx 365
Harmondsworth
West Drayton
UB7 0GB

[buchanan101]

Letter sent.

Staysure today said they don’t cover costs of alternative flights for cancellations – it’s down to the airline to cover costs if they don’t provide a flight.

[buchanan101]

Now this is interesting.

Emailed Sean Doyle on Friday

Received this today:

We’d really like to talk to you about the concerns you raised in your email. We’ve created a case for you under reference number xxxxxx. Our Global Engagement Executive team, a dedicated team who work with our CEO personally, will review your comments and will call or email you.

[meta]

If you do get to talk to them, please tell them to train their agents on EU261/UK261 regulation.