http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23380359-details/BA%20profits%20from%...

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As thousands of passengers continue to be affected by the great lost luggage crisis, British Airways makes money from their misery.

It is forcing them to use a premium-rate helpline to seek their missing bags, and pocketing the profits.

[...]

Many passengers have not seen their possessions since mid-December following the chaos sparked by heavy fog and faulty baggage equipment.

They are urged to use the Internet to track lost bags, but many claim the official website is useless - and are phoning an 0845 number given by the airline for those seeking information.

BA gets up to half of the 3p-a-minute cost of calls to the number, and some desperate callers say they have been on the phone for up to ten fruitless hours, trying and failing to recover bags which in many cases are filled with long-overdue Christmas presents.

The International Airline Passengers' Association, which has some 400,000 members worldwide, accused BA of cashing in.

Spokesman Jonathan French said: 'BA seems to be making the most of this baggage situation rather than simply helping its customers. It could just as easily set up an 0800 freephone number for this kind of eventuality.

'Free calls wouldn't remove the pain of losing your possessions, but would at least take away the cost of trying to find out where they are.'

BA admitted it did make money from calls to its baggage number, but insisted the charges were necessary to offset the cost of running a call centre in Newcastle. [...]
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Having just recovered my bags from a 19Dec flight (one completely smashed up) I sympathise but I offer a solution for those still waiting.

I used 18185 (1/2p min) to call the BA USA number +1 800-828-8144. Depending on the time of day it either directs you back to UK or it's dealt with in the USA. Not any faster but at least it costs next to nothing and pushes BA's phone bill up!

I saw this on the front of the Daily Mail today. I was amazed to find that bags are not being kept securely and that tags with names, addresses (why do people put addresses on luggage tags as this is an open invitation to burglars?  ) and phone numbers were clearly visible to passers by. There is also a suggestion that it may be cheaper to pay out for lost luggage than to sort and return it to rightful owners!

Is there a geographical alternative for international callers? Or is this a rip-off +44 870 number?

idb wrote on Jan 5^th, 2007 at 2:31am:


Its NOT LOCAL RATE - AGGHHHH!!!!

When will these dumb ass journalists ever learn or when will OfcoN stop 08 and 087 being called Local Rate and National rate numbers by the unscrupulous and the incompetent.

BA does appear to have learned one lesson, and that it is that it has issued a 0800 number following the farce that is Terminal 5.

However, the general contact numbers have changed from 0870 to 0844 charged at 5 p/min at all times from a BT landline.

Dave wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2008 at 7:22am:
I noticed that they dont even bother informing anyone that the cost is 5p/min from BT landlines, other networks may vary.

Ian01 wrote on Jun 2^nd, 2017 at 10:21am:


Interesting "offer" from BA with an 034 contact number to dial (great BA) but with incorrect call information - BA First Upgrade

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One day they will get it right .....

We have seen throughout this current BA crisis that swift and poor steps have been taken to address the issues. Erroneous promotion of the 084 version of the contact number is perhaps one of the less significant examples of how BA has caused damage by the way in which it has reacted.

I am delighted that a long-overdue decision to abandon (at least one of) its 084 numbers has come from this.

We must not miss the point that the telcos profit far more from the use of 084 numbers than do the users. In the case of calls from mobiles, the Treasury actually gains more in VAT! See - The ‘insanity’ of using 084 or 087 numbers - even when it is permitted.

Once some much more serious issues have been dealt with, the time will be right to address the failure to remove a, now unnecessary (indeed incorrect), call cost statement and also to address the other 084 numbers.