I have a story to tell. It is a story of epic customer service failure on EVERY level by British Airways; a story that features lost bags, multiple flight cancellations, hours seated in middle seats on flights that went no-where, lines thousands deep and levels of chaos that make boarding the last train out of Mumbai on Divali look tame. That doesn’t even mention the IT department failures, 100 minute phone calls that solved no problems, phone lines that disconnected before even answering, and literally being stranded in the wrong country…all in the space of 48 hours!
But ultimately what could have been a story of a weekend gone entirely wrong is instead a story of High Tea on Wedgewood China with homemade carrot cake, shopping for new luggage and clothes at Oxford Circus, enjoying mulled wine and scoring a vintage airline silk scarf for 1 pound at Spitafields market, Molton Brown toiletries, Portman Square views, and getting what I really really wanted with Viva Forever, the musical inspired by, wait for it, the Spice Girls.
I’ll be sharing over a series of posts what happened, what I did wrong (which was a LOT), what I did right (a few things), and what can be learned. I’ll also be sharing how I am treated by British Airways in the process of securing my refund, my compensation for expenses, and my bag…which I have just heard is now is Paris. Hope it is having a good time, since I never made it there myself!
The one thing I will share up front that saved my weekend was my unwillingness to let whatever travesty BA threw at me (and there were MANY) ruin my trip. Trust me, they tried hard, but a true traveler’s attitude is impossible to conquer.
What one thing have you learned from something going wrong? Please share!
Original publish date Jan 13, 2013.
