Chapter 23: Epilogue, Part Six: A Stroke of Luck
The problem is it turns out to be bad luck
10.10.2023 - 10.10.2023 82 °F
"Lost & Found=Lost & Not Found
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
An update that sheds some light on our BA Lost Baggage situation is this stroke of luck: my niece wrote to tell me that her husband (once in charge of security at the Baghdad International Airport) had a contact at the Bangalore airport and would reach out to that person. He did. That person put us in touch with the Lost & Found department at Kempegowda International Airport who agreed to do a search after we provided them with information about and images of the missing bag. They promptly performed their search and replied:
If only. Maybe if I had been crafty enough to think of reaching out to Lost & Found when the Air Tag still showed the green monster to be there...
And, here's a side thought. Why do they call it Lost & Found. If it's lost, by definition it isn't found. And ours isn't.
Of course, British Airways has a web site dedicated to providing updated information on lost baggage. When checking the site, one finds this:
After having been sternly admonished by a British Airways Baggage Service representative for calling too frequently, I couldn’t resist calling again. At 10:15 on Tuesday morning, October 10, eight days after the flight, I called again.
After a moderate time on hold, I was connected to a nice lady who said, “The thing is that we are not getting any update from the team. We have sent the email multiple times to the team. I would just request that you wait for a couple of more days.”
Who is ‘the team?’ I asked.
“We have a head office in London Heathrow. We send an email or a text to our London Heathrow team so they can get in touch with the airport teams. If they have no information they don’t respond to us.”
This to me seems like a highly efficient system. It is reminiscent of the 'mushroom theory' I once discussed at length during my time as a management consultant/trainer. "The mushroom theory," I told my rapt listeners, "is when you keep everyone in the dark providing them only bullshit in the hopes that they will somehow thrive--as do mushrooms in that situation." Technically it is true that the best medium for growing white button mushrooms is composted manure but I have taken artistic license here and substituted the phrase, 'bullshit.'
For the record, I went on to caution my adoring students, "please do not use this system as it not only does not work, it fosters resentment and even anger from those who are exposed to it." Now, all these years later, I have proven--if only to myself--that I was and continue to be correct. I am resentful and angry at BA.
I am only now coming to realize that the initials 'BA' stand not for 'British Airways' but, instead, for 'Bullshit Artists' because the only thing they have to offer--other than silence--is BS.
The aforementioned niece has encouraged me to go on 'X' the service formerly known as Twitter and complain there. She wrote: "Fastest way to resolve any issue with an airline is to post it on Twitter. Works like a charm whenever they screw me up or lose a bag. They don't care about individuals but they start jumping when a million people can read about it." Apparently, she realizes that our readership--in the neighborhood of a couple of hundred--is inadequate compared to the slightly larger number of 'a million.' The wise niece continued, "The customer service reps dealing with complaints on social media start fixing things. Phone agents know you won't get them next time you call. They don't care."
My niece is worldly and often quite wise. I asked her if this was a good message to send via X (formerly Twitter): Checked two identical bags, BCN-IAH on 2 Oct. (BA473-BA197) Flying Business Class so each had “Priority” tag. Both contained Air Tags. One bag successfully made it to IAH, one didn’t. (Air Tags showed both did make arrive LHR) Immediately filed lost baggage report at IAH. Air Tag later showed missing bag made it to Bangalore, India. Then the Air Tag battery died. It has been eight days. Calling BA in USA on 10 Oct, I am told: “The thing is that we are not getting any update from the team. We have sent the email multiple times to the team. I would just request that you wait for a couple of more days.” When I ask for more detail, I am told “We have a head office in London Heathrow. We send an email or a text to our London Heathrow team so they can get in touch with the airport teams. If they have no information they don’t respond to us.” This is unacceptable to me. Am I wrong?
When she edits and improves that, I'll try to figure out how to post it.
It appears as if the BABS policy is that if the luggage isn't found within 21 days, it is officially considered to be lost. This is only Day Eight. I guess the wait goes on--for another two weeks. Just our luck.
