My husband and I missed a connecting British Airways flight from Aberdeen to Shetland in July because of a late flight from Heathrow. When we got to Aberdeen we were told there wasn’t another flight until the next afternoon, which would have meant missing two days of our holiday.
BA said that if we wanted to get the overnight ferry we could book it and claim the money back. I did just that, providing receipts of £118 plus bus fares and meals. Eight days later I received an email from customer services saying it couldn’t reimburse us, but “from what you’ve told me about your delayed flight, I absolutely agree we’ve let you down”. I was offered the “applicable refund due on your unused ticket” plus £50 towards expenses. I started making this claim but was required to agree at the outset to whatever amount was calculated, and that this would be non-negotiable.
I queried this and later received an email apologising and saying that my details had been given to the refunds department, and that I could contact them by letter. I did so, including photocopies of the unused tickets, which cost £172 each. Mysteriously, £89.86 was deposited in my account with no explanation for how this was arrived at. My letter was even returned, marked “addressee gone away”.
The monetary shortfall is not enormous, but I am unhappy at our late arrival having had little sleep and not being able to use our paid-for hotel and dinner. I don’t believe this is a suitable refund for something that was not of our making and avoidable by BA. DT, London W7
Last week we highlighted the leap in complaints about BA in our postbag, reflecting an apparent dramatic decline in its customer service. What is strange is that after initially agreeing that it had let you down, it made you jump through numerous hoops to get the refund it admitted you were entitled to.
It seems to us that the timing of this flight was too tight to allow you to change, and the Heathrow-Aberdeen flight is habitually late. BA explained to you the rather complicated refund breakdown, and although it apparently offered you the opportunity to rebook for the next day on the next available flight, we can understand why this was inconvenient.
It has since agreed to refund the difference between what you claimed and what you have already received, reiterating that it would not, on this occasion, cover the ferry tickets as well. It said: “We try to be as flexible as possible when a connection is missed as a result of a delayed flight, and always offer customers the opportunity to travel on the next available flight.”
We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number
