[shekar]

May 20, 2014
LOST CHECKED IN BAG - Customer care is not even responding.

I just want to let the world know how bad Lufthansa customer care is. While i am writing this comment, i am completely frustrated and helpless knowing my family had to spend the vacation without the bag which had all important contents which was specifically bought for a wedding.

Lufthansa luggage & customer service experiences began in Bangalore, India on 29th April.
I and my little daughter traveled to India from Seattle,WA to Bangalore, India via Frankfurt. They had four large bags to checked in. After waiting for an hour at the airport baggage conveyor belt, we immediately notified the Lufthansa staff about the loss of baggage. They registered the complaint and later provided us with the file reference number. After that we are trying to follow up with them as it has been more than 20 days. We have written many emails to them and tried calling them but the customer relations department is not even bothered to respond to the emails. We just want to know how much is the interim expense we are eligible for and how long does it take to trace the bag. They are not providing any details on it. When we got lucky and the call got through the baggage department, only answer we get is tracing under progress. Looks like they have trained the staff well to say this every time. My husband is in united states and we(myself and daughter who is 2.5 years) are all alone here and struggling to get hold of the staff and a resolution for this issue. It has been a very painful 20 days as the baggage that was lost had all the clothing for myself and my daughter(all the dress were brand new) which was bought for a special occasion here in India. Although it seems normal, this bag was very important to us because it has lot of contents to which we were emotional attached apart from the financial loss which we are incurring. I am writing this comment/complaint so that everybody know how Lufthansa treat their passengers. Being a women, it has been so hard for me. I would request pledge every one who belive Lufthansa customer care is a nightmare to spread this message to friends and relatives so that they won't have to go through similar pain. There are several other airlines who give better service if not at least they treat passengers well and respond to the queries.

I would like to understand the following:

What are the passenger rights when an airline losses a bag?
What are the interim expense a passenger(s) eligible for?
How long does it generally takes to locate the bag and should we keep the hopes alive even after 20 days?
Why does Lufthansa customer care does not respond to any emails/phone calls?
All the contents in the bag was new and never used. We have the receipts for the purchase. If we have to replace the lost items, will Lufthansa, carry the bag free to the destination from USA again?If not, why should one pay extra bag charge to send the items which was supposed to be delivered when the passenger arrived?

Thanks!

[lpuri]

I can deeply understand your feelings and frustration about Lufthansa customer service. I have exactly the same experiences with them: you can not contact them, they do not reply in a timely manner, if they ever reply they either lie regarding the facts or try to deny their responsibility. They do not want to understand how much damage they cause with your lost properties or with the completely ruined holiday travel. They are hiding, you can not contact them on the fax number (given on their Customer care web page!) and I also received back my unopened(!) complain letter after 8 months (postal address were given by LH customer care itself!)
I will follow up your story, I would like to know how can you succeed.
My best wishes!

lpuri