Two other reports

Searching the web I found to other recent reports of problems with baggage claims against easyJet:

• there is one from Caroline Renouf, posted on 25th June, 2008 here
• and another from Peter Harvey, reported on his webpage on 5th July and 15th October, 2008

Both of them show a similar scheme how easyJet is handling compensation. Either not at all (until now) or with a huge delay (of 10 months)...

My own baggage claim

On my last flight with easyJet from Switzerland back to Berlin on 13 September I checked in one suitcase. Arriving in Berlin I got the luggage back seriously damaged. The feet were missing and the inner shell was broken. I got a damage report from Globeground, the baggage handling company, and send this by email to easyjet within the seven day deadline together with all required documents. Including an official claim form from a baggage shop (I paid 10 EUR for that) which says that the suitcase can't be repaired and has to be replaced (value of 70 EUR).

The information paper I got from Globeground quotes easyJet: "Your claim will be completely verified and we will contact you within seven days." I got the first answer from easyJet 13 days after I sent my email:

"Thank you for your e-mail which has been passed to our Baggage Claims Team.They will endeavour to respond to you with more details within 14 days of receipt of this acknowledgement.
Kind Regards,
easyJet Baggage Claims Team"

On the same day I got another email with a reference number:

"Dear Mr ...

Thank you for your letter from which I am very sorry to learn that your baggage was mishandled following your recent journey with easyJet.
Despite our very best efforts to avoid this type of occurrence, where there is a mixture of manual and mechanical labour unfortunately such incidents can happen, although only to a small percentage of the baggage carried on our flights.
I would be grateful if you would arrange to have the bag repaired and forward the account to us for consideration. If it is found to be beyond repair, would you please send a statement confirming the approximate price paid for the item.
Alternatively, if you have private insurance, I would suggest that you submit a claim to your insurers for the balance.
It is our aim to offer our passengers the best possible service in every aspect of their journey and may I again express my very sincere regret for the difficulties you experienced.

Yours Sincerely,

Eloise Rowland
easyJet Baggage Claims
PO Box 655
Crawley
RH10 9DW"

Since then nothing has happened (for more than one month...). I wrote three times to the original email address as to the personal working address of Mrs. Rowland too. But no answer. Huge SILENCE...
I'm thinking of getting in touch with a consumer protection office. Maybe they can help. Maybe without a lawyer easyJet won't move... I'll report later here.

Problems with claiming against easyJet?

Travelling is a nice thing. in general. But sometimes you get into troubles on a trip. For example your luggage is damaged or lost on a flight. And if then your flight carrier doesn't cooperate or even ignore you and your baggage claim, what can you do? There are some reports of such cases especially related to easyJet. It seems as if easyJet and their third company which handles those cases were following a corporate policy of delaying and ignoring most baggage claims. I got into one such case myself and started therefore collecting other cases. If we can reveal that there is really a policy and delaying strategy behind this cases, we probably will be more able together to force easyJet to change this policy. So, if you experienced similar problems with easyJet, write to this blog and report your case! - Thanx