Jetstar lost baggage & don't seem to care

[KLeslie]

My daughter flew out of Sydney to Denpasar yesterday for a one night stop before flying on to Kupang, West Timor. She is a PhD student so had notes, books, important contacts etc in bag. I received a call at 2am to tell me that the bag did not arrive with her. Since then I have been endeavouring to talk to someone who even cares let alone knows what is being done about the situation & every time I get transferred through to call centres in India & Malaysia where the operators sound as if they are merely reading from standard answer cards. My daughter is about to go into the most dangerous area in the world for malaria & has all her medications in the bag which is impacting on my distress. I am getting more & more worried as I read through websites as this appears to be par for the course with Jetstar. I travel often & my 3 children have just started. This is the first & will be the LAST Jetstar flight I ever have anything to do with. If anyone has any useful suggestions I would really appreciate them.

 

[UP4014]

Jetstar is a low cost airline for a reason, brace yourself for a low cost response to your problem.

 

[Travel Guru]

I feel for your situation, but I think BAM summed it up perfectly, they're a low cost carrier, what sort of service were you expecting?

I really do have to query why, if those contacts and medication were so vital, she'd check them in rather than carrying them on board with her, thereby ensuring that if the worse case scenario eventuates that she's not impacted too badly.

I for one, being on permanent medication as a result of an illness when I was 3yo, ALWAYS carry enough of my vital medication on board with me to last the entire trip, is it a hassle, yes, but it's less of a hassle than my bags going missing (which hasn't happened in 4 OS trips this year plus over a dozen domestic ones) and having to find assistance in a foreign country which likely doesn't stock the medications I take.

Sure it's not going to help in this situation, but perhaps an opportunity to learn for the future.

I hope she gets the bag back quickly.

TG


p.s. the first reponder was right, making threats is only going to make your case worse, don't waste your time.

 

[mannej]

There is an important lesson to be learnt. If there are things that you cant lose, carry them on with you. It is a pain to be trying to organise emergency supplies if something like this happens.

As mentioned before, all airlines lose luggage, generally you have to be unlucky to have it happen to you.

 

[UP4014]

Have to agree with the T'Guru on taking anything essential on board with you, most importantly medication.

My essential item is my camera, well not even the camera so much but the memory card, any other item I can buy again, like clothes.

KLeslie, your daughter will have to go through the same channels as the rest of us - make an insurance claim and in the interim she will need to go buy more of what's needed but her papers will be gone. If maleria is that bad and she has no medication, she should not go - a good travel policy will cover her fare to somewhere to get things sorted.

Matt

 

[Danger]

Gilby08, I think you've shown a high level of disdain for what is KLeslie's first post. She (presumably) came here for advice and you've been rather critical of what she has to say.

1st off their call centre is in Australia - Melbourne and Malaysia (not india unless it's the baggage handeling company).

Well, given that we're talking about lost baggage, there's a good chance KLeslie is speaking to the baggage handeling [sic] department!

2nd, it is a call centre, a call centre cannot track let alone answer questions related to a thrid party unless it's the company who does the baggage handling which is NOT Jetstar.

I think that's a bit incorrect. While the call centre might not be able to track the bag it should be able to provide practical, useful information about lost baggage, including answering questions.

But then you make it to be an issue of your self saying that "I'LL NEVER" do this and do that with ex company again. But wasn't it your adult daughter that has this issue?

So a Mother (presumably) can't help her daughter, who's travelling alone (again, presumably) in a foreign country? A poor statement, I would suggest. If I was in that situation I would be very grateful for assistance, especially considering it's likely to cost me a hell of a lot more making phone calls from overseas than it is my Mother back in Australia. Seriously, just because she's an adult she's not worthy of help. Strange.

Did she purchase travel insurance?? (that's what it's there for).

Since when does travel insurance replace dissertations and research? Again, Gilby08, not a helpful question in my opinion.

I don't think KLeslie so much has an issue with JQ losing the bag as much as what she feels is a lack of customer care.

KLeslie, for what it's worth, my only advice is to (i) document everything very carefully (eg. the calls you make to what numbers and what people at what time) and (ii) perserve, calling often.

And, as my 'colleagues' have perhaps forgotten, welcome to AFF.

 

[Maca44]

I agree with Danger. You have got to lighten up Gilby08. A parent is trying to help her daughter who needs assistance overseas, and if I were in the same situation with my daughter I would be doing everything I could to help also.

The problem is not that Jetstar lost the luggage, its that they don't appear to be doing anything to find it and note I said 'appear' because I don't know what Jetstar have done to this point, but the parent is seeking advice from this forum. I guess you have to be a parent to understand.

 

[moa999]

Note with lost luggage the airline often doesn't 'know' anything until the bag turns up somewhere and so often just after a flight the airline will not be able to tell you much.

There is no real-time tracking of every bag etc -- they will be able to tell you where it should be, but not where it actually is.
The bowels of each airport are not airline controlled, rather typically a shared service of the airpot operator/ baggage handling company employed by that airline.

Typically a bag may end up on the wrong flight - either mis-tagged, or thrown in the wrong chute, or fell of a conveyer.
Eventually it will make its way to lost luggagge - maybe after circling a belt in LAX for 6 hrs and be entered into a database where it will then be 'found'.

If a bag is not 'found' in 48hrs then you have more concerns.

 

[Maca44]

i'm guessing this user will just be a few post wonder and then be on her merry way again. And then if the airline did sort out the problem we would never hear of it again besides the 'anger' directed at the company and what they "didn't" do for her.

I am not going to get into a slinging match, but I think your comments are way out of line Gilby08

 

[gilby08]

I am not going to get into a slinging match, but I think your comments are way out of line Gilby08

Okay i'll just remove all of them then, i won't bother with my opinions and thoughts then.

 

[drron]

I have to reiterate the advice given-never put essential things such as medication in checked baggage-an important lesson learned.
Now one other way(well it works here in a regional area where people tend to know each other)is to go to your airport and talk to a real person-at least they will find it harder to fob you off.Even at SYD there is a Jetstar lost baggage section near the carousels.Go there,use tears if necessary(not shouting)and see if they can help.Cant lose anything but time and the parking fee.

 

[KLeslie]

Thank you to those who understood my request for assistance & gave constructive & reassuring advice. I am more frustrated at the lack of any avenue to discuss my problem with a customer service person than the actual loss. All airlines have the potential to lose baggage but Jetstar is the first I have come across where there is no customer support. By the way, thank you also to those who supported me as a mother helping her daughter. My daughter is in an area of Indonesia where there is little, if any at times, internet connection. This makes any communication difficult.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Although the post by Gilbey08 has now been deleted I feel the need to address an issue on this thread with regard to an item quoted in the post. Similar 'all care no responsibility' type comments from this poster can be found on numerous other JQ threads on these forums.

a call centre cannot track let alone answer questions related to a thrid party unless it's the company who does the baggage handling which is NOT Jetstar.

I realise you work for Jetstar but you seriously need to understand a few fundamentals of the airline business from a customer's perspective. You continually defend JQ by trying to handball any service issue that Jetstar should be responsible for saying it's not really Jetstar but some other company or contractor outsourced to Jetstar thereby don't blame Jetstar.

With all due respect, irrespective of who the actual company is, to the customer they are Jetstar end of story. If xyz company provided bad service when the customer is trying to find lost baggage then it's a case of Jetstar provided bad service.

Do you seriously expect the customer to think whilst they are getting the run around trying to find their bags "Oh I won't get cranky or blame Jetstar because it's not really them it's only a contractor".

How would anybody half way around the world in some call centre know where a bag is in Darwin for example. Jetstar need to have dedicated baggage people at all their destinations allocated to the task of finding mishandled bags then returning them to the rightful owner.

In the case of Darwin there is a room with hundreds of Jetstar mishandled bags that no-one at Jetstar (oops, I mean Skystar Ground Handling) can be bothered dealing with because no-one wants to take ownership of the problem and obviously no-one at JQ 'management' has the backbone to hold them accountable for doing so.

I remember in the 80's when Bob Ansett was MD of Budget rent-a-car he insisted that once a month every executive spend a day behind the rental counter so they were in touch with what actually happens at the coal face.

It would do Jetstar Management a world of good to adopt the same practice however I doubt most would not dare step outside the sanctity of the boardroom where they seek comfort in their own little world of spin-doctoring and corporate rhetoric. :!: :!:

Oz

 

[munitalP]

Although the post by Gilbey08 has now been deleted I feel the need to address an issue on this thread with regard to an item quoted in the post. Similar 'all care no responsibility' type comments from this poster can be found on numerous other JQ threads on these forums.



I realise you work for Jetstar but you seriously need to understand a few fundamentals of the airline business from a customer's perspective. You continually defend JQ by trying to handball any service issue that Jetstar should be responsible for saying it's not really Jetstar but some other company or contractor outsourced to Jetstar thereby don't blame Jetstar.

With all due respect, irrespective of who the actual company is, to the customer they are Jetstar end of story. If xyz company provided bad service when the customer is trying to find lost baggage then it's a case of Jetstar provided bad service.

Do you seriously expect the customer to think whilst they are getting the run around trying to find their bags "Oh I won't get cranky or blame Jetstar because it's not really them it's only a contractor".

How would anybody half way around the world in some call centre know where a bag is in Darwin for example. Jetstar need to have dedicated baggage people at all their destinations allocated to the task of finding mishandled bags then returning them to the rightful owner.

In the case of Darwin there is a room with hundreds of Jetstar mishandled bags that no-one at Jetstar (oops, I mean Skystar Ground Handling) can be bothered dealing with because no-one wants to take ownership of the problem and obviously no-one at JQ 'management' has the backbone to hold them accountable for doing so.

I remember in the 80's when Bob Ansett was MD of Budget rent-a-car he insisted that once a month every executive spend a day behind the rental counter so they were in touch with what actually happens at the coal face.

It would do Jetstar Management a world of good to adopt the same practice however I doubt most would not dare step outside the sanctity of the boardroom where they seek comfort in their own little world of spin-doctoring and corporate rhetoric. :!: :!:

Oz

hear hear


apply this to QF, DJ and JQ and we might start getting somewhere


Mr!

 

[Travel Guru]

+1 from me on that one also

TG

 

[mm472]

Apply it to MOST Companies..

and even better,, have them be mystery shopper types, as well.

Would really let them see how the business is being perceived in the market place. Not just look at numbers on a Balance sheet,

 

[gilby08]

I just want to say that i do not work for Jetstar or any of their outsourced companies, i do have friends though that work in both Jetstar and their call centre. Also if i did work for the company i can't see how'd i'd be a WP, since i'd be getting the staff travel...

I can appreciate those comments and people basically flamming me from what i expressed my opinions and views on, but it is that exactly my opinions and views.

So has anyone heard of any follow up on this situation, has that poster returned as advised what JQ has done at all?

EDIT: And if you can appreciate i did delete my comments b/c i did write it in a flamming/
criticizing manner that necessarily wasn't helpful.

 

[straitman]

gilby08,

Thanks for having the fortitude to return, respond and apologise. Please continue with your posting here. What makes the forum so good are the individual ideas that we all have and that we all express them differently.

If a couple of the posters (and I will not name names) do not like how you post on a topic it would be more appropriate to PM you and ask you to think about, and maybe modify your posts rather than do to you what they are accusing you of doing. :evil:

I would have commented earlier but have been away and only just came upon this thread.

 

[jsd]

Extract From: At the airport - Travel information - Jetstar Airways

Baggage services
We try to ensure that passengers' baggage is delivered on time and in the condition received.
In the unlikely event that your bag is lost or damaged, please contact your arrival airport as soon as possible.

For flights operated by Jetstar (JQ):
The Jetstar Conditions of Carriage require you to report damage to or destruction of part of an item of checked baggage within 3 days of your travel for Domestic flights or 7 days for International flights.
The bag must be presented to Jetstar staff at the arrival airport to assess the damage.

For Baggage Services contact details (JQ) click here.

For flights operated by Jetstar Asia (3K) and Valuair (VF):
Any claim for loss of or damage to Checked Baggage or Cabin Baggage must be made in writing within the following timeframes:
in the case of damage to your Baggage, as soon as you discover the damage after you have received the Baggage, and at the latest within 24 hours; or
in the case of delay, within 3 days from when the Baggage has been made available to you.

You should have recieved a file number to use on the WorldTracer site (Yes, Jetstar use it too), assuming that you did actually file a lost baggage report

Link to WorldTracer: WorldTracer Services - JetStar Airways Passenger File Request Page