Baggage handlers...grrrrr!

Not sure how to proceed with this one. As some of you will know, we went to Spain/Gib this weekend on a fact finding weekend. As our flight was early in the morning and on the way to the airport, we were passing the retail park that has a huge Next store, we decided to pop into the shop as their sale had just started. I bought a few things, including a couple of t shirts for the trip, which I then hurriedly shoved into our hold luggage, without removing labels etc.

When we arrived at the hotel in Spain, I discovered both t shirts were missing from the bag!! I was 99% sure I had put them in there (it was 6am when we left the shop!) and when we returned I was able to confirm they were not in the carrier bag we left in the car. I can only guess that the thieving b******* of baggage handlers opened our bag, saw that they were new and decided to help themselves

I know it was only a couple of cheap items, but I think it's the principle - it's still stealing and these low lifes were rumaging around in my bag! I also know that you are told not to put anything valuable in hold luggage, but it's still stealing!! So question, how do I go about sorting this out? We have insurance, but I am not claiming for something like this - I would rather the airport kicked these scum out on their ears! We flew with BA but it was booked via Expedia and I get the nasty little feeling that it occured at Gatwick rather than Malaga. Anyone any suggestions or had a similar "experience"?

 

sorry to hear this sussex, my hubby had same experience coming back from africa to paris when he got home some one stole my camera out of his bag, now he put a lock on his bag, i was most annoyed as it was my camera and it had all great pics of the whales and dolphins he took. now after this i wouldnt take a bag or a case anywere flying without a padlock on it, thieving baggage handlers i wouldnt trust them at any airport. they should be sacked

 

More alarmingly, if they can't be trusted not to take things out of your bag, how can they be trusted not to put things into your bag?

What a powerful position baggage handlers are in. If one of them was a little bit dodgy and wanted to ship something abroad without any risk of taking the blame if the item was discovered, they could just slip it into someone else's bag and let a colleague at the other end remove it again. I know that's unlikely to happen, but presumably its possible.

I'd definitely report it, and even contact the police so at least it is on record. If you write to BA, all that will happen. if anything, is you'll get a stock answer saying something like "we've forwarded your letter to the complaints department. Rest assured this will be investigated (some time when hell has frozen over)". At least if you report it to the police as a theft, and get a crime number, someone might actually write you a letter rather than just mailmerging your details into a standard fob off template.

 

Oh, sorry, how was the trip by the way? Apart from getting your luggage raided I mean?

 

Then There's the Thieving Hotel Cleaning Staff Grrrrrr.. Another Story

 

We had a brilliant time. I'll post pics of the trip later when I download them from my camera. The weather was wonderful - hot but with a cooling breeze all the time. I loved Gibraltar from the first moment we stepped across the "frontier" (as they call it) - the sheer anomaly of it's presence and their patriotic feelings left me impressed.

Spain - hmmmm. Well, personally, I wasn't impressed. We were in an area not on the tourist trail, staying at a hotel patronised by the Spanish, so no lager louts anywhere, fortunately. The hotel was wonderful, a period building from 1906 with beautiful gardens and public room. But coming from the hospitality industry, I found their service standard appalling and many of the staff downright rude. Strange, as the Spanish staff working in the hotel trade here are excellent. I also found Spain a tad shabby and dare I say, dirty? But excellent roads, great beaches and fab food. I think if were to move there, we would base ourselves in Gib, rent a place and in the meantime learn Spanish and perhaps find somewhere rural to buy.

So a great trip, far too short and a huge culture shock to be back home! I think it's on the cards for us to move, but it would be a while yet...and we would plan it properly and we would both need to have jobs there. Rental in Gib is expensive, on a par with London rental prices.

Oh yes, and all motorbikers ride around in shorts and t shirts, even on the motorways. That I wouldn't do. I know it is hot there, but coming off a motorbike at 70mph would probably remove your skin down to the bone. Ouch.

 

That's much, much easier to trace though - decent hotels these days have security systems on their door locks that record who goes in and out of each room...and they can check who cleaned the room. Any hotel I have worked in has dismissed staff immediately if they have been found to have been stealing, even from other staff lockers.

 

Sadly I think theft from luggage is a very common problem. I saw figures for the number of baggage handlers who had criminal records and it was horrendous. I think you just have to make sure your luggage is locked. What a shame.

 

Not in Mexico SG.. And How do you prove who the thief is without Video Evidence or catching The B******S Red handed, It gets me so mad to think you work hard all year round for a holiday and they come along and take whatever they Fancy.. Hang em I say :D

 

Certainly here in the UK most hotels, its all computerised so you know exactly who has been in what room and when, which makes it a lot easier to pin point who has done it. Many moons ago I was a 'front of house manager' in a large hotel which on rota shifts lead to 'duty manager' ... which is basically the person who ends up dealing with all the problems on that shift - worst case I ever had to deal with was casual bar staff stealing wedding pressie's Some people really have no shame !!

As for stealing out of suitcases - I think its probably more common that we think. Unless its locked there will always be someone who is not trustworthy. Even if they dont steal it, they probably have a good rumage round, so we always have our cases locked!!

I would though definately report it to BA, to Gatwick and also to Expedia. If no one ever tells them of any problems, then they would never be sorted out. You may not get a great response (of a refund) but at least someone, somewhere might look into it especially if they get enough complaints.

When we came back from our last holiday all our brand new suitcases where scratched, damaged or ripped. Not one single case out of 7 was ok. We complained and they sent us brand new replacements ..... whereas other half said not to bother. Im glad I did though. I dont see why peoples things shouldnt get to the other end the same way/conditon and contents, of how they left!

 

Doesn't excuse it I know, but some people in developing countries view us tourists as Mr or Mrs MoneyBags, regardless that, like you say, we save up all year for that one holiday.

Back to my theft however:D I contacted someone I know who works at Gatwick and she advised me to submit a "complaint" direct to BA, which I have, requesting they contact me. I also mentioned that apart from this incident, the service we received from BA was fantastic...which it was. I only wish some of these mickey mouse "airlines" would learn a thing or two. I think from now on, I would rather not fly to Ireland at all, than fly with Ryanair. And I would NEVER use them for a longer flight, such as what we had to Malaga. A 45 minute flight to Dublin is bad enough!!

 

Been there, done that, got the grey hairs Sam! Have a read of Hotel Babylon - much better than the series and so many "incidents" in it that I can relate to!

 

See, now i LOVED my time doing it. Sadly it just never went well with family life so had to give it up just as I was offered a deputy manager position for the same owner, in London :( Being pregnant didnt help though lol

 

Well grrr, grrr and more grrrr. Just been sorting out laundry and discovered 2 t shirts we brought with us don't seem to have made it Spain. Apparently they were in the same size as that worn by the baggage handlers. Grrrr.

 

A couple I know had moved all their wedding presents to their room ready for the drunken stage of the reception. When they went up to their room they found the whole lot had been nicked. They told the hotel manager, who basically said something along the lines of 'bad luck but tough', and then mentioned something about a disclaimer saying management accepts no responsibility for loss or damage etc. Fortunately the couple weren't a push-over, and got the police and then later when their honeymoon was out the way went and saw a solicitor. The hotel, trying to avoid legal action, offered them £100 compensation, despite that there was probably several times that in cash, not to mention the other gifts. They told the hotel manager that their offer was a blatant insult and then proceeded to sue the hotel for the estimated total value of the loss. They won, and then strangely the case ended up in the local newspaper, and then oddly enough a couple of weeks later there was a big sign up at the hotel claiming it was under new management.