[Resolved]  Indigo Airlines — Baggage lost due to negligence of airline staff

Address:

560040

I along with my wife boarded Indiigo Flight 6E 273 from Delhi to Bangalore on 5th May 2017 (PNR: WCCEHJ),
At Bangalore Airport when I could not locate my suitcase, I approached Indigo airport authorities who showed me a suitcase resembling my suitcase with Baggage tag bearing my name and PNR Number. It was past midnight (around 0100 hours on 6th May), I was sleepy, I took the luggage and went home. After a brief sleep of few hours when I opened the suitcase, I realized it didn't belong to me.
I complaint immediately to Customer Relations over telephone followed by mail. They promised to look into the matter.
From that day I have made several telephone calls and sent mails. Each time some different person would take the call and I had to repeat the same set of questions. They would then transfer the call to some other department. 50% of the time, nobody would receive the call for as long as 15 minutes. There also the same routine questions would be asked and would politely reply that they would look into it. I have been through this process from 6th May till yesterday (28th May 2017) - 21 days. Yesterday they informed that the investigation cannot go further as they have not got permission for seeing CCTV footage. Also they inform that I would also not be eligible for any compensation as I had not complained before I left the airport premises.

The following points may be noted

1) The baggage tag was provided by M/s Indigo and not by the customer. The mistake arose from M/s Indigo end. What role does a customer has in affixing a my tag to wrong baggage. As a customer we have handed over the baggage and received the boarding tag. After I received the boarding tag, my responsibility for my baggage ceases.

2) At the receiving end at Bangalore airport, I could not find my baggage on the belt. When I approached M/s Indigo authorities at airport, they showed me the baggage and confirmed that this was our's and showed the baggage tag on the item. As the luggage bore resemblance to our suitcase, we accepted the baggage.

3) Your contention "as the check in row or counter number is not mentioned by you" that the check in row or counter be provided by me as a customer is totally wrong or fallacious. How can you expect a customer to monitor and remember the location of check in counter. You must have your own means to determine such details for your ease of operations. You cannot expect customer to remember such details. For example such details should automatically get captured by the system when boarding pass is issued. That is the reason I sent you the copy of baggage slip which should give you such information.

4) If you are unable to get CCTV footage for your investigation, how am I as a customer responsible for it. Find out your methods to recover whatever data necessary for your operations. Do not tell the customer that your internal problems are the cause. And as customer I neither have a say nor have any bearing on your internal matters.

5) I am now beginning to see some sinister hand is at play! If it is a coincidental error, then how the baggage I received resembles my baggage. Don't you feel that this is a deliberate act by someone. For such a case how can a customer be responsible.

6) I have been following this from 6th May 2017. Please refer to your recorded conversations details over the telephone and also several mails which were directed to you. Despite this no action had been taken from your end for a long time. All this points to the fact that either this has not been taken seriously by M/s Indigo or deliberately it has been kept in abeyance. Else why such a long delay?

7) To cover up M/s Indigo error and ineptitude, you are say that customer should complain before leaving the airport.

8) I did complain to M/s Indigo officials at Bangalore airport. They showed me a suitcase very similar bag with my name and PNR number marked on baggage tag.

How can M/s Indigo have the audacity to say that you will neither find my suitcase nor give any compensation when primarily the error arose from your end.

Looking for an early settlement.