My complaint:
Turkish Airlines Complaint Number : CASE ID:2021091203 DAH ISTTK26536
On October 29th 2021, I flew from Philadelphia USA and transited through Turkey (for five days ) before heading to my final destination in Cameroon. When I checked in In Philadelphia, The Turkish Airlines Ticket agents insisted that I check in my Backpack which contained all of my personal belongings I planned to wear throughout my trip to Turkey and Cameroon and back. After going back and forth with them to convince them to let me get on the plane with my backpack which could fit perfectly into the aircraft, they were adamant to change their mind. I finally gave in and checked in my carryon backpack. To my greatest surprise, when I landed in Istanbul Turkey, my backpack never arrived on the flight. I was asked to go to the baggage claim office and place a complaint, which I did. During my five days in Istanbul, my luggage never arrived and I had to purchase a new travelling bag and new clothes and other necessities to use both during my short stay in Istanbul and my long stay at my final destination in Cameroon. The purchase was quite expensive but necessary because I had no belongings with me and the Airlines did not provide any assistance to me in Turkey prior to my departure to Cameroon.
I finally flew to Cameroon and throughout my stay in Cameroon I did not get any feedback from Turkish Airlines. When my vacation was over in Cameroon, I returned to my base in the USA still without my luggage. I had gone to the Turkish Airlines website and submitted a complaint within 7 days while in Istanbul as I was advised at the baggage office in Istanbul when I arrived. My complaint was submitted on time. Even on their website, they guarantee passengers of compensation for the inconveniences caused by baggage delay. My case was well into that frame, because not only did I incur pain and suffering, I also incurred financial expenses as a result of the delay.
When I got back to the USA, I continued following up with the Turkish Airlines customer service representative on my complaint. They finally were able to trace my luggage and on December 01st 2021 (A month after my travel) I received a call from JetBlue that my bag finally arrived at the Philadelphia Airport, ready for pick up. Basically I flew with my back from Philadelphia and never saw it again until I returned back to Philadelphia 1 month later.
When the bag arrived, my expensive designer outfits were all damaged by mole and my other valuables and jewelleries damaged as well. I took a few pictures of the damages and uploaded into the Turkish Airlines complaint portal as evidence. I also uploaded pictures of some of the receipts of the items I purchased in Istanbul when my bag did not arrive. Despite all these evidences and my pain and suffering, Turkish airlines simply brushed it aside and rejected my request for compensation on the flimsy excuse that I did not submit my complaint on time. This of course was a false excuse because my complaint was submitted with 7 days of my arrival in Turkey. As a matter of fact, the same day I arrived, I went to the baggage claim office and submitted the first complaint before following up on their website. I had flown on Turkish airlines before and my two previous experiences were terrible. The level of racism and discrimination towards blacks and non-Muslim passengers was appalling. But they showed extreme kindness towards Muslim speaking passengers. However, I did not let that affect me at the time because their flights were the most affordable. However, this last experience with my baggage was the final straw that broke the camel’s back for me. I was treated very unfairly and
and they lied about my complaint just to avoid paying for the damages. I wrote to them again to re-open my case and do their due diligence by following through with the compensation. I am going to make sure I tell everyone about the horrible treatment that Turkish Airlines gives its customers.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
Suggested solution:
I want the case re-opened, re-evaluated and I want to be compensated for the pain , suffering , damaged baggage contents and reimbursement for the purchased items in Istanbul.
