Compensation from BA for Canceled Booking Error?

beach89034

I've searched incessantly online for a situation similar to mine so I wouldn't duplicate postings, but couldn't find one. So, here is my story and questions:

I traveled to London for the 2012 Olympics and purchased a BA round trip ticket through their website in Feb 2012. My flights were from SAN-LAX-LHR and back. In April 2012, I received an email from British Airways that my flight from SAN-LAX had been canceled and I was re-booked onto another flight and that my return LAX-SAN flight had a timing change (it was bumped up to an hour earlier). That was it, that was all the correspondence I ever received from BA.

I flew my normal departure flights and a few days before my scheduled return flight home I tried to log into Manage My Booking so I can purchase a seat for the return flight. Much to my surprise I was told there was no record of my booking and "All flights had been flown." Obviously this was an error because I was still in the UK and had purchased a R/T ticket. I wasn't able to call BA in the UK since I didn't have a phone that was capable of calling premium numbers. I tried from a payphone, but it was going to cost 90p a minute and who knows how long I would be on hold. After numerous emails to BA and responses telling me to call the 800 number in the US (which I couldn't obviously) finally someone responded and told me that my booking had been canceled. Mind you, this was 5 days before my planned departure. So I bit the bullet and traveled all the way to Heathrow airport on my own dime to speak with a BA rep in person. Apparently my booking was canceled because there was not enough time between my LHR-LAX flight and LAX-SAN flight to allow me to go through customs that they canceled my booking entirely. The explanation the reps gave me was "the robot did it." I received no notice, I did not receive a refund of my return flights, I did not receive options for re-booking, nothing. After much argument, the BA rep booked me back on to flights departing the same day (although she was apprehensive in doing so).

I had to return to work the next day after my flights home I originally booked my ticket so I would be back home around 3pm and have plenty of time to recoup. The flights they booked me on returned me home around 7pm. Yes, that is still okay, but after an overseas flight and flying for an entire day, I needed rest.

I file a claim for compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004 since I was not notified 14 days before departure that my flight was canceled. I was denied since BA told me they notified me in the email in April. I responded with a copy of the email asking them to point to where they notified me and that I was still entitled to compensation. I received another email back this morning saying that I was denied again because BA did not operate the flight from SAN-LAX and I needed to contact American Airlines. I wasn't filing a claim for that flight, it was my return flights, not departure. And even so, I purchased my tickets for that flight through the BA website, and my ticket was a BA flight number, and also AA is part of their code share program.

I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and continuing to not get anywhere. It is extremely frustrating. According to the EU regulation, if I'm flown home within a certain time period, the compensation is reduced by 50%. I'm fine with that. But I feel this EU regulation allows for me to get something. I keep getting the attitude of "too bad so sad" from BA. It isn't about the money, it is about the way I have been treated.

So my question is do I have a leg to stand on? What should be my next step? I have been fighting this since I returned the end of July and their response time is normally about 2-3 weeks. Has anyone else experienced a situation like this? Is my situation unique?

Sorry for the long post, but I don't know where else to look. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

richardw

Can you cut that down to about 5 points for clarity.