I recently posted the below complaint on the hellopeter website and emailed it to 4 voyager email addresses. Doubt I will get a reponse:
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I had miles about to expire so I redeemed a Voyager award certificate which is valid for six months. I tried to book a flight via their website but booking a flight is impossible as the ‘mileage keeper’ seats are always sold out. I phoned the call centre explained that I would like a ‘mileage keeper’ seat from Jhb to CT any weekend, departing late friday afternoon and returning late Sunday afternoon. Is this an unreasonable request? Seats sold out even 6 months in advance.

So I asked to have my air award exchanged for a non-air award. I was told that I should have changed my award within the first 3 months of issue? I read their terms and conditions on their website and this is not stated.

SAA is unreasonable and do not have enough ‘mileage keeper’ seats available on their flights. Surely they should release more ‘mileage keeper’ seats for Voyager members especially over weekends?
My miles have now expired as I could not book a flight or exchange my award. I will never use SAA again.

Virgin Airways offers a far superior miles program and so does BA. I will use these airlines in future

I am currently in Botswana and actually still to fly back through Johannesburg this coming Tuesday August 17, 2010. My experience and that of many other colleagues that came with the airline are all regrettable. SAA can assume that they are , . They may be winning now, but let’s see how they survive in another few years to come.

I will describe SAA as follows: Indifferent, Non-chalant, Ineffective and Pathetic Airline. We should actually call them SAD AFRICAN AIRLINE. They have a mission to make passengers sad and I have joined others on your website that never again will I agree to be booked on the SAA. let me be brief about the injustice we experienced.

I was missed the connecting airline when I landed on Johannesburg from Nairobi on August 14 and after several pleas, I was just ignored and asked to pay 550 rands. After I paid, I was booked on another SAA 1765 for the same day only to find that my luggage was missing on arrival. The SAA express immediately told me that nothing can be done and they have no responsibility to bear, not even the courtesy to drop the luggage for me if found. I finally met my colleagues who came on an earlier flight and they were all lamenting about their missing luggage and our Botswana host clearly stated that it was the usual and that we may never see the luggage again. whatever happens, as a frequent traveller, I will use all avenues to discourage my friends from flying the SAD Airline. The exploitation can only continue for awhile, time will judge.

I will like to however celebrate Kenya Airways and Egypt air for their excellent customer service. Keep up the good work.

Yet again another customer complaining about tampered luggage.

Sometime this year I visited Zimbabwe, transit though South Africa from Swaziland. I found my luggage was tempered with and a perfume (Davidoff 100 ml) stolen. I seriously didn’t know what to do/ where to complain. Just yesterday I was coming from Switzerland, bought the most expensive gadget lock (hoping I have the best security gadget). To my surprise, this time my zipper was completely destroyed because they couldn’t temper with the gadget lock. When is this going to stop, should we stop checking in our luggage?

Angry customer.

I am a South African born with Greek descent, Love my South Africa. I was so disgusted with the SAA ladies that work at the customer service and check in bays. My friend was flying too Nigeria and because of our traffic problem we were late. She had too go and pay a difference as she changed her flight a day later, the lady that helped her was as rude as they come, no tact what so ever.

Where does SAA find these rude woman who are suppose too be there too help the passengers and not make them feel like they doing us a favour. This passenger flies SAA very often and told me that it is always like that. Then we go too check in luggage and we find another rude lady, I did not think too take names as I was very very angry at the way my friend was treated. I would suggest that SAA gets some training for these ladies that are behind the desks if we want too have International standards.

Please do something about this problem, why must we have a problem in the first place we are a great nation and country. Big Bosses go down too the Airport and have a look for your self what is happening there.

Many Thanks
NIki
Proudly South African

Dear SAA Sucks,

Please see below emails that I have sent to SAA and replies received so far. I would be obliged if you would post these on your site for the information of others who may contemplate flying with SAA. I only wish I had found your site before booking my flights with SAA.

Perhaps others who use yor site should also bombard Mr Smyth’s office with emails of their complaints and let his office share some of the pain and frustration that his company causes their customers.

Best regards

R G Morrissey
(more…)

On our way from Washington DC to Namibia via Johannesburg on SAA all 3 of our bags were lost. We were assured they would be on the next flight the next day. Not only was that a joke, other passengers that overheard this promise said “yeah that is what they told us 2 days ago.”

We then flew to another area of Namibia and were told our bags would be sent to the post office in a day. Instead, 2 of the 3 bags were sent to the airport in the new town we were in. It was a nightmare to call to get information. 80% of the time nobody picked up. Half of the vacation was worrying about calling. Finally we got 2 of the bags at the airport. When we would call, sometimes they would say it was lost, sometimes they would miraculously have information that it was sent. We then went back to the airport two more times over the next two days. No bags. We would call and they would say it was still lost in the initial airport. We then left that town to fly to another town. Once we got to that town, they told us the bag was sent 4 days earlier and sent to the post office, not the airport. I heard the supervisor (Sally) who was apparently out of town yell at her co-workers saying “Why didn’t anybody update the system and call the travelers with information on where the bags were sent). So they forgot to call and tell us this information and they forgot to update their computers so that we could find this information when we called 15 times. Meanwhile my wife’s medicine was in the missing bag. Great! Fun trip to Africa with NONE of my luggage! (I only had 1 bag).

Then they were going to route the bags back to the main capital airport in time for the END OF OUR 12 day TRIP to take them home with us. That of course didn’t happen. Now they are supposed to be delivered to the USA. Fat chance of that.

Oh and their reimbursement program… they are supposed to give you up to $75 a day after 24 hours of your bags missing. Nothing is given to you in writing, so you have to trust the already incompetent people that you aren’t going to be missing some fineprint exception to that reimbursement. Also I think maybe you have to have receipts for what you purchase. The problem is 1) if you request a VAT tax refund… they keep the receipts! 2) The level of incompetence is so high, how in the world can I justify paying $75 a day up front in hopes that SAA will pay me back. Yeah right.

We were then told to get our refund and reimbursement in Johannesburg. But with our connection flight 90 minutes later, and the place to go being BEHIND another level of security, that didn’t happen. And at the gate I demanded to talk to a supervisor, and I was promised one would come before the flight would take off… of course, that didn’t happen. I was given the phone and 4 numbers to call. Nobody answered.

Oh and on the way back… all 3 bags (we bought a new bag) were left behind in Johannesburg. Finding who to call is a nightmare. The numbers they give us go straight to voicemail with no indication of what hours they work. When I call their partner airline United, I get routed to Manila. Each time I call they have a different set of information. Oh and there is no human that answers the phones at lost luggage to confirm if the bags have arrived. Yet they expect the customer to drive back out to the airport to pick up their bags. Do you see the flaw in this circular logic? 1) we can’t confirm where our freaking bags are 2) nobody answers the phone 3) nobody returns voicemails 4) we are expected to pick up the luggage.

Not only should the airline pay to have the bags delivered to our door (which is what the lost luggage lady said when we were in JFK) we should be compensated for the nightmare that they put us through.

Sure, I have no problem with an airline occasionally losing luggage. But at least have a system to make it as painless as possible.

Oh yeah, apparently our bags might have actually gone on the plane from JFK to IAD. Even though we stood at the baggage carousel waiting for the bags from Africa, as instructed by the flight attendants. We waited so long , we lost our connection.

My suggestion: 1) If you have a tight connection, go DIRECTLY to lost luggage and see if they can track your bags. 2) DO NOT necessarily believe them. They might say they are still in Africa, but they just haven’t been scanned in yet in JFK 3) Get a phone number for whom to call (and post it here). 4) Try “Traveler’s Aid” at Dulles. They were helpful. They walked over to lost luggage and checked to see if my bags were there (they saw only 1 of 3) 5) 703-572-7643 is supposedly the secret number for Washington Dulles lost luggage. But you have to let it ring forever. I could never get anybody to pick up. 6) Email their management using the pattern FirstNameLastName@Flysaa.com with no spaces, no dashes etc.

Here are some nightmare numbers you can call and fax: Kareen Degraff (hopefully that will make for good google juice for this person to get motivated to implement a better system) 954-769-5025 or fax them at 954-769-5026

Don’t fly SAA

Frank

Dear Saasucks,

My sad story begins on 28th June 2009 in Saa office Dar es Salaam. I had a trip to Capetown and opted to travel with SAA. I went to their office in Dar es salaam to buy my ticket and wanted to use my credit card to pay. I was told that they dont accept credit cards so I have to use cash but I found it difficult because it meant to get euros from my account change into local currency and buy USD so that I can pay for the ticket. I then asked if it was possible to buy the ticket online and they said yes but after getting the ticket I must go with it to them so that they can confirm it. I bought the ticket on 28th and took it to them on 2nd of July. They took my ticket and requested to see my credit card, I gave them and they looked at it, after searching on their computer they told me that my ticket was invalid because my credit card was suspected for fraud and therefore the saa would not accept the payment. They asked me to buy another ticket by cash, but I asked them what will happen to the other ticket, they assured me that they are going to cancel it and so nothing will be deducted in my account. They made a copy of my credit card though I was reluctant they insisted that it was their policy and it will help them to make follow up and cancel the ticket. I paid for ticket by cash and left after a long conversation with them.

My journey really nice and enjoyed through out. I kept on checking my account and it was ok until 28th of July when I found deductions on my account and I called my bank and asked where they took my money, just to be told that it had been paid to saa. On 31st I went back to their office asking them why they charged me twice for one trip and requesting for my refund. They told me that they cant pay me back because the transaction was done online, it was hard to understand but I didnt want to quarrel much with them, they gave me an email address to use for requesting the refund. The same day I wrote an email and todate I have not gotten any response. I wrote a demand letter and sent it to Saa Dar no response, went back and talked to the supervisor who was working on my complaint she promised to call me back on friday to inform me on the progress and she never did. I feel robbed, much humiliated and mistreated wit the Saa staff in Dar. I would really wish to get my money back with no charges after the disturbance I have gone through, I really hate their attitude and un professional way of handling customers

Emi, Dar -Tanzania.

I went to Kruger National Park on August 2nd and returned to Australia on the 14th with a tour group. The staff on the aircraft thermselves were OK with me, apart from being perhaps a little more aloof and formal than we are used to in Oz.

Some of our group referred to one hostess on the flight to South Africa as “the blonde Nazi”, but I didn’t meet her.

The fun started at Johannesburg the next day when our flight to Mpumalanga failed to appear on the boards long after the alleged boarding time. There had been no announcement, and our first two enquiries were met with only shrugs. The third time we approached the staff – after scheduled departure time the woman rang somebody, then, about 15 minutes later, made an announcement that the flight was delayed due to “technical issues”. Boarding was estimated to commence “in another 20 minutes”. I made the effort to chat to that staff member casually and in a friendly, non-confronting, manner and found out the aircraft had been delayed leaving its previous destination, so it was not a sudden problem they could not have advised us about earlier.

A little after the estimated new boarding time, we were ushered on to the bus to take us to the 20 seat turbo-prop, and then after several minutes asked to go back into the terminal because the plane still needed to be cleaned and supplied.

We eventually had an uneventful flight, but on arrival discovered that 9 pieces of luggage had been arbitrarily unloaded at the last minute. Three of our group were left with nothing, and had to borrow clothes from the rest of the group for the overnight stay at Pestana. The airline could not tell them when it would arrive more precisely than on one of the next few flights. They got their luggage next day about 9am only because the tour guide sent to drive us from Pestana to Crocodile Bridge Gate at Kruger had been tipped off by us the night before and rang the airline in the early morning and made an extra trip to Mpumalanga and back to pick it up for them.

On our return to Johannesburg we had a considerable wait for the flight to Perth, and some went shopping leaving two of us minding the bags of 5 others. Well before official boarding time we were approached and told to get into a queue to have or hand luggage inspected as they had decided to inspect all hand luggage in detail for this trip. We declined to leave our friends’ baggage unattended, or open it for inspection before the owners were present, and I asked each of the two attendants to make an announcement so the rest of the group would know to curtail their shopping and return to the gate. They just shrugged and tried again to budge us. Eventually, when we did not give in, they agreed to help us carry the baggage of the whole group to an area near the end of the queue where the other member of the group could mind it while I tried to find the others. I found two and sent them back, then approached another staff member at an office asking for an announcement to be made and got the shrugs again. When I asked if there was some reason for refusing to make an announcement he just shrugged and said, “I dunno.”

I returned to the Gate where four of our group were now assembled, and eventually decided to go through the checking process so I could talk to the grey haired man of European descent on the other side who was obviously supervising the process. While I was in the queue I talked to a South African passenger who said they had done this on other occasions, and had even closed off boarding early when at the end of the line when some passengers had not yet arrived to take part in the inspection, leaving them unable to board. So, once I was through, I approached the Supervisor and explained the situation and asked him if an announcement could be made so that the rest of the group and any other passengers could be made aware they needed to return early. He said. “No, there is no need, they should be waiting here already!” I explained that as Australian Airports always announced such events, and boarding of previous flights from that airport had been delayed, they would not be aware of that expectation, so would they please make an announcement – he refused again. I said I would post about the events on this site. He said, “Please yourself.” [The rest of the group did turn up and get on board in the end, but no thanks to the system at the airport.]

From what some South African traders later told me of their banking system and taxation system while I was there, this sort of authoritarian behaviour appears to be common in the lower areas of mangement of government enterprises in South Africa. I suspect that those lower down the hierarchy use “Dunno” to avoid getting caught between unhappy customers and the bully boys.

Ray Taylor Adelaide South Australia

Last week Tuesday I arrived in Lilongwe, Malawi from New York via Johannesburg. After clearing through immigration, I stood at the baggage claim and after 45 minutes, 75% of the people on the flight were still hanging around. I found out that to conserve fuel, SAA purposely decided to leave most of the luggage behind in Johannesburg. I then waited on line for over an hour to fill out my claim form and get out of the airport.

On Friday, I finally called the airline to find out what was going on, and then said my bags had arrived. So I went to pick them up. While the customs inspectors were inspecting my bags, I inspected them as well. As it turned out, there were a number of things missing from my bag, the handle on the bag had been broken off, and the wheels were all messed up. The amount of pilfered items added up to about $125 USD (~ 1000 Rand). I filled out a form at the airport and they also sent me down the SAA office in downtown Lilongwe to file a report there. The SAA employee informed me it would be *3 months* before I would find out the status of my claim!

John, New Jersey, USA

I suppose that everyone has had baggage lost at some stage in their lives but this story is something for your website.

A few weeks ago I travelled to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Delhi and Mumbai all without incident – presumably because only one of the flights was with SAA!

On Tuesday last week I travelled from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Upon arrival in Cape Town, a number of passengers on my flight were told that their bags had not arrived. One by one, people were told that their bags were located across the world including New York and Dubai – how is it possible that bags at a domestic terminal find themselves on an international flight?? The mind boggles.

I arrived at 18h00 in the evening, only to be told that my bag could ‘unfortunately not be located’. I was then told that SAA would contact me before midnight to let me know if the bag was traced. I enquired as to what it is I was supposed to sleep in and wear to my meetings the next day and the response again was simply that nothing could be done until midnight.

At the same time, my husband who was in Johannesburg, drove to the airport and enquired from the desk in Johannesburg about the whereabouts of my luggage. The response that he received was that ‘the bag never left the conveyer belt but that it could not be located at this time’. Upon enquiry about what it is I was supposed to do for clothes and toiletries, the response was that an allowance could only be approved at 21h00 that evening.

At 20h00 that evening, I drove from Stellenbosch where I was staying to the Waterfront in Cape Town (as the only place with open stores) to purchase toiletries, pyjamas and clothing. It is not surprising that I received a response from the Jo’burg office advising me that I could spend R560 and that I could claim this back when I arrived in Jo’burg the next day (by the way, R560 does not even cover the cost of my make-up) and despite assurances from the Cape Town desk that I would receive a response by midnight, this was not forthcoming!

If that wasn’t enough, I received a call from the Jo’burg desk on Wednesday at 13h00 to let me know that my bag had been located in Jo’burg and would be waiting for me upon my arrival.

However, shortly before getting on the plane in Cape Town I received a call from the Cape Town desk advising that my bag was in Cape Town and that I needed to collect it. I then sarcastically enquired whether they were sure as I had been told that the bag was in Jo’burg and the response was “Madam, I’m looking at your bag, it is definitely in Cape Town”.

By this time I had already checked in for my 17h50 flight and had to get back out to the SAA baggage counter. After all of this, you can expect that I would not let my bag out of my sight. The crew however would not let me take the bag with me as it was ‘too big for hand luggage ‘ – I continued to refuse to let it go and was eventually allowed to take the bag with me.

Yes, it gets better: when I got to the baggage counter at SAA in Jo’burg to claim my R560 refund, I was told that the cashiers were closed and that they couldn’t pay me out immediately. I then wanted to leave my banking details to ensure that they would pay me but was told that I would need to come back to the airport to claim the money as they didn’t do electronic transfers and that if I did come back, it would have to be during office hours.

One expects that things like this happen. However, if the staff at SAA had dealt with the situation better or offered assistance instead of excuses, I wouldn’t be this upset. I am due to travel to Cape Town tomorrow and to South America in 3 weeks time – all on SAA – I shudder to think what may happen!

The fact that an hour of my time during the day to drive to the airport to collect R560 is worth much more to me then what is on offer is probably the main reason why I do not intend to claim the money back. However, I can definitely say that SAA may well have lost a customer. Was it worth R560? One wonders.

Zarina Kellerman