Alitalia damaged pram beyond repair

[king12345]

Hi guys, the fiasco with Alitalia continues.

 

We travelled with them and upon taking back our double pram at the aircraft door,

we found that they had probably thrown it from high level and bent the chassis, broke a mudguard and sun visor.

 

The pram doesn't open and close anymore unless two people force it because the frame is misaligned.

I reported the damage immediately at the airport and given paperwork with relevant reference number.

 

Then I followed the procedure of calling them and register the claim.

Then nothing for 4 weeks.

 

I wrote to their customer service email address

(somehow Alitalia ceo is the only man unreachable by general public as email bounces back)

and received an automated response with reference number .

 

A week later I got two emails with two different reference numbers saying that they were looking into the complaint

(nothing to do with the original claim number)

 

I emailed them back saying that giving two reference numbers would only complicate things and asked for correct, unique number to quote in correspondence.

Since then nothing.

 

My questions to you knowledgeable people are :

1. Do I proceed normally with a recorded delivery letter to the address listed on companies house giving 14 days, then lba giving another 14 days and then mcol?

 

2. Do I take the pram to a repair centre and get a report?

Bare in mind that manufacturer does not have a repair centre and suggests to take the pram to a bicycle centre.

 

3. Are airlines somehow exempt from paying for damage to prams?

 

The pram is very expensive (£500) it's a phil & teds sport v2 with all double accessories

which I'm not sure they would fit the new version; if it was a cheap one I would have just accepted the loss.

Thanks

[king12345]

Anyone please???

[BankFodder]

I would say that you should get a proper estimate for repairs and an estimate for a replacement. Then send them an LBA for the cheaper option

[oleg]

They will likely quote miserly maximum amount laid down in TCs that you agreed to. Wheelchair users often get badly stung in such incidents, to say nothing of their travel plans disrupted. But maybe this [very] small print would pass muster as regards unfair TCs? Oh and have you checked if your travel/household insurance is of any help?

[king12345]

Thanks for your replies.

I checked with my travel insurance but there's a £150 excess on prams.

Just by chance I saw that phil & teds sell the "naked" frame for this pram, so it can be fixed for £135.

Do you think I should ask for this amount and replace the frame myself or take the pram to a repair centre, get a quote listing the parts that need replacing and then claim based on that quote?

It is quite evident that the frame is bent especially if I made a video of opening and closing, in fact you need two people because it needs to be forced open and closed.

Regarding the t&c, I have been looking for them for half a day and I can't find anything related to limits on claims.

Also, I tried to contact the ceo Cramer Ball using the email address on ceoemail. com, but the email bounces back; this is the only company in the world keeping the ceo contact details secret.

Joke!

[king12345]

Ok, found the t&c regarding damaged items and it says that the limits are imposed by the montreal convention, roughly £1100, so all good on that front.

Can anyone answer my previous post please?

[king12345]

Hi guys, I sent a letter to Alitalia head office asking to find a suitable solution within 14 days.

I didn't ask for any monetary compensation at this stage because I read on other forums that on many occasions airlines have provided new prams or vouchers to purchase one.

I'll wait and see.

In the mean time can you suggest what to do in case they ignore the letter?

Do I take the pram to a repair centre and get a report and a quote or can I just order the frame and fit it myself?

The second option would be cheaper and I could keep the bent frame in evidence, but would this stand in case we end up in court?

Thanks

[king12345]

Could someone help answering my questions please?

Thanks

[reallymadwoman]

If the pram is unusable or very difficult to use, then it would be perfectly reasonable for you to purchase the replacement frame and keep the old one as evidence if needed. The only possible query would be if it would have been cheaper to repair rather than replace, which you could only know for certain by obtaining a repair estimate as well.

[king12345]

I spoke to a repair centre and they said that once the frame is bent it must be replaced for children safety.

They won't even try to reshape it, safety is paramount they said, especially because it's a double pram and needs to sustain quite a heavy load.

I guess that even though this makes sense, they wouldn't have any problem putting it in writing.

I keep you updated.

[king12345]

Just an update.

Having no luck with Alitalia and unable to contact their ceo, I contacted Etihad ceo (main shareholders of Alitalia)

Case is now resolved and they paid for a new frame and fitting.