SOME TIPS FOR DEALING WITH LOST LUGGAGE AT NORTHWEST AIRLINES

 

The employees at Northwest airlines are rude and apathetic when dealing with this problem.  They seem to have completely forgotten that what is a routine situation for them is a stressful part of your life.

 

  1. They will not answer the phone at the airport Lost Luggage desk.  I first deduced this by trying about 15 random numbers from the list at http://www.nwa.com/services/shipping/cargo/luggage and getting 0 answered calls.  Doug Hans at the Seattle Luggage counter confirmed this for me (accidentally on his part) when he said under his breath “we don’t answer that, we’re too busy.”  When the next person in line walked up to the counter, he gave them a form to fill out, turn in and “call back in 3 days to get a tracking number”.  What a way to get rid of a pesky passenger indefinitely!
  2. Get alternate numbers for the Luggage Desks – they appear to have typical office multi-line phones.  If you happen to be at the airport, simply look at the phone and note what you see.  The phone in Seattle has lines for 206-433-3605 (documented) and 206-433-3714 (undocumented). The supervisor at LAX is either (310)417-2138 or (310)417-2130.  I also found that reservations agents will sometimes give you ‘supervisor’ numbers for the luggage desks if you report to them that the phones are not being answered. 
  3. If you call Luggage Services at 800-648-4897, don’t hesitate to ask for a supervisor if you aren’t making headway with a normal rep. See #4 below.  Only one person at the entire airline seemed to care or be empowered to do something to help me.  If you are having problems with the NWA Luggage Services staff, give Linda Kaye a try. Her extension is 97263842.
  4. The representatives at the main 800 number for lost luggage are not empowered to do anything much to help you and appear to have some sort of incoming call productivity goals.  Their main goal is to get you off the phone so they can take the next call.  The only action I was able to get from them was for them to ‘send a message’.  Nothing ever happens as a result of these messages, don’t count on it for any action.
  5. Nobody will ever return a phone call.  Even the occasional reliable-sounding person at the company will not return a phone call.  Do not accept that as a final resolution to a problem.  Don’t bother to leave voice mail messages, these never elicit replies.  This is probably related to #1 above.
  6. The web site appears to be helpful but will never have information other than “Pending – check back later”.  Do not count on that for any useful information.

 

The highest level contact I could find in Luggage Services is

Pete Hertzke

P.O. Box 1139

St. Paul Minn 55111

SOME LINKS.  Other folks’ stories.  We’re not alone.

http://www.phaster.com/northwest_sucks/ .  Luggage damaged in February, Northwest sends compensation on April 24th.