How Ethiopian airline lost my luggage and refused to pay compensation - Nigerian Student

Dear Adeola, I want to use this medium to tell you my experience with Ethiopian airline. l will appreciate it very much if you can help me tell the world the injustice this airline did to me, and they are refusing to pay me compensation.

I am a post graduate Nigerian student studying in South Africa and l come home often because my family is still in Nigeria, l boarded Ethiopian Airline from Durban, South Africa to Nigeria on July17, 2016. We arrived Lagos International Airport on monday 18th of july, 2016.

On arrival, about 20persons including me had one of our luggage missing, the Airline staff later apologized that a cargo plane will bring all the missing luggage the next day. We filled forms for missing luggage. l live in Benin City, Edo state, but l had to look for hotel and slept over in lagos.

The next day when l got to the airport, the cargo  plane brought some bags, but three of us did not see our luggage. l was told to come the next. l did but my luggage still did not come with the ET plane that arrived that wednesday, the 20th. l had to fill some other forms and l was told that if the bag arrived they would give me a call so l left for Benin city.

After three weeks precisely, l got a call from Ethiopian airline customer care, asking me the content of my bag. Again l listed all the things l could remember, and they told me they have found my bag they will send me a mail to come for collection. After two days l got mail that l should come and collected my luggage. 

When l got to the airport, they gave me a wrong bag which was not mine, at this time  l ran out patience, l started shouting at the airport and l went to report them to NCAA, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. They told me to come back the next day. l slept over in lagos again.When l returned the next day, they gave me compensation form to fill, nobody mention to me l should fill damage luggage form.

l returned back to Benin city feeling very bitter. l hired a lawyer, wrote them several mails, they never replied. My lawyer stated categorically that even if they bring the bag intact they will still pay for damages.

It took Ethiopian airways five weeks, precisely 23rd of august to call me that they have seen my bag and l should come and claim it. Meanwhile, my return date back to SA was 25th of August, so l waited till 24th a day to my departure, l arrived lagos to pick the bag and my husb took it to Benin city.

 On arrival at the airport , when l saw my luggage it was badly damaged, l refused to open it, l took a picture of the damage, and l told the baggage staff that unless they call their senior staff in charge to be a witness, l will not touch the bag. So they went and called the lady, and l showed her the damaged bag before l opened it. 

They told me to go their office to make some complains and issue them the letter my lawyer gave me for them to acknowledge. The secretary wanted to write a voucher of N15,000 for me, l refused to collect the money. This was the money they were supposed to give on arrival when my baggage was missing for hotel bill.

Adeola, this is total injustice, now they are claiming l did not fill damaged bag form, l only filled compensation form, they will not pay for  damages. l have written again to NCAA, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority no reply and some few things were missing in the bag.

Please, help me shout out to the world for this injustice, all my hotel bills, transportation to Lagos twice, they are saying they will not pay. 

Adeola, it is only Nigerian citizens that are treated like this even in their own country. l have been in South Africa for two years, nobody dare treat a South African citizen like this.

How long will this continue in our country. Please l want justice.

Edwina .O.Uzunuigbe