An Edinburgh flyer has spoken about her 'hellish' battle to get compensation from Aer Lingus after the airline lost her luggage on a trip to Dublin.
Lindsay Crawford was forced to fork out £300 for clothes and supplies when her suitcase vanished on a holiday from Edinburgh to Ireland in March.
Lindsay added that one Aer Lingus worker simply told her to 'go to Primark' after complaining about her lost luggage.
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The Daily Record report that the 38-year-old spent the last three months trying to get through to the company and compensation for the 'nightmare' she has faced, with her case still missing and containing up to £1600 worth of person belongings.
She labelled their compensation policy a "total joke" before the airline finally confirmed they will pay out.
However, although the airline said they will give Lindsay compensation, she claims that the spoken amount does not cover the entire cost of her lost luggage or the extra £300 she had to spend on emergency clothes and supplies.
Lindsay told the Record: "I have been going through hell with Aer Lingus. I have been waiting since March for my luggage to be found but it's lost.
"When I arrived in Dublin with my boyfriend Andrew, I was told my suitcase wasn't there.
"There was only computer system there to make a claim and when I eventually managed to find someone, the representative's reply was, 'just go to Primark'!
"When we got to the hotel I received confusing calls. They were saying they'd found my luggage and then the next minute they were still tracing it.
"It never did turn up so I had to spend a lot of money getting clothes, underwear, toiletries as I had nothing. It completely ruined the whole weekend".
When Lindsay arrived back in Edinburgh, she submitted a claim with all the items that had been lost in her suitcase, but Aer Lingus said they would need proof of purchase.
Lindsay continued: "They were refusing to compensate me without any receipts. I didn't have receipts for my clothes I bought a year or two ago - who does?
"It's completely unreasonable to ask customers to provide that.
"There was no one to call or email, everything is just done through a form. I left my phone number numerous times but I never heard anything.
"I received one email telling me they’d only reimburse half of my case contents if I provided receipts or itemised bank statements!
"I spent hours going through my old bank statements trying to find all my items. It eventually totalled to £1600.
"This week they confirmed they would compensate me but it's capped at £1387. I won't get a penny back for having to spend £300 on emergency clothes and toiletries.
"I've had to fight for this compensation and I genuinely believe they think people will just get bored of trying and give up.
"It's just awful customer service when it's their fault that your luggage is lost in the first place."
An Aer Lingus spokesperson said: "Regrettably, in this instance we have been unable to locate Ms Crawford’s baggage and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.
"Maximum liability under the Montreal Convention has been offered (£1,387) and any outstanding costs incurred would need to be submitted to Ms Crawford’s travel insurance provider.
"On this occasion as a gesture of goodwill we will also issue a travel voucher for the value of £150 for use towards future flights."
