A reader is seeking compensation from Dragonair after his $10,000 Compaq Presario laptop was damaged in an overhead compartment when a late-arriving passenger pushed his luggage into it with the assistance of a flight attendant during a flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong in October.
'I couldn't work without a computer while waiting for this issue to be settled so I purchased a less expensive model, a desktop, which cost me $8,600 so my out-of-pocket expenses at this point are $8,600,' he wrote. 'That's the tangible element. The intangibles run from the loss of data and extreme inconvenience.
'This has caused me a lot of needless stress. I also think that [a Dragonair officer] handling this was less than professional. I specifically do not appreciate her attitude that her decision was final and that I had no right to appeal to a higher authority.'
Dragonair has refused to accept responsibility for the damage but agreed to offer him an upgrade the next time he travels with the airline as a goodwill gesture. It has also apologised for a delay in response to his complaint.
'Unfortunately, it is impossible for us to verify the cause of the damage,' it said in a statement. 'If an item is damaged by another passenger, our staff will help facilitate an exchange of personal details for settlement between them. 'We do sympathise with [the passenger's] situation, and that is why the case was brought to the attention of our director, customer services. He has reviewed the case and offered an upgrade on a future flight with us to demonstrate our goodwill.
'We would like to apologise for the time it took initially to respond to him. Communication with our customers is an area on which we place great importance, and the seriousness with which we view this was reflected by the fact that a senior member of our management called him personally. This case highlighted one particular area where we needed to do better. Steps have been taken to ensure this in future.'
A couple paid $6.18 million for a luxury unit in September last year at No 1 Beacon Hill, Kowloon Tong, built by developer Cheung Kong, but their move-in was delayed for one year and an independent contractor listed seven pages of defects. These include a faulty sliding door to the balcony, sink plugs and the main door.