The ordeal began when I was stranded in Seattle for over 48 hours due to a union strike grounding all WS planes. Stuck in an international country with no compensation, communication or support added significant stress. Eventually, I began my journey home, but what should have been a relief turned into another upsetting experience during my flight from Calgary.
I carried a small backpack as my personal item, containing essentials for a two-night trip. It was accepted without issue on all prior flights, including the connection from Seattle to Calgary. I did not pay for a personal item bag on the flight, because I did not have one. I had a half empty backpack well under the size limits for a carry-on. However, at the gate in Calgary, an agent rudely stopped me, insisting I pay $84, claiming my bag was a carry-on, despite it clearly meeting personal item size guidelines.
I explained my situation, highlighting that I was late returning home due to the strike, and my bag had been accepted without issue earlier. The agent was dismissive, charged me more than the listed fee, sent me to the back of the line (passive aggressive punishment - I didn't get to board after they tagged and charged my bag), and delayed the boarding process by 15 minutes. Passengers behind me voiced their support, noting the agent’s unnecessary actions and offering to claim my bag as their carry-on to avoid further disruption. We were all frustrated and just trying to get home now that flights were running. Our plane landed 20 minutes late because of this incident as he held up the plane. I told the agent I wanted to write a formal complaint to get my money back, and what are the steps to doing that, and he said 'google it'
Once home, I immediately filed a complaint online. Despite multiple follow-up attempts over eight months, WestJet never contacted me. I was finally told after being able to reach someone on the phone that that no action was taken and there would be no accountability. This lack of response was disheartening, especially after such an ordeal.
There was no reimbursement for this bogus $84 I was unfairly charged, and apology or review for the agents actions, nor an explanation for WestJet’s failure to follow up. I hope this complaint highlights the need for better customer service and accountability, as no passenger should endure what I did—especially after facing significant travel disruptions and being trapped outside your home country for three days with no communication. I would have hoped the agents and west jet's priority was to get us all home safely after a stressful period.
I know there are obviously going to be people with bigger problems than mine, and I'm grateful to be able to afford travelling at all, but kindness is free. It's small things like this that give corporations problems because people don't expect to purchase things supporting a business and then be abused by staff, just because they can. To find out Westjet had no interest in even reviewing the incident, and perhaps talking to the staff to ensure a better quality control with customer experience was outright shocking to me. They don't care to hear my story, even though I have photographic evidence backing everything I have said (the agent, my empty bag under the size limit, my bag clearly being under the size of the bag checker they had there, etc).