Omniserv Omdömen 75

Totally disorganised and failing to their disabled customers badly. One lady actually missed her long haul fight.
I was left for ages having got off the bus at terminal five, and felt faint because it was so long since I had eaten. I had left time for me to have a meal at Heathrow before progressing to Manchester. After telling them they would have to scrape me off the floor and get an ambulance about three times I eventually was transferred to the waiting room at T5. I asked how long I had to get a meal and was told ten minutes even though my gate was not even on the board. Still no time to get a meal! They kept telling me this for about two hours until it was five minutes before my gate closed and still no assistance! At the last minute it turned up and I was dumped off the buggy at the gate just as the last passenger was about to board. No wheelchair to get me down the ramp! The BA staff phoned for chair at least twice but none turned up. The plane was waiting for me. In the end the checkin lady carried my bags and I hobbled after her onto the plane. The tension and distress this caused me made me feel quite ill.
This service is an apallng disgrace to Heathrow airport and caused a lot of distress not only to me but to other vulnerable custmers as well.

I was flying home from America after having emergency surgery the week before, I'd been working in the states for over three months and was looking forward to seeing my family at arrivals. We had booked a wheelchair for both departure and arrival. When I arrived at JFK a wheelchair arrived within 10 minutes and took me to Virgin's clubhouse. I had to get off the plane last as I couldn't carry my backpack. When I arrived off the plane I had to walk quite a far way to get to wheelchair assistance. When I arrived no wheelchair! Every wheelchair that came I was told wasn't for me. After 5 minutes I gave up and started walking, however after 5 minutes of walking I was in so much pain I broke down. Fortunately the amazing flight attendants from Virgin stopped and tried to help, ringing people and asking for assistance. However still every wheelchair that came past wasn't for me. Finally a wheelchair came and despite the women saying it wasn't for me, the flight attendants managed to persuade her to let me use the wheelchair. She transferred me to a buggy, 5 minutes later. However it dropped me off before baggage collection. They said they'd have someone pick me up in 5 minutes. 45 minutes later a man with a wheelchair turns up, I ask if the wheelchair is for me, he said it hadn't been requested but that he could take me. Nearly 2 hours after I arrived I saw my family. It's horrendous how this company treats people. If people have a long haul flight and have booked assistance they should get assistance. It was an awful ordeal I saw my family for the first time in months stressed out and upset. Omniserv completely ruined my experience.

I am a regular user of the passenger with reduced mo I lift (PRM) service commissioned by Ryanair at Stansted Airport.
In my experience the departing passenger service is usually very good, barring the one time when they forgot to return to the boarding gate to collect me and take me to the aircraft. On that occasion the flight despatched helped me down to get escalator and to board the plane.

The arriving passenger service has in the past 2 months degenerated into a farce! I along with several other passengers have been abandoning on entry for not the terminal. Before passport control due to a lack of Omniserve staff. No information, no help, nothing.
The longest wait was 49 minutes.

I have looked at the other reviews and mine is quite, quite different!

I had booked my flights Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Karup and asked my travel agent if it was possible to get assistance, he assured me I could.

From start to finish I had excellent help, just a little hiccup when I got to Copenhagen and had to take another flight to Karup. I was placed and told to wait in a waiting area and I did. The time seemed to be passing, I was no longer in the wheelchair so I decided to go to the gate, When I showed my boarding pass I was informed they had been looking for me and had even called me. I did in fact here Ann but they pronounced my surname (Wille-Jørgensen) completely wrong, so I wasn't sure!

Anyway, in Edinburgh (it was around lunchtime) I waited for someone to collect me and along came the nicest, most polite young man I have met in a long time. His name is ROBBIE NEWTON (not sure of the surname,it was in his own handwriting. He told me during one of our chats that he was getting married in August and we generally chatted. I felt cared for completely and I asked for this address so that I could write a survey.

I would very much like it if you could pass my regards on to Robbie and wish him every success for the future. He clearly loves his job and is very proud of what he does. Give him my thanks please. Thank you.

Ann Wille-Jørgensen, MBE - British but living in Denmark

Thank you for your help.

Horrible Horrible service!!! They are so rude! They did not allow my mom to go with my 83 year grandfather who was being assisted by them on the wheel chair. They left him all alone at the wrong boarding gate and my mom went on her own to the right one. My mom had to get off the flight and then hunt for my grandfather. These guys didn't even have any clue on where he had been left. Then they left them again. I have had to keep coordinating with them all the way from US to get them to respond. The only sensible person they have is Mr. Mustafa, the duty incharge. He still cared a bit. But my family has been stranded at the airport for 12 hours now!!! After several follow ups, they have now been taken to the hotel. Please ensure that the wheelchair service you get at the airport is not with these guys otherwise it will be a mad hunt and chase for your family and ensuring their safety and well being.

As a previous reviewer said they should be given no stars or negative!
My parents were flying from Manchester to heathrow (t5) then onto Calgary to visit myself and my family on 19th December last year for a family Christmas. My dad was 83 and was not in very good health (breathing problems etc) my mum requested special assistance when she booked the flight with BA as he was barely able to walk a few feet due to shortness of breath. When they arrived at LHR he was taken by wheelchair to the special assistance place where they showed their boarding cards then were told to return there at 2.15 (they wanted to get something to eat so mum pushed him in the wheelchair), they returned as advised and were then put in an electronic buggy along with another man - the other man was dropped off then my parents were taken to gate C61 and the driver dropped them off and said "go down there" thinking it was just a short walk to the gate they started to walk - we have since found out that this is the longest walk to a gate in the whole of heathrow! My poor dad was so out of breath and kept having to stop, my mum was trying to help him, while struggling with both hers and his carry on baggage - nobody came to assist! Finally somehow they arrived at the gate, my dad had to be brought a chair as he was so out of breath - once on the plane he got up to go to the toilet and my mum followed just in case -,he barely made it there but did, he then had to be given oxygen as he was so ill. The steward on BA said they never should have been left to walk and there is a wheelchair strapped to the back of every buggy. Anyway they arrived with me in Calgary Thursday evening and dad looked terrible - he could barely get himself out of bed for the next 2 days - on Saturday night he went upstairs to bed, my mum followed to check on him and what happened next turned into the worst night of our lives - he collapsed on the floor, we called paramedics who tried to revive him but he died of a heart attack right in front of us - so that was the end of our special family Christmas together! We are convinced that that walk put a huge strain on his heart. I relayed all this to BA and after a few emails was told they would make sure thus didn't happen again to someone else - I wanted to take this further so they passed it to omniserv - I did get a phone call from Gary Oakes who is the T5 omniserv manager who said he was taking this very seriously and meeting with H&S to discuss and that I should deal by email with Kay Harris - I was emailing get every few days and getting replies saying she would let me know what was happening etc. Then after a few weeks these stopped and I carried on emailing and have had no response whatsoever! I am absolutely disgusted by this and would really like to contact a lawyer to sue this dreadful company whom disabled customers rely on "providing "legendary service" to those passengers who request special assistance" Ernest Patterson - chairman - just to quote one of his ridiculous lying statements! If anybody reading this has had any experience with a lawyer regarding this terrible company I would appreciate you contacting me.

Party of six, 89 and 87 year old ladies with reduced mobility and dementia. 79 and 67 year old gentlemen, myself 62 and Granddaughter 11 travelling from Edinburgh to Malta return, with Ryanair.
When booking I requested special assistance for the two ladies with mobility issues through the airport and onto the aircraft. Ryanair confirmed this in an email and allocated the party row 32, the second to last row, close to the rear door for both outbound and inbound flights. To speed us through the airport I only had cabin baggage for everyone.
On arrival at the airport we went to the special assistance desk and awaited attendants to come and assist. Initially they wanted to take one of the ladies off on her own whilst we waited for another assistant. I refused to allow this as neither would be happy or capable of coping without family member present. Another assistant then arrived and we were taken to check in ( I had already checked in online but they insisted we do so again This we did only to be told that there was no need for us to have queued and done so again.) They allowed myself and granddaughter to remain with the ladies but sent my husband and Uncle off in a different direction, struggling with the ladies bags. This caused problems for them at check in and security explaining why they were carrying bags for other people. After passing through security the party was reunited. I wanted to purchase cold drinks for everyone and was told to catch up with the rest at the departure gate.
My husband and Uncle were sent onto the aircraft whilst myself and GD stayed with the ladies. We were taken onto the ambilift in the wheelchairs and joined two walking clients. On the way I overheard a conversation between one of the assistants and the driver regarding which door to use. I heard one of them say “ Doesn’t matter, you choose” I interrupted and explained the two ladies cannot walk far and are seated at the rear of the plane, so they took the lift to the FRONT! The other two clients were mobile and had no bother getting to their seats, whilst Mum and Auntie had to slowly make their way down the length of the very crowded plane with people still putting luggage into overhead lockers, removing coats etc. I had to carry their handbags, walking sticks and drinks. Both ladies felt they were holding everyone up and were upset and exhausted by the time we reached the seats at the other end of the plane. I asked the cabin crew why the ambilift had used the front door, when the clients with mobility problems were seated at the rear and was told the crew had expected the rear door to be used, but they had no control over Omniserv staff. Not a great start to our holiday. On arrival in Malta the lift came to the rear door and we disembarked without issue and had very helpful staff assist us through the airport to our waiting car.
On our return flight I asked the Maltese assistant if he could ensure the lift went to the rear door. He looked a little bemused and said Ryanair always use the rear door. I explained that in Edinburgh we had been forced to use the front door and he found this very strange. We were taken quickly to our seats and settled in for the flight.
When we arrived at Edinburgh the cabin crew asked us all to remain seated whilst the other passengers disembarked and the lift was brought alongside. This we did along with another gentleman who was very disabled and could not walk. He was travelling with his mother. He was about 6’2” tall and heavily built, due, he told me, to being wheelchair bound. He had crutches to allow him to transfer between seats.
We waited and waited. After 45 mins. sitting in the now cold plane, with cleaners working around us and stores being brought on, the new crew, waiting to load the next flight to Malaga, told us to make our way to the front of the plane! I explained that this was going to be a problem due to severe mobility issues and he said the crew would help with the bags! When I asked why the rear door was not being used he shrugged. It took nearly 10 minutes for us to make our way down the plane. My Auntie had to stop three times to catch her breath and was very shaky by the time we got to the front. My Mum thought there was a problem and that we would be going down the emergency slide! The gentleman had to be put into the very narrow on board chair and pushed the length of the plane with his knees bumping into every seat! The crew had sent my Husband, Uncle and Granddaughter off and into the terminal whilst I was helping the ladies. The cabin crew had said they would help with the baggage, which they did, however they left me with four carry on suitcases, three handbags, two walking sticks and two very upset ladies. It was raining heavily and the bridge between the lift and aircraft was wet and slippery causing worry for the ladies. On the lift there was only one wheelchair which my Auntie was put in. I was told to seat mum on one of the seats and fasten the seatbelt for her. We waited whilst other chairs were brought and the gentleman was transferred from the on-board one to a proper sized one. I asked why the rear doors were not used but the operators just shrugged. I explained that due to the muddle on exit I had been left with all the bags and was told it was not their job to lift or carry luggage, so on exit each lady had to have a suitcase, walking stick and handbag on their laps whilst I struggled with the rest.
By the time we were reunited and got out of the airport we found our taxi, having waited for over an hour, had assumed we had not got on the flight and had left the airport. Due to the size of our party we needed the 8 seater we had booked so had to wait for it to return through the very heavy traffic. The ladies were getting very cold, despite the fact that they were wearing thick jumpers and winter coats, so I had to take them to the toilets situated in the car park entrance to find them extra jumpers to put on. We stayed in the loos for some time as I could keep the hand dryers blowing warm air onto them. It was bitter cold that evening, and felt more so as we had left a very hot Malta that morning. The taxi arrived after 25 minutes and we started for home.
This whole experience was very traumatic, not only for the ladies who now have no wish to travel by air again, despite the obvious benefits of a holiday in the sun, but also for the rest of the party who had tried to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible. My husband suffered an angina attack, a very rare occurrence, whilst trying to hurry to the pickup point.
I was a travel agent for many years and spent a great deal of time researching to make sure everything was covered to ensure a relaxing holiday for my family, and feel badly let down by the operators who are supposed to be professional and competent, not incompetent and dangerous!
I have been told by a person working for Omniserv that since securing the contract for Edinburgh on 10th March 2016 they have laid off staff, changed shift patterns and of the three ambilifts at the airport only two are working!
The only reason I booked what was to be a challenging holiday was the fact that everything ran so smoothly last May when I traveled the same journey, just with one less person and this gave me confidence. I will check who provides special assistance and avoid anywhere that Omniserv operate.

Agree with all the other very poor reviews on here. Below is the text of an email my Mother had to send to LHR Customer Care twice - and still no response! So not only does Omniserv not care, nor does LHR Customer Care.

I wish to make a strong complaint regarding the treatment I received over the supply of wheelchairs at Heathrow on both the above dates. I am an elderly passenger and unable to walk very far, so booked a wheelchair for both my outbound and inbound flights.

On 19th Jan, on the outbound flight, I was informed I would have to wait half an hour or more for an agent to appear with a wheelchair, otherwise I could walk with a free agent and group across the floor and take up a position with a trolley bus which was totally full when it arrived. I then proceeded to walk right across the airport floor to the gate area to await the boarding of the aircraft. So no assistance there!

On 17Feb there was NO chair at all awaiting my arrival at the aircraft and I was made to wait a further 10 minutes until one arrived. 2 minutes later I was disgorged and told to wait for another wheelchair to come and pick me up, then a trolley bus, then another wheelchair which finally took me to baggage reclaim. Your staff were also unhelpful and unsympathetic. This whole procedure took about 40 minutes after all other passengers had gone home !

These two instances were totally inexcusable, not to mention very stressful, and I am putting in this strong complaint for your reaction and consideration of your future handling of passenger assistance

I am writing in regards to the bad experience occured by my parents enroute to Hyderabad from USA.My parents are all senior citizens with lot of difficulty walking.They were requested WheelChairs.They were given lot of comfort while in USA but were very much unhappy at the connecting airport in London. We never expected this behavior from your personal at airport
Iwas told that they were asked to go from one place to another for checking without wheelchair
Their carryon luggage was checked for no reason.Their carryon luggage passes inspection with no difficulty in USA and was wondering what you all different from USA.I had high expectations from British Airways.With this experience I would explore with other airlines which give high regards and comforts to Senior Citizens
Why Heathrow airport continues renewing contract with OmniServ when they cannot serve Senior Citizens with comforts they deserve in this world.

In August 2015 I was booked onto a flight at LHR T5 and a connecting flight at GLA. I had arranged assistance with Omniserv, after checking in in good time, my wheelchair failed to arrive. I waited so long and the BA staff called for the wheelchair 3 times but I was left sitting alone, I missed the flight AND my connecting flight. Omniserv have failed to reimburse me, and are not responding to my communications. We have sought legal counsel now.

My experience was at Heathrow T5 on 22/08/15. The 'assistance' area was understaffed, had absolutely no adequate process to deal with those who had booked assistance, had staff that were either incompetent and/or just plain rude, and basically ignored those whose care had been placed under their responsibility. I found the whole experience highly embarassing as (being an international airport) it represented the UK in a very bad light. The service from BA was superb, and it is highly dissapointing to have this erased by the overwhelmingly poor service provided by Omniserv. I would recommend that people do not trust this service to look after their loved-ones.

My family and my 2 elderly relatives in their 80s were treated with the ultimate disrespect by the senior management of Omniserv (especially by Elaine Davis) based at LHR Terminal 2 on 27th May 2015. Despite having pre-booked and reconfirmed the wheelchair assistance to my elderly relatives in advance and also arriving at the airport with sufficient time for the flight, the Omniserv staff at the main Omniserv desk @ LHR Terminal 2 made basic mistakes and never produced the wheelchairs and helpers on time and therefore my elderly relatives missed their flight which implicated in our family spending not only extra time at the airport (extra 5 hours) but also spending extra money on various expenses (snacks, car park, etc) and also my relatives could not take their medicines on time as their luggage with the medicines had been sent away by the airline and this also implicated that they could not have their meals on time (due to health reasons they have special dietary requirements). The reaction of Omniserv was very casual with a 'sorry' that was not convincing and when we asked to talk to the senior managers the same casual response was given to us and basically they expected us to pick up all the pieces of their mistakes - literally we were expected to pay for the 'luxury' of being inconvenience. After a lot of to and fros, their manager Elaine Davis agreed to cover some of our extra expenses generated by their own mistakes but for that we had to discuss the case for hours and my sister even fainted with so much tension. The airline TAP was very understanding and agreed to book the next flight to my elderly relatives for free and they even told the managers of Omniserv that their company should have picked up all these costs after all they had made a crucial mistake. We also noticed, it seemed that that happened to our relatives, apparently had happened to at least 7 elderly passengers on that day! We saw a long queue of elderly people waiting for their help and Omniserv only moved them out of the waiting area when we started complaining about our case. We even witnessed a daughter bringing her elderly mother with 1.30 hrs in advance to catch her flight and the Omniserv representatives were already telling her that she would probably miss her flight. This company is ill-equipped to provide this type of service to an airport such Heathrow. We totally agree with the previous bad reviews of this company - their staff is not well-trained to deal with people who need their assistance, the level of service is unprofessional and not compatible to LHR. We would like this type of situation not to be repeated with anyone else as my elderly relatives were lucky we were there with them and there were no language barriers and we could make it clear how dissatisfied we were with their treatment towards us all. No one considered that each person in that waiting room who had mobility problems had plans arranged on the other side (destination) like people waiting for them or a taxi/ Nobody remembered to offer them a drink? Assistance for a toilet break? Food? Medicine? My elderly relatives (and us their family) had to be stuck at LHR for another 5 hours but we were there to make our voice heard. How about the others? This can no longer happen in a British Airport in 21st century!

almost every staff member was surly and unhelpful. We were given incorrect information regarding departure times and gates, told off for taking too long to locate passes and pushed down a ramp at Glasgow so fast that I was genuinely scared. I told one chap my husband was recovering from a heart attack so would he please slow down. His response was 'he's fine'. An altogether unpleasant experience as if being disabled weren't bad enough.

I am not alone in noticing the appalling decline in levels of assistance provided to people, particularly elderly, who need assistance when disembarking at Heathrow. This, if one looks on the internet, is due to many of the services in Heathrow being outsourced to a Company called “Omniserv”, the European arm of “AirServ Corporation”.

Interestingly enough, I have been unable to find any positive reviews of this company.

I will write to them, but I fully expect the to receive a version of the anodyne statements from management that are typical of modern organisations with overpaid PR departments and underpaid staff – such as the company mission's statement:

"We are a 'People Company' and have always believed a satisfied customer is the result of well valued and rewarded members of staff."
- Ernest Patterson, Chairman, OmniServ Ltd

On several occasions my 94 year old mother, who when arriving at Heathrow Business Class, was only met after a 30 minute delay, was then shunted to a waiting area with 30 other passengers, where she would have had to wait another 45 minutes while the 3 or so staff actually working shuffled mobility challenged passengers through immigration and customs.

Fortunately, she can walk with difficulty, and managed to make her way, but I did find it quite disturbing to have her burst into tears when I met her.

This is in complete contrast to services as they used to be, and the care and attention given her by Air Canada. Her complaints to Air Canada were met with incredible sympathy and sadness because the ground crew meeting passengers was no longer connected to the airline.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a choice of service when we arrive at Heathrow.

I will write to Heathrow, Omniserv, and in order to escalate the process, my local MP, Panorama and various newspapers who thrive on exposing dodgy disrespectful business practices.

Tim Holt