Ba Data Theft

[Arrods]

I was affected by last year’s BA data theft. I didn’t lose any money through fraud, but it caused me a lot of time and inconvenience cancelling credit cards, changing passwords and contacting various other suppliers that had saved details relating to this financial information.

At the time, I had no wish to sign up with those firms offering no-win, no fee to ‘start’ a claim (though in the small print they’ll charge 35% of any compensation); instead I merely asked BA as a matter of goodwill to provide 3 complimentary upgrades on our forthcoming flight meals – a matter of about £50. ‘Sorry, no can do’ they replied.

The High Court have apparently recently approved a class action against BA for distress, inconvenience etc. I don’t particularly wish to sign up with the law firms so any suggestions as to alternatives? I’ve since discovered that Ombudsmen awards for less inconvenience than I suffered, even at the low (moderate) end, can be as much as £500 per case. I’m not sure about the small claims court as an option – e.g. how do I put a figure on inconvenience etc? Or should I await the outcome of the class action and take it from there perhaps? Comments very much welcome.