Sophie Morgan of Loose Women fought back tears after she claimed British Airways staff broke her £8,000 wheelchair for the second time after a flight to LA on Saturday.
The 38-year-old disability campaigner, who is paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident aged 18, said on her Instagram that she was “absolutely f***ing furious.”
Filming from arrivals, she said to the camera, ‘British Airways broke my Batec [battery-powered attachment]. I arrived at the airport and it worked’.
“Now I’ve reunited with it from the back of the plane and it’s not working.”
Batec is a handcycle that can be connected to traditional wheelchairs to make it motorized and help disabled people travel more freely.
Emotion: Loose woman Sophie Morgan, 38, fought back tears after claiming British Airways staff broke her wheelchair after a flight to LA on Saturday
Furious: The disability campaigner, who is paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident aged 18, took to her Instagram and said she was ‘absolutely f***ing furious’
An emotional Sophie continued: ‘[The wheelchair has] some electrical glitch, it won’t connect when i turn the key and what does that tell you? It’s been abused.’
“I honestly don’t think I can take much more of this. I was just told that I had to submit another complaint via the website’.
“Fortunately, I know that’s not what I have to do. I haven’t slept, I’m dead tired.’
Before adding, “It happened again. British Airways, you broke my Batec. I’m actually speechless.’
In a statement to MailOnline, BA said: ‘We are truly sorry for our customer’s experience and we are in direct contact with her to resolve the issue as we investigate what happened’.
It comes after Sophie told her to “send an email” when she complained about the same issue back in January.
After claiming British Airways damaged her seat after “clamping it in the hold” on a flight from Los Angeles to London Heathrow.
They had attached the chair to the battery-operated attachment without permission and untrained personnel were unable to take them apart, leaving her terrified that she would get stuck without the chair.
Unbelievable: she filmed from arrivals and said to the camera, ‘British Airways broke my Batec [(battery-powered attachment]. I arrived at the airport and it worked’
Heartbreak: She said, “I honestly don’t think I can take much more of this. I was just told to file another complaint through the website’ (Sophie pictured in May)
When they disconnected the chair from the battery it had to be put back together which damaged it and as she later found out the light was also broken. broken.
TV star Sophie said on Instagram: ‘Landed at Heathrow with a bang.
‘Someone – no one took responsibility – decided to strap my wheelchair and my batec (battery-powered attachment) while I was on the road (they were checked in separately, in two parts, loosely) and they did a) without permission and b) COMPLETELY WRONG!!!
“It took over half an hour to “break them apart”, all the while I had to sit in an aisle seat that was NOT safe and I didn’t know if I would be able to get back into my seat.
“Eventually they took them apart and I climbed back into my chair and put the batec back on, but it’s not safe to use. Then I discovered more damage.’
She said the customer service she experienced after this was completely unacceptable.
‘And what did BRITISH AIRWAYS! make me do? Send an email through the website.
Shocking: Sophie was confined to a wheelchair after suffering a T6 spinal cord injury in 2003, which resulted in paralysis from the chest down at age 18
‘This has got to stop!’: It comes after Sophie told her to ‘send an email’ when she complained about the same issue in January
‘This has to stop. Thousands of seats are damaged by airlines every year. It’s #JustPlaneWrong.”
Sophie filmed a video showing her literally shaking because she was afraid she might not be able to get back into the chair she relies on.
A British Airways spokesperson told MailOnline: “We are very sorry for Sophie’s experience and we are urgently investigating what happened.
“We have been in contact with Sophie to offer our sincerest apologies and to resolve the matter with her directly.
“We transport hundreds of thousands of customers each year who require additional assistance and we work hard to assist and support them throughout the journey.
“It’s hugely disheartening when something goes wrong and we don’t underestimate the impact. We are committed to making sure we deliver a consistently great service, and will be working closely with Sophie and our dedicated accessibility teams to discuss how we can continue to make improvements to ensure a great flying experience for everyone.”
London-based campaigner Sophie has had a host of impressive projects, including presenting Channel 4’s TV coverage of the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.