Need help! Customs detained took claim check, lost bag!
Sep 23, 2016, 6:56 pm
#16
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OP here: thanks, you all have been great.
#1: No more MIA entry! Lesson learned.
#2: Photo of luggage and baggage claim ticket is a must.
#3: Always use a credit card with baggage delay benefits when booking all travel expenses. The one time she didn't use the Chase Preferred and the one time she bought the low-end trip insurance was the one time that her baggage was delayed (and now, going on day four, appears lost).
#1: No more MIA entry! Lesson learned.
#2: Photo of luggage and baggage claim ticket is a must.
#3: Always use a credit card with baggage delay benefits when booking all travel expenses. The one time she didn't use the Chase Preferred and the one time she bought the low-end trip insurance was the one time that her baggage was delayed (and now, going on day four, appears lost).
Finally, it helps to sometimes just go down to the airport. More then once I've been told my bags couldn't be found, went down to the airport, and they were sitting right in the bag holding room.
Sep 23, 2016, 7:15 pm
#17
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99% of this is just a question of sorting this out tomorrow. The chances that the bag is truly lost are slim and that won't happen for 21 days. In the meantime:
1. Return to MIA tomorrow as requested. See anyone at the TAP counter during business hours. The baggage claim tag is useful but not necessary. Any TAP agent can pull up the tag number with your daughter's name, date of travel, and flight number or PNR. It may be helpful to photo or write that number down in future, but it's hardly necessary and frankly the TAP agent with whom you spoke in Portugal could easily have supplied the number to your daughter (but not to you).
2. That will allow your daughter to file a missing bag report. Chances are that TAP will be able to tell her that the bag is already on its way.
3. There is no reason to head inside the "sterile" CBP zone to find a CBP Officer. There is a CBP office outside the sterile area which you (or anyone) can access. Forget the silliness of purchasing non-refundable tickets, both those don't get you into the sterile arrivals area anyway.
4. If this is a routine problem for your daughter, there is more to this than her missing bag. That is simply a logistical complication.
1. Return to MIA tomorrow as requested. See anyone at the TAP counter during business hours. The baggage claim tag is useful but not necessary. Any TAP agent can pull up the tag number with your daughter's name, date of travel, and flight number or PNR. It may be helpful to photo or write that number down in future, but it's hardly necessary and frankly the TAP agent with whom you spoke in Portugal could easily have supplied the number to your daughter (but not to you).
2. That will allow your daughter to file a missing bag report. Chances are that TAP will be able to tell her that the bag is already on its way.
3. There is no reason to head inside the "sterile" CBP zone to find a CBP Officer. There is a CBP office outside the sterile area which you (or anyone) can access. Forget the silliness of purchasing non-refundable tickets, both those don't get you into the sterile arrivals area anyway.
4. If this is a routine problem for your daughter, there is more to this than her missing bag. That is simply a logistical complication.
Sep 24, 2016, 3:27 pm
#18
Join Date: Feb 2011
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Ugh. I'm my forties now, but encountered a lot of extra scrutiny as a solo traveler in my early 20s. Not sure I have any recommendations to alleviate it except to get older! Never had anything quite this egregious, though.
Best of luck in reclaiming the bag.
Best of luck in reclaiming the bag.
Sep 27, 2016, 6:49 am
#19
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Thank you all for the clear and precise info--we are heading back to the airport now as I type this. 
Question:
Daughter was detained at Passport Control, pulled aside after being asked where her parents were (she is a petite 23 but looks about 14), what tour group she was with (she wasn't, she was traveling solo through Europe), how she could afford to travel (savings and graduation gifts), why was she gone for two months (huh?)....on and on. This was in a room with appx 7-8 "policemen". Her carryons were inspected thoroughly and she was then escorted to Baggage Claim in a separate area behind glass walls and instructed to locate her bag. It wasn't there. The Immigration officer took her baggage claim check and she was told to wait. After a few minutes he returned and told her the bag appeared to be lost in transit. He would not return her baggage claim check. She was then instructed to go to another area and continue the process. This next Immigration official with whom she dealt was more understanding and clearly confused by what had occured; he said he saw no reason why she had been detained. He told my daughter that she would need to return to the airport for the next TAP flight (>24 hours) because her checked bag might be on that flight. In the meantime, she should try to contact TAP via phone, etc.etc.
My daughter is a frequent traveler and has encountered similar problem whenever she travels.
She went to Istanbul 2 years ago as an exchange student with a student visa in her passport, the officials insisted she was Turkish and not American; she was held until her identity could be confirmed. Likewise, when she returns from Latin America (volunteer work) she is pulled aside and questioned, but nothing like yesterday's 2 hour episode.
Is there anything she can do in the future to alleviate this? She has already had her passport re-issued with a new photo in which she looks older than 12! Would Global Entry help? Or, perhaps no longer arriving in Miami?
Question:
Daughter was detained at Passport Control, pulled aside after being asked where her parents were (she is a petite 23 but looks about 14), what tour group she was with (she wasn't, she was traveling solo through Europe), how she could afford to travel (savings and graduation gifts), why was she gone for two months (huh?)....on and on. This was in a room with appx 7-8 "policemen". Her carryons were inspected thoroughly and she was then escorted to Baggage Claim in a separate area behind glass walls and instructed to locate her bag. It wasn't there. The Immigration officer took her baggage claim check and she was told to wait. After a few minutes he returned and told her the bag appeared to be lost in transit. He would not return her baggage claim check. She was then instructed to go to another area and continue the process. This next Immigration official with whom she dealt was more understanding and clearly confused by what had occured; he said he saw no reason why she had been detained. He told my daughter that she would need to return to the airport for the next TAP flight (>24 hours) because her checked bag might be on that flight. In the meantime, she should try to contact TAP via phone, etc.etc.
My daughter is a frequent traveler and has encountered similar problem whenever she travels.
She went to Istanbul 2 years ago as an exchange student with a student visa in her passport, the officials insisted she was Turkish and not American; she was held until her identity could be confirmed. Likewise, when she returns from Latin America (volunteer work) she is pulled aside and questioned, but nothing like yesterday's 2 hour episode.
Is there anything she can do in the future to alleviate this? She has already had her passport re-issued with a new photo in which she looks older than 12! Would Global Entry help? Or, perhaps no longer arriving in Miami?
Avoiding MIA may help, but if she already has previous negative dealings with CBP (which are often notated) then her ATS score may already be at a risk level that requires further scrutiny no matter which POE she uses for the foreseeable future..
Oct 1, 2016, 12:51 pm
#20
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At some point OP has to weigh the hassle and expense of reclaiming a lost bag, versus staying in hotels waiting for it.
Some times stuff gets lost.
It also would not surprise me if the CBP in fact got the bag and decided to keep it for inspection. Hence, keeping the claim slip to make it harder for OP to trace the bag. The CBP by now would have found nothing and to cover their tracks, disposed of the bag.
If it were me, I'd let the bag go. If the CBP calls, tell them they have the claim slip, they can pursue getting the bag. If they want you to pursue getting the bag, then tell them to send the claim slip by courier to its owner. In fact, I would have told the CBP before leaving the airport, that either they give me the claim slip, or the bag is their problem.
Some times stuff gets lost.
It also would not surprise me if the CBP in fact got the bag and decided to keep it for inspection. Hence, keeping the claim slip to make it harder for OP to trace the bag. The CBP by now would have found nothing and to cover their tracks, disposed of the bag.
If it were me, I'd let the bag go. If the CBP calls, tell them they have the claim slip, they can pursue getting the bag. If they want you to pursue getting the bag, then tell them to send the claim slip by courier to its owner. In fact, I would have told the CBP before leaving the airport, that either they give me the claim slip, or the bag is their problem.
Last edited by mre5765; Oct 1, 2016 at 12:57 pm
Oct 1, 2016, 4:59 pm
#21
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At some point OP has to weigh the hassle and expense of reclaiming a lost bag, versus staying in hotels waiting for it.
Some times stuff gets lost.
It also would not surprise me if the CBP in fact got the bag and decided to keep it for inspection. Hence, keeping the claim slip to make it harder for OP to trace the bag. The CBP by now would have found nothing and to cover their tracks, disposed of the bag.
If it were me, I'd let the bag go. If the CBP calls, tell them they have the claim slip, they can pursue getting the bag. If they want you to pursue getting the bag, then tell them to send the claim slip by courier to its owner. In fact, I would have told the CBP before leaving the airport, that either they give me the claim slip, or the bag is their problem.
Some times stuff gets lost.
It also would not surprise me if the CBP in fact got the bag and decided to keep it for inspection. Hence, keeping the claim slip to make it harder for OP to trace the bag. The CBP by now would have found nothing and to cover their tracks, disposed of the bag.
If it were me, I'd let the bag go. If the CBP calls, tell them they have the claim slip, they can pursue getting the bag. If they want you to pursue getting the bag, then tell them to send the claim slip by courier to its owner. In fact, I would have told the CBP before leaving the airport, that either they give me the claim slip, or the bag is their problem.
Oct 8, 2016, 3:02 pm
#22
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Once she checked it in, it becomes her problem. If she refuses to go fill out a claim it's likely she'll be marked as needing 2ndry everytime she comes back. Not wanting to claim a bag once customs is involved looks suspicious. She'll be very sorry for doing what you suggest.
Wanting to spend thousands of dollars in hotel rooms to claim a bag worth a few hundred dollars looks even more suspicious.
Not wanting to chase a bag when customs has made it difficult to do so, just puts the police on notice that she isn't going to play their games. Besides which, the 5th amendment entitles her to not play that game. All the CBP has to do is produce the claim slip. It is so simple.
And no, once she checked the bag in, it became the problem of the carrier.
Oct 8, 2016, 5:24 pm
#23
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It appears that the OP found the "tell *** to pound ***" posts as unhelpful as they were and cross-posted.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...l#post27299260
Bottom line is that the bag never showed up.
Answer is that for all the silliness in this thread about wagging fingers at CBP for the claim check, it's not necessary. TAP, just like other carriers can take a claim and can match the bag tag based on the ticket #, PNR, passenger's name and likely other data point.
For OP's daughter, there isn't much to be done besides claim the cash due under the Montreal Convention. That will be fair market value of the bag + contents up to a maximum of approx. $1,650. Apparently the daughter kept receipts and knows what things cost.
The answer to the OP's question posed in the cross-post regarding whether anybody is looking for the bag is a resounding no. It is simply that the bag is in WorldTracer and if it hasn't been stolen or destroyed, it is sitting on a cart somewhere in the world and sooner or later it will get matched up in WorldTracer and make its way back to the daughter.
But, at this point, it's unlikely to be find. Apparently the daughter wants the items more than the cash, but that's just not possible.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...l#post27299260
Bottom line is that the bag never showed up.
Answer is that for all the silliness in this thread about wagging fingers at CBP for the claim check, it's not necessary. TAP, just like other carriers can take a claim and can match the bag tag based on the ticket #, PNR, passenger's name and likely other data point.
For OP's daughter, there isn't much to be done besides claim the cash due under the Montreal Convention. That will be fair market value of the bag + contents up to a maximum of approx. $1,650. Apparently the daughter kept receipts and knows what things cost.
The answer to the OP's question posed in the cross-post regarding whether anybody is looking for the bag is a resounding no. It is simply that the bag is in WorldTracer and if it hasn't been stolen or destroyed, it is sitting on a cart somewhere in the world and sooner or later it will get matched up in WorldTracer and make its way back to the daughter.
But, at this point, it's unlikely to be find. Apparently the daughter wants the items more than the cash, but that's just not possible.