Help: Need # for the Delta PIT airport station manager (see inside, negative exp.)
 

Hi all, happy new year!

I regret that I need to have my first posting for 2011 with a negative impression. But, the last flight of the year was not amazing...

I redeposited my suitcase at PIT post immigration and customs. While it was in the possession of delta, someone opened the suitcase, moved a lot of equipment around, moved stuff from its sealed containers, broke two of them, and created a lot of mess... virtually opened almost, if not all, zippers, straps, etc. in the suitcase. It was clearly a human "touch' involved, and it was detailed to a level of an attempt to search for something in the bag (money? stuff?). It was not the TSA. There was no TSA card (I checked it per request of delta's diamond desk, that was the first thing they asked for in an attempt to remove themselves from responsibility, see the rest of the story), I need the Tel# because I found it only when I got home. When I called the DM line and they've linked me with luggage, I was mistreated to an extreme- I was told, explicitly- not implicitly, that she knows that I have to go back to the airport to file a report, and if I do not like it- or the damage is smaller than the amount of the round trip expenses and my time- it is my problem. She refused to link me to the PIT airport station, and when I asked her if she would be ok with her response forwarded to Richard Anderson, she said- that's fine, this is our policy, I do not care who you'll forward it to. (In a very rude way).

(the agent was Carolyn, last name not given by her- she presented herself as baggage claim diamond desk, and was conferenced into the conversation by a gentleman who claimed to be the DM desk, but did not act like one...)
I asked he for the station contact info and she refused, repeating over and over that I can only submit the complaint at the airport, or submit a complaint at delta.com and the corporate would determine if it will be forwarded to PIT.

I could care less about the 40-50 dollar damage to broken stuff and dry cleaning expenses. I care that someone at the PIT airport is going over pax stuff, and that Delta refuses to link me to them for reporting and resolution. I am also concerned when agents act as if they have something to hide, and refuse to provide me with proper contact information.

If you have a phone number of the delta station at the PIT, or the delta station manager (not the 800 number, but a 412 one) please PM me.

Thanks, and overall- delta was very nice to me in 2010. Too bad that there are few problematic cases that leave very bad taste on an overall good service year.

Good luck.

I once had one of the TSA-keyed locks cut off my checked bag.

Other than laziness, there would have been no reason for TSA to cut the lock.

I ended up in the middle of a finger-pointing contest between DL and TSA, with each side adamantly blaming the other.

I hope your experience is more productive.

Sounds like TSA nonsense to me.

Out of curiosity, how do you know it wasn't meddled with at your origin airport? Did you open it inside the customs area at PIT?

I had a bad experience with the PIT TSA people at the customs security checkpoint on Monday.

They were rude, extremely unprofessional, and confiscated an item that had made it through 4 previous U.S. based TSA checkpoints. In fact, the item (a miniature wooden baseball bat) was even removed and inspected at previous TSA checkpoints and approved with no problem.

Beyond that, this was carry-on luggage, and it's ridiculous that I had to go through security again even though PIT was my final destination.

TSA apparently does not follow standard procedures, because things are handled very differently at different airports.

The TSA has not been reliable on leaving the calling card.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/archive/t-329880.html

As to going through security again, there is a legit reason you have to. You have been able to get non carry on items out of your bag, and you will be airside after clearing customs. [Never flown international into PIT but assume you have to get on the tram after existing customs]

Why can't they just have the checked items go to landside baggage claim for pickup?

After all, I already went through security at CDG at the time. Do we not trust the French security procedures? Maybe not.

It is NOT a TSA issue [Note: neither sticker nor card from the TSA was there. I have a fair reason to believe it is NOT the TSA- at PIT, the rechecked bags are scanned on the spot (on the right side) and the pax go to the left for second security. I had to stand there for a minute to check something with the DL agent and I saw the TSA scanning my bag and the bag leaving TSA area and going to the next point (that is to the baggage area). ]

It is a real, delta station problem. Please let me know if you have contact info at the delta's PIT station. It would be a phone number in area code 412. In the meantime, I have received an email of a person who suppose to belong to the station. But, I need more contact info, if you have such available.

It could be not a TSA card, but a small sticker
 

I had a similar intrusion into my luggage when flew last time BUF-JFK-SAN. Amazingly I didn't lost anything because these guys even didn't close the bag properly and made a lot of mess inside.
I know it was TSA, they attached the small sticker on outside surface of the bag. The idea with stickers is absolutely stupid, my bag was slightly wet and the seal come unstuck when I just touched it.

Damaged Baggage
Good luck with your claim, mine looked like hopeless. Nevertheless, I wrote a general claim on delta.com and got some miles from DL for headache.

I have had the TSA check my backs and not leave a card or sticker or anything. For all you know some TSA or Custom Agent was walking around with a dog sniffing bags and the dog liked your bag.

Since you say nothing was stolen my guess is law enforcement searched your bag.

I would agree it's prob someone from TSA and not from Delta. I have never had a problem with baggage handling at PIT, nor have I spoken to anyone who has.

I would still make Delta very aware however, considering Delta is the only reason there are customs at PIT these days.

DLRoads - rather than pursuing it further, you should just chalk this up as a learning experience. Send a message to Delta, explain your frustration with your bags and your experience on the phone, and leave it at that.

Always, always, always - check your bags before you leave the airport or re-check them at each point. You have very little argument after the fact when you're home, hence why Carolyn was blatantly honest with you regarding the situation. There's too many con-artists out there, who im sure, wait to go home before "accidentally" discovering stuff gone, hence why Carolyn was probably skeptical (not saying that you are doing this at all, just giving a reason as to why Carolyn was probably not amused at your story).

Sorry, but "it was not the TSA" just because they didn't put in the piece of paper??? That's not proof of anything. The TSA doesn't believe they have to "play by the rules" and if they made a mess of your luggage then they would most likely NOT want to admit it! T


My bet based on the description is on the TSA. Thiefs just steal they don't mess around. The TSA messes around. If a Delta person had been doing it they probably just would have grabbed the "sealed containers" to open later and see if they were valuable. (Or course it's possible the TSA was checking to pass the info onto someone else to take the valuables.. see LAX)

(Does anyone else remember the poster a while back who didn't have the "piece of paper", but had a TSA agents shirt LOL!)

And why is it that you think you're so special that the normal channels of complaint to the TSA and DL don't apply to you? People go through frustrating situations every day... yours is hardly unique.

The OP is not really trying to complain, he believes (rightly or not) that DL has a problem within PIT that he wants to bring it to the attention of the manager so they can try to address it.

Obviously DL would not condone the search (with presumed intent to steal).

This is like me calling up a shopkeeper to tell him he has an employee steeling. You don't just drop this in the "have a complaint" bin.

I'll still bet on the TSA, but we shall never know.

morning all...
 

Well, for the first question- how do I know it was not TSA?

A:

First- When one re-checks the bag at PIT, you go to the right to recheck
the bag, where it is also rescanned. Then, you go to the left to go through the security again. I stopped there for a moment to check something with a DL agent that was there. I saw the TSA agent scanning my suitcase, and allowing it to move to the DL/baggage end of the same section, which is NOT a TSA area. So, by coincidence alone, I actually had a full eye contact with the suitcase during this process, and I can tell it was not open by the TSA.

Second, I met the burden of proof required by Carolyn, who presented herself as a Diamond baggage claim desk. Now, if she is real, she should be removed to the regular desk at once. In my years with delta, there were only a handful of staff members who behaved the way she did. Including, and not limited to the- "Yes, that's correct sir." and "Yes, I do not care if you will report my response and language to Mr. Anderson" (Yes, these are her statements, and this is just a beginning)

Third, there was a series of errors at PIT that resulted in my bag and I being separated to different segments, and the bag having extra 'time' in PIT. There was no time for it to be reopened in the other station it arrived to.

Question 2: Entitlement. (What makes you believe that you are entitle to different/better review?)

A:
As a DM I do feel that if I call and report-
(a) due to your error I had to spend extra 3.5 hours at the airport because you can't deliver a bag in 24 hours (actually, according to Delta’s staff at JFK, they could not even guarantee a 60 hour delivery) and
(b) I arrived home and I found a $40-50 damages that seem to be a result of unauthorized access to my belongings in a specific station.

Being a client who cares, and is very concern (as it can affect others), I want to speak to that station manager under her/his authority such a failure took place. I fly through PIT more than few times a year, and therefore--

YES, I AM ENTITLED. I am entitled because the normal form does not seem to cover this case, and I am entitled because the idea that I want to "milk" 40-50 dollars after spending more than $2K on a ticket (and flying with delta "few" times a year...) can “somehow” be considered unlikely.

A DM desk personal (a real one, not the two that I had to deal with) would know it. They would also understand the seriousness of the claims that I raised, and agree that at the very minimum, the station manager should become aware (even if s/he does not agree with my interpretation of the case, though s/he would need to provide me a detailed explanation for the scenarios at the airport that they).

If I really wanted, I could have just called AMEX and do a payment withholding for the damage. But, I think this case does require a specific check. I do not feel comfortable (as an understatement) that an unauthorized personal went through my belongings, broke them, and repacked it in a way that only extended the damages.

And, needless to say- neither I nor any person deserves to be treated the way I've been treated by the agent name Carolyn and the agent who contacted me to her (both, again, claiming to be a Diamond desk). However, by now- I also had another agent that looked into the case again yesterday was able to find evidence that made her believe that they were NOT a diamond desk (Not that I really needed them, their service approach was just...). So, yes- for all of the failures above, I do think that I deserve a different review than the ‘canned’ ‘I do not care, and I do not care if you’d forward my response to Richard Anderson’ reply.

Big thank you for those who emailed few ideas about how to find them. Too bad you can’t just go on the PIT website and find the delta local number