Left Laptop On Delta Flight...Help??
Sep 18, 2014, 3:11 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 4
Left Laptop On Delta Flight...Help??
I blanked out and left my brand new Apple Laptop on a Delta Flight 3 days ago. Delta has an awful system that provides you with NO number to call their central lost and found office where all the lost and found items end up (apparently they have stacks and stacks of laptops) so I filled out their online form with clearly no response yet and somehow I doubt anyone will get back to me. Their baggage claim at LaGuardia seems just as useless barely helping and not seeming interested in my problem. Anyone else experience something similar? Is there some secret number to call to get them to scan their lost and found logs?? So disappointed in their service.
Sep 18, 2014, 3:23 pm
#3
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Orlando, FL Area
Programs: Delta SkySponge ExtraAbsorbent, SPG Gold
Posts: 29,988
Really sorry to hear about that. Delta is absolutely the worst at recovering lost items. I left a brand new pair of Bose headphones on a BNA-ATL flight and they were never returned to me. A few years ago I also left a coat on the aircraft and I never saw it again either. All agents simply instructed me to fill out a form online and offered no further help.
Sep 18, 2014, 5:39 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 105
Oh no. So sorry to hear that. I left something behind once and they clearly weren't interested in finding it. I never got it back. I hope honesty prevails in your case.
Here's an old post about someone having success at being reunited with lost items by circumventing the official L&F process:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/15467370-post6.html
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Here's an old post about someone having success at being reunited with lost items by circumventing the official L&F process:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/15467370-post6.html
I have left my wallet, my Blackberry, my wallet, my I-Pod and my wallet on planes (yeah, I should never put my wallet in the seat back in front of me...) and have 100% success getting the stuff back. The trick is not going through the DL process, but physically go to the airport and ask them to ask the people who were working at the gate when the plane landed. Even if the cleaning crew found the item, IME, they would have asked the ground crew if anyone reported losing the item.
Several years ago, I left my cell phone on a plane and went through the lost and found department. The next day, I was flying out, so I stopped by the Atlanta Room to see if it had turned up. I was told it hadn't, but dialed the number when standing here and could hear it ring. The DL employee at first wouldn't even check the ringing phone, until I pointed out that it was very unlikely that someone lost a phone that was sitting back there is ABBA's Waterloo as the ringtone. That made me realize the lost and found process is useless.
Several years ago, I left my cell phone on a plane and went through the lost and found department. The next day, I was flying out, so I stopped by the Atlanta Room to see if it had turned up. I was told it hadn't, but dialed the number when standing here and could hear it ring. The DL employee at first wouldn't even check the ringing phone, until I pointed out that it was very unlikely that someone lost a phone that was sitting back there is ABBA's Waterloo as the ringtone. That made me realize the lost and found process is useless.
Sep 18, 2014, 6:08 pm
#5
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: DL DM, AA PLT, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,056
OP, your situation sucks and I can only imagine the frustration you're going through. However, I have to ask - how does one leave their laptop on a plane? It's not like a cell phone, iPad, book, which is allowed in the seat back pocket and easily hiddne. You have to physically put it away in your backpack, laptop case, carry-on, etc. You really should take ownership for your mistake instead of blaming Delta (who may I remind you had no role in your losing the laptop).
Think about it - how many flights does DL have per day, with each flight guaranteed to have something left behind by a passenger (bracelet, book, phone, headphones, laptops apparently). The next flight someone gets on that plane, takes the seat of the passenger who left the item behind and realizes they just hit the jackpot and there's a shiny new Apple laptop with nobody's name on it. That passenger takes it as theirs and Delta doesn't even have a clue something was ever left.
To those bashing DL on their awful ability to recover items should refocus that energy towards improving their memory and not leaving their stuff behind. Or just accept they have poor memory and drop it. At the end of the day it's not DL's fault.
Think about it - how many flights does DL have per day, with each flight guaranteed to have something left behind by a passenger (bracelet, book, phone, headphones, laptops apparently). The next flight someone gets on that plane, takes the seat of the passenger who left the item behind and realizes they just hit the jackpot and there's a shiny new Apple laptop with nobody's name on it. That passenger takes it as theirs and Delta doesn't even have a clue something was ever left.
To those bashing DL on their awful ability to recover items should refocus that energy towards improving their memory and not leaving their stuff behind. Or just accept they have poor memory and drop it. At the end of the day it's not DL's fault.
Sep 18, 2014, 6:19 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 4
The point here isn't that I am not taking ownership, as you can read in my post I fully blame myself for forgetting it. It was in a black case and I put it under the seat on the floor, was in a rush to get off and get to a meeting and forgot it. Human error happens, it's called life. My issue is with the way they handle cases like this. There is ZERO care on their part or interest as most people have pointed out. If they actually put some sort of care into helping out customers even if the items weren't recovered it would be a whole different story.
Sep 18, 2014, 6:29 pm
#7
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: DL DM, AA PLT, Hertz PC
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The point here isn't that I am not taking ownership, as you can read in my post I fully blame myself for forgetting it. It was in a black case and I put it under the seat on the floor, was in a rush to get off and get to a meeting and forgot it. Human error happens, it's called life. My issue is with the way they handle cases like this. There is ZERO care on their part or interest as most people have pointed out. If they actually put some sort of care into helping out customers even if the items weren't recovered it would be a whole different story.
If you don't like it, fly someone else. Oh wait, you'll probably face the same end result.
Sep 18, 2014, 6:38 pm
#8
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 2,428
Pretty harsh words for the OP. Who has taken ownership and is probably smarting over his mistake.
It's too bad how the lost and found works . Once had a suitcase go missing for weeks . My brother in law who worked for that airline finally tracked it down in a lost and found , returned to me with clearly my name and phone on the luggage tag... Go figure.
OP any insurance on your lap top? Hope it comes home to you.
It's too bad how the lost and found works . Once had a suitcase go missing for weeks . My brother in law who worked for that airline finally tracked it down in a lost and found , returned to me with clearly my name and phone on the luggage tag... Go figure.
OP any insurance on your lap top? Hope it comes home to you.
Sep 18, 2014, 7:34 pm
#9
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
With a largish item such as a laptop, it was either turned in by the next pax on the spot or the next pax stuck it in his carry-on (or someone saw you walk off the plane and grabbed it as they walked past).
Sep 18, 2014, 11:37 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Southern California/In the air
Programs: DL
Posts: 10,382
Sorry to the OP, who is probably kicking themselves harder over this than any of us could. Also sorry to say that at LGA, it is probably gone for good.
This is also an opportune time for a reminder to everyone that the 10000 foot chime is a good time to secure your stuff; the pilots are running through their checklist and you should be running through yours. Check the seat pocket, check around your seat and stash everything that belongs to you. I personally take care that the essentials -- my wallet, keys and cell phone -- are on my person in case of evacuation. Everything else should be stowed away on your person or in your carryon. It's also a good time to think about what you have in the overhead, especially with the winter months approaching and coats, etc. getting tossed up there. No system is perfect; I still lose things on trips, but what I do lose is minimal and easily replaceable.
This is also an opportune time for a reminder to everyone that the 10000 foot chime is a good time to secure your stuff; the pilots are running through their checklist and you should be running through yours. Check the seat pocket, check around your seat and stash everything that belongs to you. I personally take care that the essentials -- my wallet, keys and cell phone -- are on my person in case of evacuation. Everything else should be stowed away on your person or in your carryon. It's also a good time to think about what you have in the overhead, especially with the winter months approaching and coats, etc. getting tossed up there. No system is perfect; I still lose things on trips, but what I do lose is minimal and easily replaceable.
Sep 19, 2014, 1:25 am
#12
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL DM, Marriott TE, and Reformed AMEX Cent
Posts: 332
Cleaning crews find laptops - the next passenger isn't ever going to see it.
I'm zero returned items out of 3 reported lost items in my flying career. The general rule is that the friendly skies aren't so friendly and that cleaning crews should be required to clean their fingers because it appears their fingers are very sticky.
I'm zero returned items out of 3 reported lost items in my flying career. The general rule is that the friendly skies aren't so friendly and that cleaning crews should be required to clean their fingers because it appears their fingers are very sticky.
Sep 19, 2014, 7:40 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: MCO
Programs: DL DM/MM, Marriott Plat Premier, HH Diamond, Hyatt Plat, Hertz PC
Posts: 4,081
The point here isn't that I am not taking ownership, as you can read in my post I fully blame myself for forgetting it. It was in a black case and I put it under the seat on the floor, was in a rush to get off and get to a meeting and forgot it. Human error happens, it's called life.
Since you said this was new, I would assume you had no personal identification in this case, no? If so, this makes it even more difficult to get it back to you.
IME, DL has been great about getting back to me when I left my iPad on the plane and when another pax took my laptop by mistake (long story), DL was very helpful getting it back to me. But in both cases, my name was on the item so they knew how to contact me.
It is much more helpful when you say specifically just what you would like them to do. First it has to be turned into lost & found and second, there has to be some way to identify it is yours so they can contact you. What else do you expect them to do that they are not doing?
Sep 19, 2014, 8:21 am
#14
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: DL GM
Posts: 640
It's a lot easier for honest folks to return our lost items if we affix inexpensive adhesive labels with phone number and/or email address to the back or under the lid. Another identification method is to place contact info on the login or password screen when the device is turned on or powered up.
I continue to be amazed at the frequency of lost items threads where the owner is frustrated about inability to track down their missing items, yet these items don't have any useful owner identification or contact info attached to their gadgets.
I continue to be amazed at the frequency of lost items threads where the owner is frustrated about inability to track down their missing items, yet these items don't have any useful owner identification or contact info attached to their gadgets.