bevoinva

On a trip to the Bahamas I left my wallet in my seat at the gate. I had gotten it out to give something to my wife and instead of putting it back in my pocket, I wedged it between my legs in the seat. Of course when I got up to get on the plane, I forgot it was there.

During our flight down, a flight attendant came by and addressed me by name and asked if I had lost my wallet. Apparently, someone had turned my wallet in to the gate and they got in touch with the plane to let them know. They ended up holding on to it until I got back a week later. Fortunately, I had my passport and my wife had all of her cards so we could get money out and pay for stuff.

Flubber2012

Does a CC company compensate for the absent-mindedness of the customer?

This is NOT a criticism of you; I have left plenty of things of value in seatback pockets, rental cars, etc.

However, why should a credit card company refund you for your mistake?

GogoSF

About a year ago, after taking the red-eye from SFO-ATL, I was reorganizing the contents of my bag at the gate while waiting for my next flight. After take-off, I realized that I'd left my Bose headphones and iPod at the gate.

Never got them back of course, but it woke me up to the fact (heheh) that I am too old for red-eyes. I'm too discombobulated upon arrival, and prone to carelessness. Even if I have to get up at 3AM for a 6AM transcon, I feel much better upon arrival than if I'd flown out at midnight.

SirJman

I lost a Nintendo DS, somewhere between EWR-PEK. Not sure where, but when I felt like playing it in the lounge in PEK, it was gone.

I also dropped my employee card somewhere in KUL.

andyrodick

importan = Passport. In transit on international transfer.

longwaybackhome

I once left a hardcover library book in the boarding area at YYZ. I haven't brought a library book on vacation with me since.

JMN57

Not a boarding area loss but close. Lost a pair of Rayban sunglasses with prescription lenses in a limo from hotel to airport in Moscow. Realized it at gate, called hotel who arranged the limo, they called the driver, he had them but no way I was getting them back & make the flight. Had the hotel concierge get them from limo driver and they DHL'd back to NYC. Since we were stopping in London for a few days, the sunglasses made it back a day after we did. Cost me $120 or so but cheaper than replacing them.

stifle

Some credit cards provide a very limited form of insurance for purchased items. One of my Amexes will protect purchases between certain price range in the event of loss or accidental damage for 90 days from purchase.

Most I've left in the gate area is a bag of books and bottled water, which I came back up the jetway for when I realised it before getting in the door. They were still boarding, so the gate dragons were good with it.

heffa

... and that's the reason for me not to buy the $1,500 Google Glass

cynicalbuthopeful

An excellent question - it was a case of "you don't have it? No, I don't have it I thought you had it?" Not one of our stellar moments.

As for the credit card -- well, they are the ones that offered loss protection on the card. This qualifies. It's a benefit of the card. So my BA renewel charge just paid for itself.

Frankly, after the effort we made to pick these gifts out, I would have preferred to get the bag back.

JMN57

Well with Amex it covers "lost" - one time, I accidentally left an expensive ($1300) pair of prescription glasses on an Amtrak train. They were bought 80 days prior to the loss. I tried to get Amtrak to recover them but never found. I called Amex (sheepishly) to check on whether they were covered. The checked the date of the charge and said yes (I explained exactly and truthfully what happened). According to their program, it's limited to $1000 per occurrence so I was surprised that they reimbursed me for the full purchase price (which I never asked for, called them to make sure they hadn't made a mistake and they told me no, they didn't I was a good customer...)

So, yes. CC "insure" these events and actually do cover (my) stupidity.

cynicalbuthopeful

I was embarrassed about this too -- and I was 100% honest with the CC company about our knucklehead move of forgetting the bag -- but the beneft line operator said it sounds like the loss meets the criteria. As an FYI -- this loss cap was lower than the AMEX -- $500.

Topgoose12

I dont' think CC companies need to reimburse for lost items. That's a little over the top, in my opinion.

travelmad478

Two days ago I somehow managed to leave both the little bag containing my iPod Nano and noise-blocking earbuds *and* a very nice Hugo Boss sweater (!!) in the BA lounge at JNB. I realized it a good 25 minutes before the plane doors closed, and spoke to ground staff, but they said that the lounge staff couldn't find them. (Fat chance--I was one of the very last people to leave the lounge, and had been sitting in an isolated corner, so I doubt very much that another passenger would have walked off with them. )

The earbuds had been purchased less than a month before, so I just asked Chase today if they would honor their purchase protection benefit and give me the $44 I paid for them. Haven't heard back yet, but I don't see why they would turn me down.

andrewbashuk

flying last may DCA-ATL-SCL, had my carry on plus a small bag that held the tiffany bowl that i was bringing as a gift to the hosts of the house i was staying it for my 10 day trip to Chile.

Boarded the plane and put my carry on in the overhead, sat down and buckled up and couldn't remember where i placed the bag with the tiffany bowl. checked my overhead, under the seat, etc., it was nowhere. quickly surmised that i left in the boarding area. sheepishly went up to FA (this was very early in the boarding process) and explained my problem. FA was super helpful and took me back around the jetway to the boarding area. Gate Agents wouldn't let me leave the plane, but I pointed off in the distance where I had been sitting, and what the bag was like - lukcily it was still there, it hadn't been nabbed in the 10 minutes I was away, and I got my bowl...so my story at least has a happy ending