TechOps

Leading up to the end of the year, I'm taking a bunch of trips to get back to 1k status for 2013: Over the past few weeks, it's been PHX, HNL and JFK. Well this week is a trip to EZE, which has been the worst by far.

The itinerary was SFO-LAS-IAH-EZE, and the trip was fairly uneventful, except that we were delayed for a bit in IAH, since they swapped the plane from a 2-cabin CO 767 to a UA 3-cabin 767. The flight attendants were confused with the galley layout (this is what they told me), there were no meal menus, etc.

When I got to EZE, my two checked bags didn't show. I was told the bags never even made the first flight, and had taken a different route. 32 hours later, they were delivered to my apartment with sealed United plastic tags holding the zippers. When I opened them, I was horrified to find that a bunch of items had been stolen. I brought 6 bags of new clothes for Christmas presents, a used iphone4, and other items were also taken.

This is a real bummer, and a bad start to the trip! I've never had so much stolen out of my bags before. I don't even know how someone could do that - it must be very overt because there were 7 big Gap sweatshirts in those bags, they were big and someone couldn't just hide them away.

golfingboy

If it is still under 4 hours, you can file a claim with UA for reimbursement for the stolen items. The iPhone is on the exclusion list as it is considered "valuables" which should have been brought on in a carry on bag in their opinion.

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...px?MobileOff=1

TechOps

Wow... I received my response today from United, after sending full documentation of my losses and info about the flight delays.

They offered me a $50 check and a $200 voucher for air travel. The stamp in red on the back of the check was especially telling:

NOTICE PAYMENT OF THIS CHECK IS OFFERED BY CONTINENTAL AIRLINES AS FULL SATISFACTION OF YOUR DISPUTED CLAIM

Now I truly understand the COdbaUA experience. Where do I contact to dispute this claim for real? Small claims court?

buckeyefanflyer

In the future you should carry-on anything valuable like I-Phones. Sad you should have to do this but that is how the world is.

craz

Been there myself but not with UA, it was BA. They too slashed what they were going to pay me. They were having a very hard time believing that my bags actually included everything I said they did as most normal folks wouldnt have been taking that amount of new clothing with them

What saved me was all my purcahses were on 1 CC, so they were in fact able to get confirmation from my CC statement that I actually had purchased everything with 10 days of traveling. New in regards to clothing new means not worn, sort of like a new car drive it around for say an hour its not New any longer. Old clothes are worth pretty much $0 no matter what a person paid for them

I know just go to JFK or MIA and look at what everyone is checking in heading to Central or South Am.Most folks arent buying 6 bags of new clothes and it sends up the Fraud Red Flag, thats if they are heqing for a visit

I didnt go nuts with BA it just took alot of time till they came around. If you cant document it all with receipts and CC statements then you are SOL

zigenbock

They probably went through Brazil - I have had several items stolen and bags tampered with. Unfortuantly this is pretty standard practice for South America IMO - NEVER put valuables in your checked baggage.....

river_rower

Actually, this is pretty standard practice for SFO, in my experience. I know of at least five instances with associates who had valuable stolen when their bags were checked through SFO. I never ever check anything of any value as a result of these experiences.

euslaner

Several years ago I had a problem like this with CO at DEL. I was booked on paid C from the State Department (I was giving talks in Asia) with a paper ticket since I flew on multiple airlines within a month. A CO agent lost my ticket (temporarily) and blamed it on me. By the time I had a supervisor force the agent to retrace her steps and find my ticket, my bag didn't make the flight and as it stayed in DEL, the workers there helped themselves to lots of stuff from my bag, including ties in zipped compartments. Getting CO to pay me was about as easy as getting Eric Cantor to beg for a tax increase today. Ultimately I prevailed but it took months and lots of phone calls and threats.

But buckeyefanflyer is correct: Never put anything like an Iphone in your checked luggage. If it is not stolen, it is likely to get smashed. Equal money on which prevails.

But as you have noticed, welcome to the world of CO.

paule123

Indeed. Witness the long lines of South America bound travelers in MIA getting their suitcases shrinkwrapped. A helluva concession those bag wrappers have there, at $15 a pop to wrap a suitcase.

Sam P. Goodman

Amen. When I see those lines, I always think, "Can it really be that bad where they're going?" Apparently, yes.

matkusopet

I dunno, I've had luggage lost or not make it so many times (yep, usually abroad), that I don't even bother checking anything anymore. Going to Vietnam next week for 10 days and I'm bringing a carry-on. Just learned to be creative with my packing. Sucks that this has to be the reality of travel. Hope you get a refund of the actual value of your items, OP.