Dear Stumbled,
I am a co-owner of Luaka Bop, a New York-based record label, and I accompanied the Aberdeen, Michigan gospel group, Staples Jr. Singers, on a tour of Europe last June. On the British Airways flight from London to Paris, three musicians were required to check the guitars, but only one instrument arrived with us in Paris. We filled out a form and tried to impress upon the employee the importance of getting a guitar before the group's show the next night. The next day, one of the lost guitars arrived in Paris, but British Airways could not or would not deliver it, so the tour manager returned to the airport only to find it closed. I took a taxi to. When the group returned to England by train, it was still down to two guitars. We got one show back a few shows later and eventually the other one at Heathrow was lost and found. It ended up costing more than $5,000. This included renting guitars to dozens of shows and purchasing the guitar and case (both used) of Arceola Brown, a musician whose instrument was destroyed. I submitted most of the receipts, including the original charges, to British Airways on July 25th and added a few more on August 7th and September 11th for a total of $3,331. (We did not keep the remaining receipts.) But other than receiving a case number, we never heard back, despite several email follow-ups. Can you help? new york city yale
Dear Yale,
If I could choose a story to tell here, it would be the amazing one the Staples Jr. Singers recorded in 1975. Re-released in 2022, the album received rave reviews and led to the group's international tour.
What a story. Alas, this space is devoted to much more mundane and familiar problems, like lost or destroyed luggage.
Indeed, the lost baggage was cooler than most Samsonians: the recovered Fender Telecaster and Casio Midi were so thoroughly destroyed that the baggage handlers led the Who's Pete Townshend into , I wondered if I had hammered it into a blacksmith on the airport tarmac. But the problem with getting your refund is a tired, familiar story of stumbling inboxes.
Along with photos of the Casio Midi guitar, you sent me a frustrating timeline of the team's efforts to recover the guitar and later seek compensation for the rental and replacement of Mr. Brown's guitar and case. Ta. (Sadly, Mr. Brown passed away on November 16th.)
I first intervened in early November by writing to a British Airways spokesperson. The airline immediately sent an apology letter offering a refund for the strange and inadequate amount of £493.97, or about $600. The carrier included a separate $250 voucher for a future flight.
I intervened again and on January 7th, the airline wrote back to you only to forward the original offer.
I looked back at the receipt you sent me and remembered that you submitted the receipt in three batches. The second and third batches totaled $493.97.
Airlines seem to be exchanging currencies. This may be a sign that you are paying careful attention to the problem.
As for the first batch of receipts, when you submitted them it seems like they never made it.
On January 11th, the carrier called you and asked you to upload your receipt again. I received a short statement on January 15th – “We apologize to our customers and are working directly with them to resolve their claims” – you haven't heard anything more . On January 21st, you emailed your contact information again regarding my proposal. You said you were instructed to upload the receipt again and you did what you did and were told you would be refunded $3,941.
That's a weird number that's more than your receipt and less than your loss, but the airline refuses to do so, how the guitar was destroyed, and why the airline didn't do it. Since you refused to answer other questions such as, I think I can explain. Delivering the guitar in Paris or why my receipt was not processed when I first sent it in July.
My best guess is: The Montreal Convention, an international treaty governing (among other things) baggage lost on most international flights, CAPS airline liability. That luggage cap, which was luggage on the flight, cost about $1,700 per passenger, or $3,400 for the two musicians combined. However, on December 28, the value of damages for most international flights amounted to approximately $1,980 per passenger.
It looks like the airline applied a new value to your loss, but it wasn't necessary. And you end up with more money than you were actually paid.
For those flying within countries or between countries that are not signatories to the Montreal Convention, local or national laws prevail regarding lost, stolen, or damaged luggage. (In the United States, the Department of Transportation will cap damages for lost, damaged, or delayed packages at $3,800.)
But these numbers don't mean much when you face seemingly unreasonable barriers when applying for a refund. This is what you'd call a hassle, like the British Airways interface where you seem to lose the receipt you've worked so hard to send. My inbox is full of stories of airlines repeatedly asking for receipts that have already been submitted.
The multi-faceted, multi-month saga endured on British Airways should serve as a reminder that today's travelers have to do more than their fair share of work to find lost items. Checking your luggage to add an Airtag or other Bluetooth tracker is a smart first step. So if the airline claims they don't know where your baggage is, the functionality can be shared with third parties so they can tell you where it is or even share its location.
Of course, you should pack fragile items carefully (on its website, Fender offers guitar advice). Then, if you need to file a claim, write down the names of every employee you interact with, take photos, record the conversation to the best of your ability, and make copies of any documentation. Your information becomes important when you apply for a refund.
In most cases you don't need it. But if you have to fight a battle with an airline, documentation can help. And if you stumble and need to write, it moves you to the front of the line.
