7.05.2009

Arriving Bagless in Boston

Author's note: I will be putting up several new posts this week, as I am in Boston and will surely be experiencing new things every day.

I love traveling, especially at night. I’m not sure what it is, but traveling in the dark makes me feel cozy and free. That is why I took the red eye to Boston on Saturday night. That and I didn’t want to spend an entire day of my vacation traveling. I left LAX at midnight and arrived in Boston at 10:00 AM. My bag, however, did not.

I had a connecting flight in Baltimore around 7:30 AM, but my flight from LA had been delayed about an hour. I had 20 minutes after we arrived in Baltimore to get to my connecting flight. That apparently was not enough time for the baggage handlers to sort and reassign the bags of the seven of us who were flying through to Boston. It might just be naiveté on my part, but I feel that there could be a better baggage system like, say, put the bags that need to get onto connecting flights all together in one easily accessible spot so they are the first ones to be removed from the plane. I know, it sounds too crazy to actually work, right?

The first thing I did when my plane landed at my final destination was find a restroom so I could brush my teeth, fix my hair, and apply a little mascara (I had, after all, been traveling all night). I took my time because I’m on vacation and that’s what I like to do when I’m on vacation. When I sauntered back to the baggage claim I ran into a guy who had been on my same flights. I smiled a very relaxed, unassuming smile at him and he looked at me and said, “Are you missing your bag too?” “I don’t know”, I replied. “I haven’t looked for it yet.”

After establishing that our bags were not going to magically appear on the now empty and still carousel, the seven of us who had come from LA marched over to the office of the airline carrier we were with. We each took our turns talking with the two friendly guys as the counter, describing our bags and giving our personal information so that our luggage could be delivered later in the day after they arrived on the next plane from Baltimore. “I’m pretty sure they should be on that flight”, Obanit assured us. Comforting.

When my sister, Jessica, her husband, Torre, and I got back to their apartment I called the airline to see what the deal was so that we could make plans for the rest of the day. Obanit said that he had just handed my bag over to the delivery service and gave me their number. I wanted to see if someone had to be there to sign for the bag or if they would just leave it inside the main door of the building so that we could go into town.

The conversation with the man I reached at the delivery service went like this, I kid you not:

Me: Hi you guys just picked up my bag from (the airlines name) and I was wondering if I have to be here to sign for it when you drop it off or if you can just leave it inside the main door of the building.

Delivery man (Derrick): What’s your address?

Me: yada yada yada, Boston, zip code

Derrick: We don’t have your bag yet we will call you when we get it.

Me: Really? The guy at the airport said you picked it up already.

Derrick: Ma’am, Ma’am, Ma’am Ma’am! We do not have your bag! This is the warehouse and we do not have your bag yet!

Me: Oh, I didn’t know I was callin-

Derrick: Ma’am, Ma’am, you need to wait for us to call you!

Me: I just was wondering if I’m going to have to sign for it or if you can just leave it.

Derrick: What is the first thing you said when I told you we don’t have your bag yet? What is the first thing you said when I told you we don’t have your bag yet?!

Me: You don’t have to talk to me that way, I’m just asking a question.

Derrick: You are not listening to a word I’m saying.

Me: I am I just want to know-

Derrick: You did not hear a word I said! What is the first thing you said when I told you we don’t have your bag yet?!

Me: Are you really yelling at me right now? Just tell me if you generally leave the bag or if you generally make someone sign for it.

Derrick: Not on that street we won’t leave it!

Me: Thank you! *click*

That is how the actual conversation went. I was so pissed off when I got off the phone. And it didn’t end there. I fell asleep waiting for the delivery guy to get there and I woke up to my phone ringing. When I answered it was my old buddy Derrick.


Me: Hello?
Derrick: Ma’am we have been calling you and calling you! Did you call me about a bag? My guy has been calling and ringing your doorbell and you have not answered! Did you not call me about
your bag?
Me: I did not hear the bell and I haven’t had any calls.
Derrick: Yes we have been calling you! I can’t believe this. You need to go outside right now because he is there. Did you not call me about your bag????!!
Me: Just tell him to come back. I’m going outside right now. *click*

I went outside and the driver pulled up. He was a very nice, little man who gave me the name of the man I had been talking to, Derrick, the name of his supervisor, Jason, and the next time Jason would be in the office. Jason will be hearing from me about the ridiculously unacceptable service I received. The whole thing was surreal, in a bad way.
So, I got my bag back, everything was in it, I got yelled at twice by a stranger, we wasted hours of my first day here waiting to hear from the delivery people, and I got the experience of my bag being lost on a flight. All in all I think it was a success.

2 comments:

  1. Wow. That sucks. Thanks for sharing. Now I don't feel bad at all considering my lost baggage story was much more happy and didn't involve getting yelled at by strangers. I was however, given a number to call, but when I called it, it rang forever. But no worries, my bag arrived when they said it would :) But I'll never fly United again!

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  2. This was Perfect to read Nessa!! Yes, the whole experience sounded quite painful, but you seemed to handle your cool....much better than I would have. (It was like something from a movie...and I bet it kinda felt like you were in one too) Anyway, I'd like the info to that Derrick character....I'd like to unleash the "Kat-Attack" attitude on him!!

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