What is Digg?223 Comments
- empeethree, on 10/12/2007, -25/+162bazmail, aren't you running late for your klan meeting? daddyuncle will be worried that you couldn't get out of the trailer.
- Holyfool19, on 10/12/2007, -20/+107@mage1129 - So hmm how's the coffee at Delta headquarters? just curious.
The guy who stole it is entirely to blame yes, but Delta, by hiring this man, and trusting him with handling the baggage properly, should do something to restore the faith of the wronged customer. Not on the basis that they are a big company and have a lot of money, but because their poor decision making skill has caused a lot of problems and torments for the man who was without his camera for a long time, and had to track it down himself. It's hard to believe that baggage handlers do not get anal probed when they leave the airport. - uptown, on 10/12/2007, -5/+84Price to restore a traveller's faith in the airline: $585.50.
Bad PR and damage to airline's image due to word of mouth about this story: Priceless.
Even if the theif wasn't an employee of Delta, their name is still linked to the incident, and anyone hearing the story will associate the airline with the incident. They had the opportunity to do right by the customer and improve their image, and they chose not to. Pretty dumb from a business standpoint. At the very least, this traveller and possibly his immediate family will avoid Delta going forward. I doubt it will have an impact on many travellers beyond that, since most people will still base their flight selection on price and timing, but Delta blew the opportunity to come across as the "good guy". - ezweave, on 10/12/2007, -6/+80If you actually read the whole story, he had to do a substantial amount of work to get his camera back.
His "free time" is not free, neither is yours or mine... everything has cost (opportunity cost, etc). To get his camera back, he basically had to participate in a police investigation, rent a car to pick up the camera, etc. This all took time and more money than the camera was worth. He persisted, and should be applauded for that.
If Delta wanted to protect their reputation, they would have gone out of their way to remedy his feelings: free flights, etc. I think most of you (naysayers, that is) fail to understand the difference between what Delta is liable for and what good customer service is (perhaps this attitude of minimal compliance is why this country has so many problems... wonder...).
This has nothing to do with "liability" as much as it does with treating your customers with respect and avoiding bad press. - falstaff, on 10/12/2007, -33/+101Well, mage got dugg down, so I suspect I will, too....
What did Delta (as a company) do wrong? They hired a guy who turned out to be a thief, but if there was no history, how could they know? He's been fired, prosecuted, and would certainly be found liable in a civil suit. They also provided a service (flight) that was completed successfully. His actual loss was recovered, now, he's just trying to get something for nothing.
If an AT&T employee broke my fence while repairing something, I'd expect the fence to be repaired, but this guy is basically asking for 3 months of free phone service on top of that.
Some $600 seems like a small price to pay, but you know what? When the RIAA go after people for such small amounts that it's not worth fighting over, it's extortion, and I don't see this any differently.
Good job tracking the guy down. Now quit with the crusade. - jupiterjones, on 10/12/2007, -12/+79This guy had his camera stolen from him after it was in Delta's care. He proved it. That alone should have Delta apologizing and refunding his money.
- keiths, on 10/12/2007, -34/+85Yea he shouldn't get anything for the inconvenience. I mean he got his camera that was stolen back!
- zip22, on 10/12/2007, -6/+54"They also provided a service (flight) that was completed successfully."
no, they did not. the service included transporting the mans luggage, which obviously was not completed successfully. - nkap, on 10/12/2007, -4/+40Seriously, what's a free ride worth compared to negative PR? The best is the threatened anti-viral campaign that didn't scare them. Delta, are you looking now?
- helfon, on 10/12/2007, -3/+38I am shocked by the replies to this comment. People believe a company should not be held responsible for the actions of it's employees while they are working? If a banker at Citibank empties your account Citibank would not be liable for this? Even if you somehow get your money back, how could any company be liable for anything then? Everything a company does could then be blamed on the individual employee and not the company. If a wing falls off it was the mechanic's fault. If the plane takes off an hour early and you missed your flight it was the pilot's fault.
Delta is responsible for your bags while they are in Delta's control. Delta should have safeguards in place that protect your bags from their employees and their employees are the personification of Delta Corporation. Anything less would allow corporations to be negligent in any number of areas and then pass it off on individuals as the culprit. - masgrada, on 10/12/2007, -7/+33Check a starter pistol in your baggage. They are required to lock the baggage and nobody can open it.
- misterjangles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+24I booked my parents on a first class trip for their 25th anniversary. (No we are not rich nor do we ever fly first class - this was a special occasion) The flight they were on as it turned out didn't have an official first class section but they had a business class section. What did Delta do? The stuck my parents in coach. I thought this was especially crumby since we had paid a butt-load for the tickets specifically first class directly from the Delta website and they didn't indicate at all there was no first class anywhere.
Anyway, I thought it was reasonable that they refund some of the price difference at least since they falsely sold me a first class ticket. I quickly found out that company loves to hide behind it's own bureaucracy. when I showed them the receipts which I had saved, finally they just said they wouldn't do anything about it. They don't give a crap what happens - once they have your money you'll never get it back. I had always liked them before but that probably is the last Delta flight for me and my family. - AndrewJC, on 10/12/2007, -44/+68@holyfool19:
Delta's obligation for the situation only goes as far as implementing proper discipline for the employee who broke corporate policay and the law. They've done this. They owe nothing to the customer as they have already done their duty. The customer is simply asking them to give him money because he wants to get something free, not because he deserves it in any way. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+25"His complaint: he did ALL of us a favor so we should give him a free flight."
Seems to me he did DELTA a huge favor in ferreting out someone routinely stealing from customer baggage. Something Delta should have done themselves. Assuming that somewhere are a long list of customers complaints about missing items, and assuming Delta handled them with exactly as much diligence as they're handling this guy's complaint, then I think we ALL see where the real problem lies.
And then there are the corporate apologists...do you get your knee pads online or at a store? - greenvortex, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21Let me throw my in my crappy Delta Airlines experience. We flew out of San Jose an hour late thanks to an error on the fuel amount listed on the flight plan. By the time we get to Atlanta, I've missed my connecting Delta flight and have to stay overnight.The Delta counterperson tells me to save my hotel receipt and I'll be reimbursed. It takes an hour to find a hotel with vacancies (at $270). I save the receipt. The next day at the counter I'm told I have to mail in my request. I do. I wait 6 weeks. They send me a non-transferable voucher for $100 off my next Delta flight. Yeah, like I'm gonna fly Delta ever again.
- JonnyTrombone, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21If you're taking expensive equipment on a plane- especially photo equipment- pack it with a starter pistol and register the bag as having a gun. That way, the airline -can't- lose your stuff.
- nonfamous, on 10/12/2007, -4/+23To be clear, though, he's seeking a refund for the *flight*, not for the *camera*. It would be reasonable to ask for retribution for the loss of the camera, but I do see Delta's point on the cost of the flight. He did get where he was going. Now, from a PR sense they probably should refund him for the flight, but I'm not sure they're *obliged* to.
- quickgold192, on 10/12/2007, -5/+20well, there's certainly no legal reason Delta should refund him, although they might lose a customer if they don't - that's where it balances out.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+21***** delta. they suck ass anyway.
they are the most unfriendly and incompetent sons of bitches I've EVER dealt with. I would rather fly cargo class with Mombasa Airlines than these ***** clowns again. - stopple, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16i have a feeling a swift digg to the nuts will cause delta to fold
- Conwaysb0718, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16It's not Delta's fault. But I think it would be in Delta's best interest that they compensate him to save face and show "They care."
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13@Rikkochet
>>"Check a starter pistol in your baggage. They are required to lock the baggage and nobody can open it."
>>Who are you kidding?
>>I enjoy arriving in Hawaii with a crisp sheet of paper saying "Baggage inspected by the Dept. of Homeland Security!" >>- I couldn't swear by it, but I'm convinced some condoms were missing...
>>I'm always told at the airport that if your checked baggage is locked, you'll get it back without the lock.
I can't speak about your condom thief, but he's right about the starter pistol. If you declare at the check-in counter that you are transporting a weapon, your baggage is secured then and there, and is subject to a higher degree of scrutiny. Can you imagine the liability if an airline "misplaced" a deadly weapon? - willclarke, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14@bazmail
If you're going to be racist, get the race right. According to the site, the thief's name is Wilfredo Cada - so he's probably not black. The picture is just of some random baggage guy. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13Delta did not get his camera back for him. He had to do all the leg work and invest money getting it back and take all the risk of never getting it back regardless of how much effort he exerted. This was all done because Delta's security is piss-poor and baggage that was entrusted to Delta was stolen by a Delta employee. Under the law Delta probably isn't liable for anything since it is a criminal act done by the employee and not the company, but the fact remains that Delta was the cause of the whole problem and they didn't help track down the stolen camera or anything.
- marcduke, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13You do realize you talking about the U.S. Airline Industry? They stopped caring about being the good guy long, long ago. This is an industry that has continuously been mismanaged and failed to be put in check - but still looks to the Government to bail them out of the financial messes they get in.
- gcnaddict, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Now they need to hire Airtran's PR firm :)
- kcasper, on 10/12/2007, -40/+52mage is correct, this isn't the airline's problem. Be happy that the thief got caught and fired. That is the appropriate course of action. Wanting a refund for a trip, that was otherwise great, is pure greed and nothing more. If the guy got stabbed on the other hand, it would be a different story.
- killerofkiller, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15my dad had his ipod mini and QC2's stolen from his bag on US Airways.. no questions asked, they gave him the money to buy a new 30 gig ipod
- RadiantBeing, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11The way I see it, this dude did a huge favor for Delta. He got a *****, thieving employee fired. That alone probably saved Delta a lot money and hassle. The icing is that he did it in a way that makes a wrongful termination suit impossible. So yes, not only should Delta refund his ticket, they will probably save a lot of money when all is said and done.
- EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10I don't think he should receive a full refund, and he's not legally entitled to anything, but I do think it would have been appropriate for Delta to at least offer him a a travel voucher for a couple hundred dollars. If you are bumped from a plane because the flight is overbooked, they typically give you similar compensation for your inconvenience. Likewise Delta failed to provide sufficient security for items in their care, leading to a significant inconvenience for their passenger (including not having a camera on his trip).
Despite any legal responsibility I think Delta's complete refusal to rectify the situation is poor customer service. - jordandiggsit, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12DELTA =
Doesnt
Ever
Leave
The
Airport - Gryffydd, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12Delta lost my luggage once, so I'm no fan, but consider this:
1. Delta explicitly states that electronics in checked baggage are not covered. He knew that if his luggage were lost/stolen Delta would not be obligated to compensate him for it.
2. Who checks their camera anyway? Nobody in their right mind checks anything valuable with any airline. - zadadka, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Whilst in Delta's "care", one of his possessions was stolen.
The theft was performed by a Delta employee.
I would have thought Delta would be doing all it could to seperate it's good name from the fact it "employs thieves"...a free flight would be (would have been) a relatively small price to pay.....but its likely too late for that since now they have in excess of 700 persons who DON'T see that seperation, and probably won't fly Delta as a result. - krets, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13Why the hell would anyone put their camera in their checked luggage? That's just asking for something bad to happen.
- CodeCobalt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8How on earth are people saying that this guy doesn't deserve something? If you've had luggage lost by the airport before you know how terrible it is. My luggage was once lost and only then did I look into what most airlines will do to compensate the passenger for the lost luggage. They will not reimburse you for anything other than your cheap clothes.. if you have fine linens that could be valuable, there not covered... just basic clothes, no electronics. Airlines don't care at all for their passengers and that is reflected in the situation with the author. Company's should be responsible for each employee they hire, as each employee represents the company. When a luggage handler of the company stole something, its the equivalent of the airline stealing the item itself. The airline should have at least investigated the incident but they most likely did not. If it wasn't for a little luck and know-how this guy still wouldn't have his camera. The airline should have definitely offered him something especially once it was proven that there employee did steal the camera.
- geronimo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Legally, Delta doesn't owe the guy anything more but.. I'm a consumer, I'm reading this and I learn that Delta doesn't give a rats ass if your stuff gets stolen, they seem pretty cold and heartless and they don't care about the customer. This guy wen through a lot of hoops to get his stuff back, I don't want to do that, and if I did, I'd want some sort of compensation for my lost time. They are free to act this way, it's completely legal. But I'll be bringing my business to another company, that's also perfectly legal. I think Delta should have given this guy free airfare, that's a hell of a lot cheaper than the lost business due to bad PR.
- civperc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Dugg cuz I sure as heck would fight for my money back! I feel bad for this guy. Good thing he got that piece of trash fired and arrested though!!
- brutalentropy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8The only real surprise is that there are people like you, people who accept this as "part of life" and refuse to do anything to fight back or to voice their demands that corporations should have a social conscience. I wish you were buried, not in the digital sense. The world needs more people that are the opposite of you.
- rob40wilson03, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10yeah, even if they refuse to give him all his money back, at least give him a pair of tickets to the caribbean or something
a miniscule bit of good PR costing a few hundred dollars is better than receiving a front-page-of-digg worth of bad PR just to save a buck - FearlessFreep, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10That point is obscured in the headline but it's worth noting
- mikedt, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10On another blog, a poster commented that every time she and her husband travel by air they put broken consumer electronic items in their checked luggage. According to her, without fail, the items are gone when she gets her luggage back.
They've got you between a rock and a hard place. What you're allowed to carry on diminishes every day and at the same time you're no longer allowed to lock your luggage - and don't even suggest the TSA sanctioned locks are locks. It's easy pickings for all but the most honest baggage handler. - pdrap, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8The starter pistol is an excellent idea. The guy who said "who are you kidding" doesn't know what he's talking about.
If you declare a gun in your baggage, the airline inspects the bag right there and then. The luggage is locked. Homeland Security knows about the bag. They watch the bag, because nobody wants to have a gun lost in the secure area. If someone breaks into the bag, the incident is investigated and the entire US Army ass-rapes the guy who broke into your bag.
Well, except for that last part, that's what happens. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Lots of really honest people are much poorer than this guy. Otherwise wouldn't almost everyone in China be a thief? They aren't.
- mikelieman, on 10/12/2007, -10/+17The airline has a positive duty to properly screen candidates, make proper hiring decisions in line with corporate polices, a duty to properly train employees, a duty to properly supervise, discipline and terminate employees.
By establishing a PATTERN of incidents like this, a fine civil case could be made for negligence in all of those duties.
That's not saying it's RIGHT, JUSTIFIED OR REASONABLE. Just that there could be a matter for the Courts to decide.
Contact a good attorney. - Protonz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I had a cell phone stolen by the TSA. They feel so immune from prosecution that he made a bunch of phone calls on it while I was still on the plane.
- misterjangles, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8what the hell is that supposed to mean?
- inajeep, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8I can see why Delta is holding back, they can't keep giving $ for every infraction. They have a very thin margin that they must be clinging to with fingernails. I also understand Charles's case, 8 months and who knows how many hours wasted tracking his camera down. However, in this case I believe the right thing to do would be Delta apologizing for it's former employee and offering a voucher or some sort or discount for the next flight, ensuring he uses Delta next time and come away from the experience not blaming Delta in general for the baggage handler's misdeed(s).
- jsteiner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6So now we know how Delta treats customers. It doesn't matter who touched the bag as it was turned over by the customer to Delta for processing and care. Screw Delta. I hope this story costs them even just a few customers but the more the better. While this may and probably does happen on most airlines Delta was caught by this PR nightmare and responded with a total disregard of the the customer. I'll take my business else where. Jerks!
- ubuwalker31, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I think this is pretty ***** on Delta's part, but I don't think anyone would have too much luck with any other airlines either.
According to my favorite airline's Contract of Carriage which can be found at http://www.jetblue.com/p/jetblue_coc.pdf , they aren't responsible for lost, damaged or delayed "valuable items" which include cameras. However, I think its reasonable that those words don't include "stolen" items, so the official policy for non-valuable items is that they will reimburse the actual value of the item, minus depreciation. So the fact that he got $250 for his stolen camera is pretty sweet.
Even if this theft was somehow Delta's fault (ie., they were negligent in hiring by failing to do a background check), why should they pay for the cost of his ticket? *The principle of justice here is to put this guy in the position he should have been in, had his camera not been stolen.* They should pay for the trouble he went through to track down the guy. If he spent 40 hours trying to find his camera and the thief, he should be paid fair value for those services. Lets say $25 an hour, or about $1000. If you think about it, he did Delta a service in exposing this crook on their payroll, and should be paid a wage. - DatDamWuf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7The only reason the guy went looking for the camera in the first place is because Delta basically said "screw you" when he reported it missing. I admire his persistence in trying to right the wrong, he probably should have totaled the cost to him in time, trip to retrieve the camera etc but It would have made no difference, Delta would still have said "screw you". All the airlines do this if you loose something in transit. It's happened to me with United, two of us on a flight back from Mexico had our hammocks lifted between the Charlottesville airport and DC, we both saw the items when we changed flights. We kept in touch while trying to get compensated and both of us failed. United basically said "screw you" too.
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