Will I ever see my clubs again??? :~(

[Jay-Bird]

I left the MidWest snow to play golf in Miami last week. I had a great time. The weather was nice - for me, the locals thought it was chilly! It was 65 on Thursday and 73 on Friday... I had a blast. Crandon Park kicked my ass from the tips. I shot 43, 41. The differential on the 84 was 5.6 - it's a super long course from the tips....

Anyway -

I flew back from Miami yesterday. My golf bag NEVER made the flight, and there is no record of it's whereabouts. In my travel case I had my PING Hoofer bag, my beloved Mizuno MP-57s, FT-i tour driver, G10 4 wood, PING 52˚, Vokey SM 56˚ and 60˚, Odyssey 2-ball putter, FJ Contour shoes, SkyCaddie 2.5, three FJ gloves, 9 Titleist Pro V1, tees, some small bills ($25), frogger towel, PING towel.

I am SICK today, mentally. I am certain that my clubs were stolen either from the handlers at Miami Aiport, or in my connecting airport in Dallas, or perhaps from the baggage handlers or the baggage claim area at Kansas City.

I have flown 15 times with my clubs, and never had any issues. I just have a really bad feeling about this. I don't think I'll ever see the bag again - and I imagine it will be nearly impossible to get anything near the actual replacement value from the airline...

Will I ever see my clubs again???

[The Road Dog]

Not enough info for anyone here to make a guess. But what airline did you fly and do you have the baggage check? Today's security is pretty tight what with sting operations happening every now and again. My advice would be to get on the phone to the Airline and dont stop until you get to the CEO or you are looking at your bag in your living room. There is no such thing as a dissapeared bag in today's airports. It was tracked from the time you dropped it off. It probably is still in their system. Don't let them off the hook. If it's worth something to you make sure they understand that this is a very special situation that they can really make a difference in.

[apex53]

Man that really, really sucks... What did the airline say? Are they trying to help you? That's just a sick feeling in your stomach... I hope you get some good news and they turn up.

[The Road Dog]

I should have qualified myself, I have 32 years with a major computer company. In our organization the CEO's office regularly gets calls from dissatisfied customers. As a manager for the past 27 years I have been called on occasion by the President's office to get to the bottom of an issue in my area and report back or to take an action on behalf of a customer. I'd like to believe it is possible that the Airline you flew has a few folks like me they can reach out to to get something done when the CEO needs it done. Be professional and be persistent. Good Luck.

[zeg]

Hope you are able to get assistance from the airline, and hope you saved documentation of your trip (baggage tag in particular). However, I know from experience that they actually do have records of the tags and boarding pass numbers that they gave you, so don't assume (or take their word for it if they tell you) that since you've lost that information there's no way to find out about your bag.

This link may be of interest: http://www.executivetravelmagazine.c...e+compensation From the DOT page referenced in that article:

Once your bag is declared (permanently) lost, you will have to submit a claim. This usually means you have to fill out a second, more detailed form. Check on this; failure to complete the second form when required could delay your claim. Missing the deadline for filing it could invalidate your claim altogether. The airline will usually refer your claim to a central office, and the negotiations between you and the airline will begin. If your flight was a connection involving two carriers, the final carrier is normally the one responsible for processing your claim even if it appears that the first airline lost the bag. Airlines don't automatically pay the full amount of every claim they receive. First, they will use the information on your form to estimate the value of your lost belongings. Like insurance companies, airlines consider the depreciated value of your possessions, not their original price or the replacement costs. If you're tempted to exaggerate your claim, don't. Airlines may completely deny claims they feel are inflated or fraudulent. They often ask for sales receipts and other documentation to back up claims, especially if a large amount of money is involved. If you don't keep extensive records, you can expect to negotiate with the airline over the value of your goods. Generally, it takes an airline anywhere from four weeks to three months to pay passengers for their lost luggage. When airlines tender a settlement, they may offer you the option of free tickets on future flights in a higher amount than the cash payment. Ask about all restrictions on these tickets, such as "blackout" periods.

[Fourputt]

Don't hold your breath. Delta lost both mine and my wife's bags last October, never seen again. Both were tagged with the regular airline baggage destination tags, as well as our own address tags. Delta sent us a check (just received yesterday) for about 1/3 the value of what was lost. Nothing in the bags was of any value to a thief, like your golf clubs might be, but that doesn't help much when it's all gone.

[Big_M]

This thread is EXACTLY why I tell my wife we are DRIVING to New Mexico and Arizona next year. I hate flying, I don't trust them with anything. I'll be like Gaylord Focker not letting them take my carry-on to check it.

My friend's clubs were lost... he ended up getting about $800... so not enough to replace his entire bag, but they were old clubs.

good luck and sorry for your loss.

[DaSportsGuy]

That really stinks. I would definitely make sure you do whatever you can to get money to buy new clubs if you don't get your clubs back.

My friend had the same thing happen to him. That's the reason when I fly my clubs anywhere, I take my old clubs.

[jamo]

If you do file a claim, finding the value of your clubs wont be hard, the official PGA of America values are all here .

[Big_M]

If you do file a claim, finding the value of your clubs wont be hard, the official PGA of America values

yeah, that's the problem... replacement value is NOT anywhere near what they are worth to the individual. Plus, buying new you have cost of fitting, etc. Using that guide my clubs are probably only worth about $500-600 (if I'm lucky)... but there's no way in hell I'm going to get a new set of clubs for anywhere near that. I would have to spend at least $700, probably over $1000 just to get something comparable.

Also, those values are if you sell the clubs... he should NOT use those values when writing his claim as they will most certainly come back with a lower number.

[mirv]

the best suggestion i could make beyond contacting the airline is contacting the police in both of those towns and saying you think your clubs were stolen. maybe they can keep an eye on the pawn shops. also might want to keep an eye on ebay for anything that looks like it might be yours, and the seller is within 50 miles or so of dallas or miami, maybe look into that a little.

[Shorty]

If you do file a claim, finding the value of your clubs wont be hard, the official PGA of America values

I don't think that the OP would appreciate this joke. But then again, maybe you aren't joking because I didn't see any winks or smileys at the end of your comment.

These "official PGA of America values" are trade in values, which are about half of what the actual worth of the clubs is.

[xTsUnAmI]

That is really shitty man, I have zero personal experience with this. But, I think, the airline should be responsible for the entire amount to replace everything. It is their job to get your bags onto the right planes and too your destination, and I'd imagine it's a pretty penny to bring a golf bag with you on a flight now a days. That is their responsibility and they should be trying to make it right for you. I know you'll get a lot of grief and it sounds like in the end you'll only get a fraction of what it'll take to replace all your stuff, to me that's bullshit. I do feel sorry for you though, I would be so pissed if my whole bag was just gone.

When I was racing motorcycles across country one of my team mates bags was lost, he got his back a couple days later after the races where over but he just had to use borrowed gear. There was probably over 2k in the bag worth of riding gear, helmets, boots, ect. So there is hope of getting your stuff back, I hope it works out for you.

[Jay-Bird]

THANKS for all of the thoughts on this.

I have called the airline involved many, many times. After talking to several people in the baggage dept. with the airline - both through the 800 number and at Kansas City airport - I have figured out that my golf bag is::

"most likely bottlenecked in Dallas, or less likely it's still in Miami" - customer service lady

If it's in Dallas it could come in today on any of 7 flights from DFW tom MCI.
If it's in Miami then they could have been held up at TSA, or lost in the shuffle of outbound flights...

fingers crossed.

[Fourputt]

I don't think that the OP would appreciate this joke. But then again, maybe you aren't joking because I didn't see any winks or smileys at the end of your comment.

Which is more than the airline will give you in remuneration. If you get $500 from the airline, I'll eat my hat.

THANKS for all of the thoughts on this.

Yeah, right. That's the same runaround we kept getting. Hopefully your experience will be better than mine. When I go to Mesquite in February, I'll be driving.

[Shindig]

fingers crossed.

This brings up a good question: when to check for damages? I worry that going through a golf bag at the airport would be mis-interpreted by TSA, but if you leave with the bag, you might not be able to claim anything as missing/damaged.

[B Keller]

I hate to check baggage and would have leaned to shipping my bag UPS/FedEX, but now I know I would even if it costs more.

I hope your equipment turns up undamaged.

[iacas]

I voted no (sorry). The airline industry wants so badly for people to be able to trust them again, yet this kind of crap still happens regularly.