Re: Airline damage......


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Anthony Labelle on February 11, 2001 at 19:34:08:

In Reply to: Airline damage...... posted by Matt C. on February 11, 2001 at 15:50:54:

Hey Matt,

I think I've already told you my airline "horror story", but I'll go ahead and tell it to you again, just in case. About a year ago I flew from Nashville to Minneapolis for the MMEA convention. My horn made it there alright, and I was quite happy. When I got back to Nashville, there were footprints all over my case(but no damage to the case), which made me quite suspicious, so I opened it up to inspect the horn. Sure enough, the bell was more than crumpled, and the entire valve section had been pushed down into the horn. Because it was a late arriving flight (well after midnight), there was no one on duty at the baggage claim, and not wanting to spend $80 on a hotel, I drove back to Cookeville. Early the next morning I called the airline, and they said "If there's no damage to the case, we can't be responsible for it". Not happy, I drove over to Winston Morris's house, and asked him what to do about it. He asked for the same number I had called, and did the same thing I did, but with much more success(and with a lot more colourful adjectives). The airline told us to get a written estimate, and an explanation of how the damage could have been done. Also, MAKE SURE YOU CLAIM IT WITHIN 72 HOURS!

Anyways, I brought the horn to Huntsville, Alabama to "Southeastern Musical Repairs" (or something to that effect. Call Mr. Morris or Gray Bach, they can give you the phone number). George Kraft is the main guy there, Bill Deiss is the guy who does most of the tuba stuff. Be sure to deal with George, Bill is a good guy, and does GREAT work, but his business ethics are along the lines of Vince Simonetti's(remember those tubas he sold our school in high school? ;) ). Anyways, a letter from Bill and George explaining how the damages were done(stressing the terms "complete negligence" and "rampant idiocy"), along with an estimate of around $3,000, accompanied by a letter from my parent's lawyer was enough for the airline to send me a cheque for $2,500 even, and $1000 in airfare vouchers for Northwest(which will pay for my trip to Finland this summer). Be sure to OVER-ESTIMATE, too. Luckily, my repairs ran me a little under the $2,500. Anyways, don't let the airlines try to intimidate you. Stick to your guns, and make sure that they're held accountable for the damage that is clearly their fault. Good luck!

-Anthony

(btw, how'd the audition go?)


Follow Ups: