09-27-2011
12:59 PM
2 Loves
I left a black mesh portfolio on a flight to Midway from Baltimore last week.
I called the Southwest toll free number the next day and the agent took a report, which included a detailed description. She said that the report would be sent to all Southwest baggage services offices and I would get a phone call if the item was found. She also suggested that I check with the Midway baggage office when I left Chicago a couple of days later, as she said items are held at the airport for 3-5 days. She said that after they are sent to Dallas, they are there "for a long time."
My conversation with a Midway baggage staff member was interesting in that it revealed a different set of parameters. This person said lost items are sent to Dallas every day. She looked in the storage area, but since it had been 3 days since I arrived at Midway, the item was not there - or had never been turned in by the cleaning crew. She said that after items are sent to Dallas, it would be at least 2-3 weeks before I might hear anything.
Yesterday I called the toll free number again, thinking that I could determine if there was a way to file a "lost item" report and get some sort of tracking number. This person had yet a different set of guidelines about lost items to convey. He suggested I go in person to the closest airport with Southwest service and file a written report at the baggage services office, which would give me a tracking number. He seemed to think that lost items are held in Dallas for 60 days. He then said I could give an email address in the report and be contacted that way, and then several minutes later, he said those who find lost items only communicate by telephone.
I am confused now about what to do. Should I assume that the telephone report was enough to start the searching process? Should I go to a Southwest baggage office and file a more formal report? It seems that there are not consistent policies and procedures about how this sort of thing is handled. Or, if there are, Southwest staff don't seem to all have the same story on it.
Any advice?
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