ORLANDO, Fla. – A Central Florida businessman was able to collect full compensation for damaged business brochures after News 6 worked with staff at Southwest Airlines to get results.
News 6 viewer Herb Gingold turned to Make Ends Meet for help after the airline declined his request for $627 to cover the cost of 250 sensitive business brochures that were “sitting in water.”
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“They were damaged beyond repair,” Gingold told News 6. “I never expected to have damage like that in my checked baggage, it was just soaked inside.”
The morning flight bound from Orlando to Denver started with heavy rain at OIA. Gingold said the bag was probably left outside of the baggage compartment because of the rain and lightning.
When he arrived in his hotel room in Denver, he discovered the water damage, but when he provided photos of the brochures, Southwest Airlines declined to offer compensation sighting their contract of carriage clause.
It reads in part, ”Carrier assumes no responsibility for money and jewelry or business documents in checked or unchecked baggage.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation said this is standard for all U.S. airlines.
The agency’s web site states that critical items including medicine, keys, passport, tour vouchers, and business papers “should never be put in a piece of luggage that you plan to check into the baggage compartment.”
News 6 asked the airline to reconsider the case and Gingold received the good news in the form of $627 wired to his bank account.
A Southwest spokesperson wrote, “You are a valued Customer and we look forward to the opportunity of serving you again.”
“A friend of mine here in Orlando recommended I call you. so I picked up the phone and rang you up,” Gingold told News 6, “I was not getting many results and then I called Mike Holfeld and, I got results.”
If you have a consumer, investment, or unemployment issue, email makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or text the words Make Ends Meet, along with your email and issue, to 407-676-7428.
Click here to see the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fly Rights.