<--Oh Canada!

I had practice this weekend in Greensboro and Air Canada lost my bags and it's a pretty long story and since I had to write to a customer representative to get my compensation I thought I should post my experience and what I learned. Here's the letter,

To whom it may concern,

Case number CLTAC 12640, Mathieu Chow, 2 bags

I am very upset with the state of your baggage claims department. You lost my baggage and keep giving me the run around. Here’s the break down of my adventure with Air Canada.

Check in at Montreal to go to Charlotte through Toronto Saturday at 5:15 (flight leaves at 6:30)

Get to Toronto by approx. 7:45 my bags do not arrive and I am told to continue my flight to Charlotte where arrangements will be made to have my bags delivered to me

10:45 I speak with representative of Air Canada in Charlotte who files a report with me and advises me that it would be best if I had the bags shipped to Greensboro airport as this location is much closer to my final destination. (please note that there are no other flights leaving for Charlotte on Saturday but many are leaving for Greensboro ) Mr. C.Ellis the air Canada representative in Charlotte makes a note of this on my file, which I have a copy of.

Later on that day I call to verify that my bags have been sent to the Greensboro, the agent tells me the bags are still in Toronto and are being sent out to Charlotte. I inform the agent that it would be best to ship it out to Greesnboro. Since I did not trust that your agent fully understood the urgency in having my bags brought to me in Greensboro I call back an hour later. To my surprise the bags are still going to Charlotte. No modifications have been made to the file. Once again I tell the new agent that I want my bags to go to Greensboro. This little phone call dance happens 5 times with 5 different people!!!! Once it got late in the night I gave up since all the Toronto Greensboro flights had been exhausted.

Sunday I call again and I get the same answer my bags are being shipped to Charlotte today, now what good is that for me when I leave at 6:50 p.m. I tell them to return my bags to my house in Montreal. Which the agent said she would do. Once I get back to Toronto I ask the customer representative at the desk where are my bags. He tells me they were sent out today to Charlotte!!!!!!!

Now to make things worse, the reason for my trip was for a sports practice in Greensboro so not only did I not have my equipment this weekend I still do not have it today.
On the advise of your Air Canada representative in Toronto, I wish to get compensation for the things I had to buy to replace what I had in my missing bags.
Here’s what I want I have the receipt for all of these things.

Cleats 10.66
Vitamins 44.80
Book 12.00

Total 67.46$ U.S

What I learned:

A. Never check all your bags keep a well stocked carry on.
B. Never check all your paintball equipment, keep clothe and mask and buttpack in your carry on. (Note, that markers, tanks and barrels are not allowed in carry on luggage)
C. If your bags get lost according to Air Canada "Procedures" they will send it to your airports final destination substitutions are extremely hard to make.
D. Speak with people in person, Air Canada's 1-888-689-2247 (Which is India) cannot fully comprehend the urgency and time differences between one place and another in North America.