A Costly Lesson

[RedAngie]

A British couple in their 20's flew to Greece and left their passports in the seat pockets of the plane. When they realized their mistake they wanted to get back on the plane and search for the documents. For security reasons they weren't allowed, but the crew searched and couldn't find them.

They were refused entry into Greece and had to fly back to Britain on the return flight.

They lost out on their non-refundable hotel stay.

Now they're whining that neither the airline nor the hotel cares about their misfortune and neither has offered them "compensation" for "the biggest nightmare you can imagine."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...e-lost-passports-flight-Greece-sent-home.html


One good thing, at least their family and friends won't have to suffer thru the 528 selfies they were planning to post.

 

[sonnyjane]

I do wonder why they had their passports just loose, walking around with them, and then put them in the seat pocket. The last place you show your passport is at security. Why not put it in a backpack or purse after that? Why just carry such a crucial thing around loose?

 

[Hikergirl]

"There's no sign of our passports and we've had no help, no compensation, nothing. We've done everything we could but no one seems to care".

Actually they didn't do everything they could, they could have NOT put something as important as their passports in the seat pocket but instead put them safely in their bag.
Idiots.

 

[Malibustyle23]

A British couple in their 20's flew to Greece and left their passports in the seat pockets of the plane. When they realized their mistake they wanted to get back on the plane and search for the documents. For security reasons they weren't allowed, but the crew searched and couldn't find them.

They were refused entry into Greece and had to fly back to Britain on the return flight.

They lost out on their non-refundable hotel stay.

Now they're whining that neither the airline nor the hotel cares about their misfortune and neither has offered them "compensation" for "the biggest nightmare you can imagine."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...e-lost-passports-flight-Greece-sent-home.html


One good thing, at least their family and friends won't have to suffer thru the 528 selfies they were planning to post.

Well I am so glad to hear the " I have no personal responsibility, let's blame everyone else" syndrome is worldwide and not just contained in the good ol' US of A! (spoken from an American)

 

[EscalatorKid]

Take everything published by the DailyFail with a huge block of salt.

It's about as truthful and believable as The National Enquirer or Weekly World News, and just designed to get clicks (and ad traffic) from outraged people.

I know this because they did a story on pollution in my hometown that I work and went to school in and it was way overblown compared to what it actually is. Not to mention they used a photograph of a Manufacturing Plant that does not exist in said town.

Now that being said, I do know there are people who are this stupid... But it really seems like the DailyFail finds an awful lot of them...

 

[low-key]

come on now, someone have a heart and give these people some type of refund or a new trip, we all screw up

 

[ronandannette]

I've got some sympathy for this; we lost our Passports last year in Monaco on the the 2nd stop of a 5-port cruise and I vividly remember the tornado of emotions. We weren't sure what was going to happen; over a thousand dollars worth of private tours, not to mention 20 years worth of hopes and dreams were on the line and we were stranded half-a-world-away from home. Our story, and my feelings about it would have ended entirely differently if no person or agency stepped in to help us.

We were the undeserving recipients of a TON of God's grace and graciousness from practically everyone we came in contact with who helped us sort it out. We were able to re-board the ship and carry on with our itinerary uninterrupted (after a minor interrogation by some super-nice Italian police!!), while several different contingents worked behind the scenes to retrieve and return our documents. (They ended up being found and turned into a Post Office in Monte Carlo). All in all, we were unscathed except for an extra few days in Barcelona while we waited for the Passports to arrive and the cost of a last-minute 1-way fare home. These expenses were eligible for reimbursement through our travel insurance policy.

 

[anneboleyn]

A British couple in their 20's flew to Greece and left their passports in the seat pockets of the plane. When they realized their mistake they wanted to get back on the plane and search for the documents. For security reasons they weren't allowed, but the crew searched and couldn't find them.

They were refused entry into Greece and had to fly back to Britain on the return flight.

They lost out on their non-refundable hotel stay.

Now they're whining that neither the airline nor the hotel cares about their misfortune and neither has offered them "compensation" for "the biggest nightmare you can imagine."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...e-lost-passports-flight-Greece-sent-home.html


One good thing, at least their family and friends won't have to suffer thru the 528 selfies they were planning to post.

I actually felt kind of bad for them until the part where they whined about not getting compensation. Why should they be compensated for being dumb and putting their passports in the seat pockets?

People expecting a payout for their own stupidity always makes me twitch.

 

[RedAngie]

Take everything published by the DailyFail with a huge block of salt.

Now that being said, I do know there are people who are this stupid... But it really seems like the DailyFail finds an awful lot of them...

The story was on plenty of respectable UK websites too. I chose the Daily Mail for the photos of the couple.

I actually felt kind of bad for them until the part where they whined about not getting compensation. Why should they be compensated for being dumb and putting their passports in the seat pockets?

People expecting a payout for their own stupidity always makes me twitch.

Same. I had some sympathy until that "no one would compensate us" part.


I wonder if another passenger (or a dishonest crew member) noticed the passports and swiped them. Not sure if UK passports are worth anything on the black market. Or maybe a cleaning crew tossed whatever junk was the in seat pockets without noticing it was a passport.

 

[ronandannette]

...I wonder if another passenger (or a dishonest crew member) noticed the passports and swiped them. Not sure if UK passports are worth anything on the black market. Or maybe a cleaning crew tossed whatever junk was the in seat pockets without noticing it was a passport.

When ours turned up in Monte Carlo we were informed it happens like that all the time. Thievery in European tourist locations is rampant but it's also fairly "professional". They only want cash or cards - it's extremely common that Passports and other ID are thrown into mail boxes or dropped at post offices. That's nice of the thieves I guess.

 

[Hikergirl]

I would have sympathy if the passports were actually lost. In this case they weren't they were put in an incredibly stupid place and forgotten about.

 

[ronandannette]

I would have sympathy if the passports were actually lost. In this case they weren't they were put in an incredibly stupid place and forgotten about.

Maybe, maybe not. If they were in the seat-back pocket it seems like they would have been found easily enough when they were looked for. As for ours, we assume we simply dropped them because we didn't have any other explanation but they may have been snatched out of my bag - I honestly don't know.

 

[jliehr]

I do wonder why they had their passports just loose, walking around with them, and then put them in the seat pocket. The last place you show your passport is at security. Why not put it in a backpack or purse after that? Why just carry such a crucial thing around loose?

In the 10 international flights I have been on in the past 3 years you have to show your passport when boarding, then many countries have you put your number on your form for immigration/customs/border control. I have a coworker who lost his after putting it in a backpack, we keep ours in an attached money belt when traveling usually.

 

[ronandannette]

Another thing I'm wondering now is how they got back through Customs into the UK. The biggest problem we had was not being able to get home. Any airline was prohibited from flying us because we wouldn't have been re-admitted to Canada without documents. Wouldn't this couple have ended up like Tom Hanks in "The Terminal" until they had some papers?

 

[tcufrog]

Why would you put your passports there? I’ve travelled overseas a lot and I always stop to put them back in my purse immediately after they’ve been checked. Putting them in the seat back pocket is just stupid. That’s totally different from loss or theft.

 

[CarolAnn856]

I've got some sympathy for this; we lost our Passports last year in Monaco on the the 2nd stop of a 5-port cruise and I vividly remember the tornado of emotions. We weren't sure what was going to happen; over a thousand dollars worth of private tours, not to mention 20 years worth of hopes and dreams were on the line and we were stranded half-a-world-away from home. Our story, and my feelings about it would have ended entirely differently if no person or agency stepped in to help us.

We were the undeserving recipients of a TON of God's grace and graciousness from practically everyone we came in contact with who helped us sort it out. We were able to re-board the ship and carry on with our itinerary uninterrupted (after a minor interrogation by some super-nice Italian police!!), while several different contingents worked behind the scenes to retrieve and return our documents. (They ended up being found and turned into a Post Office in Monte Carlo). All in all, we were unscathed except for an extra few days in Barcelona while we waited for the Passports to arrive and the cost of a last-minute 1-way fare home. These expenses were eligible for reimbursement through our travel insurance policy.

I'm guessing that anyone who would blame others for their own mistake and then go to the press to complain about not getting compensated for it probably did not act in a way that might garner sympathy or assistance from the very people who could provide it. From reading your posts on the Dis, I can imagine you being very upset, of course, but I think I can safely say that you were asking, not demanding; respectful, not entitled; and accepting responsibility, not shifting blame. I can only imagine how the couple treated the airline personnel, but I'm guessing they might have handled it rather differently than I imagine you did.

 

[ronandannette]

I'm guessing that anyone who would blame others for their own mistake and then go to the press to complain about not getting compensated for it probably did not act in a way that might garner sympathy or assistance from the very people who could provide it. From reading your posts on the Dis, I can imagine you being very upset, of course, but I think I can safely say that you were asking, not demanding; respectful, not entitled; and accepting responsibility, not shifting blame. I can only imagine how the couple treated the airline personnel, but I'm guessing they might have handled it rather differently than I imagine you did.

We were, but as I said in my first post, I’m not above admitting my attitude might have gone off the rails if we had felt like we were stranded with no help. We were treated with respect and concern by everyone involved (and there were many) and all the individuals and agencies that said they would do something diligently followed through. We were humbled by how relatively smoothly things were resolved. We were so fortunate and so thankful! (We actually lost out on being reimbursed for our extra expenses through insurance because I made a huge mistake with the claims paperwork. That was completely on me. )

One thing that confuses me about this story though is why the Passports weren’t found, if indeed they were in the seat-back pocket. If I was 100% positive that is where I left them, I would have raised holy hell at not being allowed to retrieve them when the ground crew denied them turning up. The only other possibility I can think of is another passenger spotted them while deplaning and picked them up for dishonest reasons. That’s terrible.

 

[Hikergirl]

Maybe, maybe not. If they were in the seat-back pocket it seems like they would have been found easily enough when they were looked for. As for ours, we assume we simply dropped them because we didn't have any other explanation but they may have been snatched out of my bag - I honestly don't know.

They are the ones who said they put them in a clear bag and in the seat pocket and that they forgot about them until after they got off the plane.
They didn't lose them, they knew exactly where they put them and forgot about them.
Somebody probably did snatch them, but still your passports are the most important document to have when you travel, I don't have sympathy that they aren't being compensated or given a refund. They didn't put them in a safe place while traveling, that is on them.
I do feel bad for them that they were not found, but in a more of "that stinks" kind of way.

 

[Skellingtonj]

"There's no sign of our passports and we've had no help, no compensation, nothing. We've done everything we could but no one seems to care".

Actually they didn't do everything they could, they could have NOT put something as important as their passports in the seat pocket but instead put them safely in their bag.
Idiots.

What compensation do they expect??? I’d never leave something that valuable in the front pocket of a plane. We found an iPod on a plane once. We just turned it into the flight attendants. But we also check those pockets before we de-plane.

 

[Hikergirl]

What compensation do they expect??? I’d never leave something that valuable in the front pocket of a plane. We found an iPod on a plane once. We just turned it into the flight attendants. But we also check those pockets before we de-plane.

I bet this couple made sure their phones were in a secure safe place though