I received this from one of my email groups.
*** Crossposted WITH permission.... FYI...Â
Please crosspost!!!
> ====================
> Last Friday had to be one of the very most frustrating
> days of my entire life. Never have I encountered ,
> all at once, such a group of un-co-operative uncaring
> people all working at the same company. The company
> is Delta Airlines.
> Looking back, I should have realized that something
> was different. I have shipped puppies with Delta for
> over 30 years. This time, when I called the Pets
> First desk to make the reservation, at about 6 am one
> morning I got a recording telling me that it was
> closed and that I should call back during office
> hours. The recording did not say what those office
> hours were.
>
> When I finally did get through to them later in the
> day after being on hold "waiting for the next
> available representative" for 25 minutes I made a
> reservation for last Friday, Feb. 3, 2006 for a puppy
> to go "Pets First" from Ft. Myers FL to Bloomington ,
> Illinois, with a change of planes in Atlanta.  I
> specifically asked them to check that the planes were
> big enough for a 200 crate, and was assured that both
> were full size Delta jets. Â
>
> I went up to the airport cargo on Thurs. Feb. 2 to do
> the paper work , surrender the health certificates,
> etc. since the flight was at 6:55 on Friday morning
> and this would simplify . On Friday morning, I took
> puppy , crate, newspaper, towel, stuffed toy, baby
> blanket, an unopened bottle of water , dry food in a
> zip lock bag, and plastic dishes attached to the door
> of the shipping crate. Every inch of the crate and
> all items were examined, approved , and placed in or
> taped to the crate. This was at 5:30 in the morning.
>
> My name and number, owner to be's name and number ,
> were on at least 3 pieces of paperwork attached to the
> crate. My name, address, and telephone number are on
> the crate side in black laundry marker.
>
> Puppy was to arrive in Bloomington at 11:30.  At that
> time the new owner called me. The puppy was not on
> the plane. She was frantic. No one had called either
> of us. The airline did not know where he was. An
> hour later he was located in Atlanta. They informed
> us that he was not on the plane because they had used
> a different plane that did not allow dogs. So they
> just let him sit there. THEY NEVER CALLED TO LET US
> KNOW!.
>
> No other flight with appropriate plane was scheduled
> that day. It was then arranged that he would fly (at
> 2:40 pm) to Peoria, Illinois and arrive there at 3:20
> (change of time zones) . OK - things happen. Not
> happy, but puppy would get there and new owner would
> drive to get him in Peoria. Then 3:20 arrived, so did
> the plane, and THE PUPPY WAS NOT ON THE PLANE.  THEY
> NEVER CALLEDÂ EITHER ONE OF US TO SAY THAT HE WOULD NOT
> BE ON THE PLANE. I had called the Pet First Desk and
> been on hold for 60 minutes one time before giving up
> and 50 minutes another to make sure he was on the
> plane and never contacted a real person. The tracking
> site on the Delta web site would not show anything. A
> real person told us later that they DO NOT TRACKÂ DOG
> SHIPMENTS, ONLY PLANES.
>
> It took two hours for them to find him, still at the
> Atlanta airport. I was FRANTIC - I am 10 hours away
> from Atlanta.  The new owner (at the airport in
> Peoria) was frantic. Once they located him ( I am
> going," has he been out to potty, has he got water,
> was he offered food?" - oh yes, he is fine, right here
> in front of me wagging tail)
>
> Arrangements made to put him on a plane at 8:40 pm.
> Got through to the pet desk at 9:00 - NO - THEÂ PUPPY
> WAS NOT ON THAT FLIGHT - HE WAS STILL IN ATLANTA.
> Told to call a "logistics" number I found that he had
> not been put on that flight because it was carrying
> dry ice. BUT THEY NEVER CALLED EITHER OF US TO TELL
> US-------------WHY WHY WHY------------silence. Now,
> they told me, he would have to go to a kennel as they
> couldn't keep him at the airport for over four hours.
> I am to the screaming stage - he has already BEENÂ at
> the D------ airport for over 12 hours. Is the puppy OK
> , is he dehydrated?  Has he been allowed out of the
> crate, does he have water?  Puppy, they said , is
> fine. Will go to a kennel. I will be billed. They
> have no idea when puppy will fly to Illinois. ALSO
> TELL ME NOW THAT HE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN SHIPPEDÂ OUT
> WITHOUT A FAX FROM ME CHANGING HIS DESTINATION. NEVER
> EVERÂ MENTIONED THIS BEFORE ALL DAY
> LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> I tell them to hold - using cell phone I call Kitty
> Cahoon who is at dog shows in Atlanta. Kitty
> immediately agrees to go and get the puppy - I convey
> this to the idiot that I am talking to who then
> transfers me to another idiot who says that they won't
> release the puppy to anyone without a FAX. I stop
> trying to reason with them and scream that it is now
> 11:30 at night and I don't have a bloody FAX machine.
> No budging them. A rule. A contract that I signed
> that morning giving them jurisdiction over the puppy.
> I tell them that the contract has already been broken
> by THEM - that it was to deliver the puppy to
> Bloomington 12 hours earlier. I finally told them I
> would find a FAX machine if I had to drive 100 miles
> to do that - to not send the dog to a kennel. I am
> terrified that I will never see this puppy alive
> again. Finally my daughter gets hold of someone in
> the newpaper office that she knows and a FAX is sent.
> Kitty picks up the puppy. He is, thank God, alive.
> He is also dehydrated, un- watered, un- fed and in a
> kennel with urine and stool, dirty paper, bedding ,
> and toys. To her it seems he has never been taken out
> or fed or watered.  In that shipping crate for 18
> hours. They go back to the show grounds to her RV and
> I sink to the floor crying and threatening to sue
> Delta for the inhumane and callous way they have
> managed to lose this pup and cause trauma to us all.
>
> This is Sunday. Puppy was not in good enough shape to
> try to fly him yesterday. Fluids have helped and he
> is now back to acting good.  Delta wants to "start
> over" to get him to Peoria. They also want me to pay
> another $200 to do so. Guess what - I have called my
> credit card company and that charge already there will
> be disputed until the day I die. I WILL NEVER USE
> DELTA TO SHIP A PUPPY AGAIN. I will tell everyone I
> know of the horrible way we were treated. I will
> contact every Delta official that I can get a
> name/address for. Any other suggestions? I WILL
> FOLLOW THROUGH. Â
>
> All through this whole thing not one employee of Delta
> ever apologised for the problems. Not once did
> anyone, except for one ticket agent in Bloomington,
> even express sympathy.  I told the last person I
> talked to at the Atlanta airport that if that puppy
> died that "heads would roll".  Well, the puppy has
> survived. Kitty has him safe with her. We don't know
> at this time if he will continue his trip or what.
> Right now we are just glad that he is alive. But
> heads are still going to roll.
>
> Please feel free to post to any and all lists and
> concerned people so they can't do this to anyone else.
>
>
> Marcia Deugan
> ZIYADAH Sussex Spaniels