Jet Blue Airlines Jet Blue Airlines baggage handlers destroyed my electric piano in transport

Several months ago I was returning to Costa Rica from Ft Lauderdale, FL via Jet Blue airlines. I was transporting my Yamaha P45 electric piano in its original shipping carton on this flight. When I checked in, I was told that Jet Blue does not allow cardboard boxes on international flights. When I asked why, I was told "because we do not know what is inside the box". I responded that they did not know what was inside my suitcase either, and to open the box. The woman at the counter said she would not open the box and gave me no reason why. Then the woman at the counter told me I could not check in as long as that box with my piano was standing next to me, but did not give me any reason why. At 67 years old, I had to literally run downstairs with my piano in its box (about 30 pounds) to find a taxi to transport it to a friend's home (it was about 11 PM), that cost $60, and then run back upstairs with barely enough time to make my flight.

Three months later I returned to Ft Lauderdale, the sole purpose was to bring my piano back to Costa Rica in a travel case as Jet Blue required. Before I packed my piano, I tested it and it worked perfectly. When I arrived at my hotel in San Jose I tested the piano and it was seriously broken. Clearly Jet Blue baggage handlers had to treat it severely roughly to cause so much damage.

So I sent an email to the CEO of Jet Blue, ROBIN HAYES (his email address is: Robin.Hayes@jetblue.com), and also to the baggage complaint department to explain the damages to my piano, and requested that they replace it and deliver it directly to my address in Costa Rica.

I have written to ROBIN HAYES every day since July 4, and until now, he has not responded. I received a few form emails from Jet Blue saying they would get back to me "shortly" and finally filed my complaint after more than 2 weeks I was waiting! In the interim, Jet Blue told me three different stories: 1. they only would transport the piano within the US. 2. they requested that the piano box be opened at the airport to examine it. 3. They would not pay for a new piano because it is a "fragile" instrument and  so they are not responsible for any damages!

They offered me a $500 voucher for future flights on Jet Blue.

All of this is absurd.

First, I was transporting the piano to COSTA RICA, so to say they would only transport a piano in the US is ridiculous.

Second, even if I had opened the piano at the airport I would not have known the damage until I played it which I did when I arrived at my hotel in San Jose.

Third, the way the piano was packaged (by their rules) the baggage handlers would have had to seriously throw it around like a sack of potatoes to do this much damage! The piano worked perfectly before packing it, and when I arrived it was unplayable! 

How many musicians transport their electric pianos every day on flights all over the world? To say it is "fragile" is merely stall tactics to avoid the responsibility to do the right thing. But it seems Jet Blue is more concerned about profits and not paying out when they have a real complaint about personal item damage!

I have written the CEO ROBIN HAYES many times and still I get no response from him. I guess he is too busy to take care of his customers.

Jet Blue's arrogance is a huge insult in offering me vouchers for future travel! I would NEVER fly with them again under any circumstances! They have already caused so much stress, damage, and out of pocket expense, why on earth would I ever consider to fly with them again???!!!

The purpose of this letter is to explain the whole story until now.

The only correct solution to this is that Jet Blue send me a new piano and deliver it directly to my address in Costa Rica, and compensate me for all the out of pocket expense they cost me to return to the US twice to bring my piano home!

I am 67 and have been playing the piano every day since I as 6 years old. This is the first time in my life I have ever been without a piano, and now it is more than 3 months, and all due to Jet Blue's incompetence and mishandling of my piano!

Jet Blue talks about their customer service, but clearly they have no clue what that means. From my experience with them it seems all they care about is their profits and shunning their responsibility to find correct solutions to complaints like mine!

I submit this letter for review in hopes you can help me to get what I deserve, and to ask others to boycott Jet Blue and make your travel plans with different airlines from now on!

Today, July 22, makes 18 days since I first wrote to ROBIN HAYES the CEO of Jet Blue. I have written to him every day and still I have no response from him!

Please help me to recover my losses, Jet Blue should send me a new piano and compensate me for all my out of pocket expenses to return to the US to retrieve my piano (it cost several thousand dollars to date with international flights, domestic flights, taxis, hotels, etc.)

I hope you can help me with this!

Thank you,

Dr Bob Bacher