I left my laptop computer in the seat pocket of my Adelaide to Melbourne flight on Sunday this week. I am 100% to blame for this mistake.
I did not realise I had done this until I got home mid afternoon.
This is a big deal as my laptop is my workplace. It has all my files, my calendar, my task management and plenty of apps on which I rely in business and personally.
Immediately on realising what I had done I called Qantas at Melbourne airport. The laptop had not been handed in at baggage services. By the time I called, the aircraft had flown to Sydney and then left for Perth.
The Sydney lost baggage process is different to Melbourne. I was told it could be a day or two before the laptop made its way to lost baggage.
When the aircraft arrived in Perth, a Qantas team member personally boarded and checked the seat back pocket. The laptop was not there.
At each check they made, Qantas staff contacted me and kept me updated.
The collective wisdom from Qantas folk was that it would be in Sydney and I should hear from Qantas since they found i.
Sure enough, that is what happened. A Qantas staffer called Tuesday morning with the news.
On Tuesday I picked my laptop up from Sydney baggage services. The laptop was in perfect condition. It had not been opened – I know for sure because of the security facility I had installed and from the remote monitoring I had in place.
As best I can work out, Qantas staff spent at least four or five hours on this for me, without charge and without mocking me for leaving the valuable laptop in the seat pocket on the aircraft.
What I love about the experience is the regular communication from Qantas staff, their adhering to the timeline they advised in each contact with them and that they did not judge me – even though this was 100% my fault. Their communication on Sunday is what had me trusting them and their processes. It made waiting on Monday bearable.
The Qantas customer service was flawless.
Footnote: My 5pm Sunday I realised I needed a new laptop as being within mine on Monday was not an option as I had a crazy week ahead. I went to Apple at Chadstone, bought a new MacBook and thanks to a SSD backup and my iCloud backup was 100% up and running late that night. The experience was a reminder of the value of cloud based backup.