[Dixielandjazz] Delta Belatedly Offers to Pay for Smashed Guitar

[Dave Stoddard]

Musician whose vintage guitar was smashed by Delta gets check from airline, 
new one from Gibson

By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News

Delta has formally apologized to Dave Schneider, the musician whose vintage 
guitar was shredded by the airline's baggage handlers at a Detroit airport 
last month, and offered to pay him for his prized ax.

Schneider, guitarist and singer for Hanukkah-themed rock band The LeeVees 
and the hockey-themed Zambonis, had asked Delta staffers not to check in his 
1965 Gibson ES-335-which he estimates is worth about $10,000-on a flight 
from Buffalo, N.Y., to Detroit, Mich. He asked if he could carry it on the 
plane instead, but he was denied.

After landing in Detroit, the case carrying Schneider's semihollow-body 
guitar became lodged between the mobile service elevator and a rail on the 
loading dock, shaking the elevator door. The case even bent a steel beam. 
The guitar itself was pinned between two beams, sustaining an estimated 
$1,980 in damage to the bridge, neck and tail. Workers took nearly an hour 
to retrieve it.

Schneider said he was then given the "runaround" by Delta. The airline 
reluctantly offered to cut him a check for $1,000 in Tampa, Fla., his 
eventual destination. Schneider refused the check, because he didn't know 
how much the repairs would cost. The online claim forms he filled out after 
the guitar carnage were blank when Schneider later checked on them, and two 
emails he sent to Delta chief executive Richard Anderson were not returned. 
On Friday, after Yahoo News first ran the story on Schneider's ordeal, a 
Delta representative contacted him and this week agreed to pay for the 
guitar. Delta also gave him a pair of free vouchers for future flights.

Meanwhile, Gibson contacted Schneider, too, offering repairs on the damaged 
1965 ES-335 as well as a brand-new 50th anniversary reissue of a 1963 Gibson 
ES-335, free of charge.  "We all know Gibson guitars rock," Schneider wrote 
in an email to Yahoo. "But at this moment, the Gibson company is rocking 
even harder than Pete Townshend's Les Paul." Schneider says he plans to 
purchase additional guitars from Gibson for an upcoming charity auction.
"To be honest, with Gibson reaching out to me," he wrote, "that's the cherry 
on top of the best musical nightmare ever."

Schneider hopes his story helps someone in a similar situation.  "When a 
company obviously does something wrong, they should quickly find a fair 
solution," Schneider wrote. "It's not about a guitar, or a musician, it's 
about making your customers feel good and trust that they are in good hands. 
Sadly, in this case, I felt neither warm or cozy. The solution would not 
have happened without the mighty power of social media (thanks to Yahoo, 
CNN, Gawker, Facebook and every single person that hit share).  "I received 
quite a few apologies from different folks at Delta which seemed a bit 
forced," he added. "But I will say that the last email which I pasted below 
was refreshingly genuine."

Mr. Schneider,

I want to further add apologies on behalf of myself and the entire Delta 
Executive Leadership team for the inconvenience and stress this situation 
caused. We are reviewing the series of events in full to ensure appropriate 
steps are taken to prevent future occurrences. Again, my sincerest 
apologies--please feel free to contact me directly if you would like to 
discuss further.

Jon Litzenberger
Delta Air Lines

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A guitar-playing safety colleague would love to own a Gibson ES-335, but 
can't afford it.  He confirms that this was a top-shelf instrument which was 
damaged.  I have had a number of bad experiences with Delta, happily none 
involving a musical instrument.  Your mileage may vary.

Regards,
Dave Stoddard
Round Rock, TX