Okay here's the story from the beginning:
Flying home for spring break from Chicago, checked in bass using a SKB BassSafe - many of you guys have used them, basically just a roto type plastic mold around a gigbag with locks.
Got to LA, of course, no bass. Apparently it never got on the plane. In a few hours, they track down the bass and deliver the case to my home the next afternoon. Guess what- no bass inside. All the locks / ID's hacked off leaving the empty plastic shell.
I file a claim with United, within a few months (mostly spent on the phone) the claim is filled, money in pocket. At this point I'm bummed, but the compensation was generous so it eases the loss.
Fast forward 3 months, a TB user sees the auction on ebay, and proceeds to do a search for Neuser infomation in our forums. She happens upon my thread in Lost and Found, and contacts me...
I contact the Chicago PD, and United security with my findings. PD blows me off, as I was expecting. After about 10 transfers within United, I am connected with a investigator from the corporate security division. With only a few hours before the auction closes, we were kinda pressed for time. I again tried to call Chicago PD to file a claim, again given the run around and treated like I was the criminal.
So I won the auction fair and square with a completely fabricated identity - ebay ID, email address, address, you name it. (my real name and address was all over the case and tags)
I get this loser's full name, address, and phone number through my communication. My guy at United runs the info with employees at O'Hare... no hits apparently.
Next morning: (this is finals week for engineering students, by the way
) Apparently they ran the name in a different database and this time it came up positive. Now police are interested, and the fog of bureaucracy suddenly clears...
I get a call from the Chicago PD requesting that they come to see me to discuss the case. Within 20 minutes, 3 investigators are at my dorm and I end up signing formal felony complaints.
When a positive match was made, apparently police raided the given address. No bass. The seller had the money order I sent, but no bass. She said she shipped it already. Right.
Within a few hours, the police got the location of the bass (her boyfriend's, of course), and seize the bass. The boyfriend (who is the actual employee) is taken into custody where I believe he remains.
As of this time, the bass is waiting at the Chicago PD for me to pick it up. The head of operations for United at O'Hare is planning to come drop it off to my dorm with his cronies. Probably take some pictures, make them look like the heroes of the situation ...
So that's where the situation stands. Chicago PD and United Airlines deserve some major recognition as they were extremely professional and devoted to this issue. And no, they don't want their insurance money back.
Of course, any updates will be posted, as well as some "after" photos - if shes ready to be photographed of course, these things are very traumatic you know.
