Taxi passengers took each other's bag at airport---how to switch back

March 22, 2011 1:33 PM

Arriving in a taxi at the airport, my friend (Ms. A)and the other passenger (Ms. X) accidentally took each other's carry on. Ms A ended up with Ms X's new clothes-- no ID in bag. Ms X ended up with my friend's computer, Kindle, and iPod--no ID in bag. Fruitless search at the airport. My friend then had to board her flight for an extremely out-of-the-way country where she works. What would be a way to try to retrieve her bag and electronics? IS there a way?

We're assuming the other passenger also wants HER bag and new clothes back, and also that she wants to get my friend's stuff back to her. They didn't discuss where each other was flying. All my friend knows is that Ms X was on American Airlines.

posted by Mayree to Travel & Transportation (14 answers total)

I am assuming that the other person will look for an ID, and then probably try turning on the laptop, kindle or iPod. Is the iPod a Touch? If so, do you have any apps that you could quick text a phone number to it so that it will pop up on the screen. Can you log in remotely to the computer and put a Notepad note or sticky on the desktop with a phone number? I don't know much about kindles, but could you do the same there (a PDF in the titles list with contact info) if there isn't easily identifiable info?

Obviously call AA and the airport lost&found. She probably left it with AA if she didn't take it with her. Most people get to the airport a few hours before a flight, so you could probably narrow down possible destinations a bit (and even a bit more if you look at her wardrobe closely). That information might be helpful to someone at AA.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 1:41 PM on March 22, 2011

Is Ms. X an unknown passenger, or would A know where she was sitting? If the latter, the airline might be able to help, as they will know who had which seat assignments.
posted by zug at 1:44 PM on March 22, 2011

I would start by contacting the Taxi service in the city where the bags were switched. Even if the taxi service cannot provide personal information, if both parties turn in the switched bags, it's likely the taxi service could switch them back with a description of the goods inside since it's the taxi service that knows both passengers.
posted by rwheindl at 2:45 PM on March 22, 2011

The airline likely won't be much use. Worth a try but the taxi company is the best bet for sure, having dealt with both parties. The level of knowledge about that other passenger will vary from none whatsoever, such as a flag, all the way up to the possibility that the other customer was dispatched because of a call by a concierge at a hotel, the customer used a credit card, or even has a corporate account with the taxi service. Then you'll be golden. This is also the party that the other customer will very likely have contacted as the logical best bet.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 3:33 PM on March 22, 2011

If Ms. X wants to make the swap, it's highly likely she can deduce your friend's contact info from the information on the Kindle, computer, and iPod. Ms. X is far more likely to be able to contact Ms. A than the other way around given the information available. It's also possible that Ms. X will realize she got a bunch of valuable electronic equipment for free out of the deal and that she'll never be heard from again.

I'd try examining the clothes more closely. Any scraps of paper or business cards crumpled up in the pockets? A last name written by a dry cleaners inside a garment (more of a men's clothes thing, but you never know)? The label of a local tailor or shop? Any clues at all would at least be a help. What kind of bag is it? Some fancy suitcases include a registration service if the owner filled out the card when she bought it.

Once they are in contact with each other, AA might put things right if you ask them. Airlines usually will do this in a "I grabbed the wrong bag from the carousel" scenario, but they may well tell her to bug off since this didn't happen on the plane. In that case, FedEx or the airline's cargo service can handle the shipments at the mutual expense of the two parties.

The final option is to see if Ms. A can get lucky tracing the computer somehow. This is less likely and more difficult if she didn't already have some kind of laptop tracing software installed, but it might be possible depending on the circumstances. Let us know if all else fails and MeFi can give it a shot. Is it a Mac or a PC? If it's a Mac, does she subscribe to MobileMe? Is her laptop on some kind of corporate network? Does she only use webmail or does she use an email program like Outlook or Apple Mail? Does she have anything installed that automatically interacts with the internet, like Dropbox or Evernote or anything similar? An IM program that starts up when she turns on the computer? I would also call Amazon to report the Kindle as stolen. It might help you get it back, and it will ensure that no one tries to buy any books on Ms. A's account in the meantime.
posted by zachlipton at 3:57 PM on March 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

This is worth a shot.

Ask your friend (Ms A) to email a document to her kindle (using her kindle's email address). Name that (text) document something like "SWITCHED BAGS - CONTACT INFO INSIDE" and have you friend list contact info in there.

Assuming ms X turns on the kindle, she will see the document waiting and hopefully open it.

PS: Send it to the direct kindle email address (e.g. [e-mail]) rather than the free one ([e-mail] which only works on wifi. It's one more hurdle that you don't want).
posted by special-k at 3:58 PM on March 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I would also call Amazon to report the Kindle as stolen.

DON'T DO THIS YET.

If you do that, then any hope of using the Kindle as a recovery option is lost. Your friend can disable it at a later time when all options are exhausted.
posted by special-k at 4:00 PM on March 22, 2011

Is it a Mac or a PC? If it's a Mac, does she subscribe to MobileMe? Is her laptop on some kind of corporate network? Does she only use webmail or does she use an email program like Outlook or Apple Mail? Does she have anything installed that automatically interacts with the internet, like Dropbox or Evernote or anything similar? An IM program that starts up when she turns on the computer

All of these options are predicated on the fact that the other person will attempt to boot it up. Unless she had a full-fledged theft recovery software (like this), it would be quite difficult to get any personal information about Ms X. The best you can hope for is an IP address and a rough location.

Regardless, she can try the following:
See last synched IP address with dropbox
Log into Gmail, click details next to last account activity at the bottom. Are any of those IPs out of the ordinary?
posted by special-k at 4:04 PM on March 22, 2011

Craigslist? There's a lost and found section.

Taxi service or airport service (not airline but airport) may be the best bet though.
posted by countrymod at 7:14 PM on March 22, 2011

All of these options are predicated on the fact that the other person will attempt to boot it up. Unless she had a full-fledged theft recovery software (like this), it would be quite difficult to get any personal information about Ms X. The best you can hope for is an IP address and a rough location.

Yes. I thought I was clear that this would be in the category of last resort things worth pursuing if you don't make contact normally. Trying to get an IP would be what she might do if it appears Ms. X is more interested in keeping her new laptop, rather than a contact strategy.

I like the idea of trying to send a document to the Kindle, and I'd try sending a similar message to her email as well, just in case.
posted by zachlipton at 10:05 PM on March 22, 2011

Trying to figure out what X is going to do might be helpful. Did A mention any details that might give clues to X and cause her to contact certain places? Are there any such clues in A's luggage? A scatter-shot approach might work equally well, just phone pretty much every place you can think of and hope that X is doing the same thing and that you both reach the same helpful person.
posted by Authorized User at 10:53 AM on March 23, 2011

So I'm vaguely curious? Any luck?
posted by zachlipton at 12:12 AM on April 2, 2011

Response by poster: No luck. I sent my friend the first several suggestions. Both people heading to low-tech countries (Suriname, Haiti possibly for Ms. X). My friend not terribly technologically adventurous thus no tracing software, etc. She tried contacting the taxi co. and airlines, with no luck. The Walmart clothes she ended up with were brand new, and no clues. She has bought a new Kindle (I'll pass on the Kindle tracing info in case of another loss), computer, and eyeglasses. I appreciate all the detective advice.
posted by Mayree at 2:54 PM on April 29, 2011

Response by poster: Another update from my friend. It was a scam. Her words: "They contacted a friend of mine, whose card was in a pocket in the bag. They want money. The guy who called is in Florida, but the bag is supposedly in Montreal, with a woman who supposedly can't speak English. I'm working with a detective in Miami, don't have much hope. Turns out that these taxi services look for people like me, and they fill up cabs, and then nab your bag as they exit before you do. The clothing in the bag I got might have been shoplifted, which is a set-up to deflect attention away from them, so that theoretically *I* get arrested. It's a whole web. Fascinating and creepy."
posted by Mayree at 9:57 AM on May 20, 2011 [2 favorites]