DETROIT – Roseville Police Sgt. Keith Waller went to Haiti in mid-March to help rebuild a church damaged by the devastating quake of 2010. He's flown there many times, but he says this time someone stole $7,800 from his carry-on bag after he was forced to check it.
Waller says he put the cash in a carry-on bag because cash is basically the only way you can do business in Haiti. He says he was also sure the bag would never be out of his sight, but at the gate for his connecting American Airlines flight to Port-au-Prince he was stopped.
"He said the plane was a full plane, and there was no room in the overheads, so he needed to take my bag," Walelr said.
Waller resisted, but in the rush to board, relented, and hoped the money was somewhat concealed. Unfortunately, Waller says someone did see it and stole it. He realized the money was missing when he arrived at his guesthouse.
"I was in shock. I just realized that here I am in Haiti, all my funds are gone. What am I gonna do?" he said.
He contacted a nephew who works at American Airlines and was advised to report the problem when he passed through Miami on the way home. Waller did just that, but was not impressed with American's response when he first met with customer service.
"I got a little short with him, in regards to the fact that, I felt, it was very unprofessional that he wasn't even willing to even take my name and my information down," he said.
Eventually, another person took down Waller's information. That was on March 21. Waller has been going through the complaint process since then.
American Airlines told Local 4: "While it is possible that the person our customer first spoke to may work for a third-party contractor that assists with airport baggage claims or issues, we are very sorry to hear that person did not provide the appropriate concern or assistance we would normally expect and provide. We are confident this does not represent the typical response by our employees or our contractors. Accordingly, we offer our most sincere apologies if the representative did not provide a proper level of concern."
Waller knows the airline isn't responsible for any lost items, but he's hoping justice is done.
"Someone stole some some money and I would hope that American Airlines would hope to know who it is," he said.
American also tells Local 4 it takes accusations of theft very seriously, and Waller's claim is under investigation.
After we contacted American, the customer service Waller received will also be reviewed.
We checked with David Fishman of Cadillac Travel Group. He advises if you're ever forced to turn over your carry-on bag, you can and should, ask for a moment to take out any money, medication, or anything you value.
He says you do not have to tell the employees what you're removing. In addition, if something is stolen, file a police report which can help you make a claim on your homeowner's insurance.
Waller and his wife run a charity, raising money for their Haiti missions. You can go to http://www.hope-for-haiti.net to learn more about their efforts and/or offer them support.