How enjoyable was it for the music products industry to reunite at NAMM? From where I stand it seemed a “homecoming” of sorts. There were so many genuinely enjoyable moments, and a rekindling of the new normal. To celebrate, let’s have some jocularity around a few NAMM moments that I will laugh about for many years to come.
My first crazy moment came at 8 PM the night before my early morning flight – 12 hours to be exact. It had been a while since I had scheduled a West Coast jaunt, so I was diligent in setting the details of the flights to function smoothly, or at least that’s what I thought.
DING! I hear the famous phone-sound. Keep in mind, I am a back pocket cowboy, and I can draw my trusty phone as fast as Wyatt Earp, especially as I’m heading out the door for a cross-country trip. The text read;
“Your flight from IAD on June 02 has been canceled. We’re working to rebook you.”
WHAT?!?!? 12 hours before? I immediately transcended into crisis mode and called the airline. I dialed the phone so quickly that my dog even gave me a high five. Of course, you already know what happened next.
“You have reached Incompetent Airlines. Currently we are receiving a higher-than-normal rate of calls, and your hold time is 2 hours and 15 minutes. Press 1, if you wish to hold and speak with an operator. Press 2, If you would like a call back. Expect a call within the hour, as your call is important to us. Thanks for choosing to fly on Incompetent Airlines.”
This fiasco happened at 8 PM at night, so mentally I ran the math and calculated that I would hear from somebody around 9 PM. Oh, but wait: in airline time “within the hour” would mean around 10 PM. Something in my gut told me not to trust “the bot” that was programmed to make me feel better. Since I couldn’t even reach the airline, I decided to call the online travel provider (OTP) and the story actually gets a little better here. In my particular case, the first thing the online ticket provider did differently than the airline was they actually answered the phone. Granted you have to be Inspector Clouseau to find the OTP’s phone number. However, if you are a gifted detective, they will actually answer the phone, and sometimes do so reasonably quickly.
On to step two. Although this transaction will now cost me an arm and a leg, the OTP attempted to get the cancellation issue addressed. At this point, it appeared we were now making progress. The OTP operator was polite, and she appeared invested in solving my problem. At least that is what I first intimated from her civility, but when she said I might not get a refund from Incompetent Airlines because it was less than 24 hours before the “canceled” flight, I morphed into Mr. Legal, and informed her that I couldn’t be charged for a service that was not provided to me. In her polite voice, she asked me to hold, and after sitting on hold for 15 minutes, she returned to say the refund had oddly been approved.
My relationship with this OTP operator had advanced to booking two new flights with a different airline that, quite frankly, I thought I would be more comfortable with – or at least I hoped I would be. This airline, however, turned out to be Lost Luggage Airlines.
Lost Luggage Airlines had two flights that worked well and, with the exception of losing two limbs and my mind because of the cost difference, it now appeared that I’d dodged the bullet, and although I had deteriorated into an emotional wreck, at least I knew I’d make the NAMM Show on time to keep my first appointments. Speaking of time, at this point in the evening, it was 10:30 PM. And I had not received a call back from Incompetent Airlines. Imagine that!
So, the next morning, I get up at the crack of dawn, everything I need is in my suitcase, I have my laptop, I’m traveling in “cool-guy clothes” – AKA, jeans and a logo t-shirt – and I appear to be a legit businessman on a mission, which I know to be true because, I have intervened and kept a catastrophe from happening. Go, Team Cool Guy!
As I arrive at LAX, the good news is I have connected with the rest of my party, and all I’ve got to do is get my suitcase, catch a Lyft, and we’re jammin. Simple, right?
“Attention passengers, your luggage will arrive at carousel number one, or maybe carousel number three. Oh, wait – make that number three in San Antonio, Texas. Attention passengers: Never mind, we have decided to be honest. We have no idea where your luggage is at this time.”
From here you can almost guess the rest of the story. Even after I thought they would restore my faith in airlines again, fate had other plans. It appears the person at the baggage check felt it was necessary for my suitcase to visit San Antonio, Texas. I’m not quite sure why.
What is the moral of the saga? Well, first, if you stay at a decent enough hotel, they will have a gift shop with “cool” Anaheim t-shirts that look good with jeans, and they will even have toiletry kits. Thank goodness! Lesson learned: I will never make fun of toiletry kits ever again, I swear. Second, when you attend the NAMM Top 100 dinner, or speak at The Idea Center in jeans, as long as you surround yourself with hip young musicians, your peers are fooled into thinking it was an intentional decision and, with a wink, you can almost pull it off. Third, if you’re nice to people when they make mistakes, they really try to hustle up the best solutions. Even if it’s a day late. Winner of the attempt at better service award: Expedia. Runner up: Lost Luggage Airlines.
