● the laptop story

So, here is a good reason to use my blog for more than travel photos: stories

The Laptop Story

Once again in my life, I found myself in one of those stories that I can't get bored of telling others. I lost my laptop (or netbook, whatever they call it these days). But then I found it (in a different country) and got it back.

How?

Part 1

I took the bus from Freiburg to Basel in the morning to catch my flight to Barcelona (It was just cheaper from Switzerland). At the airport in Basel, while going through the x-ray security checks, I had to put everything in those plastic bins (cell phone, wallet, coins, backpack, laptop...) and for some reason they wanted the laptop out of my backpack and in a separate bin. After passing through, I guess I must have been so preoccupied with multi-tasking (talking to my friend Valerio and putting all that stuff back in my pockets) that I totally left the laptop there and went to the plane!

Part 2

We arrived in Barcelona and went to the baggage claim area. There, I noticed that I my backpack wasn't that heavy and I was in total shock when I didn't see the laptop in it! I ran back to the gates where I came from but the doors were closed behind us. I found out later that my plane was leaving in 30 minutes to go to Berlin. I was sooo sure that I left the laptop in the plane (I thought it somehow slipped out from my backpack while being under my seat) and I went back and started hitting those glass doors as hard as I could so someone from the other side would come and they would automatically open. The security came and of course they didn't let me in and told me about the lost & found procedure and that I have to go there, do this, do that, bla bla bla... So I waited some more and when another plane arrived and their passengers started coming, those doors opened again. I could finally go back to the other side! Except that all the alarms went off! Security came again and they were telling me how wrong it was what I did but I was in so much panic and rush that I was just constantly yelling how the plane is leaving very soon and that I have to go back to that plane! There was so much adrenalin that I just couldn't take it anymore! I told them I had no time to explain this and that I MUST go back to my plane! I pushed those 3 security guards aside and started running to the gate where my plane was! From all that commotion, they were also in such a shock that they didn't know what to do. They were all standing there frozen and watching me run back to the plane. Finally I got back to the gate just before they were getting ready to close and I told the flight attendants what happened and how important it was for me to get that laptop back. Unfortunately, they didn't let me in but they searched the plane for the laptop. 15 minutes later they came back and told me that there was no laptop anywhere. I went furious! I made such a scene (because I was so angry that they didn't let me back in the plane which would make it so easy to show them where I was sitting) that they had to calm me down and they went back to search the plane again. Sooo, the flight was of course delayed because they searched the plane twice for me and nothing was found!

Part 3

I was devastated and walked back to the baggage claim area again to meet Valerio. There I told the lost & found office what happened and they suggested that it could be possible that I lost the laptop back in Basel! Hmmm, that didn't sound so convincing at first because I was so sure that I took the laptop with me into the plane. But what the hell? I thought I'd call Basel airport anyway, nothing to lose. When I called them, they told me that they found my laptop and luckily, I had my flight tickets and a photocopy of my passport inside the laptop's sleeve case, so it was very easy to identify me as the owner of the laptop. But there was still one problem! They could not send my laptop because the airline didn't lose it and therefore they were not responsible for it and by law, the airport could not give it to them. They told me on the phone that only I could go in person and claim the laptop! So there I was, just arrived in Spain from Germany but my laptop was in Switzerland!

Part 4

I pulled it off! How? Like a piece of cake :) First I told the lady on the phone that I wanted to talk to her manager. When the manager picked it up, I changed my voice a little and told her that I am a businessman on a very important business trip. I told her that my meeting in Barcelona and the future of my business venture depended on the data I had on my laptop. I told her that due to time constraints, there was no way I could fly back to Basel to pick it up and come back to Barcelona again. I really really need this laptop and money is not a problem, I said. Once I felt that she was taking me seriously and felt sorry for the situation, I was unstoppable. I continued: "I will give you as much money as necessary, but please make an exception and send this laptop here on the next available flight. Do you understand how crucial it is for me and everybody else waiting for me here that I get this laptop here today? " After that she put me on hold and made a phone call. Then she told me that she could make this exception for me and send the laptop to Barcelona on the next flight. She took my phone number and told me that someone would get in touch with me soon to give the details of delivery. I thanked her and that was it! Not bad for 2 minutes of bullshit, eh?

Part 5

Later in the afternoon, I received a phone call and they told me the flight number, arrival time and the location of the place I had to go to pick up the delivery. When I went there however, there was something surprising. A huge box (probably 1m x 1m x 1m) was waitiing for me! I didn't know what to do with this gigantic thing! I really thought something went wrong and they sent me a desktop computer to make up for it :) To send an 11inch laptop they used such a big box and filled it up with tons of styrofoam so that my laptop is safe during the flight! Insanity! They said they couldn't keep the box and that I had to sign the paper and take everything with me. So I said ok, and next I think I knew, I was walking out of that airport with an enormous box. It was so big that I could barely see what's in front of me. I wish I had taken a picture of that :) The first dumpster I saw outside the airport was the end of that box. I mean, it was so big that it didn't fit in the dumpster and I had to break it into pieces :)

By the way, I am not even mentioning that I took a wrong train when I was going back to the airport to pick up the laptop and found myself in a different city (Reus) 1 hour away from Barcelona. By the time I realized I was on the wrong train, the first stop was only 55 minutes after :)

-the end-