posted December 12th
Well, Another UNITED AIRLINES Pet Horror Story... More actually just a Tale, or, excuse me, A BIG LIE. Three weeks ago I paid $125 for Samson to fly with B. on his flight. United said he'd go in the cargo hold, but since they don't transfer animals to the next flight, B. was going to have to go to the Pet Cargo Hold Area at Chicago's O'Hare Airport... pick him up himself, and take him to his international carrier SAS, who had a reservation for him in a special pet cargo area for overseas. NONE of the United Airlines Pet personnel that I spoke to could tell me WHERE this Pet Cargo Area was.... and anyone who has ever been to O'Hare knows it is a nightmare unto itself. B. only has two hours between his domestic flight on United, and his international flight on SAS. So when I talked to United personnel about the situation... they were happy to take my $125 and tell me that B. could carry Samson on the flight from Seattle to Chicago, then take him to the SAS gate and they would transfer him to their hold from there. They knew exactly what the situation was, and how big the carrier was, etc. In order to get Samson ready, B. had to have a special vet visit which cost $190, and had to fly within 4 days. SO, B. gets to Seattle International today, and they say, "Sorry" you can't take him on the plane with you. If Samson were to go in the hold on United, it would take hours for B. to get him out of the Pet Cargo facility and he'd miss his SAS flight... and still no one could tell him where the area was. Needless to say, this has caused him undue stress, and I am crying. The United Airlines employee LIED to me, and then the company would not uphold their employee's promise. (I almost feel now that he probably laughed his fool head off after our phone call and thought, "boy is she going to have a crappy time on the day of the flight") They will take a dog, a cat and some birds on the flight. Samson is less than 4 pounds and in an approved carrier, and won't make any noise. What the HAY!!?? Yes, they refunded the $125, but now to get a Pet Service to get Samson on another flight is going to cost between $1100 and $1500. B. is handling it well and saying it is only money. I am totally upset, and am vowing to never fly with United ever again. Please share if you want to... UNITED AIRLINES information is unreliable at best.
B. began checking with pet travel services, and thought it might cost upwards of $2000, and when he messaged me that info, I said he and Z. really needed to think carefully on this because that was an awful lot of money! Maybe I could find him a good home here somewhere. He replied, "um... no". Samson is their baby and they wanted him there.
Sometime over the holidays, a service finally got back to him with a quote.... $3800 !!!! Are you freaking kidding me!! B. said, "For that amount of money, I could fly back there and get him myself, but I don't really want to come back." I got to thinking about that, and I thought... well, how about if one of us goes there?
I broached this idea to B. and he and Z. decided that was a good plan. I wanted him to offer it to his dad first because he had expressed to me that his dad never got to go anywhere. I figured his dad is not currently working, and would have the time. G. was starting school, and wouldn't be available until June or July. I have my seasonal job until April... so I couldn't go until then.
His dad declined. I just wasn't ready to go, and was committed to this job, but G. had missed the first week of 2nd term last year and came out with all A's, so he was more than excited to go!!
posted December 27th
After working 12 hours, I have spent the last 7 and a half, since 7:35 this morning, making phone calls to arrange for a vet visit, a USDA appointment, 6 calls to one airlines, 2 calls to others, several calls to G., and Skyping with B. and Z., making arrangements to once again try to get the rat to Sweden! This time Samson is going with G., and Delta Airlines and KLM are promising that there will be no problems. (pls pray with me that this will be true) Fun for G. as he is getting a free trip to Sweden for a week.... Look out Swedish Mamma and Family... you are getting some company!!! Now it's time for me to take a nap!
Delta told me his cage was too small, and I needed to get a larger cage.
posted December 31st
OK, well all my efforts turned out to be a bust, and I am at square one again. I called Delta back with dimensions of a new bigger cage, and this person told me it couldn't happen. I demanded a supervisor and ended up speaking to Andrea in Salt Lake City for 45 minutes. She made several calls while I was on hold and shared in my exasperation of not being able to get real answers. She said she would call KLM in Europe when it was morning there and got back to me after midnight to report that KLM Cargo would be able to ship Samson through an affiliated carrier as cargo but the office in Los Angeles was closed and I needed to call in the morning. She said she had documented everything she had learned on G.'s reservation. I asked if she could call me back during her shift the next night to see if everything went well and she assured me she would touch base. Sunday morning I call the LA cargo office and they are closed on Sundays... I will have to wait until Monday. Andrea never calls me back and I feel abandoned. I call Monday morning. .. LA connects me to Chicago and supposedly the lady who is in charge of shipping animals... and SHE tells me that they have an embargo on ferrets because it is nearly a rat, and they DON'T SHIP THEM AT ALL!!!! "Well if you are the lady in charge," I tell her, "then why don't you make sure ALL of your employees know that little fact so they don't keep lying to the customers?" So I have now got to start all over. I contacted SAS Airlines because they had been agreeable during arrangements for Ben's flight... it was United that gave us trouble...but their only west coast point is San Francisco!! I am waiting to hear if they have room for his cage on the flights and should know something tomorrow morning. It will be SAS all the way, no carrier changes, so that is a positive aspect. Looks like G. and I will be driving to San Francisco on Friday for him to catch this flight... If I can arrange time off to drive at least 9 hours to get there. On all our many adventures, I always told the boys, "We are never lost because you can always get there from here." If we show up in SF and they deny Samson... first, I am going to be mad enough to rip someone's face off... and second, I am going to be so sad that my life long saying does not hold true for ferrets. Please keep this situation in prayer, especially for safe travels for G. and Samson. Thank you.
posted January 1st
I am afraid because that was just way too easy! SAS Airlines has confirmed the pet reservation for Samson and when I asked about what recourse I had if the ticket counter said no, was told the reservation was already confirmed for a ferret and that there would be no issues. SAS will transfer him to the second flight... he's traveling in a special pet cargo hold with temperature control, air and light... and the best part for G. is that he will be able to return flight from Stockholm to Portland which works better for his visiting plans and gets him back closer to home in time for school on Monday. The only tough part about this is G. and I will have to drive to San Francisco for his outgoing flight, but I was able to arrange my work schedule so we can leave way early in the morning to account for travel time and issues to get us there in time. B.!! - I think you owe me a hotel in San Francisco!! I am going to stay overnight, and enjoy Saturday on Pier 39! before driving back home. The easiest part was getting a refund through Delta even though I made the reservation on Kayak, unbelievable after all the heck they put me through, but since it was documented on the reservation, there was no issue... unfortunately it will take 10 days. G. will be picking Samson up from his dad's in Ferndale, WA, taking him to his Vet and USDA appointments in Olympia on the 2nd and they fly out the 3rd. G. is anxious to see his bro, and meet his new family and then visit friends in Orebro. Still need prayers that all of this continues to go smoothly, and that Samson arrives to Sweden safely. Thank you for all of your prayers and crossed fingers... God cares about the little things that matter to us.
posted January 2nd
The adventure has begun! G. picked up Samson last night, (after enjoying New Years' and then driving from Corvallis to Ferndale) and drove to Olympia this morning for the vet and USDA appointments. He calls me and says the vet doesn't have an appointment for us! What!? But they were able to work it out. And he says they are really nice there... I remember when I called last week, they remembered Ben and were so excited for him and his adventure to Sweden. To make sure, I call the USDA to make sure there is an appt., and it is a half-hour earlier than I thought it was. Geez! Prayers still desperately needed! Thank you!
The vet appointment and his rabies shot was another $210, but the USDA did not charge us again, which was a savings of $50 !
I got off of work 6 hours early at 12:30am, G. came by to pick me up at 2:15am.
Just after Noon, we were arriving into the city...
10 hours of driving! We stopped at a park, and let Samson run around a bit in the leaves. And then we found a place to get some nourishment... G. said it was the best pho he had ever had :) It was way yum!
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