Monday, February 13, 2006
Well, now, isn't this just wonderful.
The maximum liability for lost luggage is US$20 per kg. Which means, assuming my bag weighed in at 20kg (baggage weight limit for international travel being 23kg), I stand to receive a maximum of $400... if I am lucky. According to my estimations, to replace everything that I have lost, I need around US$600. This is after adjustment for the ridiculous US retail prices and cost of shipping.
The rules are designed to screw the non-litigious, hapless consumer over.
Filling out baggage claim forms puts me in a truly, truly black mood.
And to top it all off, my wallet was stolen over the weekend. Cards, cash and all. I've survived being a clueless tourist in China for more than a month without falling victim to petty theft, but here in the wealthiest country in the world, on an Ivy League campus, someone decides to help him/herself to my wallet.
This amazing streak of bad luck really must end. Soon. I don't know how much longer I can hold off the tempting (but utterly irrational) belief that someone, somewhere is enjoying a huge, cosmic joke at my expense. Probably karma and divine punishment are involved. If I believed in such things - which I obviously don't - but some part of my mind is considering the various probabilities involved and multiplying them together, producing an answer that defies rational sense.
words were spilled on Monday, February 13, 2006
