Consolation Prizes
TV reporter helps couple get compensated by airlines for broken golf clubs, is the hero golfers need
As a kid stuck watching the news I could only hope that it was a night where the local CBS affiliate would run a "Shame on You" segment. In these reports, Arnold Diaz (RIP) would take the case of an upset or defrauded consumer and go after the perpetrator. Suffice it to say, you did NOT want Arnold Diaz ringing your doorbell.
Fast forward a few decades and these kinds of consumer alert segments still exist on just about every news show. They're important because they help keep companies in check. And there might not be a group of companies that need this more than the airlines for how they handle golf clubs.
We've seen case after case of damaged, destroyed, or lost clubs through the years. And it's a problem that affects golfers of all abilities from weekend hackers to tour pros. But thanks to one CTV reporter, at least one Canadian golfer got a little justice.
Aldo Mucciarone was shocked when his golf bag and clubs were absolutely destroyed after returning to Toronto from Fort Myers, Fla., this past November after the clubs weren't put in the oversized luggage section. Here's his wife, Rose, who also handled his claim against the airline, showing off the destruction:
Brutal. Also brutal was the airline saying at first that Mucciarone had no case without the original receipts for everything. No one keeps that! But, thankfully, thanks in part to the intervention of CTV's Pat Foran, Mucciarone received $2,350 plus a pair of $300 travel vouchers. Pat is a freaking hero. Watch his full report here.
Rose said the money will go toward a new set of golf clubs, and with that much money, it should be a pretty darn good set. So at least this travel horror story had a (kinda) happy ending. Even if it took a few months. And if you have something similar happen, you might want to call Pat.