Help Me Hank: Luggage lunacy

Karen Jones, found luggage
"I was looking for a name and number to call or a clue as to who owned it."

And why was it at her house?

Karen Jones, found luggage
"I had no idea."

She inspected the tags for clues, no help. Look here, part of a name and flight numbers. Karen took a peek inside. A digital camera, jeans, a Patriots hat, a hair dryer, not her stuff and no name anywhere! It was clearly someone else's possessions, items they would miss! But whose?

Karen Jones, found luggage
"It might not be anything, you know, expensive but its your stuff and your souvenirs!"

The only info Karen could find was the name of the airline. Customer service told her she should bring the suitcase from her house in New Hampshire back to Boston's Logan airport. No way.

Karen Jones, found luggage
"I was outraged."

She filed a complaint but 6 weeks later the mysterious suitcase was still in her garage. Someone somewhere was unhappy and probably pretty upset their stuff was gone.

Karen Jones, found luggage
Then I had the brilliant idea of contacting 7News.

Ok, we're on it. We called the airline and told them hey, this is a no brainer. Check the bag tag number and see whom it was issued to. Within two days they found Tirza Martinez living just five miles from Karen.

Tirza Martinez, traveler
"You feel frustrated because there's nothing you can do about it."

The airline's customer service had told her there's no trace of your bag and she had given up.

Tirza Martinez, traveler
"I'm never going to find my luggage again."

And now she's pretty darn happy. Still we had to wonder how the black bag got deposited on Karen's doorstep. And we kept asking the airline company. Finally they said they had records of it being put on a plane from Philadelphia to Boston, but after that, well, as they wrote in an e-mail, "...how it arrived on Karen Jones' doorstep is a mystery."

Karen Jones, found luggage
"It would have sat in my garage forever."

No more relying on delivery service, we made sure Tirza and Karen made the suitcase exchange in person. And now Tirza has her favorite jeans back and the pictures from her trip!

Tirza Martinez, traveler
"I really appreciate it."

Ok you get the message, right? Make sure you put your name and phone number inside your luggage as well as on the outside. If you're fighting a consumer battle, maybe I can help. Just go to whdh.com and click on "Help Me Hank." In the newsroom I'm Hank Phillippi Ryan.

(Copyright 2007 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)