Dave Schneider did everything he could to get Delta to let him bring his classic 1965 Gibson ES-335 on board his flight from Buffalo, NY to Detroit — going so far as to offer to buy the guitar its own seat — but was rebuffed.
"I've always carried it on," Schneider, lead singer of the Zambonis and guitarist for "Hanukkah-themed rock band" the LeeVees, told Yahoo News. "Never been a problem before."
Indeed, he was even allowed to board his original flight from Portland, Maine, with the Gibson in tow. But, for an unspecified reason, the Delta staff in Buffalo made him check it in.
As his feet touched the ground in Detroit, Schneider said he already knew something had gone horribly wrong. Sure enough, he wrote on Facebook, a "musicians worst nightmare came true."
There at the gate was his guitar — stuck between the service elevator an a loading dock rail making "this crazy sound" of "metal on metal."
It was only after workers finally managed to dislodge the carrying case an hour later that the damage could be assessed.
His $10,000 instrument had sustained significant damage to the bridge, the neck, and the tail. All told, repairs were estimated at $1,980.
But Schneider's nightmare wasn't quite over: After declining a $1,000 check from Delta, Schneider filled out the proper claim forms but received no response from Delta.
Two emails to Delta chief executive Richard Anderson similarly went unanswered.
It was only after being contacted by Yahoo News that Delta suddenly perked up and issued a statement saying it apologizes and "will be reaching out to the customer directly to discuss how we can make this right."
[photo via Facebook]