Lost my camera...and need help in Venice

[Glynda]

Got home from Venice, Italy only to find that my digital camera was no longer in my tote bag. I first called the two US airports I passed through and they haven't even returned my calls. Then after six attempts, I found someone in Lost and Found at the Marco Polo airport in Venice who speaks a little English. What were the chances, yet my camera is there. It was one of three turned in just that day alone. But alas, it has to be picked up by a person. They will not mail it. I have to somehow find someone I can authorize by faxing a photo copy of my passport and a statement granting my permission and naming them before it will be released to them.

I've written to the travel agent who arranged our two week cruise and stay in Venice hoping perhaps the transport company that transferred us from the ship to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport will do it.

Any other suggestions? I'd settle for just the memory card though the camera was pretty expensive and is new.

 

[KCI]

Sorry for you lost camera. One tip that fellow tuggers have made in the past is to have the first picture be you name and address. I have followed this advise for each trip. I have my name and address as a file on the computer. Before I leave, I bring up the file on the computer and take the first shot. Just maybe the individual would have mailed it to you if he could have verified you name by the first picture. Sorry I'm not more help to you, but others might be helped by doing this.

 

[ausman]

No real idea, but how would you solve this problem in the US.

I'd take that approach and apply it to Italy.

In the US I think I would try a local courier company that could pick up and forward.

 

[Dave M]

In the U.S., the answer would be easy. A TUGger would volunteer to go to the airport with the faxed authorization, pick up the camera and send it to the OP. Guaranteed.

Perhaps the OP will get lucky and find someone who lives in Venice or will be visiting there.

To help with that chance, I'm modifying the title of this thread slightly.

 

[summervaca]

The idea of taking a photo of your name and address is great. I am going to do that!

 

[wackymother]

We lost our camera at a country fair in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania (a very small town), this summer. The fair did have a lost and found, and we talked to a bunch of people about it, and all of them were basically like, "That's too bad...you'll never see that camera again." Sigh. We never did. We called back a couple of times, and they had our number, but no camera. I guess somebody decided that they got a nice carnival prize.

 

[Talent312]

I sure hope my wife doesn't read this.
She'd offer to fly to Venice just to help you out...
and spend a week doing so, if you know what I mean.

 

[Icarus]

If you stayed at a nice hotel there, try the hotel concierge. Offer to pay a fee of course.

-David

 

[Glynda]

Identification

Having my name in it would do no good in this case as their policy is that it MUST be picked up. They will not ship it, even if I send them a description and permission statement along with a preposted box and packaging.

It would have helped with identification though I was able to describe the camera and its case exactly.

Hey, I've offered to go back and get it too. Hubby isn't biting.

I've emailed the travel agent but she probably won't read it till tomorrow.
I suspect that the transport service the travel agent used will be a better bet than the hotel. They weren't exactly bending over backwards for us there. And with a vodka tonic costing 11 Euros and a gondola ride 250 Euros at the hotel, I can't imagine what they would charge to do it.

Thanks for the modification, Dave.

 

[Chrisky]

With so much identify theft going around I would be very leary of sending a photocopy of my passport to someone I didn't know. If you can describe the photos on the memory card, could they not at least send you the memory card?
What about contacting the American Embassy? Maybe they could advise you on how to proceed.

 

[MULTIZ321]

What about talking to a flight attendant or flight crew person, who is flying to Venice, to pick up the camera for you. Offer a tip for what you think the effort is worth.


Richard

 

[Glynda]

Police...

It's the airport Police Department that handles lost and found at Marco Polo Airport in Venice. He didn't leave me any choice. Fax photo copy of passport, permission statement, name of person or service for pick-up, and camera description. No shipping or mailing whatsoever...regardless of what it is or how it is done. They just won't get involved in that.

I don't know any flight attendants but that's a good idea as were several offered.

I'm just counting on our travel agent for this one right now. Can't wait to talk to her again tomorrow. She planned a very smooth and fine trip for us. And it doesn't hurt that her company does mega travel arrangements for the huge corporation hubby works for. So hopefully...

 

[pedro47]

Is it the camera that is lost or all the lost pictures/memories of your trip to Italy.

File a claim under your homeowner policy to recover for the lost of your camera. You will never be able to cover all the lost pic's memories.

Good luck in your search.

 

[Glynda]

Update

Travel agent found a contact in Venice who will try to go pick it up for me.
I've faxed the permission to the airport police and to the person (company) who will pick it up. Hopefully, it will still be there and they won't give them a hard time when they get there.

 

[Glynda]

Photos

Is it the camera that is lost or all the lost pictures/memories of your trip to Italy.

File a claim under your homeowner policy to recover for the lost of your camera. You will never be able to cover all the lost pic's memories.

Good luck in your search.

While the camera is new and relatively expensive, it's the photos that matter to me most. But if the recovery efforts fail, the other couple who were with us also took photos and will give me those. That's better than having none. But of course their photos focus on them standing in front of sights, and only a few of us.

 

[applegirl]

I sure hope you get your camera back. What a fiasco! With the world being a smaller place than it use to be, who knows you just may see it again! I truly hope so.

This year my husband's suitcase which was going to Buffalo somehow ended up in Paris. I got a call from a woman in the middle of the night in Paris saying that the airport mistakingly sent her my husband's suitcase instead of hers and she wanted to know what to advise the courier when they returned to pick up the suitcase. I just told her to tell the courier the airport should send the suitcase back to our address as his business trip would be long over by the time it got back to the U.S. Lo and behold, several days later my husband's suitcase arrived on our doorstep. Go figure!

So don't lose hope on your camera! Stranger things have happened. If I was going to Venice I'd offer to pick it up and ship it. No such luck though.

Best of luck and let us know what happens!

Janna

 

[Jennie]

If all else fails, you might try calling the Royal Regency timeshare located in the outskirts of Paris. It's a small timeshare and the Front Desk staff was very friendly and helpful when we stayed there a couple of years ago. Many of the other guests were Americans who had exchanged in through I.I.. Perhaps the staff would know someone who could pick up the camera for you. Or an American guest checking out this week, and headed home to the states, might be willing to pick it up at the airport and send it to you. That's how I got my aunt's hearing aide back. It had slipped out of her pocketbook going through security, and wasn't missed until the plane landed in NY.