At the Far-West Regional of the Folk Alliance last weekend I was thankfully surprised to meet so many angels!
First my luggage (including my hammered dulcimer flight case) did not arrive with me. After I waited up until 11:30 pm, it was finally delivered after midnight to the bellhops of the Woodland Hills Marriott. When I retrieved them the next morning, I discovered that one of the wheels on my flight case had taken flight and was completely gone!
I asked the Bellhop for a recommendation and he sent me to a nearby luggage repair shop, whose owner sent me to a hardware store, whose staff sent me to the internet to find the manufacturer.
Back at the hotel, in the busines-user's office I made contact with Colson, the maker of the wheel, which is in Arkansas. They gave me the telephone number for a distributor 15 miles East of Los Angeles in South El Monte. After my workshop at the conference, the Hertz staffer in the hotel guided me away from the freeways ("they'll be crazy today!") to take Topanga Canyon road to the Pacific Coast Highway--a beautiful canyon, and a beautiful ocean, too!
The trip took a long time, but I got to hear the whole press conference and punditry about the Libbe indictment along the way.
At Linco, in South El Monte, they found the wheels in no time--and wouldn't let me pay for them! They didn't have the correct bolt however, and directed me to Nomad Fasteners where amid the thousands of bolts in stock, they didn't have the right one, either. However, the owner found one that was close match and "made" it fit by cutting and filing off the extra. Then, she wouldn't let me pay her, either!
Back at the hotel, I asked the front desk if one of the Maintenance Engineers had the correct tools to tighten the two bolts--in no time there was a knock at the door and a quick twist of the screwdriver and wrench and the flight case was again "wheelable."
My roommate helped me load my rental car in the wee Sunday Morning hours so I could return it before my 7:40 am flight home. When I arrived at the car rental location it was locked up tight, despite the assurances I received before renting that staff would be present at 6:30 am so I could make my flight on time.
Frantic telephone calls to their 1-800 number, interrupted by much number-punching to find the correct options led me to the Emergency Roadside Assistance option where the operator informed me that the office would open at 7 am. There was no lock-box for the keys or check-in, but Steve, who pulled up behind me and was waiting to drop off his car also, volunteered to drive me to the airport. So I unpacked my car, packed his and off we went. I made it to the tarmac and the movable stairs at Bob Hope airport in time to catch my flight, thanks to all the angels in Los Angeles!