[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

We are talking 1500.00 worth of stuff. I pay cash for my things, not a fan of credit. How am long am I suppose to keep a receipt for? Can any one shed some light on what I can do?

The airline knows people don't hold onto receipts forever. That is why they do this. If you are talking $1,500 worth of clothing and incidental items, there should be no problem. If, for example, you are claiming a $1,000 diamond ring, you may be out of luck because you're not supposed to put high-value items in your checked baggage. On the chance that $1,500 is mostly clothes, be prepared to produce proof, in court, as to your earnings for say the past five years. This would establish your ability to make some clothing purchases at Macy's, Nordstrom's, or maybe even Nieman Marcus. Also, you should be able to show the relationship between the type of work you do, and the clothes you wear, and document same. Are you a pharmaceutical salesman? Or do you work with the bore on an oil drilling rig? You said you don't use credit much. However, if you did charge a big ticket item (ie: a business suit) the credit card issuer may be able to provide a copy of the statement showing that purchase. Same thing would apply if you used a "check card." The bank, for a fee, may be able to provide the statement showing the name of the merchant. Again, the main purpose of this documentation is not to provide "receipts," but rather convince the court that your don't buy all your clothing out of Walmart (which is NOT a bad thing!) Once you have all your documentation together, write the airline; include copies of your documentation, and say this material will be used in a small claims action if they continue to refuse to pay. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised.