B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 138
Communication Breakdown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
Upon arrival; we were met by a Company Mechanic. He said he was there to fix a broken overhead bin. I knew nothing about the forward bin. The Mechanic informed me that a Passenger took photos of the bin and was appalled about the appearance of our aircraft; and sent the photos to a social media website. The complaint went right to the top of Maintenance and the Mechanic was there immediately to try to repair the bin. I did not preflight the bin (not in my job description); the Flight Attendant never said a word to me about the issue; and I never had a chance to talk to the Passenger. Apparently there was some rubber sealant that had come loose from the underside of the bin. It functioned safely and was not broken; it was merely a cosmetic rubber strand dangling from the most forward underside of the bin. It was promptly deferred by the Mechanic. Flight Attendant should've told me what was going on. He bolted before I could ask him anything since they were involved in a swap.
B737 Captain was informed by a Mechanic at gate arrival that he was present to repair an overhead bin which the Captain was completely unaware of. A previous passenger had photographed a piece of hanging rubber trim and published it on a social media website.