Hi all !
I just returned from a trip and hubby luggage was badly damaged so badly that it will not survive another trip. We reported it right then.
The person said that the rollers and the extension handles are not covered!
The only thing damaged was the casing that holds the handles not the handles themselves! The top of the luggage will tear off!
What are my rights? If any? It was Alaska airlines
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Hi Discover... I just did a quick search on Alaska%26#39;s website and their information is vauge at best..
From personal experience the things they consider cosmetic (rollers, extensions even the handles and such) are generally not covered by the majority of airlines.. Nothing and I quote an airline representative %26#39;nothing that makes it easier for a passenger to carry or use a piece of luggage is covered%26#39; however, if anything like the zipper pocket (considered functional) is damaged, then you have a better chance of getting your bag repaired or replaced.
You stand the best chance by reporting it immediately (which you have)--they say you have a 48 hour window, call the airline, talk to a supervisor, and go back to the airline, make a rukus in person.
It is silly, I know, but the same thing happened to one of our bags on the way back last month. The Rep at United did not want to change our bag because the wheel had been torn right off, the handle was stuck and the seam was torn slightly open. She didn%26#39;t want to notice the torn seam until it was clear to her that neither one of us was budging---so finally she acknowledged that the torn seam was functional (no more so than the handle or wheel for me) and we got our bag replaced with another one on the spot.
So don%26#39;t give up!
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My husband and I bought 2 brand new suitcases for a long trip. They were by Samsonite, made of some new magic material and weighed almost nothing, and, most importantly, had 4 wheels. I love the ease of pushing the suitcase around that way. My husband%26#39;s was damaged first arriving with a huge punched in corner and worrying lines radiating out from it. The AA person wasn%26#39;t very impressed with the damage but gave us a form to get it checked, and either repaired or replaced, anyway. Then, the next flight, mine arrived with the wheel almost totally torn off, tearing off a corner of the whole suitcase. Got a form for that too then found out that in the States AA keeps your suitcase about a month before they decide if it can be repaired or not. We didn%26#39;t have a month so took them back to Paris with us all taped up. I was worried that we would get the run around in Paris but they took one look at the damage, said it couldn%26#39;t be repaired and gave us three new suitcases that they sold on the premises right there. Of course, they are much heavier than my samsonite. I hate having a suitcase be heavy before it is even packed but I%26#39;m sure we won%26#39;t have the damage problem we had before.
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As I said in another post, your rights in the US are (1) whatever the airline concerned decides they are and (2) the right to remain silent.
About the only thing you can do is kick, scream and holler all the way up the chain of command to the very top. If you can find the CEO%26#39;s email address - or even snail mail address - bombard him/her until you get some satisfaction.
Or just forget about it and get on with enjoying life...
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I think I will write that letter. I think we should get another 26 inch suitcase because I do not think we have time before we leave and I do not know how much one would cost in France if this one became un-servicable.
Does anyone know of a good brand that will survive those monkeys?
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My suggestion is to buy an Eddie Bauer rolling duffle bag. I have one that is almost ten years old and it%26#39;s indestructable. It has been all over Europe, to Russia (Siberia specifically), China, Iraq (twice) and plenty of other places and is still in one peice. It holds a lot of stuff and is easy to store when you%26#39;re not using it. Also EB stuff has a lifetime warranty. They are not cheap but they are worth every penny. Mine converts to a large backpack as well. The other thing I like about it is that it is large enough to pack the belongings of two people for most trips. Again, it%26#39;s expensive but worth the money if you do a lot of traveling.
http://www.eddiebauer.com/eb/product.asp?product_id=26345%26amp;nv=5|21474|214%26amp;lview=%26amp;cm_cg=C214%26amp;tid=%26amp;c=%26amp;sc=%26amp;lp=v1i002
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Samsonite has held up for me quite well.
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It%26#39;s expensive, but Mandarina Duck luggage claims to be sturdy and it is: my sister had a piece that an airline forgot to load onto the plane, and the aircraft literally ran over it on the tarmac. It had to be replaced, but my sister said that she was amazed to find that it wasn%26#39;t torn and didn%26#39;t fall apart.
By the way, Discover, you could consider writing to the travel ombudsman columns that some newspapers have (I think the Independent and Guardian do) to see if they can help.
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I know this will go against what others have written here, but I do the opposite and buy cheap luggage (from Target). You can get an entire 4-5 piece set for US60-70. It tends to be really light, and absolutely does NOT last forever. It has worked for me however because I don%26#39;t stress over the inevitable luggage bingle. A caveat: I don%26#39;t travel a huge amount, so I might change my ways if I had to buy this stuff over and over, but for my occasional trip this has worked really well.
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Welcome to the world of International Travel. We%26#39;ve been to Europe 5 times in the last 5 years, and each trip rewards us with at least 1 suitcase that is totally damaged beyond repair and use. Admittedly it would be nice to have a high-end, ultra-light, space-age suitcase, but there is absolutely no way I would ever buy another expensive piece of luggage. It%26#39;s almost guaranteed to be ruined by the time it gets home with you.
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Perhaps you should consider hard shell cases. They are not necessarily heavier than the soft ones. Mine last for 20+ trips.
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