DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: Air Canada destroyed my Rimowa suitcase on a latest flight from Toronto to San Francisco. The airline instructed me to ship the suitcase to a restore agent in Texas. The agent declared the suitcase unrepairable, even though they haven’t any contract with Rimowa and no product experience on this model.
Air Canada then provided me a selection of inferior alternative baggage, which I declined, and not too long ago despatched me a $230 test in proposed compensation. I paid roughly $1,000 for my Rimowa bag, and it was of a high quality to final a lifetime. So, neither of those choices is appropriate to me.
I’ve had a number of unsuccessful cellphone calls with Air Canada. I’ve escalated my criticism to the CEO by e mail utilizing the contact data in your web site. I’ve obtained no response. I would love Air Canada to both ship the bags to a certified Rimowa restore store and pay for the repairs or refund me for the bags. Are you able to assist?
— Donna Wells-Boyle, Portola Valley
ANSWER: Air Canada ought to have dealt with your baggage with care. And in case your checked baggage was broken whereas it was within the airline’s custody, it ought to have promptly paid for a restore or alternative. Underneath the Montreal Conference, which governs worldwide flights, Air Canada’s most legal responsibility is $3,800, which is significantly greater than you have been claiming.
Earlier than I get to what went fallacious, I’ve to say one thing about checking luxurious designer baggage that’s price $1,000. I noticed this not too long ago after I was standing in entrance of a five-star lodge in Barbados. (I used to be not staying there — too costly!) One other visitor had Italian designer baggage that was unfit to be checked, even on a non-public jet. It was strictly for present.
Elliott’s guiding rules for baggage are sturdiness and inconspicuousness. You scored effectively on sturdiness. Your checked bag was manufactured from sturdy plastic, and in your phrases, it was in “excellent” form after a few years and hundreds of miles of economic air journey. However you additionally need your checked bag to carry as much as the pains of journey with out attracting an excessive amount of consideration, and expensive Rimowa baggage is just a little flashy. You have been fortunate it wasn’t stolen.
This doesn’t let Air Canada off the hook. It accepted your bag, and also you paid a payment to have your baggage transported. Sending your baggage to somebody who doesn’t perceive the right way to repair Rimowa baggage is just not my thought of of assuming duty.
You obtain the bag over 10 years in the past and sadly would not have the receipt. The bag’s serial quantity would inform me the precise yr of buy. It actually is previous what was its five-year guarantee on the time. (I imagine the baggage are actually offered with a lifetime guarantee.)
You saved a wonderful paper path between your self and Air Canada, which confirmed that you simply adopted all the right procedures. However right here’s the place issues went off the rails just a little. As I discussed, your baggage is well-worn, and also you don’t have a receipt for it. Air Canada can ask for proof of your buy once you request a alternative. When you don’t have it, you might not get the total quantity. Additionally, given the bag’s age, there’s some depreciation.
It seems to be such as you appealed this to one of many government contacts for Air Canada that I publish on my shopper advocacy website, Elliott.org. And it additionally seems to be like Air Canada didn’t hassle to reply. Not good. I requested Air Canada to evaluation your baggage declare. Air Canada says that “after additional evaluation,” they’re sending you a second $270 test. So, your complete compensation with the 2 checks involves $500.
“I nonetheless assume they owe me extra,” you informed me, “however I’m going to name it a day at this level.”
Christopher Elliott is the founding father of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit group that helps shoppers remedy their issues. E-mail him at chris@elliott.org or get assist by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/assist/.(c) 2024 Christopher ElliottDistributed by King Options Syndicate, Inc.
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