Just arrived home from honeymoon...used ME...all luggage soaked and ruined! Help!

[disbride11]

Anyone have any advice? We used ME today traveling from Orlando to Hartford. Checked our bags at 10 am today, and didn't see them again until we arrived tonight at 11:30pm. The bags came off the belt soaking wet with all the contents also soaking wet. All the souvenirs from our honeymoon, soaked, mostly ruined. We complained to southwest and will work through the process with them, but not a single other bag came off that belt wet. I strongly suspect ME I at fault. Any advice about who to call? Any experience with complaints similar to this? I am at such a loss. I can't believe that this has happened...

 

[Disneyadore]

Why should ME be at fault?
99% Chance you are a victim of those that fly with containers water.
If you read a bit more here you could see how many times people ask how to transport water in the luggage.
Sometimes I think we should collect money for the US instead of Africa because obviously there is NO water in the shops.

 

[disbride11]

Glad this is such a laugh riot for you. Kinda doubt our 4 large bags were soaked by one idiot transporting water instead of the massive downpours occurring as we were arriving at the airport, but hey, that's just common sense for ya.*Thanks for being so helpful.

 

[disneymarie]

Glad this is such a laugh riot for you. Kinda doubt our 4 large bags were soaked by one idiot transporting water instead of the massive downpours occurring as we were arriving at the airport, but hey, that's just common sense for ya.*Thanks for being so helpful.

I use to see my son working at the airport and the carts they throw the bags on are mainly open. Once, As I sat on the plane, not his carrier, I watched as my brand new Rollator/walker headed to Disney fell off. It landed minus the basket, one handle for the adjuster broke.
I knew I should have kept it with me, family was concerned about getting around to gates with it.....No they ended up as I hobbled around.
Ended up the ME handed it to me, so the airport said not their problem. I had to let them know at the airport....if on ME how could I? If you start claim with airline keep working with them....let Disney know as far as to try and replace some suvoniers etc.

But once the transportation from ME shows up with it, placed into the airport hands I suspect there is where the damage occured. UNLESS, it was pouring at DISNEY when you handed it to them and left it on the sidewalk as it rained.

Now, when ds takes a luggage into possesion AT the airport WET, it would have been wrapped in plastic and not allowed to go through the carrosel.(as they unload) THis is to protect the rest of the passengers luggage.
IE) Shampoo, water, licquor etc....this happens from compression of weight, not the air compression in the hold.

I do not know how the airport would take it wet, not contacted you at the gate and then not have taken measure to protect everyone that items near your luggage too.

I hope you can replace some momento's

PS I am so quilty of taking water. An econo trip with the kids, the last for dd. I had a rolling cooler empty with paper products, and 2 one gal. bottles of water. Now I find a way to get it there from the Hess, or Walmart.

 

[Disneyadore]

Glad this is such a laugh riot for you. Kinda doubt our 4 large bags were soaked by one idiot transporting water instead of the massive downpours occurring as we were arriving at the airport, but hey, that's just common sense for ya.*Thanks for being so helpful.

Well maybe you should use the search function.
Yes people transport several suitcases full of normal drink water. You can be mad at me for laughing but I think it is totally nuts to carry any fluids in a suitcase.

 

[wee-haggis]

Well maybe you should use the search function.
Yes people transport several suitcases full of normal drink water. You can be mad at me for laughing but I think it is totally nuts to carry any fluids in a suitcase.

I dont think there would be too many folk transporting water on their return flights back home from MCO........(the other way....maybe).

OP.....You could try filing a claim against Disney (do you have any photos?) but I'm not sure it would get anywhere .
sorry

 

[seashoreCM]

I use to see my son working at the airport and the carts they throw the bags on are mainly open. Once, As I sat on the plane, not his carrier, I watched as my brand new Rollator/walker headed to Disney fell off. It landed minus the basket, one handle for the adjuster broke.
I knew I should have kept it with me, family was concerned about getting around to gates with it.....No they ended up as I hobbled around.
Ended up the ME handed it to me, so the airport said not their problem. I had to let them know at the airport....if on ME how could I? If you start claim with airline keep working with them....let Disney know as far as to try and replace some suvoniers etc..

Choose only one, making no mention of any aspect of the other.

1. Arriving in the main terminal go to baggage claim and file a report with you as the witness, before going to the Magical Express welcoming area.

2. File the claim for the Rollabrator at the very moment when you get it back broken, say at your resort when you first see it, in your room.

Glad this is such a laugh riot for you. Kinda doubt our 4 large bags were soaked by one idiot transporting water instead of the massive downpours occurring as we were arriving at the airport, but hey, that's just common sense for ya.*Thanks for being so helpful.

(copied from another thread) It is standard operating procedure in case of a sudden thunderstorm for baggage handlers to run for cover leaving things as-is on the tarmac. It may be a good idea to put groups of things in plastic bags and then put them into the suitcase.

 

[duffy]

There must have been liquid inside the suitcase, for everything INSIDE to be soaking wet. It sounds like it was water from your description.

Four bags, all soaking wet, inside and out? I can't imagine how this could have happened accidentally. Someone must have deliberately opened all four of your bags and poured water into each one. Or, isolated your four bags from the other luggage, and sprayed them with a hose?

I can't even picture a thunderstorm while the bags were on the tarmac making only your four bags soaking wet, and not any other bags showed on the belt wet. Those showers may soak your bags, but you say only your four bags were soaked, no other bags?

Or, simplest and most obvious answer: did you have water bottles in the bags?

 

[azdizzymom]

Honestly it is sad that this happen but you have no clue how this happened. How can you say it was ME? How can you say it was SW? How do you know it was not someone with water as others suggested....who says only those going to Disney (MCO) carrying water on the plane or other fluids? Do you have any type of traveler's insurance through a credit card? Hope you have luck in a claim but if you do succeed it will probably not be for the amount you want.

 

[diesel]

did you use RAC at the hotel to check your bags for the flight? I'm assuming you did so ME is actually not responsible since they only provided transportation for you to the airport. RAC transports the luggage from the hotel to the airport if you used their service.

 

[duffy]

The original post says, "...not a single other bag came off that belt wet." So, I can't imagine how another bag with a water bottle inside it didn't also get wet. Then it couldn't have been the fault of another traveler. The water could only have come from INSIDE the luggage.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have no idea what happened to the OPs bags. BUT...DME had absolutely nothing to do with it. They never had possesion of her bags. RAC is a completely different entity from DME. It is operated by BAGS. Now, I do doubt that something happened to the bags while still at the resort. They just aren't outside, especially if it's raining. Not the same thing as at the airport. If a storm comes up, the bags aren't outside, they get wheeled back inside or under cover.
So...if it was rain, it was at the airport. The thing that I can't wrap my head around is no one else's bags being wet. For all four of the OPs bags to be that soaked, there had to be a common element. And, if it happened at MCO, the bags would have dried somewhat before arriving in Hartford.

Note to all future travelers....if you have anything you can't, or don't want to, replace, put it in your carryon bags. In additioin, it's always a good idea to pack your things in plastic bags in the luggage. I know...an addtl step..but I've had stuff leak onto my bag. And everything inside was fine due to it's being in a protective baggie. Toiletries are always double bagged inside my checked bags...always.

 

[azdizzymom]

Note to all future travelers....if you have anything you can't, or don't want to, replace, put it in your carryon bags. In additioin, it's always a good idea to pack your things in plastic bags in the luggage. I know...an addtl step..but I've had stuff leak onto my bag. And everything inside was fine due to it's being in a protective baggie. Toiletries are always double bagged inside my checked bags...always.

Wise words! Also, might want to carry souvenirs in your carryon along with other valuables.

 

[Alexander]

If you checked your bags with RAC (resort airline check-in), then ME (Magical Express--contracted by Disney to Mears) has nothing to do with you luggage. RAC like ME is not Disney. They are outside contractors.

If there was a downpour at MCO, that is likely where your bags got wet. If you didn't take a direct flight to Hartford, then you were probably the only passengers who originated at MCO, thus your bags being the only wet ones coming off the plane in Hartford. If you did have a direct flight, then there is no way that your bags were the only wet ones coming off the plane.

The fault here lies with the airline or whomever they have handle their luggage on the ground at MCO. I don't know if there is any recourse however. You need to contact the airline and begin the process by filing a complaint/claim. If your bags were soaking wet (I think of soaking wet as dripping) then so were others who were on your initial flight.

 

[crashbb]

I would have also thought that the SW baggage handlers at MCO would have documented soaking wet bags in order to cover themselves. I know that I've used a suitcase with a broken handle and I the check in agent noted it (and had me sign) before accepting it, so that I couldn't make a claim about it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Given that there were massive downpours as you arrived at the airport, this appears to be an airport or airline issue rather than a WDW or RAC issue (and not related to Magical Express at all, unless you took your checked luggage to the bus with you and handed it over to the airline, which makes it definitely an airline/airport matter).

Especially when you check in for your flight and check your luggage a few hours before your flight, RAC sends the luggage over to the airport by scheduled trucks as they load up cages. They don't hold any luggage based on the passengers actual departure time (if they did, late-day/evening luggage wouldn't ever get sent).

Once luggage is in the possession of RAC, it's the same as the airport having it. In this case, it seems the OP's luggage was sitting somewhere unprotected. It could have been on the top of a baggage tram, or just sitting on the tarmac, or even on the belt being sent up into the plane belly. If lightning is spotted in the area, safety comes first. Everyone outside stops what they're doing and gets somewhere safe - all that metal can be dangerous.

It's too bad your belongings got wet, but it sounds like the damage is 87% Southwest's responsibility... and 13% nature's.

 

[duffy]

I still can't imagine a shower that intense that would result in the bag AND its contents becoming soaking wet. Most showers in Orlando are intense, but also brief.

Don't those luggage carts the airlines use to load onto the planes have some kind of protection?

 

[Alexander]

I still can't imagine a shower that intense that would result in the bag AND its contents becoming soaking wet. Most showers in Orlando are intense, but also brief.

Don't those luggage carts the airlines use to load onto the planes have some kind of protection?

This is where the term "soaking wet" is very subjective.

 

[duffy]

"soaking wet" to me, means everything is dripping water.

 

[Disneyadore]

I just wonder what kind of luggage you use? I have a Samsonite suitcase and my stuff inside would only get wet if ME had thrown it into the pool for hours. It would just royally float around like the Queen Mary.
If it would be outside in the pouring rain for a whole day my stuff inside still would be cotton dry.