Pay those bag fees, expect refunds when your bag goes missing?

[Dax]

I saw today first hand the things that happen with baggage underground in the airport....Lets just say I won't be checking much anymore...

 

[Dax]

On our way back from a recent trip to WDW our bags were savaged by a vandal while in Continentals care.

I know this because I saw other people's bags that were looked at by the FAA and they all were clearly marked with stickers that they were searched. Mine had no such marking anywhere, not a sticker and not a tag.

Second I had the same plain Jane FAA approved Samsonite locks with the standard keyholes in the bottom for years.

To look at my brand new Samsonite luggage you can tell someone brutally twisted off the locks because all the holes are twisted to the point where I can never get another lock in there again. Yet, when I opened the luggage up not a single thing was out of place. Nothing was moved so much as a hair. Some one did it just to be destructive.

So I called Continental and they told me it isn't their policy to cover anything to do with the zippers. My feelings are that they could get away with the 'use at your own risk' idea when it was free but if they are going to charge me $40 each way for the stuff they had better be sure it isn't damaged. When you charge it becomes your responsibility to make sure your employees take care of my stuff.

I learned today that sometimes luggage gets "stuck" in the conveyor system...the only way to get it out...cut it out....!

 

[bicker]

The point is that the carriage of baggage already has an explicit description of how much you get compensated in case of loss. Expecting more than you're explicitly promised is unreasonable.

Not if the baggage was not handled properly.

YES if the baggage was not handled properly. That's what I'm explaining.

The airline has a responsibility, too.

Precisely as I said: There is an explicit description of how much you get compensated in case of loss -- it is in black and white in the contract of carriage. The entirety of the airline's responsibility is explained very clearly. Expecting more than you're explicitly promised is unreasonable.

When they do not follow their own rules, all bets are off.

That's not the general case. Again, the contract of carriage say clearly what the airline owes you if they lose your luggage. It's clear. That's what they should give you.

 

[OK!]

I saw today first hand the things that happen with baggage underground in the airport....Lets just say I won't be checking much anymore...

So what'd you see?

I normally always fly Southwest but for an upcoming trip to LA, a friend and I got an insane deal on a package that involves flying American, so we took it. I didn't know at the time about their baggage fees (or limits on carry-ons), but I wish I had. I guess I've been spoiled by Southwest all these years with their extravagance in allowing TWO carry-on items and 2 checked bags without fees. Argh.

 

[laurie31]

I don't think it's unreasonable that if you are charged $25 to check a bag, to expect a refund of that $25 if your bag is mishandled.

If they lose the luggage, shouldn't they have to refund the $25, since they didn't provide the service you PAID for?

 

[Silent1CB]

Maybe they think people will take their bags off the belt, put them in the car, then come in & claim they were lost just to get the refund?

Or some other method.

Because you just KNOW someone would come up with a way to get a refund if they gave one.



I too think they should refund it, but we live in a world of scammers & crooks sadly. People are always trying to find a way around the system.

 

[Handbag Lady]

He has other duties as well--including deicing the plane. Thankfully there is no surcharge for that option.

Yet...

 

[sbell111]

The point is that the carriage of baggage already has an explicit description of how much you get compensated in case of loss. Expecting more than you're explicitly promised is unreasonable.

Of course you are correct, but it still would be good customer service to refund the fee. The fee is different from the baggage, after all.

Similarly, if you pay the post office extra to overnight a package, you should get a refund if the package doesn't arrive overnight. That would be separate from any payment that you would receive if they lost your package.

 

[sbell111]

Maybe they think people will take their bags off the belt, put them in the car, then come in & claim they were lost just to get the refund?

Or some other method.

Because you just KNOW someone would come up with a way to get a refund if they gave one.



I too think they should refund it, but we live in a world of scammers & crooks sadly. People are always trying to find a way around the system.

These people would pull this scam regardless of whether they baggage fee existed.

 

[liamsaunt]

Second I had the same plain Jane FAA approved Samsonite locks with the standard keyholes in the bottom for years.

Were your locks the new TSA-approved kind that the TSA workers have the keys for? Like this:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/locks.shtm

If your checked bag has a key on it that TSA cannot open they will cut the lock off and can/probably will damage your bag. In any event, I am sorry that your new bag was damaged!

I hate lost luggage. The personal worst for me was I once lost a soft-sided cooler full of frozen food that I checked through to the Caribbean. The airline tried to bring it to me four days later. Four day old defrosted chicken in that's been sitting in 95 degree heat? I told them they could keep the bag and all the contents. I hope they didn't open it!

 

[Imzadi]

Imagine - the passengers opt not to go for the deicing on a snowy day.

That reminds me of that huge snow storm last month that hit Washington, DC & PA. The news showed the people who were waiting for a city bus, actually ended up getting out to PUSH the stuck bus out of the snow. I wonder if they were charged for the ride when they got back on.

I normally always fly Southwest but for an upcoming trip to LA, a friend and I got an insane deal on a package that involves flying American, so we took it. I didn't know at the time about their baggage fees (or limits on carry-ons), but I wish I had. I guess I've been spoiled by Southwest all these years with their extravagance in allowing TWO carry-on items and 2 checked bags without fees. Argh.

I almost always fly American if I have a choice. They used to allowed 2 checked bags along with a generous carry-on allotment. Before the no liquids & carry-on restrictions for food, I carried a warm apple pie in my carry-on for Thanksgiving. The whole compartment smelled of apples & cinnamon.

I hate lost luggage. The personal worst for me was I once lost a soft-sided cooler full of frozen food that I checked through to the Caribbean. The airline tried to bring it to me four days later. Four day old defrosted chicken in that's been sitting in 95 degree heat? I told them they could keep the bag and all the contents. I hope they didn't open it!

Your bag probably set off the bomb sniffing dogs when they smelled the chicken , and the bag was pulled off the line.

 

[liamsaunt]

Your bag probably set off the bomb sniffing dogs when they smelled the chicken , and the bag was pulled off the line.

Nope everything in it was frozen solid. Although maybe if they smelled it a few days later it would have triggered a reaction from the dogs, ha ha! They actually told me what happened to it....it got flown to Belize! They were only off by one letter in the airport code...

 

[bettymae1121]

While legally the airlines only have to reimburse per your contract for carriage, customer service dictates that it's a good idea to refund the bag fee if the bag gets lost/delayed/re-routed. Honestly, what the heck are they thinking?

 

[bicker]

Of course you are correct, but it still would be good customer service to refund the fee.

But bad business, given how that would provide way too much incentive for transgressive people to abuse that.

While legally the airlines only have to reimburse per your contract for carriage, customer service dictates that it's a good idea to refund the bag fee if the bag gets lost/delayed/re-routed. Honestly, what the heck are they thinking?

I think many consumers grossly overestimate the value of "good customer service" these days. Mass-market customers are simply no longer generally making their supplier selections on quality or service, but instead are maniacally fixated on price.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I learned today that sometimes luggage gets "stuck" in the conveyor system...the only way to get it out...cut it out....!

That might make sense if it was one suitcase, but both destroyed in exactly the same way in such an awkward way... no.

In a world where too many people I know have had their cars keyed for no reason at all I think it is much more likely plain old vandalism. People do messed up things when they think no-one is looking. It makes them feel powerful.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Were your locks the new TSA-approved kind that the TSA workers have the keys for? Like this:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/locks.shtm

If your checked bag has a key on it that TSA cannot open they will cut the lock off and can/probably will damage your bag. In any event, I am sorry that your new bag was damaged!

I hate lost luggage. The personal worst for me was I once lost a soft-sided cooler full of frozen food that I checked through to the Caribbean. The airline tried to bring it to me four days later. Four day old defrosted chicken in that's been sitting in 95 degree heat? I told them they could keep the bag and all the contents. I hope they didn't open it!

Yes they were the kind they are supposed to be, and these particular locks have made it all over the world through my DH's business travels. They aren't anything special, plain Samsonite ones with the required key at the bottom. We bought them after the new restrictions took effect. They've seen numerous trips all over the US and Switzerland, Germany, and even India without a problem. The locks were fine. Samsonite 3 dial combination locks, in lime green of course!

THe lady on the phone at Continental felt bad for me & filed a report, I'm going to Continental today to see whether or not they will take are of it.

The thing is I don't even resent the fact I have to pay fr my luggage, I don't like it but if that money helps make the US flights safer then so be it... but they have to accept some measure of responsibility with regard to who they give access to my possessions once they say I have to pay for it. How on earth can any business charge such a huge price for demanding access to my stuff, fail to keep it safe, wash their hands of it and expect to stay in business?

If they do not make things right I will never fly with them again, and my DH... a business traveler with a pretty big Co will never use them again either. Those are some pretty substantial losses for the cost of 2 zippers THEY should own up to in the first place.

 

[Octoberbride03]

Yes they were the kind they are supposed to be, and these particular locks have made it all over the world through my DH's business travels. They aren't anything special, plain Samsonite ones with the required key at the bottom. We bought them after the new restrictions took effect. They've seen numerous trips all over the US and Switzerland, Germany, and even India without a problem. The locks were fine. Samsonite 3 dial combination locks, in lime green of course!

THe lady on the phone at Continental felt bad for me & filed a report, I'm going to Continental today to see whether or not they will take are of it.

The thing is I don't even resent the fact I have to pay fr my luggage, I don't like it but if that money helps make the US flights safer then so be it... but they have to accept some measure of responsibility with regard to who they give access to my possessions once they say I have to pay for it. How on earth can any business charge such a huge price for demanding access to my stuff, fail to keep it safe, wash their hands of it and expect to stay in business?

If they do not make things right I will never fly with them again, and my DH... a business traveler with a pretty big Co will never use them again either. Those are some pretty substantial losses for the cost of 2 zippers THEY should own up to in the first place.

That's the thing. The luggage fees have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the safety of the flight. They are just an added charge to delude passengers into thinking the ticket prices are being kept low. Its just about how many fees they can tack on while not raising ticket prices above the norm. Same thing with the food charges on some airlines. I know US Air didn't include food on my last flight. had to pay extra. We didn't. And a lot of others didn't either, but most of the others looked like they brought entire picnic baskets for the flight from Philly to Orlando. That plane looked like a mess in transit.

Fortunately, we haven't flown since the intro of these luggage fees and will be doing our best to fly SW if we need to fly. We're very happy to be within driving distance of Disney these days.

 

[Planogirl]

I can't stand American but since this is their hub we end up using them if we have to fly somewhere.

I see that Southwest is still reasonable. Are there any other airlines that don't charges these enormous fees? Is the article accurate that Southwest is the only exception? Right now, that is.

 

[Imzadi]

I can't stand American but since this is their hub we end up using them if we have to fly somewhere.

I see that Southwest is still reasonable. Are there any other airlines that don't charges these enormous fees? Is the article accurate that Southwest is the only exception? Right now, that is.

You can go to Orbitz.com. They have a listing of the different fees when you input a flight somewhere. Like, Continental is actually one of the few carriers that actually still includes a meal, (such as it is.)

 

[MarilIncredible]

Last time I flew Airtran, at the terminal the stewardesses were asking people with larger carry-on bags to check their luggage right then and there, and they would waive the bag fee. I opted not to (I wanted to get out of the airport quickly, and DH & I only had one med. sized bag each), but I wondered if the people who'd already paid for their checked bags received any sort of compensation. I'd be angry if I'd paid $25 to check my permissible-carry-on-size bag and later found out I could have checked it for free. It just seemed shady to me.