Carrier: Lufthansa
Flight: SOF->FRA->TLS
date: 25/12/2009
The long story made short:
2 bags - one has been lost, in the other contents heavily damaged (almost all glass/plastic containers were broken)
Just one example I was querying 3 bottles: 1 plastic, 2 made of glass (one of which within a metal container), none survived.
The "remains" of the bottles looked as you have smashed them against a stone or something similar.
Please note that these were 1st apart from one other, 2nd isolated with the special wrapping (used in the duty free shops especially for glass bottles), 3rd wrapped with paper and were placed between the clothes in a manner not be close to any edges or sides of the suitcase.
Last but not least one of the bottles was, after the wrapping, put back in its original metal casing.
There were some perfumes and cosmetics too (for presents) – all of them are gone as well!
My shaving foam metal container was not strong enough to resist either. It wasn’t perforated but the foam was spilled all around. A shoe-polish plastic container was on pieces.
Imagine the force of the impact/s that this suitcase had to bear.
Because of the above I’ve lost some very valuable documents, all of the clothes including some designer ones, the presents and the only thing I got at the airport was the typically French: “We can’t do anything, sir! Sorry!”
At the airport I’ve been told, from the subsidiary company handling the luggage (Map handling) that neither the company nor Lufthansa can be hold liable as there were glass containers. According to them if there are any glass containers all the responsibility goes to the customer as he/she didn’t secure them well enough. I, of course wasn’t happy with that and told to the lady that I’ve packed them with care and have chosen a suitcase with hard sides/covers in order to protect the contents. But her answer was still – it’s your problem sir, not ours.
Anyway after 1 hour on the airport I managed to get her superior and made him issue me a report of damage. Unfortunately all that is stated on that report is the following:
Baggage details: 01-Damaged Contents
And on the bottom:
The report does not involve any acknowledgement of liability.
The strangest thing is that on the outside there are almost no traces at all that this suitcase suffered such impacts – just one black trace on the top and the missing label with the brand logo. (the suitcase was brand new - bought 2 days before the flight)
The lady asked for any bills/receipts of the damaged items, but I didn't have any, and I don't keep them as most of the purchases were made more than a month ago. The only one I still have is the one for the suitcase itself.
Would you please advice me what my options are? And what I can claim, because according to their web-site they are not to be held liable to any damage of fragile products(glass, plastics, electronics)! This is supposed to mean that we can transport only clothes and metal items, everything else is not covered.