Well, my expectation would have been to get the suitcase back in a week, like I said. They're not sending it in; Samsonite actually has a local repair partner (given that Hamburg is Germany's second largest city, not that surprising), and I dropped it off at their offices.

(I don't want a full replacement, anyway: my suitcases are airbrushed with my initials.)

I did try and offered to pay cash for just getting a new set of wheels - after all, they are easily screwed off and on, clearly meant to be replaced. I was somewhat disappointed to learn that Samsonite doesn't sell spare parts. And no, 4+ weeks for a trivial repair on their pretty much top line is not convincing for a frequent traveler.

I should do it like my gf; she buys cheap suitcases that break every 6-12 months, so she always gets them replaced in full under warranty. (They don't even do repairs for them.) Just kidding, of course, I can't stand how these handle.

But parts that one can reasonably expect to break down with wear (i.e., wheels, handles) should not only be easily exchangeable, but actually available too. I think that may be an easily overlooked part when comparing "unlimited" warranties.

How's that for TUMI? I mean, they've got an outlet at each major airport.