Hi docmoney -

Fair enough.

None of us would be happy either, but it sometimes happens, even with carry-on costing $102 USD, or 350 CHF.

Personally, when that occurs ( as it did returning back to FRA from LAX ), I deal with the airline having care, custody, and control of my luggage, and not the manufacturer. The LH staff were professional and efficient about my damaged Rimowa polycarbonate case that I checked, and my cost was 100% refunded.

LH gets complaints about attitude now and then, however in our case they were quite pleasant about resolving the problem, quickly and efficiently. I moved on to a XXL Silver Integral alu case 47 minutes later, from the nearby Kaufhof in town, using the LH refund cash.

That alu has travelled well since then, and although it may not be acceptable to the crowd that demands everything to look exactly like airbrushed advert renderings 20 years later, it continues to fly in the hold and serve us well. Nothing packed has been broken or damaged inside.