Originally Posted by
MiraculousM
Is this a new practice?
I had BA break a Samsonite bag years ago and was really lucky in that it was Anker that dealt with it and they sent me a new Samsonite. They then, 2 years later, broke that Samsonite, (it was a hard case and ended up with HUGE cracks in it) and also bought me another Samsonite, albeit the cheapest hard case that they can get.
I only ask because i always check in for my long haul flights. (i am aware that i can fit everything into a carry on). But if BA are just giving away crappy not like for like suitcases, in my mind it means that they really wont care if the bags break or not.
Yes, I believe this changed a couple of years ago. Now, K2 deal with broken bags and they will send you one of their own-brand poorly made bags that as the OP says, don't last long. Even a small amount of damage, which doesn't cost BA a lot to repair, is just replaced with the cheapest of bulk brought luggage.
Obviously from BA's perspective it is probably a success- people may stop reporting broken bags when they've had the experience and just self-fund a replacement, so less cost to BA, but poor customer service. I forgive BA for a lot, but not this, you've damage an expensive bag, you should IMO pay for that expensive bag to be fixed or replaced.