18 months on, my suitcase was looking even worse for wear, so I took another look at the K2 Global / Fix my bag site. It featured this interesting statement in their news
Please note the repair facility operates behind by approximately 8-10 working days however we are still looking to maintain a turnaround time of 28 days for the majority of the repairs, subject to parts availability. If your repair is urgent and requires completion within 2 weeks, you will need to physically bring the item to our facility for repair.
So, walks ins were now possible! They wanted £15 per suitcase for their courier option, and both myself and my wife have Briggs & Riley suitcases needing some TLC. Since it's about £12 for an off peak return to Maidenhead with a railcard, I decided to try it. We both had to individually fill in the forms on their website (mostly serial number, photos and details of things to fix, and your details), and print the reference number for each. Then it was off to the station!
It took me about 30 minutes to walk from Maidenhead station down to the K2 Global warehouse, footpath the whole way but alongside a fairly busy road. Signs at the entrance to the estate direct you to them, but to the carpark
For drop-offs, you need to go to the main door which is on Priors Way, don't follow the signs or google maps to their carpark round the back!
I think most people doing a drop-off in person are a bit useless and a bit annoyed, based on the reactions from the guy who answered the door. He seemed surprised that I'd done everything online, surprised that I had followed the instructions to print the reference number that was in each suitcase, surprised that I'd fully documented all the damage on their website, and surprised that I was fine with the 10+ working days quoted on their site! Filled in my details on a paper form as a backup, handed him the suitcases, and was back on the Elizabeth line within 30 minutes. Will report back in a couple of weeks how it goes when we hopefully get them back all fixed up