Originally Posted by VPescado
It is penny-wise, pound-foolish for the UGS not to be able/willing to make an exception.
My one piece of advice is to switch to Briggs and Reilly luggage. They repair for free no matter what happens to it - even if its the airline's (or your) fault. And they are less expensive then TUMI.
Second the recommendation on B&R. I love the business/computer roll-aboard I've been using this year, and will likely add a Pullman to replace the slowly disintegrating TravelPro PLT unit we've had for two years. For us, it's wheels. It seems like the bags get thrown so they land on their wheels and it destroys the plastic carriages. I've reinforced them internally with aluminum sheet and that seems to help but the systems are just murder on the plastic.
What I like about B&R, besides their warranty, is that their service/sales network is very stable. Our local TravelPro dealer dropped the line, so now I'm forced to pay for repairs or ship it elsewhere for warranty work. If I can't talk TP into giving me some upgraded wheel carriages (yeah, they have them listed), that'll be the end of it for me with that line.
Numerous friends (twice a year folk) have Costco bags and love them. Some have had them for years. I may give them a look for a pullman suiter....gotta love the price
Pat