HKGBCN

First off - I do know these things can and do happen. It just hasn't happened to me before.

Two days ago I arrived into HKG on the BA25, transferring from BCN, as I've done more times than I wish to remember (great flight, upper deck, well looked after, reasonable food - what I paid for). My trusty Rimowa (a large, faithful, silver behemoth) that has accompanied me on the majority of my travels, arrived on the carousel as one of the first out of the chute. With both of its wheels missing. This particular item of luggage has had its fair share of knocks, bangs, indents and scrapings but up until now it has held together in one piece.

Question is. Both wheels? These are tough instruments of logistics, these cases, and wheels don't come off easy. There are definite marks of 'attack' around the wheel arches. I don't want to cast aspersions on any baggage handler at BCN/LHR/HKG, but for [I]both [I]wheels to come off seems less of an unfortunate accident and more willful damage.

I've emailed BA with photos. My question here is: have any of you experienced what could be determined vandalism towards your checked property? Or am I feeling unjustly victimized (and should just replace the lovely worn Rimowa with a newer model)?

sunrisegirl

I'm sorry your bag has been damaged and glad you've reported it (hopefully at the airport prior to sending an e-mail). But to suggest it has been deliberately vandalised is, in all honesty, very sad and far from the truth.

Why would baggage handlers (in whichever city) deliberately choose your bag and damage it when they're loading hundreds, perhaps thousands, in a very limited amount of time. I honestly cannot understand why you would think they'd do this.

At many airports bags travel up, down, sideways, etc sometimes for almost half a mile. Thankfully you've been lucky with your bag so far but sadly this appears to be one trip too many for it.

I have cheapie bags (circa. $20) and in 10+ years of flying BA about 8 times a year, I've yet to have one damaged. (Oh dear hope I've not spoken too soon!)

I take it you reported it to baggage facilities before leaving the airport at HKG. Did they not offer you a replacement case (though perhaps not a Rimowa)? You will need the reference number they gave you in order to follow this up.

HKGBCN

Sunrise Girl:

My point really was I that I find it hard to imagine that anybody would feel aggrieved / bored / destructive enough to purposefully damage a bag, it just seems unlikely that both wheels would be caught up in the transit process to a degree that they both came off.

And no, I didn't report it upon arrival - the unfortunate lure of the office in Central shooed me to the Airport Express. Will this be a problem in my remonstrations with BA? I wouldn't think that they would replace the case dollar-for-dollar anyway.

sunrisegirl

You should always report a damaged bag before leaving the airport as, unfortunately, BA (or any airline) have no way of knowing that the bag wasn't damaged after you left.

Not exactly sure of the procedure in outstations, but in the UK baggage services will ask you to choose a replacement bag immediately (usually an Antler). In the case of a bag such as a Rimowa which is more expensive then there could be other procedures (I don't normally work in baggage services so can't give all the exact info).

Obviously proceed with your complaint to BA - and I personally think it would be better to do it through the online facility rather than e-mail - but I think they will question why you didn't report it on arrival.
How they will proceed I'm afraid I cannot answer.

All the best.

BizFlyin

Sorry - how do you know? Are you a baggage handler? Did you handle this bag? There are countless stories - and I am one of them - of people who have had items stolen from bags. Is damage any more unlikely? Probably more likely. I've witnessed from the planes baggage handlers chucking bags quite a great distance. (To be fair, not BA/BAA...a story for another forum)

In all professions, there are the occasional person who is simply out to cause mischef - this knee-jerk defense of all things BA is getting tiring (again)

BERbound

Thats a ridiculous response , SRG was just saying that why would a baggage handler bother to vandalise a piece of luggage? Steal , you can see the logic as theres something in it for them. Mishandle, yes, they might get narked off. But vandalise, cant see it, and thats on any Airline.

sunrisegirl

Of course you're welcome to have your opinion.

However, I am merely trying to explain why the suggestion of vandalism is wide of the mark. It is not a knee jerk defence of BA, but reality. It's disappointing that we have to defend ourselves when trying to offer an explanation (again!)

Have a great weekend.


PS - aviation staff are human btw, we honestly do care what happens to passengers and their belongings.

T8191

May I refer you to the sticky at the top of the BA Forum?

TeamStorm

Not to mention that on this route there are very few 'baggage handlers' going to get anywhere near the bags, from what I know of the baggage systems at LHR and HKG require very minimal human interaction anywhere along the way.

For example at LHR, I think there's one pick up by a handler - interesting video if interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=663VWLgT8Lc

I've had pretty serious damage done to bags, never crossed my mind that someone would 'vandalise' a bag, it's one of those things. I just reported it to baggage team at arrivals spoke with a BA rep and was immediatley given permission to spend £250 on a new bag and told to send in the reciept, no arguments, no quibbles at all (at HKG as it happens!)

Your struggle getting money back will be if you left the airport and didn't report it ? Anyone could damage their bags totally outside of any flight, and 3 days later send a pic to BA complaining that BA wrecked their bag ? I don't understand why finding such an expensive piece of baggage damaged, instinct wouldn't be to report it straight away to baggage handling.

I hate to say it, but I doubt BA will offer to pay up on this occasion - it's very unlikely that anyone vandalised your bag, and given anything could have happenend to your bag after leaving the airport, in the interests of avoiding passing the cost of fradulent claims (and I'm not suggesting yours is !) to other passengers, something BA would have a duty to its insurers to minimise the costs of - I can't see how BA could recompense passengers after they've left the terminal just because you send in some pics of a damaged bag sitting in your hotel room/wherever with no record of it at occurring/being reported ?

Ed

DWFI

Roughly handled? Sure. Fall/drop/crush? Maybe. But intentional vandalism of wheels seems...ridiculous.

Good luck with compensation - maybe they will make an exception to standard policy as you are Gold.

I will agree with above posters - I fly TONS on BA and have never had a bag damaged or even come late! Iberia though? Totally different story.

LostAntipod

Who knows why people do the things they do. I had a shoulder-strap stolen from the zipped side-pocket of my checked bag between SYD and SIN once ( I put it in there at check-in so it wouldn't get caught up in baggage conveyors ... How ironic). After a business trip , two of my team members opened up their bags after a MAD-LHR flight and one found items of the other in their bag (2 shirts) (and no, definitely not a result of a hotel room tryst).... But nothing stolen ...
"Nowt stranger than folk" as my Manx friend used to say.
Based on my own experience of a few damaged bags, the OP would have found it much easier to deal with it at the airport. On one occasion though, I fought with finnair for 4 months to get a cracked bag replaced ( cracked on the bottom so not visible until I reached my hotel) ... Sent photos etc ....they did pay, but to be honest I think they only paid for that as a trade off for refusing to pay EC compensation required for long delays , and for losing my bag in both directions, and damaging the new one I bought to replace the cracked one.

Swanhunter

Good grief. Closed for review

Swanhunter
Moderator, BAEC