Samsonite.. what the hell?
 

So I bought an expensive Samsonite suitcase about a year ago. I had had a good experience with a samsonite carry-on roller and figured that experience would transfer to a full-sized suitcase.

On the VERY first trip, the suitcase arrived with one of the four wheels broken off. (Thanks Delta!!)

Of course, the airline conveniently absolves itself of responsibility for damage to straps and wheels. I didn't force the issue because I had naively assumed Samsonite would take care of it.

Wrong. Their answer is to suggest that I ship the bag, at my own expense, to a Samsonite service center, and pay for a repair of the broken wheel. After spending hundreds on a suitcase that broke on the first trip, I wasn't going to dump another $75. So I said screw it. It's still got 3 wheels, I'll just balance it.

Yesterday I took the suitcase with me on its second trip. It arrived with YET ANOTHER broken wheel. (Thanks, Delta!) Now I'm down to two wheels and they are on the side of the suitcase, not the back or front.

This seems wrong. Seems like there ought to be something a guy can do. I tried to find samsonite parts online so I could attempt my own repair, but no luck.

I turn to FT. Thoughts?

If you have a travel insurance, you may be able to get the cost of repairs covered. Or, if you have a Samsonite store nearby, would they be able to take it in and send it off for repair for you?

It doesn't sound right that a wheel is getting ripped off every trip. Is Delta particularly rough with their baggage handling?

I did notice that Delta specifically displays at the baggage services counter that they do not take any responsibility for protruding parts such as handles or wheels, but their being an integral and important part of the luggage, it doesn't sound very fair and sounds like permitting themselves to use inappropriate or excessive force to handle bags, because it takes quite a lot of force to break those things.

Is yours one of the black label suitcases?

Read this thread for similar experiences: A word of warning on the Samsonite black label suitcases

I would think a nearby Samsonite store should be able to take care of the problems for you though.

Please continue to follow this thread in the Travel Products Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

It should be a fairly easy job to replace the wheels.

On an older Samsonite case, one of the fasteners came off. After the repair facility charged me an arm-and-a-leg to fix it, I just bought the part off them the next time and replaced it in about 5-10 min.

Honestly, I just don't think Samsonite is what it used to be. I received a set as a gift and on the first trip I took it on, a wheel was torn off and the frame bent 6" into the case. I took it to a repair shop and they said that Samsonite had quit making that particular wheel and it couldn't be replaced. This was less than a year after the case had been purchased new.

Thinking it was bad luck, I replaced the case with another Samsonite, but of a higher quality. Again, first trip it was taken on, the frame was bent into the suitcase. Either someone is running over my suitcases with the luggage hauler or the frame is poorly constructed of a lightweight metal.

Depending on how much the repair would be, I might advise just cutting your losses and going with another brand.

I do apologise if this sounds flippant but on first reading your post all I could think of was that song

"Three wheels on my wagon, and I'm still rollin' along
the Cherokees are after me but I'm singing a ha a appy song....."


Was it from Paint your Wagon or some film like that?

Being serious though I do hope your case problems get sorted.

Amanda

Ouch. Sorry to hear about that. Dont take this the wrong way but there are brands that have, and as far as I know, honor warranties.

Can you give me your recommendations?

There are a lot of users of Briggs and Riley here, including me. They have an unlimited lifetime warranty. Ive had one of their bags for probably 10 years and it is still going. Eagle Creek I believe also has an unlimited warranty as do Tom Bihn and Red Oxx I think. That last two dont have wheeled bags though. A quick search in these forums for those or just threads about "best rollaboard" and such will get you a lot of information. Good luck with it.

I have always had pretty good luck with Samsonite until my most recent bag.. Seems to be just crumbling...

Regardless, service should be easier to achieve and with less expense. I always take mine to the local outlet mall (Samsonite Store) and they take care of the process. I think the co pay is like 15.00 or so. I think you can have it shipped to the store or to your home. Just be prepared to be without it for a couple of weeks.

The nature of the damage on your bag... being that it was airline related and not normal wear may influence their decision..

If you do not have a Samsonite Store, try Dillards or other dealers..

generaltao, sorry to hear about the mess. My way of action would be to call the service number again. Sometimes it just depends who you are talking to and if they have a good day. You can also ask to escalate the issue.

The argument is that if a customer buys a single piece of luggage for a few hundred dollars he can reasonably expect that piece to last for more than two trips. They might counter that their warranty simply doesn't include airline damage. You will then counter that their top-of-the line luggage can be expected to be constructed to such standards that it will withstand the rigors of air travel. You could mention the BBB to resolve the issue. Also ask them whether they think you will ever buy another piece of Samsonite luggage or recommend it to a friend. Finally, if that all doesn't help, tell them you have already addressed the issue on the most important FF forum on the net and hope to be able to post a positive solution to the problem.

If all that doesn't work with the first call, try another guy another day. Save the escalated version for the manager. The usual CSR won't follow your line of reasoning anymore, they are too sucked out, no attention span.

I almost bet that you will have success the first time around. I would demand a replacement, not a repair. This way you have room to negotiate downwards. It also saves face for them because they can argue that this was just a dud and it won't happen with the next one.

Hope this helps.

Till

I believe Samsonite is shutting down all of their factory stores. I think I might have read about it somewhere on FT, and I see that a couple of local ones (Boston area) are gone.

I wouldn't be too happy!

If the bag is still sold by Samsonite, buy another one and return the old one. You're basically taking the warranty into your own hands. Or sue Samsonite in small claims if they don't replace or repair the bag under warranty. It should not be DL's fault -- the bag s/b designed to withstand use in the travel realm.

last check, we still have them in Orlando... I had a wheel replace about 4-6 months ago. I have always been told to just take it back to any Samsonite retailer. I never call the service center.

I'm on your side. Really. But I have to ask, why did you think that a carry-on bag, which never got checked, would represent what any checked bag would go through?

Did you purchase your Samsonite with a credit card? Check the loss/repair/replacement terms of your credit card coverage -- some cards will offer their "own" warranty on items purchased with the card. You may have some recourse there.

Resurrecting an old thread here as I'm prone to do.

I'd bought two Samsonite hardside spinners a while ago for about $200 each. Guess what, very first trip, and one suitcase has a huge dent. Second trip, and the other suitcase came back missing one wheel. They have a 10-year warranty, though I wouldn't be surprised if they say this is damage that is not covered. Am going to try soon. Regardless, this is ridiculous quality. Will never buy a samsonite anything again.

Already switched over to Briggs and Riley a while ago, and that one has more than lived up to its reputation so far.

Edit: To Samsonite's credit, they fixed both suitcases under warranty. The dent seems to have been hammered out. I simply had to drop it off at the closest factory shop, and they paid for shipping both ways to the service center. Service experience was very good, even if I'm still not hugely convinced about the products.

Have a rollerboard under 10 years with zippers that are about shot.

Can't locate the receipt nor warranty card (have plastic warranty info that came with bag) and doubt I registered the product.

Think I'll have any luck with Samsonite? It was a gift and the bag still rolls fine...

Thanks.

If I were you, I wouldn't be happy if I had paid full price for a Samsonite. They make for terrible $350 luggage. But for under $90, they're wonderful, almost disposable.

That said, all of my Samsonites have held up... usually when they get retired, it's due to appearance rather than structural failure.

As a habit due to brands needing original receipts etc for long warranty claim I keep them in one of the pocket in the bag.

Yep.
When I buy a TV, desktop PC, monitor, printer, etc, I tape the receipt to the back. I never have to wonder where the receipts are, but they're out of sight.

I also scan them, but some stores have heartburn with copies and really want the original.

Count me as another that got a Samsonite back in 08/09 - I didn't really know about this forum yet unfortunately. After 3 years, it looked like hell, but my travel had slowed so I didn't do anything with it. Last year, I got my first B&R, and that thing is awesome. Local retailer will fix anything he can in store for free, or ship it to them if needed. Highly recommended so far.

I had another Samsonite duffel bag that went to crap after about a year, I used it as a carry on a few times or on weekend roadtrips and overnights at friends. Samsonite fought me on honoring the warranty every step of the way. Only when I started raising hell on their FB page and emailing executives did they step up. When the replacement dies, it will be replaced with a quality bag as well.

Have had a handle snap on my cosmolite spinner - bought in 2011 - 10 year warranty but no idea where the warranty card or receipt is! Fingers crossed they may honor it regardless as only manufactured since 2008...

Samsonite isn't a company. Samsonite is a license that downmarket Indian factories use to get their no-name luggage sold to the big department stores. Back in the 60's and 70's when they made a name for themselves on quality and credibility and products were made in the US it was a different story.

We also have 2 sets of higher end Samsonite. One blue, one red. After only a couple trips, the zippers pulls on two of the suitcases came off. There they attach are bent. I know airlines (Delta in this case) are not easy on luggage but for the exact thing to happen on 2 sets, I think there is a design flaw. I contacted Samsonite and they say they are "out of stock" on these particular pulls that are a matching blue and red for each set. They offered black pulls. When I said I'd wait until they were back in stick... crickets. I know it a silly thing, but expensive luggage should have matching pulls. No more samsonite for us...

I gave up on Samsonite a few years back after a wheel came off during a fairly routine trip with AA from ORD to LHR and Samsonite refused to cover the warranty claim. Just chalk it up to a lesson learned and move onto a quality manufacturer such as Tumi, B&R or Rimowa. Seriously.

chiming in, I have had several Samsonite bags have issues all within warranty period that they refused to cover for one excuse or another. I will never buy another Samsonite bag again.

I've got a Samsonite hard shell which has started falling apart after six years of travel, to the point that it's completely unusable. Cracked shell, disintegrated zipper, big chunks of the wheels missing... took it to a Samsonite store in Medellin, Colombia. A week later they called back asking for around 270,000 pesos (roughly $95) to fix everything. Same usual line about airline damage, and then they just went through line-by-line on each thing that was broken and how much it would cost to fix. I gave them tfar's very good line that this baggage should have been built to withstand the rigors of air travel, demanded a written analysis of each problem with an explanation of each specific thing was airline damage and not a manufacturing defect, and told them I would be filing a complaint with the Grupo de Defensa del Consumidor (Colombian consumer protection agency).

One week later, they called back again offering to fix everything for 60,000 pesos (a bit over $20). I agreed, got the bag back a month later good as new! They did such a good job with the repairs that I can't find where the original problems were. (Makes me wonder if they just gave me a different bag...)

So, moral of the story: Don't take no for an answer, push back hard, you'll get what you want.