Fighting for what's right
This week's newsletter inspired by a suitcase
A heartfelt WELCOME to all the new subscribers who found me through Threads. I hope you like it here.
This is what my suitcase looked like when we pulled it off the conveyor belt in baggage claim:
It was just after 6pm on a frigid February evening. We had been travelling for more than 12 hours, with layovers, from Ft. Lauderdale to Calgary.
The temperature was 25° Celsius (77° Fahrenheit) when we left Florida and was now -15° Celsius (5° Fahrenheit) in Calgary. We were weary and cold and just wanted to get home. But if your bag is damaged by the airline, you have to fill out a report at the airport.
Fortunately, we did not have to wait long and the clerk was polite and accommodating. He explained our options, one of which was to choose a replacement suitcase to be provided by the airline. We declined, since we travel quite a bit and did not recognize the brand being offered. The claims clerk filled out his paperwork, gave us instructions on what we needed to do in the next 24 hours, and then we were on our way home.
Once the suitcase was unpacked, we pushed out the crushed corner, hoping maybe some duct tape would cover the crack for our next trip in April. What we thought was a crack, was a full-blown hole.
The next day, I started the process of filing the claim with the airline. I filled out the online form, complete with the incident report number the claims clerk at the airport gave us. I uploaded photos. I got an auto-response confirming receipt.
It actually took 42 days for me to get a follow-up.
Another 20 days passed before more instructions came.
Send photos (even though I already did in my initial claim).
Attach incident report number (also, already done).
Send a copy of my ticket.
My mailing address (again, already submitted).
Purchase receipt for your damaged property including the brand, size, year and date of purchase and the purchase price.
I sent everything they asked for, except for the receipt. I explained that we bought the suitcase roughly three and a half years ago and I don’t keep receipts past the warranty period.
The request for information I had already sent them made me think one thing: the game is afoot.
I suspected I’d be asked to jump through hoops and that the airline would keep pushing until I walked away, frustrated by the endless requests and requirements.
But they don’t know me. I am tenacious, and when I know I’m being manipulated into acquiescence, I will not quit.
A week after I responded, the next obstacle is laid down.
There is no Samsonite repair centre where I live, which means I have to ship it to Samsonite, at my expense. At this point in the game, I am looking for loopholes, but I also don’t want to get snarky. I reply, asking if I can take it to any luggage repair shop. It takes 26 days for Baggage Claims to answer: “Yes, absolutely.”
I tried, for two weeks, to find a shop that could either repair the suitcase or write up an evaluation. At one repair shop, the guy shook his head and laughed. In some cases, language was a barrier to getting a written evaluation.
I sent another lengthy email to Baggage Claims, explaining my challenges. “I am at a loss for what to do here,” I wrote. “I had one gentleman tell me he could stuff rubber into the hole and cover it with tape, but that seems inadequate to me. What are the next steps here?”
Another two weeks pass, and I get another response.
I can’t help but wonder how many people would spend four months fighting this battle. Not many, I think. I wasn’t going to let this one go, not with the increasing costs of flying and the current price for a new suitcase.
I laughed when that final email arrived. It wasn’t the arrival of the damaged bag that caused the inconvenience, it was the obstacles of corporate process thrown my way. It was worth my efforts for a new suitcase and the sweet taste of victory.
xo Dana
What I’m reading
I’m not on TikTok, so I didn’t know about the viral sensation that was Brynne Weaver’s Butcher & Blackbird. I didn’t know it was book one in the Ruinous Love trilogy. I had no idea it was a dark romance. It’s a friends-to-lovers romance, and while I’m not a fan of the genre, this book is about two rival serial killers. It just appeared in recommendations for me on Amazon and when I read the first two pages, I immediately hit Buy Now. Gruesome, but also funny.
