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New Aerolite Case Broke First Use


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I'm Genes1s and a first-timer so forgive me for the myriad of details buzzing around in my head on this.

Advance thanks to those of you who add serious value to this site and may feel inclined to offer your opinions.

 

Evening of Monday 23Oct17 my husband bent under pressure and bought me a new Aerolite case from a local store [luggage+shoe-repairer+key-cutter] for my 2-week trip to Miami the next day Tues 24Oct.

 

Really pleased with choice:

hard steel grey outer with 360deg wheels where you can pack in both case sides, weight indicator, sturdy handle when horizontal and sturdy trolley handle when vertical, plus a 5-year warranty. Perfect for this trip on my own. Hubby whipped out credit card and, while owner regaled us with his latest St Barts trip, ordered a pair of keys from our house master. Total £85 incl VAT. Case was reduced to £79 from £135. No problem. All processed.

 

Rushed home to pack for 10:30 Delta flight next day.

Quickly realised the weight indicator was faulty

- would not display let alone work.

Too late to buy a battery.

gauging the weight was easy: going from 15C to 82F - packed summer wear.

 

Left home at 5am Tues 24Oct for Heathrow. Case checked in at 52lbs and all she did was smile at me and hand me my docs. Sweet.

Connected at JFK and had to check in again

- thank goodness for the 1.5hrs changeover:

if I had to take off gorgeous full-length woollen coatigan, my snazzy ankle boots, belt and bracelets one more time, I'd have made the news.

Okay, okay, I'd heard but didnt believe the new security reality]. All good.

 

Case pristine except for a few scratches.

What felt like 20hrs later, arrived at Fort Lauderdale to a case with TWO wheels/same side so damaged one wheel was missing and the housing left was destroyed.

 

Looking and failing to find a trolley I walked up to the tallest uniform and asked him for help.

He told me to leave my case and he kindly walked me over to Delta office to make a claim.

[The Delta chap gave me paperwork, told me to follow-up when I returned to the UK and he manhandled my case outside to a pick-up point bench o/side the terminal]. Great. Brilliant two weeks.

 

On my return via Atlanta on evening Tues 7Nov, my limp case was checked in at Fort Lauderdale airport curbside - brilliant idea - 4hrs early.

While processing, check-in staff just wanted me to repeat the word 'passport' while they shoulder-moved to 80s soul music. I obliged.

Every time. Case must have been heavier with all those extra clothes. No worries: luggage was travelling right through to Heathrow. Sweeter.

 

Arrived next day approx 10am Wed 8Nov to 11C and a case that was in shock: no wheels.

The remaining two wheels were barely attached.

Okay. My new Aerolite is now no longer fit for purpose.

My Delta claim has been acknowledged but not yet resolved.

 

The store owner was lippy when I explained that his "premium" product did not withstand standard international travel and is preparing a letter for my house insurers. What? My pristine no-claims-bonus contents?

 

Apologies for length, succinct writing is an art. Do I have any other form of recourse available to me?

I still feel hard-done-by. Am I being unreasonable, guys? confused.gif

 

Your opinions are welcome

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You are covered by the Consumer Rights Act. Had you reported it within 30 days of the purchase then you would have had an automatic right to a refund or a replacement. As it is you are just beyond 30 days and that means that the supplier is entitled to attempt a single repair.

 

If they declined to repair it or if they failed to repair it then they are required to provide you with a refund or a replacement at your option.

 

Write them a letter straightaway, rejecting the item unless they are prepared to repair it to a virtually new standard.

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Don't expect it to be as easy as I make it sound

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Does anyone know an easy way to find out the owner of the store - Steads Retail, Bexleyheath - so that I'm not just addressing my emails to Dear Owner?

 

Already understood, BankFodder. Seeking advice/guidance, not an 'all-inclusive'. Happy to do the lifting.

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Was this an example of “goods not fit for purpose”, or of “were fit for purpose but met overly destructive airport workers”?

 

No firm will guarantee their product against damage from unreasonable abuse, nor should they have to.

 

It makes the difference between claiming against the retailer or the airline : either way you should be reimbursed, but:

a) by the right “target”, and

b) only once, from the right “target”, so you only get back what you lost, not “recovering twice”.

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Duly noted BazzaS.

So how am I to be compensated for the inconvenience? On return, my case could not be pulled by the sturdy trolley handle AND could not be lifted by me at 52lbs. Just as well my husband met me at airport. But guess what? We travelled the tube system from Heathrow to our home in North Kent with him navigating onto full trains and up/down stairs.

Comments?

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You go after the responsible party.

 

My point (which remains!) is that you need to identify the responsible party, as if you go after the wrong one, they’ll be entitled to deny your claim and point you to recovering your losses from the other.

 

Your point about the inconvenience relates to ‘quantum’ - how much you should get back from the responsible party, and that is an issue distinct from ‘liability’ : who is responsible.

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... and the responsible party is ...

 

something you need to ascertain!

If need be by getting an expert report if both try and blame the other.

 

I’m not sure how you expect us to decide for you. Either you can decide by what you saw at each stage, or you try and claim off the most promising .......

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I had a similar problem with a Virgin Atlantic flight a few years back. Had purchased a sturdy flight case to pack some electronic equipment in. On arrival in the USA, some ape had punched a hole in one of the covers. Sent a stiffly worded letter to a Mr Branson pointing out that whilst they took good care of their passengers, that courtesy was not extended to the luggage.

 

Virgin initially offered (from memory) something in the region of £50 for the case based on their estimate of weight and international law for compensation in such claims. This was rejected on the grounds that my case was brand new and this had been its first time out. In all credit, Virgin accepted this argument and agreed to refund the full cost of a replacement case.

 

Your first port of call would be the airline that you purchased the ticket from (this may be different from the plane that you actually flew on). The airline is liable for damage to your luggage under international law even if it was caused by baggage handlers at one of the airports. They may try to wriggle out of it by claiming a manufacturing defect.

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No... you can't eat my brain just yet. I need it a little while longer.

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I would ask the maufacturer for some of their test data and point out to them that you case was trashed on its first use

(and therefore clearly not fit for purpose)

and see what sort of testing they do on their stuff and what it will withstand.

 

If their tests are rigourous you can quote them to the airline as they will have plainly done worse than would be expected.

 

If the manufacturer wont help you the you go after the seller as it is not fit for purpose or merchantable quality

 

As for emailing the store,

don't -use pen and paper and that way you can address it to the shop itself rather than a named person.

 

The shop is then obliged to give you the details of who owns the business and their business address (probably the same as the store).

This is a legal respionsibility so if they dont go to the store and demand to see the sign they are obliged by law to have up to show the ownership details.

If they dont have such a sign I would start off by reporting them to the manager of the shopping center and also ask them for the details fo who they rent the unit to.

 

showing them politely you are a fully paid up member of the awkward squad should yield results.

 

As said by Bazza,

you cant claim anything for hassles, stress, inconvenience or anything that wasnt a loss caused directly by the fault with the product.

 

In other words expect to get a full refund but no more.

If the case had split and all your clothes damaged then that would be a qualtifiable loss but not an automatic compo claim though, still hoops to jump through.

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(and therefore clearly not fit for purpose)

 

Strong words....

 

Based on the number of identical cases successfully travelling worldwide every day the OP either had a very sub-standard Friday-made case OR it was subject to cruel and unusual punishment by the airport staff or its equipment.

 

Having seen the way the baggage is handled behind the scenes I know which one I’d go for... in all probability the case was just fine but not prepared for the treatment it got.

 

If you want a bomb proof bag for your holiday buy a Pelican.

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If you want a bomb proof bag for your holiday buy a Pelican.

 

Or as I used on one occasion as a carry-on:

0d64dcfde7d36df66a5afce65bdf3417.jpg

 

Probably not a good idea in the current climate as it would be sure to get you "special treatment" at just about every airport in the world.

PLEASE HELP US TO KEEP THIS SITE RUNNING

EVERY POUND DONATED WILL HELP US TO KEEP HELPING OTHERS

 

 

No... you can't eat my brain just yet. I need it a little while longer.

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Claim off Delta.

You have the receipt proving that the case was brand new, so they would either give you an identical case or the money.

It takes a couple of weeks, but even with the worst airline i never had to threaten them to get a replacement.

Just go to delta and proceed with the claim you already opened.

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