What if an elephant damages your luggage?

I know you hoped I was done blogging about United Airlines, but I can't help it if they give me so much to blog about.  This blog is a good read, if for nothing else but the video at the end.

For the trip to South Carolina, Pete and Sherri got new luggage.  They got “hard sided” luggage.  The Samsonite website describes the shell material as “made of injection molded polycarbonate, a highly impact-resistant plastic that is strong and lightweight.”  I remember when I went off to college, now that was hard-sided luggage though it definitely was not light weight.  Can you believe, even with Pete’s new lightweight luggage he still managed to go over the 50 pound weight limit? The sad part is when the luggage came off the plane it no longer looked new. When my luggage came off the plane, United had managed to break the wheel off of the suitcase.  It was still attached, but barely.  I duct taped it so I could continue the rest of the trip before having to buy a replacement.

What is United's liability regarding my damaged luggage? Here is what the United website says they will not cover: 

• Minor cuts, scratches, scuffs, dents and soil
• Damage to wheels, feet, extending handles and items of fragile or perishable nature
• Damage as a result of over-packed bags
• Loss of external locks, pull straps or security straps
• Manufacturer’s defects

Makes you wonder what they do cover.  So I am out of luck filing a claim on my broken wheel but that doesn't prevent me from writing to United about my problem, but let's save that for another blog. Luckily the luggage was 10 years old and it was time for new luggage anyways.  I had thought of the hard shelled luggage like Pete’s but after seeing it come off the plane I decided to stick with the soft sided luggage.

So the research for new luggage began.  I read several websites about luggage and I learned the following things to check for:

• Good Wheels
• Durability
• Light weight
• Low center of gravity (Cheap bags often have flat, open pockets in the front. Once the bag is loaded, however, its uneven weight distribution makes it topple over if you let go, e.g., my old piece of luggage).
• Robust warranty 

I travel quite a bit now but am hoping to really start traveling more beginning next year with a trip across the United States, (can you imagine all the blog material).  The last item on the things to check for list, robust warranty, is what really got me thinking that a "lifetime” warranty is exactly what I wanted.  Then I read the fine print.  The fine print often excludes "excessive wear and tear" and "transport damage." Translation: If the airline damages your suitcase, it's not covered.

I realized it was not a lifetime warranty I wanted but an unconditional warranty.  This also meant spending quite a bit more than I had originally planned but I plan to grow old and travel the world. I wanted something that would last a lifetime and could be repaired or replaced "no matter what."  I looked at Red Oxx and loved their warranty information, “This product is guaranteed forever, be sure to include it in your will.”  Unfortunately, they did not carry the type of luggage I was looking for.  I ended up with luggage from Eagle Creek.  Yes, I paid more for the Eagle Creek luggage but click on this video link to see how I can use my Eagle Creek “No matter what the cause” warranty.


While I paid more for the Eagle Creek luggage you must know by now that when I shop I have to have some type of discount code or coupon.  I used the information from my July 2, 20102 blog  and went to Ebates before purchasing from eBags.  I will get a 12% refund on my purchase.  Please help me out and click on this Ebates link if you want to earn cash back on your internet purchases.  I will get a referral fee, which I will need after buying my new luggage. I have used Ebates since 2003 and have got back hundred of dollars. Below is my confirmation email from my recent purchase. Check out the cash back amount from Ebates.