luckyjohn888
Junior Member
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2010
- Posts
- 17
Can anyone offer some advice as to how I should handle a bagage damage claim against Virgin Australia. Earlier last year I flew on Virgin from Gold Coast to Sydney on the way to pick up a cruise and when I got to Sydney and collected my bag I could not believe the condition it was in. It was a near new good quality bag I had purchased in the US and it had obviously been run over and dragged some distance. It had torn get rips in the materiel and almost totally worn away. 1 wheel and its mounting was worn right through as well as the material in some places where it was obviously dragged on the tarmac.
I reported the damaged bag immediately and they gave me temporary bags after offering me a smaller used bag in compensation and asked me to present the bag to them when I returned to Coolangatta. This I did some 3 weeks later on my returm flight and there was some discussion about they might repair the bag which totally astounded me given its damage. In the end they suppied a new bag.
Anyway I flew back from NZ to Coolangatta again in Dec on Virgin and this time I had another new bag (second use) a Samsonite which I had purchased in the US a couple of months earlier. This time when I collected my bag it was again damaged but not as bad this time. It was worn through on the edge piping in a number of places as well as one of the wheels and its mounting obviously worn down from rubbing on a rough service that again appeared to be the tarmac. This time when I presented my bag the young man at the Virgin baggage counter virtually scoffed at me and said "thats fair wear and tear and we will do nothing about it" "Do you have insurance why don't you try them" Well I do but I pointed out to him that I thought that was a bit disingenuous given that I, like all people I know have an excess on my insurance that would exceed the bag value. I insisted that the bag was as new and that it was not "fair wear and tear " and made him fill out a baggage claim form anyway but where do I go from here. I feel angry that this is not the first time my bags have been carelessly handled in my last 2 flights with Virgin and this bag was only on its second use its first having been after I purchased it in the US last year and Qantas semed to be able to transport it back to Australia for me without dragging it along the tarmac on the way. I travel 5 -6 mths of the year with at least 4 international trips involved and many flights and this is the worst baggage handling I have come across. Needless to say I avoid Virgin flights like the plague now and have since booked on alternative airlines which have been available. Has anyone any ideas on how I can get some redress from Virgin?
I know accidents do happen but it is how it is then handled by the airline that matters. Thanks in advance.
I reported the damaged bag immediately and they gave me temporary bags after offering me a smaller used bag in compensation and asked me to present the bag to them when I returned to Coolangatta. This I did some 3 weeks later on my returm flight and there was some discussion about they might repair the bag which totally astounded me given its damage. In the end they suppied a new bag.
Anyway I flew back from NZ to Coolangatta again in Dec on Virgin and this time I had another new bag (second use) a Samsonite which I had purchased in the US a couple of months earlier. This time when I collected my bag it was again damaged but not as bad this time. It was worn through on the edge piping in a number of places as well as one of the wheels and its mounting obviously worn down from rubbing on a rough service that again appeared to be the tarmac. This time when I presented my bag the young man at the Virgin baggage counter virtually scoffed at me and said "thats fair wear and tear and we will do nothing about it" "Do you have insurance why don't you try them" Well I do but I pointed out to him that I thought that was a bit disingenuous given that I, like all people I know have an excess on my insurance that would exceed the bag value. I insisted that the bag was as new and that it was not "fair wear and tear " and made him fill out a baggage claim form anyway but where do I go from here. I feel angry that this is not the first time my bags have been carelessly handled in my last 2 flights with Virgin and this bag was only on its second use its first having been after I purchased it in the US last year and Qantas semed to be able to transport it back to Australia for me without dragging it along the tarmac on the way. I travel 5 -6 mths of the year with at least 4 international trips involved and many flights and this is the worst baggage handling I have come across. Needless to say I avoid Virgin flights like the plague now and have since booked on alternative airlines which have been available. Has anyone any ideas on how I can get some redress from Virgin?
I know accidents do happen but it is how it is then handled by the airline that matters. Thanks in advance.