The downside to buying a fancy carry-on bag is that you may one day have to gate-check it. When you do, you can expect scratches and scruffs. Is that damage? How much can that word be stretched? A man is angry that Delta “damaged” his Louis Vuitton carry-on bag, but does he have a right to be angry?
Louis Vuitton Bag “Damaged” By Delta – Not A Surprise, Still Sad
A traveler was flying from Las Vegas (LAS) to Atlanta (ATL) onboard DL941 and connecting to DL2133 to West Palm Beach (PBI). He was either late to boarding or in a late boarding group and was informed by a gate agent that his Louis Vuitton carry-on would not fit onboard and would have to be checked.
The passenger was afraid of damage, but the Delta gate agent assured him there would be no damage and that if his bag did somehow get damaged, Delta would compensate him.
The bag arrived…with scuff marks. The man was (understandably) devastated.
Buying designer luggage is kinda wild 😭. You really thought it wasn’t gonna have a scuff or anything when you got it back? Bffr. pic.twitter.com/6u06DP0jdr
— Alien’s GROOVE. (@arguewitchamama) February 4, 2023
View From The Wing wondered, “If you’re low enough in the boarding order that you’re being forced to gate check a bag, perhaps pay for better boarding or extra legroom seats rather than for LVMH luggage?” That’s a fair question, considering these run $4,000 each.
Then again, I view purchasing good baggage like buying a good mattress. We balk at the high upfront price tag, but end up getting our money’s worth many times over. It’s worthwhile to have a great carry-on bag, even if you only take 1-2 trips a year or fly basic economy. A good bag can last you for decades.
Some people swear by TravelPro, insisting that the practicality of those bags more than compensate for their drab appearance. While I will stipulate those bags are highly versatile and practical, I prefer Rimowa…and yes of course, the look of these bags enters the equation (and I’ve been a Rimowa fan and customer long before LVMH took the German company over). It’s not wrong to like or purchase attractive bags.
Furthermore, I don’t even like the “patina” that develops when the bag is used, especially on an aluminum bag: I prefer the bag to look new. I’m also horrified by stickers on bags. But while I may not like it, it happens. In fact, there’s no way around it.
I would classify what happened to his bag as damage (which doesn’t mean I disagree that it is also properly classified as “wear and tear” and no compensation is due). But that’s just what happens when your bag goes through the system: I don’t think any Delta baggage handler took a box cutter to it.
CONCLUSION
When shopping for a carry-on bag, you can certainly weigh the looks of the bag (I certainly do), but you must also realize the purpose of a bag is to transport your personal belongings, not to be placed on a pedestal (perhaps some would disagree…). I actually feel bad for this guy, but the scuff makes on his bag are hardly a surprise.
Disagree. First world problems.
Obviously the person isn’t that smart paying that much for luggage anyway. Get real luggage, and not a showcase to show how pretentious you are. I have plenty of money And I could afford to buy one of those but I never would out of principal.
Someone call the Wahmbulance. It’s luggage, it’s utilitarian, it’s going to get scuffed… deal with it. If he wanted it to remain perfect he should have left it at home
+1
100% Agree
Or the person should’ve bought a ticket that lets them board early or got there early. If the person can afford a LV bag then they can certainly afford to do this.
Or how about a luggage cover. My wife bought a pretty nice bag and it came with it. She always keeps it with her and one time we had to check it. No problem we took out the luggage cover and off it went. Yes, the luggage cover got banged up but the bag did not. On a sidenote, the same thing happened with me. I was traveling with a friend and we were late and they made us check our bag. Tumi luggage tag ripped and the bag was pretty scuffed up. Tumi replaced the luggage tag for free and although I’m annoyed, it’s really on me for being late.
United issued Tumi to all staff a few years back. They are decent quality and good warranty apparently. Either way they are more practical than LV or any designer brand
If your luggage not getting scuffed is that important to you, buy early entrance onto the plane. Anything that hits the belly of the plane is going to be banged around.
Buy two types of luggage. The good stuff is for ground travel. The rest (Tumi) air travel. Some of the Tumi is over 30 years old and has been beaten, lost & found, dragged and used for furniture. And I don’t stress over it. If you worry about a LV bag why even own it. Life’s too short for that
Hah, several years ago, I bought our daughters each a nice rolling duffel bag from a designer name. It was available in tan or black. I kept telling them “get the black.” Of course, they insisted upon tan. Both bags looked 10 years old from all the scuff marks after one airline trip. Hard lesson, but now they know. I always buy black or navy bags.
I am a patina gal. I would never buy something only to worry about using it. That being said, I would hesitate to buy/use a $4,000 bag because I think it would invite theft.
Who is that offending Delta dude dressed as a woman?
LMAO
If you want something that will last, get Briggs and Riley. The only luggage with a no-quibble lifetime warranty
How does a $4000 LV bag function as a bag? That really should be its primary purpose in life, to hold your possessions while you travel. I want my bag to hold up to abusive levels of use, not to be a fashion accessory. For me to consider it, a $4000 LV bag has to be within 100 meters of Ground Zero of a nuclear strike and be pristine afterward. Personally, I have a SwissGear suitcase and SwissGear backpack, both of them in straight black. They happen to go well with my wardrobe.
Bags like the LV one exist for two reasons: 1) Fashion accessory for women 2) Penis extension for men. Neither of them are necessary or worth the money.
We’re in 2023 now. Don’t leave out “Penis extension for women” as the 3rd reason for LV bags.
LMAO
I agree with previous posters re utilitarian nature of the beast. I would also add that patina is great on metal luggage and that stickers can be mighty helpful. Last May I bought a Delsey with frame closure in a light shade of red, retrieved it from the belt in BIO and went to wait for my car hire shuttle, where I realised that I had picked up a Samsonite with frame closure in a light shade of red!
Furthermore, both suitcases were of the same size, had priority labels and white (non-EU) bag tags. I estimate the chances of two such bags coinciding to be ca. 1 in 70,000. If I had ONE random sticker on the Delsey, the possibility of ending up with the wrong bag would be effectively zero.
Should have added that the flight was from MAD, so the vast majority of pax would have been coming from within the EU and have green tags. I was connecting from the UK, the Samsonite passenger from the USA.
I am scratching my head as I read this post. I feel sorry for the guy. I really do. We don’t know if he got the bag as a gift from someone he likes so I understand his situation. Now, a few things came out of this for me:
1) Who was recording his conversation with the weird Delta dude? Was that on purpose to post online or was he trying to have a proof he was told Delta would compensate him?
2) He was absolutely naive. The moment you gate check or you check your bag at the airport, you know what will happen. Did he think Delta would have a white glove treatment for his bag? BS!!! The guys that gets the bags to the planes are just rough and could not care less about your LV bag. They see it as a piece that needs to move from A to B. They will not care.
3) I agree with @Matthew here. You can afford a $4k LV bag but you are the last to board? Seriously?
I personally have 2 carry on bags. A Tumi that I could not care less what happens to it. It is my work horse. And I have a Rimowa Original that I only use if I know I will have a space on the overhead bin. For example, I only use it on international flights with no connections. Other than that, game on!!!
I’m on board with you…..a nasty bag that can get banged up, and a nice carry-on when I know I have space on the plane for it.
And hands down, Rimowa makes the best luggage. And it looks better than more you travel, and the more banged up it gets.
As a 3+ decade international flight attendant, I used a single 20″ Travel Pro for a solid 20 years. While I don’t usually check my bag while working, I have checked that travel pro at least 200 times. I also use a larger nylon Tumi bag for trips over 7 days that must be checked. Both bags look nearly brand new.
About 8 years ago I bought a Genius bag, and I have found it to be the PERFECT suitcase for 7 days-or-less trips. I love the built-in charger, as well as, always having an umbrella without having to plan on having one. Genius also has great hand-carry bags and backpacks. They’ve really thought of everything, imho.
I had a conversation with a friend about his LV luggage. At first he was a bit upset when it got scuffed, but now it’s like a badge of honor of a bag, and thus owner, well-traveled. If the above mentioned owner wants his bag to look pristine, then keep it at home and put it in an acrylic display case. OR don’t be the last to board.
I have a carry-on size aluminum Away that I had to check in for a short flight a few years ago. Delta annoyingly banged it up (the corners of the luggage were very severely dented and warped, not just superficially scratched or scuffed). Delta Customer Service acknowledged the damage but said they would not compensate me since Away has a customer warranty. Is it actually in Delta’s contract of carriage that they don’t pay for damaged goods if they are under warranty-who knows!? Away ack’d my first contact and then ghosted me and my 5-6 follow ups. Started from scratch with Away 2 years later and finally got a replacement, but all around annoying process. Makes me think very long and hard about getting nice check-in size luggage (as pretty as the aluminum Rimowa’s are).
That’s crazy! What business of the carrier is your contract with the luggage purveyor? Surely there must be some consumer law in the US that renders obviously unfair terms like that unenforceable.
It’s no different than going to your doctor or ER for a broken bone. They always ask if your injury is the result of some type of accident so that the car, home, etc insurance can pay.
Overhead bins are not assigned by seat. Have you flown on a US carrier?
Boo Hoo! There’s always a chance your carry on might have to be gate checked. It’s naive to think your checked bag will not get scuffed and scratched which is normal wear and tear, not damage. What next, you’ll want compensation from the shoe manufacturer when you get your first scuff or scratch on your shoe?
Absolutely! Free shoes for all.
Wonderful idea!
If a pax is daft enough to fly with expensive designer luggage, then what do they expect?
There are some pillocks out there…….
The issue isn’t the cost of his bag, he can spend his money on whatever he wants. The issue is his demands and expectations. Delta damaged my checked bag and replaced it. It was smashed in, not scuffed. There’s also no proof it was a Delta employee that did it. Could have been an airport baggage handler. So many aggrieved people demanding that the world take care of them… Such a cliche
Arnault is laughing. Imagine the horror of damage incurred using a Vuitton steamer trunk on boats back when. If your bag is pristine, you don’t travel that much.
Probably living paycheck to paycheck and forked out $4000 for luggage to make people think he’s wealthier than he actually is.
Is the reason he had to check his bag because the over head bin at his seat was full? Was it full because people who did not sit there used it for THEIR luggage?
If so, the attendant should remove their luggage and have them check it.
No. That’s not the way it t works. Overhead bin is shared space.
But what do you say to the people with seats in the back of the plane who drop off their carryons in the front of the plane? Do they expect the passengers seated in the front to take their luggage to the back?
First class bin space should be reserved for first class passengers. That is different than saying the space above your seat belongs to you. Within the cabin, it is shared space. If a first class passenger boards late and there is no overhead bin space, he can either take it back or check it.
I’m with you. I’ve not heard of any US carrier that assigns bin space by row or seat number.
I used to work in a luggage store 40 years ago and we made custom covers for LV, French and Hartman luggage so that it would not get damaged when being handled by airline personnel when checked into baggage. Maybe he should have invested in one just in case this ever happened.
Hi Jerry, did they work? It seems they would have to be ultra strong covers to avoid any mishaps below deck
Like white tennis shoes, if you don’t want them to get scuffed, don’t take them out of the house. The world is a dangerous and dirty place that has no respect for vanity and superficial consumerist items.
If they can afford a $4k bag, they can afford to fly first/business. There is always room in first/business for your bags as it’s reserved.
Common sense. Don’t be cheap and try to save a buck.
This is a click bait post.
Yep, definitely sounds like PBI clientele right there. People with perfect bags are not well traveled.
As an airline employee, I opened a pit door and pulled out a stroller to take up the jetway to the customer. The stroller was heavy and slipped out of my hand and fell on the tarmac and a wheel broke off. As I gave the stroller to the customer, I explained what happened and apologized for my negligence. I told the customers that the airline would pay for the damage not knowing the airline policy of not paying for broken wheels because so many strollers were fragile and easily broken. My supervisor authorized payment for the damage because I had mistakenly promised to take care of the damage. This is how you take care of customers.
He was naive. The airlines and the workers they contract should not throw around luggage but they do. He should have protected his expensive bag using any of a number of strategies including boxing it, putting it in a sleeve, wrapping it, boarding earlier, etc. I have a fairly cheap hard shell carry on that is in near new condition because the airlines have never handled it. I expect it to be cracked after the first time going into the airplane storage for anything other than a door check. I have came to realize that heavy duty canvas military duffels are a good solution but they are a pain to carry. Because they give so much, they are awkward to throw. With carry on luggage these days, carry a lightweight small nylon duffel that can be folded up compactly to put your valuables, necessities such as meds and food and lithium ion battery products in if your carryon gets taken from you. It was interesting to see how smoothly the airline employee lied.