United damaged my bag. Here’s how they fixed it...
Taxiing aboard a United flight at LAX After a 16+ hour flight the last thing you want is another reason to stay longer in the airport….u...
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| Taxiing aboard a United flight at LAX |
I notified a United contracted worker standing next to a rollaway podium who directed me to the “lost and found counter.” At 6:30am the long counter was completely empty and looked like it hadn’t been used some time. I found another airline’s worker nearby who told me to go to an office at the end of the counter. Inside were two contractors handling other issues so I waited near the door. Eventually someone called me over to fill out a report.
The process was more in-depth and less fulfilling than I expected. At the end, she said it normally takes four business days to repair suitcases, but first they have to send the report to United to make a decision on how to proceed. Since we were only in Singapore two days, she advised me to take the report and suitcase to my local airport when we get home for repair. Annoying, but better than going without a bag.
I left the airport with my broken bag and went to the hotel to drop our luggage off for a day of sightseeing. We got tired around 3pm and decided to go back to check-in and shower after several hours of walking the streets of Singapore. It turned out to be a good thing since the airport left a message saying United approved an expedited repair of my bag.
We then took a quick rest then hit the streets again for more sightseeing and came back around 11pm...still no bag. At this point we were sufficiently exhausted and decided to just hope for the best in the morning.
Sure enough, we woke up and United had made a delivery...only it wasn’t my bag. I guess United decided to swap out my suitcase for a new one without telling me. It was similar, but not exactly the same. Mine had some storage compartments on the top portion, this one had one large section. My bag was slightly taller although this one was a bit deeper. This bag has better handles than my old one. Maybe I’m nostalgic, but I kind of miss that bag. Still the new bag is working just fine and was a good replacement. Especially given the time restriction.
United handled my claim efficiently although it required a great deal of trust. Thankfully it all worked out and my new bag is still holding up more than a year later.
