QM2 Lost (Stolen?) Bag

I sailed on the QM2 from Southampton to New York on 22-29 October 2015. My husband and I were moving from the UK to the US and had not only our dog and cat aboard, but also eight large suitcases.

When we disembarked, one of the suitcases was not in the baggage hall. As it happens, this is the suitcase that contained the quilt that I had made from my wedding dress, along with a number of other sentimental items (including my childhood teddy bear - lame, I know, but I'm rather attached). The suitcase didn't contain anything of any monetary value, though it did have all of my summer dresses and a very old and worthless laptop.

It's pretty clear what happened: when we disembarked (some of the first off the ship due to traveling with pets), an identical bag to mine, from the same disembarkation group, was left behind. Plainly, someone took my bag by mistake.

I obviously logged a missing bag report with the staff at the pier and was assured that they would find the bag.

The problem is that we are nearly four weeks past disembarkation and there is no sign of my bag. The identical bag has still not been claimed.

I was directed to the Princess Cruises lost property team, who have basically been obstructive in their response. They report that the pier has repeatedly called the number on the luggage tag but have never received an answer. They say that they have done everything they can, but they didn't even bother to look up alternate contact information for the people who probably have my bag until I demanded they do so last Thursday. No one from Princess will return my calls, nor will they return the calls of the (London) Times reporter I enlisted to help me. What they tell me when I call them is that my bag is considered lost and that the search is basically over, though I can't see how that can possibly be the case when they have not managed to get in touch with the people who likely have my bag.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Any idea on how I can get Princess/Cunard to take this seriously? So far, I have been treated like a nuisance and not as a paying customer (and two-time Cunard voyager) who has lost a very important item.

I'm devastated and I don't know what other actions to take. Princess tells me to claim for the bag, though I am very concerned that claiming will end the search for good.

Advice?

I sailed on the QM2 from Southampton to New York on 22-29 October 2015. My husband and I were moving from the UK to the US and had not only our dog and cat aboard, but also eight large suitcases.

 

When we disembarked, one of the suitcases was not in the baggage hall. As it happens, this is the suitcase that contained the quilt that I had made from my wedding dress, along with a number of other sentimental items (including my childhood teddy bear - lame, I know, but I'm rather attached). The suitcase didn't contain anything of any monetary value, though it did have all of my summer dresses and a very old and worthless laptop.

 

It's pretty clear what happened: when we disembarked (some of the first off the ship due to traveling with pets), an identical bag to mine, from the same disembarkation group, was left behind. Plainly, someone took my bag by mistake.

 

I obviously logged a missing bag report with the staff at the pier and was assured that they would find the bag.

 

The problem is that we are nearly four weeks past disembarkation and there is no sign of my bag. The identical bag has still not been claimed.

 

I was directed to the Princess Cruises lost property team, who have basically been obstructive in their response. They report that the pier has repeatedly called the number on the luggage tag but have never received an answer. They say that they have done everything they can, but they didn't even bother to look up alternate contact information for the people who probably have my bag until I demanded they do so last Thursday. No one from Princess will return my calls, nor will they return the calls of the (London) Times reporter I enlisted to help me. What they tell me when I call them is that my bag is considered lost and that the search is basically over, though I can't see how that can possibly be the case when they have not managed to get in touch with the people who likely have my bag.

 

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Any idea on how I can get Princess/Cunard to take this seriously? So far, I have been treated like a nuisance and not as a paying customer (and two-time Cunard voyager) who has lost a very important item.

 

I'm devastated and I don't know what other actions to take. Princess tells me to claim for the bag, though I am very concerned that claiming will end the search for good.

 

Advice?

The people who took the wrong bag still maybe traveling.

The people who took the wrong bag still maybe traveling.

Thank you for saying that. That is my very sincere hope. It is so difficult to believe that a fellow passenger from a TA on the QM2 would have any reason to take my bag on purpose or not report it when they realised they took the wrong one.

We had the same thing happen to us when we disembarked from a Holland America cruise in Montreal. The owners of the bag left behind came from Vancouver. We left their bag in Montreal hoping that ours would eventually turn up. Luckily there were no treasured possessions in it, just dirty laundry. The owners spent several weeks returning home over land, and only discovered they had the wrong bag when they got home. They probably got a nasty surprise as they thought the bag contained their formal clothes, and thus had not opened it at all.

They contacted Holland America who arranged for our bag to be sent to us in Illinois. So it all ended well. I hope you will be as lucky :)

If it's any comfort to you , I don't believe your bag was taken deliberately so please continue to hang in there. :)

It happens so often that another guest has picked up the wrong bags by mistake,a good indication to this is, another bag has been left unclaimed, almost identical to yours.

You should ask the people you are dealing with for the telephone contact number that they say is on the luggage label . I'm quite surprised that the owner did not add any other identification e.g. name etc ?

Hopefully the folk who took the wrong bag are probably still touring around Europe, maybe the contact number was their cell phone ? they may not have activated it for Europe /UK .

We are all keeping our fingers crossed for you that this will get rectified very soon. Please come back to us and keep us updated with any outcome. :)

If it's any comfort to you , I don't believe your bag was taken deliberately so please continue to hang in there. :)

 

It happens so often that another guest has picked up the wrong bags by mistake,a good indication to this is, another bag has been left unclaimed, almost identical to yours.

 

You should ask the people you are dealing with for the telephone contact number that they say is on the luggage label . I'm quite surprised that the owner did not add any other identification e.g. name etc ?

 

Hopefully the folk who took the wrong bag are probably still touring around Europe, maybe the contact number was their cell phone ? they may not have activated it for Europe /UK .

 

We are all keeping our fingers crossed for you that this will get rectified very soon. Please come back to us and keep us updated with any outcome. :)

Must agree with you Bell Boy except that I think you'll find the owner is in the United States.

The thing that surprises me is that the OP didn't take the details / identity / photograph of the remaining bag herself.

That would have ensured that in the event that the company tired (?) of tracking/chasing the owners at least she would have further contact details.

And so would the Times reporter more to the point.

Of course it also begs the question that isn't it time to open the case for further information.

Ooops... Thank you Solent Richard, quite correct I didn't notice it was East to West :o

Did your own bag have any contact details on it or in it? If there has indeed been a simple mistake, not yet noticed due to travelling etc, then there is a good chance you may be contacted by the person who has your bag when they discover their mistake.

Hope this works out for you. If you had travel insurance, perhaps the insurance company could discover more details from the cruise line on your behalf, such as the contact details on the bag left behind, as the cruise line might be reluctant to share this with you as an individual.

Scarlet

Obviously there are two bags missing, one by the op and the other by whoever took the wrong one. I think there is a good chance of a happy ending here particularly if it's possible to get hold of the telephone number.

Certainly no dishonesty in this case but we have had occasions where items have been left around the ship that never turned up: a pair of designer glasses never turned up at the pursers desk so did someone fancy a pair of expensive frames?

I'm sure Cunard ships have the occasional dishonest passenger.

David

Thanks to all who replied.

I did take the contact information off the identical bag's tag, in that I have the phone number and the names of the other people. I will admit that in the chaos of the morning (our dog was in a panic amid the crowds of the baggage hall and we still had to go through my husband's new-immigrant immigration process), I didn't take down as much information as I should have.

And yes, my bag has contact information on it as well, including my new US address and mobile phone number.

I do have travel insurance, but it is through Cunard. I am definitely covered for the bag and all of its contents (up to $3000) but obviously I would rather find the bag than claim, given its contents. It's a good idea to contact the insurance company, though...

I cannot tell you all how much I appreciate your words of comfort and your advice. I also believe that it was taken by accident and I do believe that the people who left their own bag behind will eventually get in touch. It's just that we disembarked now exactly four weeks ago and there hasn't been a word from these people.

Thank you all again (and happy Thanksgiving for those in the US).

Also, for what it's worth, I do have the phone number from the other bag. I have called it repeatedly and there is never an answer. There is also not an answer machine.

If it's a US number, it will have (XXX) XXX-XXXX 10 digits. The first three digits will identify the area code, which would potentially give you a state, region or approximate location. Will mobile phones, that's not as certain as it used to be. I think Canadian numbers work in the same fashion.

If it's a US number, it will have (XXX) XXX-XXXX 10 digits. The first three digits will identify the area code, which would potentially give you a state, region or approximate location. Will mobile phones, that's not as certain as it used to be. I think Canadian numbers work in the same fashion.

Haha, thank you. It's a Virginia number and it's a landline, which makes is doubly frustrating, as they either are not home or the number is incorrect. I have called it again and again and there just isn't anyone on the other end.

I know their names and I do know where they live...but I'm in Montana and their address is in Virginia. I'm not sure I can just show up on their doorstep and demand to see their luggage.

It seems to me that this is Cunard's job...

Haha, thank you. It's a Virginia number and it's a landline, which makes is doubly frustrating, as they either are not home or the number is incorrect. I have called it again and again and there just isn't anyone on the other end.

 

I know their names and I do know where they live...but I'm in Montana and their address is in Virginia. I'm not sure I can just show up on their doorstep and demand to see their luggage.

 

It seems to me that this is Cunard's job...

Now SR normally stands for Solent Richard but at the wave of a wand it could be Sleuth Richard.

Now that you have given us some more information I would possibly suggest that Cunard may indeed be able to help you.

I do seem to remember that on a cruise personaliser they take a phone number. This, added to the fact you know it is a Virginia address, there may be, with the right approach, a chance of gleaning relevant information.

I still stand by my comment of yesterday though. After 4 weeks of 'no claim' on the other bag it's time to spring it open for more clues.

Now SR normally stands for Solent Richard but at the wave of a wand it could be Sleuth Richard.

 

Now that you have given us some more information I would possibly suggest that Cunard may indeed be able to help you.

 

I do seem to remember that on a cruise personaliser they take a phone number. This, added to the fact you know it is a Virginia address, there may be, with the right approach, a chance of gleaning relevant information.

 

I still stand by my comment of yesterday though. After 4 weeks of 'no claim' on the other bag it's time to spring it open for more clues.

Ah, see, that's where Cunard has really failed. They do know exactly who these people are. Names, phone numbers, email address, physical address, passport numbers, credit card number...all of the stuff that one gives them when booking. They have all of that on file. Mind, they only looked all of that up last Thursday, three weeks after disembarkation, because I demanded they do so.

However, Cunard feels that they cannot accuse someone of taking my bag (I agree, though I think given the circumstances, it's fairly certain these people took it - by accident, I'm sure) so they won't pursue it. They will only make two attempts at contacting a passenger and then they leave it alone. This, even though they have said repeatedly that they believe these people took my bag.

I say we are at the four week mark: though it is probable that if these people do have my bag, they just haven't noticed yet, it is entirely possible that they have it, know it and haven't reported it.

Cunard knows exactly when we all got off the ship, and we all disembarked and went straight to the baggage hall, which is surrounded by CCTV cameras. There is about a twenty-minute window in which my bag will have been taken if it was indeed taken by these people. Look at the CCTV footage, Cunard! Confirm who took it and then we have a whole new set of tools at our disposal.

I'd leave this alone and claim in an instant if it weren't for the handful of sentimental contents in the bag.

The saddest thing for me is that I only brought the wedding dress quilt on the ship because I thought it was less risky. Meanwhile, all 96 of the boxes we shipped over on a container ship made it to Montana just fine.

If you feel you have hit a dead end, I suggest you do a reverse look up of the phone number. It will give you a name and address. Send a letter to the address with your contact information. Ask them to contact you and let you know if they have the bag.

This is what I would do if I were faced with this situation. If they are on an extended trip or only live at that phone number part time, extra attempts at contact may be needed.

The other step would be to elevate your complaint to a higher level at Cunard. You may need to light a fire under someone. The current level of employee is not providing you with a satisfactory solution. Elevate.

If that number just rings and rings with no answering machine, its probably been disconnected. Not many people have land lines anymore and what's written on the luggage tag was probably never updated. (I don't really look at my tags anymore, just to note that one is on the luggage). That is why you are probably hitting a wall trying to call.

Have you tried Facebook? Have you done 411.com? All of this is at your disposal. Even if those people do have your bag, they probably opened it and saw it wasn't their stuff and had no use for your quilt and it might have all gone into a dumpster.

I think you also need to check with your insurance as soon as possible. There is a window for reporting a loss. If you take too long to report it, then they will not pay out. I would hate for that to happen. If you hit a 'jobsworth' then they might not accept that all your contact with Cunard is relevant. The insurance may have Cunard's name on it, but it might be done through another insurance company.

Good luck! And please, make sure you keep reporting back as we would all like to hear the result.

I have tried everything. I have phoned these people, looked on Facebook, tried all of the people in Virginia with matching names. There's just no sign of my bag. I'm so sad.

What's worse, I have tried to escalate this with Cunard. I have asked to speak with a supervisor again and again, but they won't give me her contact details. I first asked to speak with her on November 12 and she STILL has not called me back.

Cunard doesn't care at all. How do you escalate if they won't let you contact anyone but the lowliest lost property guy?

If I were you, I would write to the Cunard head person, pointing out what a failure this is in customer service. They have the details of the person with the bag. They have that person's property. They should be trying to return the property to the person concerned, and at the same time reclaiming yours.

Have you tried contacting Cunard via their Facebook page ?

Would it be worthwhile contacting the New York Port Authority? They may be more cooperative than Cunard/Princess.

I also, would contact them via their FB page. For me, any great company responds quickly and professionally on FB!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I can see you have already tried posting on their page. You might be better trying a private message with the details you have.

I've tried private messaging them as well. The public Facebook post is really in an attempt to shame them into acting.

I've spoken with the pier in Brooklyn as well. Those guys are trying hard to find these people but they are completely limited to the disembarkation luggage tag (which SHOULD be accurate - these passengers will have filled it out the day before disembarkation), which only gives an address and a phone number that goes nowhere.

It's just maddening. I am so appreciative to all of you and your wonderful ideas, though.