Furious with Holland America!

[serendipity1499]

My feeling is that the OP should have bought insurance that included luggage coverage. "If" she gets reimbursed by HAL for the $$$$ she is claiming - then why should I have to pay for luggage insurance on my travel policy? What about someone who has to cancel a week before their cruise and didn't buy insurance. Should HAL start refunding those cruise fares? Just some thoughts.

 

Someone already posted HAL policy on luggage ($100 or $600, depending on if you bought HAL insurance). But here's another baggage notice on HAL's website:

 

Q: Do I Need Baggage Insurance?

 

A: Although we try to handle your bags carefully while they are in our possession, please be aware that Holland America Line cannot guarantee there will be no loss of, or damage to, your luggage or belongings. For this reason, we suggest you purchase luggage insurance before you leave home. Your travel professional can provide you with additional information if you are interested in this option.

 

It is also in the Know before you go book..

 

Uilleann... Full replacement Cost is paid on a Homeowners policy only if you purchase that kind of policy.. They also have exclusions..We happen to have two policy's, one for flood & one for other disasters , such as a Hurricane.. Both policy's have a high deductibles & are still quite expensive.. Jewelry is limited to $1000 & if I want to insure all my jewelry, such as my engagement & wedding ring, I would have to purchase a separate policy.. Furs were only covered up to $1000 in our policy up north.. Our present Homeowners policy does not cover anything outside of our home including screened in porches.. When our dock went in a hurricane it wasn't covered..

 

Travel Insurance which we've purchased since 2004 has run anywhere from 6% to 9% of the cost of the trip depending on age & destination..

[Lizzie68]

Sheesh, the OP seems calmer than everybody else on this issue.:D So much angst.

[lolane1]

OP, I really feel for you. If my luggage was lost, I would be more than just a little upset. I do feel you baggage was mishandled by the staff member you turned it over to, though probably not intentionally. I can't draw any other conclusion.

 

The cost of replacement of items for many of us can be pretty substantial. I know it would be for me. Even if I had insurance, it wouldn't cover replacement costs plus I am pretty partial to the stuff I own.

 

I hope your luggage shows up at some point. My luggage was lost on a flight in italy and traveled around europe for quite some time before it made it back to the US. Good luck.

[toyotaford]

Not a happy situation for OP. The $100 settlement from HAL would frustrate me also. I was on a NCL cruise in January and my luggage had not arrived in Rome with me. I had hoped it would be there the next day when we headed for the ship but it was not. I informed the concierge on the ship when we arrived. They gave me a $100 voucher to buy some items in the gift shop and told me they would do laundry for me every day until me bag arrived. They also told me they would take over checking with the airlines and arrange to have my bags delivered when they were located. My bags did arrive on the 5th day of our cruise but it was later discovered that the assistant concierge had not done a diligent job and I could have possibly had my bags sooner. After the cruise I received a letter of apology from NCL and a voucher for $400 OBC on my next cruise with them. (Which I took in May and had no problem using the OBC.) My airline travel was not booked through NCL so I really did not expect any help from them. I did not purchase travel insurance through them or anyone else. This has been our experience with NCL on the rare occasions we have had issues. Hopefully this will not ruin your thoughts on cruising and again, sorry this happened to you.

[COLLEYBERRY]

Rochelle I am sorry this happened to you...so not fun.

 

Also I believe the word is clothes not cloths ( cloths being the plural for cloth.. a piece of fabric )..unless my Canadian is showing... we tend to throw in extra letters here and there.;):)

Edited July 13, 2014 by COLLEYBERRY

[mountainmare]

Thank you COLLEYBERRY!!! I know we're not to correct spelling but this was driving me crazy.

[david,Mississauga]

But...Have you witnessed judges in small claims courts give plaintiffs what they asked for when the loss was not on U.S. soil?

 

What you are not taking into consideration, is the fact the bags were checked in a foreign country & the Psgr. disembarked in a foreign county..

 

...

 

I'm not sure that a small claims court would even permit Psgrs. to bring law suits in the U.S. for luggage lost in Europe are you?

 

...

 

The OP is from Ontario, Canada. I don't know what civil law is in the US, but it would appear to be irrelevant to this discussion. In Canada - at least in Ontario - a Court has jurisdiction over a foreign defendant arising from an incident in a foreign country if the contract was formed in Ontario.

 

A friend of mine (a paralegal specialising in small claims court) sued Amtrak in a Toronto court. Amtrak's position was that they are foreign and the cause of action occurred in the US and therefore they said they would ignore the proceedings. The contract was formed in Ontario. Said friend found case law and got a judgment in absentia. Amtrak was ignoring the judgment until they were convinced that the plaintiff was going to have an Amtrak train seized at Toronto Union Station. After a conference call with the senior judge, they paid up promptly.

 

Cruise passage contracts that I have had say that legal proceedings must be made in a particular jurisdiction which may be inconvenient for a plaintiff. I know from personal experience that a person's rights cannot easily be taken away because of small print. I hope the OP gets something better than $100 out of this.

[COLLEYBERRY]

Thank you COLLEYBERRY!!! I know we're not to correct spelling but this was driving me crazy.

 

I:D:D Mountianmare....in fairness though, clothes are pieces of cloth sewn together... so cloths kinda work:)

[Traveling Dot]

On our last cruise in Europe, when we disembarked in Venice, I forgot to pickup my husband's travel wheelchair (it was folded up inside it's own travel bag) when I got our luggage. Considering there were no porters to help, no luggage carts inside the terminal and my husband was unable to help me with the luggage, you can picture me with my carry on luggage, two big suitcases and trying to keep an eye on where my husband was going. I didn't realize until we got to the airport and we were sitting and waiting to be able to check in for our flight that there was something missing. We didn't get too upset because it wasn't worth that much and I don't worry over little things.

 

Well now fast forward about 3 months and I come home from work and my husband says to me HAL called and they found the wheelchair and wanted to ship it to us. He told them not to bother because it wasn't worth it. But my point is it may take awhile to find your lost luggage. I knew where I had left mine and it took that long to get ahold of us, so it may take even longer for yours to show up being no one knows what happened to it. It may show up yet, keep the faith.

[OVgirl]

After reading all these posts, what concerns me the most is that a suitcase(s) can go missing on a ship from the elevator lobby to the dock the next morning. It's not a very long distance to travel and not that many people will be handling them.

 

We tend to expect this to happen when we fly because there are a lot more factors involved, falling off belts, many people handling luggage, layovers with mislayed luggage.

 

But disembarking a ship?.....Not that many places to lose a suitcase.

 

Hope that HAL finds the luggage, looks at the reason it was lost and fixes the hole in their system.

[Surreyman]

After reading all these posts, what concerns me the most is that a suitcase(s) can go missing on a ship from the elevator lobby to the dock the next morning. It's not a very long distance to travel and not that many people will be handling them.

 

We tend to expect this to happen when we fly because there are a lot more factors involved, falling off belts, many people handling luggage, layovers with mislayed luggage.

 

But disembarking a ship?.....Not that many places to lose a suitcase.

 

Hope that HAL finds the luggage, looks at the reason it was lost and fixes the hole in their system.

 

 

I do wonder if the luggage is collected in a set order. For example when the OP carried her luggage to the elevator, perhaps they were collecting luggage to go to another ship- say.

 

By not leaving her luggage by the door as requested it then got treated, despite the label as if it should be in the pile to go to the other ship (as I say that is just an example I don't have any details). Had she left it outside the door instead it would have been collected with the other luggage going to her destination.

 

 

Perhaps someone who knows could throw some light on whether or luggage is collected together and then sorted "below stairs" or whether luggage is collected by destination. The latter would reduce the amount of double handling but would explain why people are asked to leave their luggage by the door not carry it to a member of staff.

[Linda&Vern]

The OP is from Ontario, Canada. I don't know what civil law is in the US, but it would appear to be irrelevant to this discussion. In Canada - at least in Ontario - a Court has jurisdiction over a foreign defendant arising from an incident in a foreign country if the contract was formed in Ontario.

 

A friend of mine (a paralegal specialising in small claims court) sued Amtrak in a Toronto court. Amtrak's position was that they are foreign and the cause of action occurred in the US and therefore they said they would ignore the proceedings. The contract was formed in Ontario. Said friend found case law and got a judgment in absentia. Amtrak was ignoring the judgment until they were convinced that the plaintiff was going to have an Amtrak train seized at Toronto Union Station. After a conference call with the senior judge, they paid up promptly.

 

Cruise passage contracts that I have had say that legal proceedings must be made in a particular jurisdiction which may be inconvenient for a plaintiff. I know from personal experience that a person's rights cannot easily be taken away because of small print. I hope the OP gets something better than $100 out of this.

Are you saying that I'm wasting my money having baggage coverage included with my travel insurance? Should I just travel without coverage and then sue HAL if something happens?

[Fouremco]

Hope that HAL finds the luggage, looks at the reason it was lost and fixes the hole in their system.

Based purely on what I see posted on CC, the loss of luggage by HAL and other cruise lines is an infrequent occurrence, so the system seems to be working pretty well. That's not to say that it's perfect, as this case clearly demonstrates, but making it 100% loss- and theft-proof might be very expensive and could well slow down the disembarkation process. A cost-benefit analysis by HAL might well indicate that it's cost effective to simply pay out the occasional insurance claim and leave the system as is.

[RuthC]

I do wonder if the luggage is collected in a set order.

 

Perhaps someone who knows could throw some light on whether or luggage is collected together and then sorted "below stairs" or whether luggage is collected by destination.

Luggage is collected by passageway. The trolley is pushed down the passageway, and everything that's out gets placed in it as they go by. Several runs down all the passageways go on until it is all collected.

I have gone off to dinner, and seen a few pieces in the passageway. When I've stopped by my cabin later, those early pieces are gone, while others are out. Still later, it's different pieces. I've stood and watched as they come along collecting.

[vbmom87]

I repeat what everyone who is getting tied up in their underwear seems to be forgetting or ignoring -

 

1) the OP got her suitcases out late

2) she did not put them in the hall by her room but somewhere else, regardless of whether she was told to do so by a crew member

3) she did not stick around after disembarking and not finding her suitcases but she felt that the cost and/or timing of her taxi was more important than insisting that HAL look for her stuff

4) she did not have replacement value insurance.

 

Based on this, I would apportion a major percentage of her problems to her actions and not to HAL. Of course HAL is partly to blame but she also has to take responsibility for her actions.

 

DON

 

Although I can agree with 2-4, OP did state she got the suitcases out more than an hour before the deadline.

[david,Mississauga]

Are you saying that I'm wasting my money having baggage coverage included with my travel insurance? Should I just travel without coverage and then sue HAL if something happens?

 

I am not saying that at all. I don't know how you drew that inference. My comments were prompted by someone questioning whether a US court would have jurisdiction over something that did not happen on US soil. The OP lives in Ontario, Canada and I was explaining that an Ontario Court would have jurisdiction under the circumstances I related.

 

If it were my position to advise someone, I would advise they take out various insurance coverage, including baggage insurance. From my experience the baggage insurance component of a comprehensive travel policy is very cheap. Suing is a last resort. Notwithstanding that a court has jurisdiction it's not a sure thing that a plaintiff would win - and not just in Ontario. :) Even small claims court can be an intimidating undertaking to the inexperienced. It is wise to retain a solicitor or paralegal which would cost more than baggage insurance.

[navybankerteacher]

The OP is from Ontario, Canada. I don't know what civil law is in the US, but it would appear to be irrelevant to this discussion. In Canada - at least in Ontario - a Court has jurisdiction over a foreign defendant arising from an incident in a foreign country if the contract was formed in Ontario.

 

A friend of mine (a paralegal specialising in small claims court) sued Amtrak in a Toronto court. Amtrak's position was that they are foreign and the cause of action occurred in the US and therefore they said they would ignore the proceedings. The contract was formed in Ontario. Said friend found case law and got a judgment in absentia. Amtrak was ignoring the judgment until they were convinced that the plaintiff was going to have an Amtrak train seized at Toronto Union Station. After a conference call with the senior judge, they paid up promptly.

 

Cruise passage contracts that I have had say that legal proceedings must be made in a particular jurisdiction which may be inconvenient for a plaintiff. I know from personal experience that a person's rights cannot easily be taken away because of small print. I hope the OP gets something better than $100 out of this.

 

Most courts in jurisdictions where litigation is founded on British Common Law do, in fact, respect contracts - including those which specify in which jurisdictions claims may be brought, as well as those specifying limitations of liability.

[vbmom87]

OP: I am very sorry for the loss of your luggage. I do hope it shows up somewhere soon. If it wasn't stolen, I think you have a good chance of it being returned.

 

Based on what others have posted, if HAL states they will pay $100 for a lost bag, I don't see how you have a case for anything more. I understand they asked you for an itemized list of values, but I also know that customer service at most companies does not always give accurate information. What counts is what is written in the cruise contract that all cruisers are expected to read. The cruise line is not obliged to give you any more than what the contract states. It sucks, but it is what it is.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Rochelle, I am so very sorry to hear about this. I am just now getting caught up on reading some HAL CC. In reading this thread I find I do not miss a lot of posts, I guess I am glad I have been too busy working two jobs to spend much time here. I do hope that HAL eventually locates your luggage. But since there has been so much time now since you disembarked sadly it is not likely.

[LMaxwell]

I have not followed every posting over the past few days; I am surprised this topic is still alive.

 

A million questions. Less than a million answers. I revert back to Occam's; the bags were put off the ship and then taken either by mistake or theft. Insurance would have reimbursed. Expensive lesson learned.

[sapper1]

What is, is and what ain't, ain't. Whatever the circumstances, I certainly have great sympathy for anyone who loses their luggage. The clothes may not be worth $4000 now but they will cost $4000 to replace. That is the bottom line for the OP.

 

I have never purchased baggage insurance but have travelled so often that I figure should one be lost at this point, then the loss would not be as great. I would factor in the past premiums that I didn't pay but it would still hurt.

 

We travel with four suitcases and I would be hard pressed to itemise everything along with brands and prices. For $100 in reimbursement my time would be worth more than that and I wouldn't bother.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

What is, is and what ain't, ain't. Whatever the circumstances, I certainly have great sympathy for anyone who loses their luggage. The clothes may not be worth $4000 now but they will cost $4000 to replace. That is the bottom line for the OP.

 

I have never purchased baggage insurance but have travelled so often that I figure should one be lost at this point, then the loss would not be as great. I would factor in the past premiums that I didn't pay but it would still hurt.

 

We travel with four suitcases and I would be hard pressed to itemise everything along with brands and prices. For $100 in reimbursement my time would be worth more than that and I wouldn't bother.

 

All good points! I'd be willing to bet that a large % of those who lose their luggage never bother to file a claim. It isn't worth $100 of many people's time to jump through hoops to get paid.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Ryndam2002

[Christine Frances]

It would be worth my time as this is what I could claim on my annual policy ($28 per month for both of us)

 

B. NON-MEDICAL BENEFITS

 

1. Baggage & Personal Effects Benefits - If, while on your trip, your

baggage is lost, stolen or damaged, you will be reimbursed up to $1,500 per

insured person to a maximum of $3,000 per family.

 

The loss must be supported in writing by the appropriate local authorities at

the place of loss and/or police report. Coverage is limited to $200 per item

or set of items.

 

You will be reimbursed up to $400 per insured person up to a maximum of

$1,000 per family for the purchase of necessities as a result of your

checked baggage being delayed by the carrier for more than 12 hours after

your arrival. Purchases must be made within 36 hours of your arrival at

your destination, and prior to receipt of your baggage.

[serendipity1499]

It would be worth my time as this is what I could claim on my annual policy ($28 per month for both of us)

 

B. NON-MEDICAL BENEFITS

 

1. Baggage & Personal Effects Benefits - If, while on your trip, your

baggage is lost, stolen or damaged, you will be reimbursed up to $1,500 per

insured person to a maximum of $3,000 per family.

 

The loss must be supported in writing by the appropriate local authorities at

the place of loss and/or police report. Coverage is limited to $200 per item

or set of items.

 

You will be reimbursed up to $400 per insured person up to a maximum of

$1,000 per family for the purchase of necessities as a result of your

checked baggage being delayed by the carrier for more than 12 hours after

your arrival. Purchases must be made within 36 hours of your arrival at

your destination, and prior to receipt of your baggage.

Is this part of your homeowners or a separate policy you purchase every year just for traveling? Our travel policy's are comprehensive for medical, trip interruption & baggage protection up to a similar maximum, but is a percentage (normally about 7% to 9%) of the cost of each of our trips...It also takes ages into consideration.. We don't have a monthly policy.. Each time we travel the policy varies in price..

 

Not sure if our homeowners covers us.. Note to self - Next time, ask our Insurance Agent if homeowners will cover any extra if baggage is lost?

 

Realize, the OP will not get anything more than what the contract states, but this thread has been a good reminder for all of us to get insurance & take the time to itemize our possessions prior to travel ..

Edited July 14, 2014 by serendipity1499

[serendipity1499]

What is, is and what ain't, ain't. Whatever the circumstances, I certainly have great sympathy for anyone who loses their luggage. The clothes may not be worth $4000 now but they will cost $4000 to replace. That is the bottom line for the OP.

 

I have never purchased baggage insurance but have travelled so often that I figure should one be lost at this point, then the loss would not be as great. I would factor in the past premiums that I didn't pay but it would still hurt.

 

We travel with four suitcases and I would be hard pressed to itemise everything along with brands and prices. For $100 in reimbursement my time would be worth more than that and I wouldn't bother.

 

 

Our baggage Insurance is part of the Travelex policy we have for Medical, trip interruption & baggage loss each time we cruise..

 

I must have OCD as when I plan for a cruise I make a list of my & DH's clothing (including dress outfits) & incidentals such as shoes etc...We travel with two 26 in suitcases, one very large hanging bag, plus hand luggage for each of us..I leave a blank space next to each article of clothing to note which suitcase it is in, such as:

white slacks red 26 .. Blck/white top blck 26

Black slacks blk hang..whte lace top red 26

 

Usually have 2 (8 1x2 X 11) typewritten pages for me & one for DH plus an extra one for all incidentals including purses, shoes, meds, makeup etc. Of course I take too many clothes. shoes etc.! Another very OCD thing I do is write down what outfit I've worn for each evening. on board... If a bag is lost I could instantly give the carrier a list of clothing but not prices paid..

 

I'm a list person & wonder if someday I could just throw some clothes into a bag & take off without logging them in.. I save all my lists for each cruise & sometimes only have to tweak them a bit for the next cruise.. Of course our Alaska cruise was a nightmare as needed warm & cold climate clothing..

 

I carry one with us on the trip & leave a copy in my PC home..

 

I also cross pack, so if one or two suitcases happens to be lost, I have similar articles such as underware, & dress clothes for both of us in the other suitcases..

Edited July 14, 2014 by serendipity1499