Warning - Never Ever trust Princess EZ Check in Seattle

[Princess Chatterer]

I now know that American Airlines quits tracking bags on their public web site after five days. The AA Record Locator also disappears from their public web site at that time.

 

One week has now gone by since Princess admitted that they didn't scan the EZ Check's tagged bag at their ship terminal and that they have no idea what they did with the bag. At the moment the Crown Princess has now returned to the Seattle dock and I've heard nothing. Not even an offer has been made by Princess to at least refund the $20 charge for their EZ Check/EZ Lost program.

 

This is not looking at all good.

[Coral]

I now know that American Airlines quits tracking bags on their public web site after five days. The AA Record Locator also disappears from their public web site at that time.

 

One week has now gone by since Princess admitted that they didn't scan the EZ Check's tagged bag at their ship terminal and that they have no idea what they did with the bag. At the moment the Crown Princess has now returned to the Seattle dock and I've heard nothing. Not even an offer has been made by Princess to at least refund the $20 charge for their EZ Check/EZ Lost program.

 

This is not looking at all good.

 

This may be a long shot but have you checked your airport destination? Maybe it is sitting in their stack of late luggage?

[limoncello07]

This may be a long shot but have you checked your airport destination? Maybe it is sitting in their stack of late luggage?

 

Or with the port and airport lost and found in Seattle? I would hope Princess would have already done that, but it might not hurt to check independently. Based on the photo you posted of your wife's EZ check tag, the only airport code listed on the tag is Seattle. And while it lists an AA flight number, I notice that it does not list a flight date (at least not one easily discernible to a lay person). I'm trying to think what might have happened to the bag if if the AA tag was never put on and it just had the EZ check tag. I'm assuming the bar code and number are internal to Princess, and that even if someone brought the bag to AA, it might not be so easy for them to match it to a passenger without the flight date. (And is there anything on the other side of the tag that would indicate this came from a Princess cruise?)

 

I can only imagine how frustrating this is, but am heartened by the reports of people who have eventually gotten reunited with their lost bags. Good luck!

[Princess Chatterer]

The other side of the EZ Check tag is identical to the picture you see. Tomorrow I will check in the "local" AA dead bag room to see if for some reason AA assigned a different tag number. and didn't know how to read our personal bag tag attached with a very strong wire. Also I will make a call to SEA and the port authority. I would like to think that anybody in authority at the port and at SEA would be familiar with EZ Check bag tags. I could be wrong. So far Princess has not been willing to reveal their EZ Check internal controls, if any, other than EZ Check bags are placed in their own area in the terminal and at some point they are scanned.

 

After tomorrow I will begin the Princess and AA insurance claiming procedure(s). I now understand that this process will involve negotiating a settlement with the insurance companies. Offer, counter offer, offer, counter offer.

 

This much I know. AA assigned an AA bag number so at that point, in my view, they along with Princess and their insurance carriers are responsible in part or in full.

 

FWIW: I checked with my State Farm agent. He says he "thinks" that State Farm has a $2,000 deductible on lost bag claims.

 

If you gentle readers see in the future an older couple personally dragging their bags on an off the ship, clogging your gangway, it's probably us. No more EZ Check/EZ loss. Your mileage may vary.

[land lover]

Just wondering why anyone would want to steal someone's used clothes?

 

Sometimes it's the suitcase.......

[land lover]

The other side of the EZ Check tag is identical to the picture you see. Tomorrow I will check in the "local" AA dead bag room to see if for some reason AA assigned a different tag number. and didn't know how to read our personal bag tag attached with a very strong wire. Also I will make a call to SEA and the port authority. I would like to think that anybody in authority at the port and at SEA would be familiar with EZ Check bag tags. I could be wrong. So far Princess has not been willing to reveal their EZ Check internal controls, if any, other than EZ Check bags are placed in their own area in the terminal and at some point they are scanned.

 

After tomorrow I will begin the Princess and AA insurance claiming procedure(s). I now understand that this process will involve negotiating a settlement with the insurance companies. Offer, counter offer, offer, counter offer.

 

This much I know. AA assigned an AA bag number so at that point, in my view, they along with Princess and their insurance carriers are responsible in part or in full.

 

FWIW: I checked with my State Farm agent. He says he "thinks" that State Farm has a $2,000 deductible on lost bag claims.

 

If you gentle readers see in the future an older couple personally dragging their bags on an off the ship, clogging your gangway, it's probably us. No more EZ Check/EZ loss. Your mileage may vary.

 

So sorry this happened to you, how disappointing. Hope the situation is resolved to your satisfaction. If we see you we'll help u drag those bags.

Edited July 2, 2016 by land lover

[moki'smommy]

If you booked your cruise with a credit card, you might also check whether the card carries any automatic travel protection. Mine does, but the fine print is that it must be reported within 2 weeks of the loss.

[Princess Chatterer]

My Princess Visa Signature card, which paid for the cruise, has NO lost baggage coverage. My AAdvantage Master Card, which was used to pay for airfare, does have lost baggage coverage. Princes Vacation Protection Platinum that I always pay Princess extra for has lost bag coverage. Won't bother with a State Farm home owner's insurance claim due to the high deductible. Princess Cruises itself offers you nearly nothing for when they admit that your bag was lost on their watch.

[RDC1]

My Princess Visa Signature card, which paid for the cruise, has NO lost baggage coverage. My AAdvantage Master Card, which was used to pay for airfare, does have lost baggage coverage. Princes Vacation Protection Platinum that I always pay Princess extra for has lost bag coverage. Won't bother with a State Farm home owner's insurance claim due to the high deductible. Princess Cruises itself offers you nearly nothing for when they admit that your bag was lost on their watch.

 

What did the bag look like? Was it a common type or unusual? Did Princess say if the area where they put the bag is accessible by passengers? Did you have id information inside of the bag?

Edited July 3, 2016 by RDC1

[nanabananna]

We are doing the land tour first. I know that the "ship" luggage will leave us at some point on the first day/morning.

 

My question is: Once the luggage leaves our possession, where is it stored before being placed on the ship? Has anyone ever had their luggage misplaced while it was waiting to be loaded on the ship? :)

[Jetswdo]

I wonder if for some reason there have been too many lost luggage through this program at Seattle ports? We have used Ez check through Princess and Celebrity at FLL and Mia and Vancouver without any problems

 

On another note, we had luggage sent ahead on Luggage Forward to Celebrity Summit in Bayonne NJ (just wanted to see how that would work out)- sending luggage straight to cruise ship from home.

 

It was just a duffle bag with snorkling stuff and "extras" that wouldn't fit in our two suitcases that we went through the usual process. Our two suitcases made it just fine into our state room. No duffle. We called Luggage Forward and were told the bag was delivered and signed for by Celebrity personnel early in the am. I called customer service at Celebrity. They kept saying it is on its way. At 9:00 in the evening, still no duffle. My dh and I happenned to have gotten off an elevator at the far end of the ship. Our cabin was midship.

We were walking towards our cabin and then stopped dead in our tracks. Our duffel was laying against a wall, no where near our cabin, but same deck. All our tags were on it, cabin number, etc. Apparently some crew member must have put it down, forgotten about it altogether, and not one of those yo-yo's bothered to look around for it. So not Luggage Forward's fault but Celebrity. We were given chocolate covered strawberries "for our inconvenience." So let's just say, that no matter what you do, sometime somehow, things don't go right when luggage is out of your control- all one can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst! Anita

[Princess Chatterer]

What did the bag look like? Was it a common type or unusual? Did Princess say if the area where they put the bag is accessible by passengers? Did you have id information inside of the bag?

 

Princess didn't comment about accessibility (in the ship terminal) of EZ Check baggage. I suspect it's separated out in a terminal open area just like all the other luggage. I had a duplicate tag with ID information inside the bag on the inside zipper plus a copy of our names and AA itinerary inside the webbing in the top of the bag.

 

Here's an image of my late great bag I bought for this cruise at Target.

 

[Papa Yoda]

Princess didn't comment about accessibility (in the ship terminal) of EZ Check baggage. I suspect it's separated out in a terminal open area just like all the other luggage. I had a duplicate tag with ID information inside the bag on the inside zipper plus a copy of our names and AA itinerary inside the webbing in the top of the bag.

 

Here's an image of my late great bag I bought for this cruise at Target.

 

<snip incriminating evidence>[/img]

 

It's a really nice bag, I'm enjoying it very much as well as the Alaska souvenirs ...

 

(Just Kidding of course). Maybe Princess could send divers down in Seattle cruise terminal waters - it could be laying on the bottom. "Oops! there it goes... I didn't see nothin"

[cruisequeen4ever]

OP, I feel so bad for you!! EZ Check has always seemed like such a useful, helpful service in theory. I don't know that'd I'd do it now. You've certainly stayed on top of your claim, and I really hope it's resolved fairly! Good luck!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[elliair]

We are in a minority, in that we will not even consider using EZ Check at any port or with any cruise line. Our reasoning is quite simple. It is not a big deal for us to take our own luggage to the airport and personally hand it over to the airline.

Hank

 

We take our own luggage (self assist) to the airport. Even then I hold my breath at the other end until we have our luggage in our possession. A couple of times our luggage was sent ahead of us and was waiting at the airline office. At least we got our bags. I don't trust EZ air, but that's just me.

 

If it were me, I'd take the $3,000 and I would happily go shopping.:D

Edited July 3, 2016 by elliair

[moki'smommy]

 

If it were me, I'd take the $3,000 and I would happily go shopping.:D

 

The problem with that logic is that they haven't offered her $3000. They have said that they "think" that is the max under the insurance. Unfortunately, they will have to go thru a lot of hassle to get that--making as accurate as possible a list of all contents, collecting as many receipts as possible, and "encouraging" while Princess and the insurance company argue over that the reimbursement will ultimately be.

 

Hopefully they will end up with fair reimbursement.

[Maddle]

This is a very sad and frustrating story. I hope it works out favorably for the OP.

 

While I don't worry about my luggage the way some others do, I do always breath a sigh of relief when all the bags are back in my possession.

 

My own personal rule of thumb is - if the loss of this item would make me cry, I hand carry it. (That means camera, jewelry, bathing suit, computer, work files, chargers.) Everything else gets checked with airlines, porters, EZCheck, hotels, etc. and I hope for the best. Usually it works out.

 

Yes - like many things in my life, the bar is set at "tears."

 

Maddle

[Princess Chatterer]

Should a now file a theft report with the Seattle police? This is a serious question. Do the Seattle police have ship or port jurisdiction? I don't know exactly who stole the EZ Check bag and where this EZ Check bag was stolen or how it disappeared while under the not so watchful supervision of Princess. All I know is that I put the bag in the ship hallway for Princess pickup as instructed with the proper Princess EZ Check ID tag.

 

Princess claims that they didn't scan the EZ Check bag in the ship terminal when we docked and AA SEA bag office claims that they never received the EZ Check bag with the AA bag number at SEA.

 

FWIW: My State Farm agent says that State Farm home owners policy doesn't cover lost bag damages but that State Farm may consider a police theft report differently.

[moki'smommy]

I would start with the Seattle police. I base that on the fact that when my daughter was assaulted on a Disney ship, the Brevard County (includes Cape Canaveral) Sheriff met the ship and took her report. If the Seattle police tell you that it is not their jurisdiction, ask them for the appropriate contact at the port authority. Just my thoughts.

[Astro Flyer]

Filing a report (theft or lost) with SPD would be basically for insurance purposes only & since the insurance policy doesn't cover it then it's useless.

 

Depending upon department policy, they may only take a lost report because there is no evidence that the bag was stolen. If SPD (or the Port of Seattle is like the Port of LA & have their own police department) would take a report, sometimes such reports that do not require any on scene investigation can be taken telephonically. They'd probably only provide a report number & it would be necessary to pay to get a copy of the report.

 

I understand how frustrating & upsetting a missing bag can be but it's very doubtful if any law enforcement jurisdiction would do anything beyond taking a courtesy report. Think of all of the bags lost by airlines & filing a police report is useless because there is no way to determine if it's lost or stolen.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Colo Cruiser]

Should a now file a theft report with the Seattle police? This is a serious question. Do the Seattle police have ship or port jurisdiction? I don't know exactly who stole the EZ Check bag and where this EZ Check bag was stolen or how it disappeared while under the not so watchful supervision of Princess. All I know is that I put the bag in the ship hallway for Princess pickup as instructed with the proper Princess EZ Check ID tag.

 

Princess claims that they didn't scan the EZ Check bag in the ship terminal when we docked and AA SEA bag office claims that they never received the EZ Check bag with the AA bag number at SEA.

 

FWIW: My State Farm agent says that State Farm home owners policy doesn't cover lost bag damages but that State Farm may consider a police theft report differently.

 

 

Without facts as to what happened to your bag it is a civil matter to be taken up with the cruise line. I would think Seattle PD would advise of that accordingly.

I know here in Denver for example if ones loses a license plate/misplaces/theft of property etc (not knowing if it was removed by someone) Denver PD will have you fill out a lost/stolen report online. They are pretty much not investigated and are for insurance purposes only.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Colo Cruiser

[moki'smommy]

There is no question that they are not going to investigate. But if your insurance company requires a police report in order to file a claim, they may give you that report.

 

OP said that the homeowner's insurance would not normally cover, but the agent said they MIGHT consider it if she had a police report. Thus, the effort to get a report.

 

Sounds like your best bet is still the travel insurance though.

[Astro Flyer]

FWIW: My State Farm agent says that State Farm home owners policy doesn't cover lost bag damages but that State Farm may consider a police theft report differently.

 

There is no question that they are not going to investigate. But if your insurance company requires a police report in order to file a claim' date=' they may give you that report.

 

OP said that the homeowner's insurance would not normally cover, but the agent said they MIGHT consider it if she had a police report. Thus, the effort to get a report.

 

Sounds like your best bet is still the travel insurance though.[/quote']

The OP said that their policy doesn't cover "lost bag damages" but may consider it with a "police theft report".

 

However it's very doubtful that any law enforcement agency would take a theft report without any evidence that it was stolen & instead is just one of the many bags lost while traveling.

 

As Colo Cruiser posted, it's a civil matter because there is no evidence of a crime to report to the police.

Edited July 6, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Coral]

Should a now file a theft report with the Seattle police? This is a serious question. Do the Seattle police have ship or port jurisdiction? I don't know exactly who stole the EZ Check bag and where this EZ Check bag was stolen or how it disappeared while under the not so watchful supervision of Princess. All I know is that I put the bag in the ship hallway for Princess pickup as instructed with the proper Princess EZ Check ID tag.

 

Princess claims that they didn't scan the EZ Check bag in the ship terminal when we docked and AA SEA bag office claims that they never received the EZ Check bag with the AA bag number at SEA.

 

FWIW: My State Farm agent says that State Farm home owners policy doesn't cover lost bag damages but that State Farm may consider a police theft report differently.

 

It is worth a call to them. I would probably pursue it if only if it makes your insurance claims easier in the long run. Obviously, we all know they will not investigate it.

 

With Princess insurance and illness, it is secondary coverage meaning you must have a denial or show proof of your insurance in order to submit it to Princess insurance before they will process the claim.

 

I am curious if it is similar with luggage claims. Do you have to have a denial from your home owners policy before you can file a claim with Princess insurance?

 

The reason I ask is a friend had some very expensive camera equipment stolen on a trip. In order to get their trip insurance to cover it, they needed proof he submitted it to home owners insurance. Home owners did cover part of it and then trip insurance covered the rest. I don't know if lost baggage falls under the same category.

 

Good luck!

[Astro Flyer]

I am curious if it is similar with luggage claims. Do you have to have a denial from your home owners policy before you can file a claim with Princess insurance?

 

The reason I ask is a friend had some very expensive camera equipment stolen on a trip. In order to get their trip insurance to cover it, they needed proof he submitted it to home owners insurance. Home owners did cover part of it and then trip insurance covered the rest. I don't know if lost baggage falls under the same category.

Luggage coverage with the Princess policy is also secondary coverage for lost luggage ($1,500-standard; $3,000-Platinum) & is only usable when not covered elsewhere:

 

"We will reimburse you, less any amount paid or payable from any coverage provided by a Common Carrier and/or insurance specifically insuring the lost, stolen or damaged item(s)".

Edited July 6, 2016 by Astro Flyer