When Princess damage your luggage?

[les37b]

I disembarked in Southampton on 1 September from Regal Princess.

 

I had left my suitcase outside the room the night before as instructed and was most disappointed when I located my suitcase in the terminal the following morning. It probably had a physical journey of less than 200 metres, but during that, they have managed to lift and let it drop on one corner of the case fracturing where the wheel joins making the case unusable. I know now I should have wheeled it myself!

 

When I located my bac I could instantly see thee was a problem as it was wonky and leaning against another. Luckily there was a Princess rep standing right next to my case so I was instantly able to report it to her. I was given a pink CC of the form and told Princess would contact me shortly.

 

Unfortunately, I am still waiting. So I called the number on the form and after a call of 1h 10m, I decided the message telling me my call was important and someone would deal with me shortly was indeed another bit of misinformation.

 

So I have just emailed the address on the form. It bounced fist time as I had attached photos and exceeded their size limit. So I resent again with one photo only.

 

This time I received a reply telling me that this email address isn't used and wont be dealt with.

 

"Thank you for contacting Princess Cruises Guest Services.  Please note that the following email address, enquiry@princesscruises.co.uk is no longer in use and your email will not be directed to an alternative address."

 

I think I've not got the message. We don't care, go away!

 

Is this normal?

 

All they had to do was wheel the bag off the ship - lesson learned there I guess!

 

Very unimpressed.

 

I had actually booked a second sailing on Sky but cancelled that 10 weeks ago as I had found a great sailing with Viking. Under the no risk policy, I was told I would receive a FCC for the monies paid. I've not heard anything since for that yet either. 

 

I am currently on hold again to speak to someone (45 minutes so far)..... I have a feeling if someone does answer I'll be told sorry wrong number - despite it being the number listed in the email mentioned above.

 

It's annoying enough they've done this, but the stuff since is extremely poor.

 

The case was in immaculate condition apart from the damage - and really not impressed they have managed to do this. It no longer can be wheeled or stand up. The damage has scuff marks on it too so it begs the question what they actually did with it in those 200 metres!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by les37b

[cnamenek]

Sorry you getting the run around. I had a suitcase severely damaged many years ago. Did you have Princess Cruises travel protection? Like you the representative was nearby and gave me forms to complete on the spot, we both got copies. She told me that they usually require a quote for repair for the claim. So upon arriving back at home I took the bag to a shop to get a written estimate. I sent the quote to them and they paid the maximum under my princess policy and said it was up to me if I wanted to actually get it repaired or replace the bag. I bought a new bag figuring a repair may not restore to the same usability. 

[janniebabe]

You might try their live chat line - I have had issues resolved immediately after chatting with a rep.  

https://princesscruises.egain.cloud/system/templates/chat/aqua/index.html?entryPointId=1036&templateName=aqua&ver=v11&locale=en-US&linkId=120497711&fbclid=IwAR0PLYMRB3bIFDjLnd2L2m24Bgf-7b7jQDPOQIZNxxxtw0zL2-nwS_4oOrk

 

I have found it to be kind of hit and miss on when they are open, so I usually just keep checking.  Good Luck!

[les37b]

10 minutes ago, cnamenek said:

Sorry you getting the run around. I had a suitcase severely damaged many years ago. Did you have Princess Cruises travel protection? Like you the representative was nearby and gave me forms to complete on the spot, we both got copies. She told me that they usually require a quote for repair for the claim. So upon arriving back at home I took the bag to a shop to get a written estimate. I sent the quote to them and they paid the maximum under my princess policy and said it was up to me if I wanted to actually get it repaired or replace the bag. I bought a new bag figuring a repair may not restore to the same usability. 

 

Unfortunately no, I didn't have Princess Cruises travel protection, but then I wouldn't consider this to be an insurance claim. I do have travel insurance. Unsurprisingly they said we need to speak to the cruise line, which to be fair, we agree, its on them this has happened.

 

I did note the comment on the form (I guess its the same form!) regarding a repair shop estimate. I have no idea what a luggage repair shop is and the damage is severe. I don't want an ugly patched up bag or pay for a report if I manage to find a shop if one exists here in the UK. (Im fine to comply with the request - just don't know of where I can take it!) It's a suitcase - not a car!

 

I did finally get the call answered after 59 minutes! I spoke with the lovely Joanna, who as expected wasn't the person to speak with (no real shock) but left me on hold while she spoke with someone. the long and the short, she gave me another email address to send it off to and was very apologetic and surprised at the run around. Fingers crossed. To her credit, she was very good. She also gave me her email address so I can get back in case the one just given gets the same treatment!

 

10 minutes ago, janniebabe said:

You might try their live chat line - I have had issues resolved immediately after chatting with a rep.  

https://princesscruises.egain.cloud/system/templates/chat/aqua/index.html?entryPointId=1036&templateName=aqua&ver=v11&locale=en-US&linkId=120497711&fbclid=IwAR0PLYMRB3bIFDjLnd2L2m24Bgf-7b7jQDPOQIZNxxxtw0zL2-nwS_4oOrk

 

I have found it to be kind of hit and miss on when they are open, so I usually just keep checking.  Good Luck!

 

Many thanks for that. Will give that a go.

 

As mentioned, its not nice when things like this happens and accept its "one of them things". Whats annoyed me more than anything is whats happened since.

 

Fingers crossed.

[PORT ROYAL]

Future note to self.

Purchase luggage with a lifetime repair /replace no quibble guarantee. 
Such as Briggs & Riley

Although some consider it slightly more expensive compared to general brands, it does last.
 

[john watson]

Whilst this is a pain in the ears my view on suitcases is do not go for anything very expensive.  Look for sturdy value for money cases and the four wheelers on castors to me are not as robust as the two wheeler.  My latest has taken a few knocks over five years and next trip will probably be the last before a change. Having damaged cases as you disembark is nowhere near as bad as embarking to find your case is awol and never returns or the wet embarkation cases that fell in the sea. My attitude is take on the problem stay calm, buy new cases and think about all the other aspects of your cruise. More often than not it is shoreside staff that handle the loading anyway not the cruise line crew.

 

Regards John

[RLK33853]

We have had the exact same wheel damage done to our suitcases over the years.  In each instance there was never an issue to get the situation resolved, either by Princess or the airline that was responsible (by way of a hint - we always take a photo of the bag prior to leaving it out for Princess to remove, or just before it goes on the belt at the airport - shows the condition of the bag as well as having a photo if the bag goes missing).

 

But the last time was when we got off the Coral in South America just prior to Covid shutting everything down.  We made our claim at the port, followed it up with an email to Princess when we returned home, and waited.........and waited.........and waited.  To be fair, our damaged suitcase was not a priority for Princess when they were cancelling cruises and trying to refund cruise payments.

 

Our travel agent (5 months later) finally went to her Princess contact and it was discovered that the port agent hadn't submitted their report and thus our email was sitting waiting for it to arrive before they would act.  The travel agent asked for an estimate to replace our case and we provided it.  Within a day Princess informed us that they would be sending a cheque to cover a replacement (amount received included an additional amount to pay for our trouble).  Sometimes it appears they need a little push.  If you have a travel agent get them involved.

 

Good luck!

[greenie082756]

We had a suitcase damaged. Handle was broken off. We had to hunt for out suitcase as well which should of made me aware that it got pulled out of line for that reason.

 

We spoke with someone, filled out the paperwork and by the time I got home I said it wasn't worth the trouble even though I had Princess insurance. The suitcase is still usable.

[les37b]

5 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Future note to self.

Purchase luggage with a lifetime repair /replace no quibble guarantee. 
Such as Briggs & Riley

Although some consider it slightly more expensive compared to general brands, it does last.
 

Until it goes missing.

 

51 minutes ago, greenie082756 said:

We had a suitcase damaged. Handle was broken off. We had to hunt for out suitcase as well which should of made me aware that it got pulled out of line for that reason.

 

We spoke with someone, filled out the paperwork and by the time I got home I said it wasn't worth the trouble even though I had Princess insurance. The suitcase is still usable.

Mine is destined for the trash bin unfortunately.

 

4 hours ago, john watson said:

Whilst this is a pain in the ears my view on suitcases is do not go for anything very expensive.  Look for sturdy value for money cases and the four wheelers on castors to me are not as robust as the two wheeler.  My latest has taken a few knocks over five years and next trip will probably be the last before a change. Having damaged cases as you disembark is nowhere near as bad as embarking to find your case is awol and never returns or the wet embarkation cases that fell in the sea. My attitude is take on the problem stay calm, buy new cases and think about all the other aspects of your cruise. More often than not it is shoreside staff that handle the loading anyway not the cruise line crew.

 

Regards John

 

I agree that losing your bag is worse. I have no idea when they broke the bag, but it was in Princess care. 

 

I think my biggest annoyance is what's gone on since.

[les37b]

2 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

We have had the exact same wheel damage done to our suitcases over the years.  In each instance there was never an issue to get the situation resolved, either by Princess or the airline that was responsible (by way of a hint - we always take a photo of the bag prior to leaving it out for Princess to remove, or just before it goes on the belt at the airport - shows the condition of the bag as well as having a photo if the bag goes missing).

 

But the last time was when we got off the Coral in South America just prior to Covid shutting everything down.  We made our claim at the port, followed it up with an email to Princess when we returned home, and waited.........and waited.........and waited.  To be fair, our damaged suitcase was not a priority for Princess when they were cancelling cruises and trying to refund cruise payments.

 

Our travel agent (5 months later) finally went to her Princess contact and it was discovered that the port agent hadn't submitted their report and thus our email was sitting waiting for it to arrive before they would act.  The travel agent asked for an estimate to replace our case and we provided it.  Within a day Princess informed us that they would be sending a cheque to cover a replacement (amount received included an additional amount to pay for our trouble).  Sometimes it appears they need a little push.  If you have a travel agent get them involved.

 

Good luck!

 

Very good point about taking photos when it's left, though to be fair, catching the spot and being able to see there is no damage is probably difficult. Maybe layed with wheel close ups .... Or a video that proves it wheels fine!

 

Good call.

[JF - retired RRT]

5 hours ago, john watson said:

the wet embarkation cases that fell in the sea. That's what happened to us. 

More often than not it is shoreside staff that handle the loading anyway not the cruise line crew.

 

You are correct. Princess will blame the porters who are employed by the port.

We were instructed (by Princess) to send a report to the port people. They paid a little. Then we sent a report with the denial to Princess and they told us to send their denial to our insurance.

Final tally: one ruined suitcase and about 60% reimbursement for our damaged items.

[PORT ROYAL]

Did this on Celebrity.

Ask for a copy of the luggage “hand over” document with the Port Services.

This document is signed by a senior ship’s officer confirming the condition/state of all pieces of the guests luggage received.  
On this document the senior must clause and itemise any damages to any piece of luggage when signing.  If the officer’s signature is clean and not claused, it indicates and confirms there were no damages to luggage caused by port services when loaded onto the ship.  Therefore, any damages noted to luggage when a guest received their luggage on/from the ship is the responsibility of the ship, because the ship has previously signed clean.

Copies of this document are held by the ship and port services.

This document can be considered “prima facile” evidence as to where the damage happened and by whom.

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by PORT ROYAL
This document etc

[summersbappi]

20 hours ago, les37b said:

I disembarked in Southampton on 1 September from Regal Princess.

 

I had left my suitcase outside the room the night before as instructed and was most disappointed when I located my suitcase in the terminal the following morning. It probably had a physical journey of less than 200 metres, but during that, they have managed to lift and let it drop on one corner of the case fracturing where the wheel joins making the case unusable. I know now I should have wheeled it myself!

 

When I located my bac I could instantly see thee was a problem as it was wonky and leaning against another. Luckily there was a Princess rep standing right next to my case so I was instantly able to report it to her. I was given a pink CC of the form and told Princess would contact me shortly.

 

Unfortunately, I am still waiting. So I called the number on the form and after a call of 1h 10m, I decided the message telling me my call was important and someone would deal with me shortly was indeed another bit of misinformation.

 

So I have just emailed the address on the form. It bounced fist time as I had attached photos and exceeded their size limit. So I resent again with one photo only.

 

This time I received a reply telling me that this email address isn't used and wont be dealt with.

 

"Thank you for contacting Princess Cruises Guest Services.  Please note that the following email address, enquiry@princesscruises.co.uk is no longer in use and your email will not be directed to an alternative address."

 

I think I've not got the message. We don't care, go away!

 

Is this normal?

 

All they had to do was wheel the bag off the ship - lesson learned there I guess!

 

Very unimpressed.

 

I had actually booked a second sailing on Sky but cancelled that 10 weeks ago as I had found a great sailing with Viking. Under the no risk policy, I was told I would receive a FCC for the monies paid. I've not heard anything since for that yet either. 

 

I am currently on hold again to speak to someone (45 minutes so far)..... I have a feeling if someone does answer I'll be told sorry wrong number - despite it being the number listed in the email mentioned above.

 

It's annoying enough they've done this, but the stuff since is extremely poor.

 

The case was in immaculate condition apart from the damage - and really not impressed they have managed to do this. It no longer can be wheeled or stand up. The damage has scuff marks on it too so it begs the question what they actually did with it in those 200 metres!

 

 

 

 

 

 

we had a suitcase damaged same as you had been taken from outside room and when we collected it it was damaged we reported it to a member of staff on dock side we were told to contact princess cruises and in all fairness they looked up the price of the suitcase and sent us a cheque for it  no problem you just have to work out the correct email address to make the claim perhaps you could get it from cruise personalizer or the bookings line 

[RLK33853]

We have used this email in the past - Customerrelations@princesscruises.com with a copy to jswartz@princesscruises.com when problems have occurred.  You should then get an automatic return email like this one:

 

 

Hello,

Thank you for your email to the Princess Cruises Customer Relations Department. 

 

If you are contacting us regarding an upcoming sailing, please contact our Reservations Department by phone at 1-800-PRINCESS and select option 2.  If you are calling from outside of North America, please dial (01)661-753-0000. 

We are committed to providing our guests with the highest level of service, and we appreciate the time you have taken to contact us.  We respond to all correspondence from our guests in the order we receive it.  Please be advised that we fully review and research all issues to ensure that we provide a complete and accurate response.  This can take some time, and we thank you for your patience.

A representative of our Customer Relations Department will contact you as soon as possible. If you need to contact us in the meantime, please be sure to reference your booking number.

 Note: This is an automated reply, please do not respond to this email. 

[mommysoncruiser]

This happened to me but it happened upon embarkation. Of course princess blamed it on the porters and said that they would repair it although it was not their fault. I left it with guest services and they returned it repaired the next day. They also sent an apology note with some chocolate covered strawberries. All in all It was repaired but I did not like the blaming of the porters and insisting that it was not their fault. Satisfied with the outcome though because they did repair the suitcase.

[dockman]

I buy good but used suitcases at goodwill or salvation army.  If it gets damaged i duct tape it together enough to get home than trash it and go buy another used one for next trip.  I never travel with a bright new expensive suitcase as you can bet that is the first one an airport baggage thief would grab.  I very rarely have a problem.

[les37b]

Despite the response to my email a month ago assuring me I would be contacted within 14 days, I am still waiting. I'm also still awaiting the FCC for the cancelled Sky Princess booking that was done 3 months ago.

 

Are Princess finances that bad or are they just incompetent / hope if they ignore, you will just go away? 

[john watson]

On 9/22/2021 at 4:35 PM, dockman said:

I buy good but used suitcases at goodwill or salvation army.  If it gets damaged i duct tape it together enough to get home than trash it and go buy another used one for next trip.  I never travel with a bright new expensive suitcase as you can bet that is the first one an airport baggage thief would grab.  I very rarely have a problem.

 

I tend to look at purchasing value for money suitcases that look a bit different dual colours etc. for rapid quayside retrieval.  I should be a little bit wary of second hand cases as you do not know the provenance of your purchase and the previous user may have transported narcotics in it domestically.  I should not like a customs or border agent looking me up and down thinking "why has this man got a false bottom in his suitcase?"

 

Regards John

[les37b]

Well, 10 weeks on, Princess have finally sent a reply to my email and numerous follow up regarding the damage that was done moving my case about 100 metres!

 

Their reply started by saying they hoped we had a great cruise on Sky Princess and got worse from there. We sailed on Regal Princess. She claimed they couldn't deal with it because I didn't know who the person was who damaged it and that I didn't make a report at the time. A report was made. I told them the persons name it was reported to and that they should have the report master copy, but if there was a problem, I would be happy to scan and send over my cc copy. The Princess rep was standing approx  5 foot from my case when we arrived to collect and the tent we collected from was about 30 metres from the ship.

 

She then suggested (10 weeks after they broke it) that I claim through my insurance company for their negligence.

 

Red rag to a bull. They have my scathing reply to the person who clearly did not read my email given the response. I have lost patience because of the way its been dealt with and they have now been sent a reply giving them 14 days to deal with it properly before a claim goes in to the small claims court and let a judge decide based on the evidence presented and the way Princess has handled it. (Including the report form they give you with email address and phone numbers on it which are not valid. The tone was set from that moment onward.)

 

They ended the email saying the FCC I was waiting on from June has now been processed. Guess who hasn't been sent anything! I suspect they have had a memory jog and maybe about to do so.

 

Not impressed.

[CineGraphic]

I hate to say it, but I'm not surprised at all by how long it took, or by how little effort they put into resolving things for you. They need a real wake-up call.

[nocl]

On 9/16/2021 at 2:29 PM, PORT ROYAL said:

Did this on Celebrity.

Ask for a copy of the luggage “hand over” document with the Port Services.

This document is signed by a senior ship’s officer confirming the condition/state of all pieces of the guests luggage received.  
On this document the senior must clause and itemise any damages to any piece of luggage when signing.  If the officer’s signature is clean and not claused, it indicates and confirms there were no damages to luggage caused by port services when loaded onto the ship.  Therefore, any damages noted to luggage when a guest received their luggage on/from the ship is the responsibility of the ship, because the ship has previously signed clean.

Copies of this document are held by the ship and port services.

This document can be considered “prima facile” evidence as to where the damage happened and by whom.

 

Just as there is the hand off between the cruise line and port workers on embarkation there is a similar hand off of disembarkation. Clearly the suitcase was not damaged during embarkation. What is not known is if it was damaged by Princess or the dock workers. Even with insurance you often (at least in US) have to go through both the cruise line and the dock workers, get denial of payment before the insurance will pay.

 

The 4 wheel roller bags are subject to being damaged as happened in this case because the wheels protrude from the body of the suitcase and any weight on the wheel can cause this kind of damage. This is unlike the older 2 wheel style, where the wheels are largely within the body of the bag. Some airlines explicitly state in their terms and conditions that this kind of damage is not covered.

[caribill]

10 hours ago, nocl said:

Some airlines explicitly state in their terms and conditions that this kind of damage is not covered.

 

The Federal government (I forget which agency) has said that this kind of damage must be covered by the airlines.

[Esprit]

We had a case damaged when we embarked Grand Princess in Civitavecchia back in 2006. Princess did their best to repair it on board.

 

Since then we only use our big ski brand roller bags (two wheels). They had a firm sturdy back but squashy elsewhere. Perfect, and I can get my DJ's nicely between the two halves which zip up together. 

[nocl]

3 hours ago, caribill said:

 

The Federal government (I forget which agency) has said that this kind of damage must be covered by the airlines.

in the US now. The US government explicitly put wheels and other extruding parts in the regs in 2015 after some airlines started to exclude them. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by nocl

[les37b]

3 hours ago, nocl said:

in the US now. The US government explicitly put wheels and other extruding parts in the regs in 2015 after some airlines started to exclude them. 

 

No such regs exists for UK/EU flights that exclude this. Plus consumer laws are very much on the side of the consumer this side of the pond, where the attitude is "well you better take good care of things you are looking after then". Not that flights are relevant in this event as all they had to do was wheel it off the ship and they failed. On the subject of flights, if the airline gets you to your destination 3 hours late, would you expect compensation and if yes, how much? I'm interested to hear this.