Luggage Forward

[CannyScotTor]

In my experience, the tracking provided by luggage forward is pretty lame.

 

it tells you the last city where your bags were tracked, that’s it.

 

On our return trip from our cruise, our bags were not marked as having been picked up until three days after fedex had actually picked them up. (The status indicated the bags had not yet been picked up, but the last tracked location was in a different city).

 

Our two bags were delivered to our home on different days, but the tracking data on their website didn’t reflect this at all.

 

IMO What the really need, is to provide a link to the tracking data of the company actually shipping the bags, fedex, ups, dhl, or whatever , which is much more detailed.

 

 

[millybess]

1 minute ago, CannyScotTor said:

In my experience, the tracking provided by luggage forward is pretty lame.

 

it tells you the last city where your bags were tracked, that’s it.

 

On our return trip from our cruise, our bags were not marked as having been picked up until three days after fedex had actually picked them up. (The status indicated the bags had not yet been picked up, but the last tracked location was in a different city).

 

Our two bags were delivered to our home on different days, but the tracking data on their website didn’t reflect this at all.

 

IMO What the really need, is to provide a link to the tracking data of the company actually shipping the bags, fedex, ups, dhl, or whatever , which is much more detailed.

 

 

Thanks for this.  IMO what they really need is to get with the times and allow AirTags.  I agree with bookbabe, there must be a reason for that.  

[CannyScotTor]

Oh, and another thing.  The instructions they provided state that, on disembarking, you should pick up your bags and contact their agent in the baggage collection area. There was no agent. Viking placed our bags in the “untagged” bags area rather than in our assigned colour coded area. After a lot of confusion a Viking agent assured us that the bags would be collected later by fedex. This was in Barcelona, and apparently is the standard practice there. Don’t know about other ports.

 

[SantaFe1]

4 minutes ago, CannyScotTor said:

Oh, and another thing.  The instructions they provided state that, on disembarking, you should pick up your bags and contact their agent in the baggage collection area. There was no agent. Viking placed our bags in the “untagged” bags area rather than in our assigned colour coded area. After a lot of confusion a Viking agent assured us that the bags would be collected later by fedex. This was in Barcelona, and apparently is the standard practice there. Don’t know about other ports.

 

This was exactly our experience last Friday in Barcelona.  Our bags have had a wild ride and are still not home, though expected this past Wednesday.  They spent the weekend in Barcelona, then spent two days in Germany, then got sent to Cincinnati to go through customs, which took two days.  Then mistakenly, one bag got sent to L.A.  then both bags got sent to the wrong center in Phoenix today, which is the correct city but the wrong facility.  I know this because when I asked, they gave me the DHL tracking number.  I also have a LF agent working with me on a daily basis.  They say I should get them Monday or Tuesday.  But heck, I could drive to Phoenix myself, pick them up and drive back in 12 hours!  I have used LF for 4 years without a problem and have always been a big cheerleader for them.  Not so much this time.  I just can’t decide whether to use them for our upcoming trip to Alaska or not…

[millybess]

9 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

This was exactly our experience last Friday in Barcelona.  Our bags have had a wild ride and are still not home, though expected this past Wednesday.  They spent the weekend in Barcelona, then spent two days in Germany, then got sent to Cincinnati to go through customs, which took two days.  Then mistakenly, one bag got sent to L.A.  then both bags got sent to the wrong center in Phoenix today, which is the correct city but the wrong facility.  I know this because when I asked, they gave me the DHL tracking number.  I also have a LF agent working with me on a daily basis.  They say I should get them Monday or Tuesday.  But heck, I could drive to Phoenix myself, pick them up and drive back in 12 hours!  I have used LF for 4 years without a problem and have always been a big cheerleader for them.  Not so much this time.  I just can’t decide whether to use them for our upcoming trip to Alaska or not…

Thanks a lot for this SantaFe1, as I know you have used them many times in the past with great success. Does anyone know if there's an alternative?  One where you can track your own luggage?  

[Carolfay]

Sounds familiar.  As near as I could figure, my bag sat in the baggage room at my hotel in Costa Rica for nearly a month.  In response to my repeated inquiries, I was told "we know where your bag is, and we're working with our agent."  They clearly had no idea.  Yes, it's convenient- when it works.  Take your best shot, and let the buyer beware.

[uktog]

Never used the service. I’ve struggled to understand the value especially as it can add stress. Far easier to take it with me and cheaper to prebook extra bags if needed plus engage help at the airport 

What is the benefit of using it given the eye watering costs 

[millybess]

So after this discussion we cancelled luggage forward last night for our trip in May.  

 

As luck would have it, we will be in Barcelona at the end of our Viking TA this month.  So this morning we emailed the hotel in Barcelona where we will be staying before we board the Viking Sea again in mid-May and they will happily keep our bags for us until we return.  We offered to pay for this service, but they said they would do it free of charge. So once we're off the ship on March 28th, we'll have to dash to the hotel and then to the airport to catch an 11:15 a.m. flight to London.  Hope it's doable!

 

We are leaving on Monday so we are already packed for the TA, but now I think I need to repack keeping in mind our May Med cruises.  Thanks to all here for chiming in on this discussion.