LOST LUGGAGE ** Please help!!!**

[Mel&Ken]

My mistake - for some reason I thought you were talking about some high end stuff (and I'm not going to reread 200+ posts to find out where I got that idea :)

 

A year and a half ago we bought a new dishwasher, we chose not to take the extended warranty, so after the first year was up - guess what. Gulp. Insurance is always a fine tightrope to walk.

 

Agreed......way too much to read through!

 

I know there was some debate about what my luggage was worth and I think I made a comment that just my shoes were worth more than $300 - but to be clear I brought 7 pairs so we're talking $40 a pop! :D

 

Insurance is always a debate. Sadly I work in a business where I see claims almost every day as well as lack of coverage. People who didn't insure their mortgage...its very sad. For appliances and such I usually consider what it costs to replace and what it will be worth when that warranty runs out. Sometimes you're better off just buying a new one anyway.

[flowery]

I'm confused about insurance. Recently we've been buying CruiseCare for every voyage. I see Baggage Protection is up to $1500 reimbursement and $500 for purchase of necessary items if bags are delayed more than 24 hrs.

 

Has anyone actually received $1500 from CruiseCare for a piece of lost luggage? I'm not sure how purchasing independent insurance from another company would work for us. Our next trip is booked almost one year out- in case we don't take the trip, I wouldn't want to purchase insurance based on a preliminary deposit. I also need to see what our credit card will cover- my impression was that it would cover luggage lost by the airlines, not the port or ship.

 

In any event, we will probably self disembark for our next trip. I'd much rather have my stuff than get reimbursed for it later. I'm curious about Rome Mel- is there a big enclosed area where the luggage is deposited in rows?

 

I wish you luck Mel!

[warmwinds]

You don't actually pay the insurance until final payment. So if you should cancel your cruise before then you don't pay the premium, it's just a line item on your invoice so you know how much it costs. I'm not sure, but I think having it put on from the start takes care of some of the pre-existing condition stuff.

 

I never lost luggage but I've used our CruiseCare (Celebrity) insurance 3 times for illnesses and other reasons.

[flowery]

One other thing I want to mention: I have some left over tags that Celebrity sent us- the ones with your name and stateroom printed on them. I'm unable to tear them with my hands- would need a pair of scissors or they could be ripped completely off a suitcase handle.

 

However, the flimsy, all paper, generic, debarkation tags they hand out with your debarkation group assignment and color code can be very easily torn by hand- no effort required!

[Mel&Ken]

I'm curious about Rome Mel- is there a big enclosed area where the luggage is deposited in rows?

 

I wish you luck Mel!

 

Thank you very much!

 

Yes, there is a large warehouse that you enter after you come down the ramp of the ship. Then the suitcases are grouped together by tag number. Ours was a neon green sticker with the number 62 on it. To exit you pass by a security guard but he isn't checking for anything. In fact he is the one who refused to let me out just to tell our waiting driver what the delay was. A port employee had to come over and tell him to let me go.

[cynbar]

Well, I for one want to thank the OP for starting this thread and following it through --- it has certainly made me very aware of the possibility of the ship or port losing my luggage, which I admit I never gave much thought to before. This sniping at her seems inappropriate, she seems to be both looking for advice and trying to warn us, not bragging about how much her possessions were worth.

 

On a side note, I'm impressed that the OP managed to bring 7 pairs of shoes! We're off on a 10 day Med cruise on Reflection next May and I'm trying to figure out how she managed this. Any tips would be welcome (just kidding, certainly don't want to hijack this thread but I'm still impressed.)

[Mel&Ken]

Well, I for one want to thank the OP for starting this thread and following it through --- it has certainly made me very aware of the possibility of the ship or port losing my luggage, which I admit I never gave much thought to before. This sniping at her seems inappropriate, she seems to be both looking for advice and trying to warn us, not bragging about how much her possessions were worth.

 

On a side note, I'm impressed that the OP managed to bring 7 pairs of shoes! We're off on a 10 day Med cruise on Reflection next May and I'm trying to figure out how she managed this. Any tips would be welcome (just kidding, certainly don't want to hijack this thread but I'm still impressed.)

 

LOL it wasn't easy! To be fair I was always wearing one pair so that helps a tiny bit.

 

I had a pair of Eccos which are THE most comfortable walking shoes ever and I never travel without them - I wore those on the plane there and on very heavy walking days. I had a pair of Bob's (knock off Tom's) that weigh next to nothing and packed flat. A pair of Sperry's that I actually never wore except the day we disembarked and as a result was stuck wearing them for three HOT days in Rome - bad choice. I had a pair of black wedges to wear with all my dark evening outfits, a pair of beige wedges to wear with all my light evening outfits, one pair of heels for formal nights and a pair of flip flops.

 

Looking back I should have left the Sperry's home for sure as they were too hot. I purposely bought a light weight pair of heels to pack as most of mine are too heavy. And my rule was if the shoes didn't match 3-4 outfits then they didn't make the cut - the shoe or the outfit. I made sure everything really mix and matched. Had i tried harder i could have managed with one pair of wedges i guess.....:rolleyes:

[flowery]

I agree Cynbar- glad to have this info. I wish someone would create a spreadsheet or sticky posting on lost luggage in the same way stateroom variations/conditions have been noted. It would be interesting to see how often this happens and what the circumstances were.

 

Thanks warmwinds for additional info on insurance- we do have it on our current deposit one year out. I guess I was thinking about other companies like insuremytrip dot com- would not work with them if they have a deadline.

[Tudorcruisers]

I am so sorry your cases haven't turned up and how Celebrity have treated you. I would be devastated if my luggage got lost as there are some things that are not replaceable due to sentimental value etc.

 

Celebrity is also our fav cruise line and it is is dreadful to hear how they are dealing with this problem and also what payment they will refund you!!

 

I think next cruise we will take our cases off ourselves after reading this and I really hope things improve for you.

[Ma Bell]

Just one comment. Heaven help us if lots of people decide to self -disembark because they are afraid of losing their luggage. It's a mess trying to get in the elevator as it is. We can all, live in a state of paranoia for so many things in our every day lives. It's a lot more likely you'll get in a car accident than the cruise line losing your luggage. Does that mean we should all just never get in our cars?

[Grumpy100]

Self disembarkation is very organized. We have never had a problem if you arrive early and get to the elevators early. They have you meet usually in the dining room and they do not make any announcements so it is not a mass exitus. I will continue to self disembarke. Much easier and organized at least with celebrity. We have done it with carnival and it was a mess. Happy sailing.

[purrlinda]

Melissa, I know it is not your intention to turn people away from Celebrity. Those kinds of people are easy to spot. But your intentions are good and your complaints about their customer service are legit. But your tone has always been measured, fair and reasonable. Celebrity lost a wonderful customer when they lost you.

 

Deb is spot on. Your frustration is evident, but you are quite frankly, a very good customer. You've been patient and you haven't loudly squawked about how horrible Celebrity is. She's correct - your tone has always been reasonable, which is very hard to maintain in a written medium, and I really applaud you for that.

 

While life happens, things get lost, and so on, the way a company handles things really says a lot about them. While I don't think this is really indicative of Celebrity's service and experience on board, the response to problems is also very important, and often, how a brand sets themselves apart from others. So I'm disappointed, to say the least. Yes, they are paying you the MAX of your claim, but that doesn't take into account how much you've actually lost. Things should always be looked at on a case by case basis, and given your courtesy to Celebrity, I'd like to think they'd be a little more courteous to you.

 

You've not mentioned having a FB or a Twitter account, but I highly recommend attempting to contact Celebrity through that medium (either by making an account or getting a friend/family member to do it for you). I was at my wits end with an airline issue last month ago and was unable to get any help from the call center (and I work in the industry so I tend to know how to reasonably ask for help/resolution) so I went to the airline's Twitter account and got an immediate response. Large travel companies are taking these social media avenues seriously, so it might be worth a shot for you.

[Deb0702]

Melissa I'm so happy to read this news! I am very very pleased. At this point it feels great to know that just maybe someone cares.

 

I would be so happy if they made a compromise with policy. From the beginning the customer service has been so poor it's been a scandal. All they needed to do was treat you with concern, call and follow up with you promptly, and why on earth did they lead you on and make you jump through hoops for a measly $300 pp. It just seemed like the shady tactics you might see on 20/20. And then a problem sending you the money? Seriously? That's just the icing on the cake!

 

I am another one who was not aware of the limit on luggage liability in the ticket contract. I'm certainly glad I know about it now. We are warned repeatedly about cancellation penalties and I think everyone who books a cruise knows about that from the get go. Even people who have been burned by cancellation penalties readily admit they knew, but opted to take the risk. But by the time you see the ticket contract, you've paid for the cruise and it's just a final formality. I've been on 2 cruises and I didn't know about it. Since this happened, I've questioned friends and family who occasionally cruise, and like me, none of them were warned about it or had picked that clause out of the several pages of ticket contract.

 

Based on the posts I read here of people trying to squeeze every last nickel out of the cruises lines, smuggling booze onboard, or pitching hysterical fits over minor complaints in an effort to get freebies or credits, maybe none of this should be surprising. Maybe severe and unreasonable limits on liability and/or poor customer service are their only defense against the greedy hordes. But when good, honest customers get burned or are treated poorly it does leave a very sour taste.

 

I hope that there will be a turnaround in this story! :)

Edited December 5, 2013 by Deb0702

[luvs2fly]

This post makes me cringe! It is everything that we hope never happens! That being said I'm sorry for your loss of items and time! I'm loyal to my credit card company because when I fell asleep at the airport in Hong Kong, my purse was stolen with my passport and just about everything important. It took one call to them and they fixed everything.

Every customer should feel secure when checking their luggage! No person should be offered only $300.00 for their luggage! That's not even enough to buy an outfit! Thank you so much for sharing your experience, I will make my husband carry off all luggage. Doing the math on a suitcase full of items, it's just not worth the risk.

[billie5]

While life happens, things get lost, and so on, the way a company handles things really says a lot about them.

 

I would be so happy if they made a compromise with policy.

 

The statements above, which really refer to making personal decisions on each case, are both natural and compassionate. But are they really good policy?

 

I still assume most of us know airlines have relatively low maximum limits on lost luggage, and am surprised to learn that some would not realize ships must have similar lost luggage policies. which can be covered by insurance. However, be that as it may, what should a ship do?

 

I assume the idea is for the cruise ship to try to decide on a case-by-case basis who deserves the special treatment of covering part of their loss which they did not insure. But who should be deserving? The ones who have cruised the most? The ones who have lost the most? The ones who can least afford the loss? The squeakiest wheels (i.e., the ones willing to complain farthest up the food chain)? One way or another, if they decided to have a pool of money to reward some of the uninsured, they would need a method to decide which ones.

 

It would be nice if something like that could be done, except it would be so unfair to all those who don't get the special treatment, for example the unlucky souls who lose luggage and accept that they chose to self-insure above the contract amount, whether or not they knew that amount. That would include me, although I would be at least as unhappy as Mel if it did happen to me. (So far I guess I've been incredibly lucky. But I've also discovered that, alas, the ancient Greeks were right. Beware the good luck -- the gods have a way of evening things up!)

 

The fact is, I don't exactly know what the airline limit is, but I certainly know there has to be a limit (set by some Convention or other) and if I do not buy insurance for the airline trip I am self-insuring, whether or not I know the limit.

 

On the other hand, I totally agree that X should have been far more compassionate in their conversations and their correspondence, and such failure is indeed lousy customer service. But anything beyond that is totally unfair to responsible travelers who are also victims of luggage loss but admit they took a risk and accept the contract terms.

[Ma Bell]

The statements above, which really refer to making personal decisions on each case, are both natural and compassionate. But are they really good policy?

 

I still assume most of us know airlines have relatively low maximum limits on lost luggage, and am surprised to learn that some would not realize ships must have similar lost luggage policies. which can be covered by insurance. However, be that as it may, what should a ship do?

 

I assume the idea is for the cruise ship to try to decide on a case-by-case basis who deserves the special treatment of covering part of their loss which they did not insure. But who should be deserving? The ones who have cruised the most? The ones who have lost the most? The ones who can least afford the loss? The squeakiest wheels (i.e., the ones willing to complain farthest up the food chain)? One way or another, if they decided to have a pool of money to reward some of the uninsured, they would need a method to decide which ones.

 

It would be nice if something like that could be done, except it would be so unfair to all those who don't get the special treatment, for example the unlucky souls who lose luggage and accept that they chose to self-insure above the contract amount, whether or not they knew that amount. That would include me, although I would be at least as unhappy as Mel if it did happen to me. (So far I guess I've been incredibly lucky. But I've also discovered that, alas, the ancient Greeks were right. Beware the good luck -- the gods have a way of evening things up!)

 

The fact is, I don't exactly know what the airline limit is, but I certainly know there has to be a limit (set by some Convention or other) and if I do not buy insurance for the airline trip I am self-insuring, whether or not I know the limit.

 

On the other hand, I totally agree that X should have been far more compassionate in their conversations and their correspondence, and such failure is indeed lousy customer service. But anything beyond that is totally unfair to responsible travelers who are also victims of luggage loss but admit they took a risk and accept the contract terms.

 

This is exactly what I was trying to say but you said it much better than I did. The fact is somebody pays when something like this happens. It's either the person who didn't protect himself or others who did but will end up paying more in the long run for those who don't.

 

Maybe it's because I'm a little older and have been around a while but I know from experience that sometimes we have to go through some unpleasant experiences before we realize that it is our responsibility to read our contracts and then decide if we are willing to take a risk or do more to protect ourselves against loss.

[waterbug123]

The fact that you own more expensive items than many people should not be their concern. .

 

I don't think it's about her things being more expensive than the average person's things. I think almost anyone who packed a large suitcase for a cruise vacation like this would have more than $300 worth of stuff in it. Figure 7 tops and 7 bottoms at a mere $20 each, and 2 pair of shoes at $40 each and you're already over the $300. And that's pretty minimal packing for a vacation of a week or 10 days or whatever, pretty inexpensive stuff, and doesn't even begin to count accessories, toiletries, or the luggage itself.

 

You've not mentioned having a FB or a Twitter account, but I highly recommend attempting to contact Celebrity through that medium

 

She did mention it. She said she does not use FB or Twitter and and has said several times that she does not want to go that route.

[warmwinds]

sorry

Edited December 5, 2013 by warmwinds

[Mel&Ken]

I assume the idea is for the cruise ship to try to decide on a case-by-case basis who deserves the special treatment of covering part of their loss which they did not insure. But who should be deserving? The ones who have cruised the most? The ones who have lost the most? The ones who can least afford the loss? The squeakiest wheels (i.e., the ones willing to complain farthest up the food chain)? One way or another, if they decided to have a pool of money to reward some of the uninsured, they would need a method to decide which ones.

 

I am not sure what line of work you're in, but I think given your statements you would be surprised to learn how many businesses have such a pool of money. My company does. My front line staff have a dollar limit to use as they see fit; do what you think is best for the client. I of course have the same authority without such limits and there is not a method in place to decide. It would impossible to imagine every scenario and come up with a method for each one. It really becomes a judgement call.

 

It would be nice if something like that could be done, except it would be so unfair to all those who don't get the special treatment

 

This reminds me of our recent flight to Vegas. There was an empty row on the plane and as soon as the door shut a man across from us asked very nicely if he could move seats which he was allowed to do. Well the person next to us huffed and grunted and complained the whole time about why they didn't get to move and how unfair it was that he got to move and I didn't - yet he didn't say a word or ask if he could move.

 

On the other hand, I totally agree that X should have been far more compassionate in their conversations and their correspondence, and such failure is indeed lousy customer service.

 

Something we agree on!!!!

 

But anything beyond that is totally unfair to responsible travelers who are also victims of luggage loss but admit they took a risk and accept the contract terms.

 

After I booked this cruise two offers became available; first one for a $1000 OBC and the second was the ever popular 123GO promotion. Both offers stated very clearly that they were "Available for New Bookings only". I picked up the phone and asked to have the offer applied. The first time I was told I couldn't so I very nicely asked the agent if they would assist me in cancelling my cruise and then rebooking it so I too could have the offer - suddenly it could be done. When I called again later for the 123GO it was done without hesitation.

 

So to look at it in the same light as the luggage - I read the policy, I called anyway and they made an exception for me. Did this exception cost Celebrity money? It sure did because we already planned on buying the beverage package and the OBC covered our upgrade to premium.

 

So do you also think this is "unfair to responsible travelers" who "took a risk and accept the terms"? Should I not be able to call and at least try for better? Would you just accept the price you paid and the offer you got at time of booking and chock it up to the risk of booking early?

 

We benefit from companies breaking policy every day - when is the last time you sat on a plane and watched people come on with clearly more than one personal item and one bag? Or a ticket agent let you go even though you luggage was slightly over weight and they looked the other way?

 

I returned two pairs of jeans last night. I lost the receipt and decided to try anyway. So there I stood right under a sign that said "no returns or exchanges without a reciept" and I asked. I offered to accept the lowest sale price and to also accept a store credit instead of cash. I walked out with the full value of my purchase on a store credit. It was the right thing to do and a smart thing as I am now very happy with their service and will shop there again.

 

I could literally write out examples all day but I won't (whew). :p I think it gets to a point where we will just always be on opposite sides of an issue and nothing either of us say will sway the other.

 

My issue now is how do I handle future updates on my claim? I already know there are people reading this who are literally rooting for Celebrity to say NO to anything outside the $300. So let's say they offer more - do I share with everyone on this post only to subject myself to the negativity and accusations? It really isn't pleasant - especially when you're only trying to be helpful.

[Us Two]

Hi Mel, Just wondering what would happen if someone whose luggage looked like yours, picked it up in haste, then when they got home found of course that it was'nt theirs.

 

What do they now decide to do. Get in touch with the cruiseline and send it back to them , or send it on to you. Either way they may not want to do that as it makes them look foolish, or they do not want the expense of shipping it. I guess it all depends on the type of people they are , couldnt care less or very considerate.

 

Of course we dont know if that is the scenario, but couldent help but wonder. A phone call to you and an appology , then arrangements to get it back to you knowing all was forgiven.....Joan.

[Mel&Ken]

Hi Mel, Just wondering what would happen if someone whose luggage looked like yours, picked it up in haste, then when they got home found of course that it was'nt theirs.

 

What do they now decide to do. Get in touch with the cruiseline and send it back to them , or send it on to you. Either way they may not want to do that as it makes them look foolish, or they do not want the expense of shipping it. I guess it all depends on the type of people they are , couldnt care less or very considerate.

 

Of course we dont know if that is the scenario, but couldent help but wonder. A phone call to you and an appology , then arrangements to get it back to you knowing all was forgiven.....Joan.

 

Well I guess it would depend on the person - I would be horrified if I found I had someone else's bags and I would do what ever it took to get it back to them. Not to mention - wouldn't they then be calling around looking for their bags?!

 

Having said that there are a few reasons we and the cruiseline don't think that is what happened. To start our bags were very clearly marked at the top handle with Canadian flag luggage tags - bright red and white. It would be impossible to not see them as you reached for the handle.

 

Secondly we waited until all the luggage was collected and checked back later and there weren't any pieces left behind. So if that would have happened then their luggage would have been left behind and we could figure out who possibly had ours.

[Fouremco]

I am not sure what line of work you're in, but I think given your statements you would be surprised to learn how many businesses have such a pool of money. My company does. My front line staff have a dollar limit to use as they see fit; do what you think is best for the client. I of course have the same authority without such limits and there is not a method in place to decide. It would impossible to imagine every scenario and come up with a method for each one. It really becomes a judgement call.

 

 

 

This reminds me of our recent flight to Vegas. There was an empty row on the plane and as soon as the door shut a man across from us asked very nicely if he could move seats which he was allowed to do. Well the person next to us huffed and grunted and complained the whole time about why they didn't get to move and how unfair it was that he got to move and I didn't - yet he didn't say a word or ask if he could move.

 

 

 

Something we agree on!!!!

 

 

 

After I booked this cruise two offers became available; first one for a $1000 OBC and the second was the ever popular 123GO promotion. Both offers stated very clearly that they were "Available for New Bookings only". I picked up the phone and asked to have the offer applied. The first time I was told I couldn't so I very nicely asked the agent if they would assist me in cancelling my cruise and then rebooking it so I too could have the offer - suddenly it could be done. When I called again later for the 123GO it was done without hesitation.

 

So to look at it in the same light as the luggage - I read the policy, I called anyway and they made an exception for me. Did this exception cost Celebrity money? It sure did because we already planned on buying the beverage package and the OBC covered our upgrade to premium.

 

So do you also think this is "unfair to responsible travelers" who "took a risk and accept the terms"? Should I not be able to call and at least try for better? Would you just accept the price you paid and the offer you got at time of booking and chock it up to the risk of booking early?

 

We benefit from companies breaking policy every day - when is the last time you sat on a plane and watched people come on with clearly more than one personal item and one bag? Or a ticket agent let you go even though you luggage was slightly over weight and they looked the other way?

 

I returned two pairs of jeans last night. I lost the receipt and decided to try anyway. So there I stood right under a sign that said "no returns or exchanges without a reciept" and I asked. I offered to accept the lowest sale price and to also accept a store credit instead of cash. I walked out with the full value of my purchase on a store credit. It was the right thing to do and a smart thing as I am now very happy with their service and will shop there again.

 

I could literally write out examples all day but I won't (whew). :p I think it gets to a point where we will just always be on opposite sides of an issue and nothing either of us say will sway the other.

 

My issue now is how do I handle future updates on my claim? I already know there are people reading this who are literally rooting for Celebrity to say NO to anything outside the $300. So let's say they offer more - do I share with everyone on this post only to subject myself to the negativity and accusations? It really isn't pleasant - especially when you're only trying to be helpful.

Let me say at the outset that I sympathize for your loss and the difficult time you have experienced trying to get things straightened out. I'm not sure what would happen once you received your $600 if the luggage finally showed up, but wouldn't it be nice if that happened and you were allowed to keep both! :)

 

Can I say constructively that this post is typical of why you are getting some negative posts from readers? You have a tendency to take others' posts, dissect them and then argue points you disagree with. While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with stating your views or debating in this way, it does leave you open for the negativity that you wish to avoid. Readers will make up their own mind if a post is fair or not, and you would probably be better served not rebutting every post that doesn't support your position.

 

To answer the question in your last paragraph, just handle any updates in a factual manner. The more objective your reporting the less likely you are to be challenged by someone.

 

Good luck!

[JFontaine]

I have not read this entire thread, but my homeowner's insurance would cover all of my lost clothes and shoes ($500 deductible which would be covered by the cruise line) and my credit cards would have covered anything lost or stolen within thirty days of purchase (everything bought on the trip). I also buy travel insurance and I use credit cards to book my travel that give me $1000 in lost baggage protection. I assume that you have looked into all of these sources.

 

I am sorry that you are going through this. As a RCL shareholder, I hate to hear stories like yours. Big companies need to think small when it comes to responding to their customers. That hasn't happened yet.

 

Here's the but: I have read many stories on Cruise Critic of would-be cruisers who have made the personal choice not to insure their trip, and then they are faced with serious medical issues that preclude travel. I am extremely touched when RCL bends their rules and allows them to cancel with a future cruise credit; these folks often have enough on their plate. That's the perspective in my mind when I read your story.

[Mel&Ken]

A few things come to mind as I reflect on the posts from the last few days. For starters I hope no one is under the impression that I am a ranting, raving lunatic calling and screaming at Celebrity employees and demanding I get the value of my belongings back, policy be damned! I hope we can agree that is NOT the case.

 

I guess you could say I have two goals. The first is I don’t think anyone should ever walk away from the ship and a wonderful vacation feeling the way we felt. I don’t mean only because our luggage was lost but how it was handled, what was said (or not said) to us as we were shooed away and the resulting phone calls and claim process that followed. This entire process could use some help and I think it’s critical that the right people at Celebrity get the feedback they need to do so. I welcome clients to tell me if they’re unhappy with my company policy, my branch or my staff as I can’t fix it if I don’t know it’s a problem.

 

Next I think the policy itself for lost luggage is unrealistic. Does $300 really make sense? What is the average price of a suitcase these days - $100? The value of clothes and shoes for a 4 day, 7 day, 14 day cruise? There is obviously no cookie cutter answer that applies to everyone but is $300 even possible? Should it be $500 or $750? These are things that maybe Celebrity should be considering. How many issues do they have with lost luggage and how many clients are upset with the low limit? All factors they could review.

 

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often” Chruchill. Change happens as people speak up and express themselves. Some people are afraid to give feed back or to say they aren’t happy about something. Some people are TOO comfortable with it and yell or berate people when they are unhappy with things.

 

I am now at the stage where my concerns have made it to the offices of Mr.Bayley. If the end result is the same and we are only given the $600 then I will walk away knowing I did all I could and I took the time to let them know my thoughts. I will not trash their reputation through social media, I will not contact the Ombudsman or cancel credit card charges to get their attention – my only recourse is to not sail with them again.

 

Some businesses take that loss very seriously and others do not. In all of this I strive to be respectful, fair and reasonable. I know for me in my business that goes a lot farther than a hot head in my office telling me I have to do something or else.

[Mel&Ken]

Let me say at the outset that I sympathize for your loss and the difficult time you have experienced trying to get things straightened out. I'm not sure what would happen once you received your $600 if the luggage finally showed up, but wouldn't it be nice if that happened and you were allowed to keep both! :)

 

Can I say constructively that this post is typical of why you are getting some negative posts from readers? You have a tendency to take others' posts, dissect them and then argue points you disagree with. While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with stating your views or debating in this way, it does leave you open for the negativity that you wish to avoid. Readers will make up their own mind if a post is fair or not, and you would probably be better served not rebutting every post that doesn't support your position.

 

To answer the question in your last paragraph, just handle any updates in a factual manner. The more objective your reporting the less likely you are to be challenged by someone.

 

Good luck!

 

I appreciate your feedback. It helps me to realize that I don't take issue with the healty debate, I really don't. What I take issue with and sadly let get under my skin are the personal jabs such as thinking I am special, expecting people to be mind readers, being an irresponsible traveller.....etc. I like to think I can make my point or express a thought that is different than others without insulting them. There are many posts that have expressed an opposite opinion and I have no issue with that. I need to let the personal ones (or should I say the ones I take as personal) go just as easily. Good insight - thank you!