Miracle strikes!

The case is oficially over. About two weeks later I got a next delivery and to my surprise it contained not just one, but two wheels. One of them fit, and I could easilly screw it in and repair my suitcase. Eventually, after almost 5 moths I got a reimbursement and a repair. I guess it is quite a good outecome, despite the time everybody had to spend (me, Dolfi, Lufthansa, ECC and ADR). In the end I sent a sort-of thank you email to Dolfi.

Still, I guess I will think twice before flying with Lufthansa again...

Surprising delivery!

I was hoping not to write for some time but the circumstances sometimes surprise. A few days ago I arrived home to see a package addressed to me, sent by no other but Dolfi1920. There had been no prior communication so I was very surprised to see a wheel in the package. I got really excited as on that very same day I heard some good news at work, and after months of searching I possibly had a new apartment for rent, right where I wanted it in Delft.

Received wheel

  I dropped all my stuff and grabbed a screwdriver. My enthusiasm was soon shattered as I discovered the wheel did not fit. It is for the same suitcase model, but the fittings are suited for the other side of the suitcase, which I checked by unscrewing a wheel there. For the rest of the evening I was wondering whether it was a simple mistake, gross incompetence from the company or a very well planned mockery...
So what the hell, not having anything to lose I sent them another email, explaining the situation in a seemingly professional but ultimately scoffing tone. Here it goes:

Dear Sir or Madam,
I was very surprised to see that a package from you arrived with a new wheel to repair my suitcase even though there has been no communication between us for a while.
However, upon investigation of the wheel I have realized that the sent wheel is not the correct one to be replaced. It is from the right suitcase model, but suiting the other side of the suitcase (apparently they differ). As such, the fittings prevent me from installing it. I would very much appreciate if you could send the correct one, if that is not too much trouble. It would definitely help me regain some confidence in your services, and be definitely worth mentioning on my blog, where I described our previous encounters in great detail.
In case you want to call me, you have my mobile number.
Kind regards,
Paweł XXX

To my surprise I received a prompt, but useless reply already 9 days ago:

Dear Mr. XXX,

thank you very much for getting back to us.

Thank you for taking the time and communicating to us why our service did not meet your expectations. Let us assure you that all efforts will be taken to respond as quickly and effectively as possible.

I will forward your e-mail to the department in charge. The responsible colleagues will revert to you shortly.

We appreciate your feedback and thank you once again for giving us the opportunity to regain your confidence.

We remain at your disposal for any further queries,

Best regards,

Dolfi Employee 3
Dolfi1920 Baggage Services

From now on, I again started monitoring the track and trace on their website. Interesting choice of words for sending me a part to fix myself, and two mysterious entries without a description.

Track and Trace screenshot from Dolfi1920 website

I have a feeling things might get more interesting soon, and there I though it was all over...

Possible repercussions

I got the money on my account two days ago and can now say that Lufthansa holds no leverage over me in the matter. For example they cannot demand now that I take down this blog as a condition of the settlement. 

But somehow I cannot leave the matter be and first decided to tell about my Lufthansa experience on their facebook page. Perhaps I can generate enough attention so that something will change in the way they treat their customers. This is the only purpose of the attention I am trying to attract. Personally, I think that both Lufthansa and Dolfi1920 are equally big culprits in the story. However, I have little faith for any improvement in the Dolfi's procedures as they give the impression of being systemically prejudiced. As an example I can paste an information from their online system, the only one they cared to register, and only after my strong demands:

Needless to say, no new information had ever been made available. It was just a part of prolonging and avoiding to do their part, in a seeming attempt to coerce me to make concessions. Well, guess what, it will never happen and hopefully I will make you regret that decision.

Lufthansa, on the other hand, could pick their partners better and listen to their customer's feedback. I was refused both, but I hope that others due to my actions will have it a bit easier...

I hope not to write for some time, though if there are any developments, I will make sure to post them here. On final note, I would like to assure both parties that it is not my intention to tarnish their names. I am well aware that the experiences of other people might be completely different than mine. This is in the end just a description of the entire process I had to endure, which lead me to make certain, subjective conclusions on the matter. I would be happy to discuss on how to improve your internal procedures and arrive at something more suiting customers like me.

Awaiting news from the ECC

So I sent the complaint, received a bunch of disclaimers and a follow-up that the case has been forwarded to the German ECC. All I could do was wait. Please mind that these cases may take up to several months to be resolved. ECC has no power to force the airline to do anything, even though proper lawyers are involved. If the company refuses to cooperate, the only remaining action is to go to court. Fortunately I did not have to go through that, nor I think I would. It is said though, that the ECC might get you in touch with a lawyer and make suing them a bit easier.

In the meantime I decided to contact the manufacturer of my suitcase, as it still lacked a wheel. To my surprise, the headquarters were just a couple of kilometres away from my place of residence, which I initially considered to be in my favour. Even though I used the suitcase only two times, I was pretty satisfied with its quality and low weight. The manufacturer, a company called March, is located in the Hague and I used a contact form to reach them: March Luggage. Unfortunately they did not share any email and I do not have a copy of my request. I explained my situation, asked about a possibility of repair as well as for possible web shops with their products. Even this time I was hopeful but received no reply to my question. Another company disregarded me completely... 

Should an employee of March come across this blog, I was quite disappointed that you did not even bother to reply. Still, I have the suitcase and if you ever wanted to improve, please contact me. I would hate to throw the suitcase away. And for sure I would note your cooperation here. Yet, since I received a reimbursement from Lufthansa, I will probably take my small business to your competitors. 

Coming back to the ECC case, quicker than I expected I received feedback from the German branch. They found my claim reasonable and decided to to forward my case to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Söp. The Söp would contact Lufthansa on my behalf in attempt to reach an amicable solution. ADR Soep. Of course I agreed and filled a small form granting them my permission of my legal representation. I was cautioned though, that the case might take up to half a year. It was unfortunate, but free legal help from European and other institutions should be even more appreciated due to that. 

The resolution came much quicker, and it was a positive one. Although I asked for a replacement, Lufthansa decided to reimburse the full amount of the estimated suitcase value. I would really much want to know the details of the correspondence, but sadly they remain a mystery for me, and I might never learn what made Lufthansa change their mind and pay up in the end. Writing yet another post while watching the Olympics I am quite relieved that it is finally over. Not really happy, but definitely eased in mind.

What to do when complaining fails

Up until now I was pouring my sorrows on the digital paper without providing any advice to a prospective reader. Well, with baggage claims the situation is quite clear, you can either go to court suing the airline for damages, or try to find an out-of-court settlement. There are agencies dealing with airline irregularities like the National Enforcement Bodies, but they do not deal with such small matters like baggage claims. Please mind that I am writing about the EU countries here, though my limited research revealed that elsewhere it is much more difficult to exercise one's rights.

Obviously, not being a lawyer and living in a foreign country made the choice for me. This is of course what the airlines in such situations hope for - too big of an effort to bother over a hundred odd Euros. I do not know what would be Lufthansa's position in the matter, decided to try the latter option, which by no means prevented me from suing later. Please mind that under Montreal Convention the biggest refund you can get from an airline is about €1100, otherwise you need to insure your luggage separately. Montreal Convention is an international agreement about standards in dealing with air traffic irregularities, ratified by most of the developed countries, see Montreal Convention on Wikipedia. 

So I decided to contact the European Consumer Center, an European Commission body aimed to settle cases between individual consumers and companies. I must admit that they helped me greatly, managed to get Lufthansa to settle, and reimburse me for a new suitcase. 

ECC logo

The procedure is easy, you need to collect your correspondence with the company you bought a good or service from, together with all relevant documentation. Please mind that ECC requires that you had already complained to the trader but found no resolution. Also, you need to contact the appropriate ECC of you country of residence. So for the Netherlands you can use the following link.I suggest reading the descriptions carefully as they provide better explanation that I ever could.

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An attempt of resolution

Perhaps it was not too smart to complain about Dolfi1920 to Lufthansa while trying to find a solution and knowing that my emails were forwarded to them. Yet, except for a few subtle hints I did not receive any feedback on my complaints from Dolfi's agents that I called multiple times over the next few weeks. I will not count the calls, but the approach was to constantly remind about my case so that something is finally done. 

I requested a replacement or reimbursement but these were refused, since the suitcase could be repaired. A strange reasoning as they at that time had only a short description of the damage and no further details. They insisted strongly they needed to collect the suitcase, but offered no solution how to pick it up and transport to Germany for a repair.

After another unsuccessful phone call, I hesitantly offered that I could repair it myself, provided they sent me the appropriate parts. It was after all, just a wheel and the case was intact. To my surprise they agreed, but insisted that their 'specialists' need to examine if it is possible before proceeding. I was hesitant because I was sort of waiving their responsibility and taking more on myself. Although I have an engineering diploma, and strong confidence I can manage three screws, I was afraid of getting wrong or incomplete replacement parts. Nevertheless, I made a few high-resolution photographs and sent them to Dolfi1920.

Mounted wheel

It took them almost two weeks to have a look at the photos and decide whether I can replace a wheel myself. Even though I called them a few times during that period there was no willingness to hasten the process, and everything was 'in accordance to the internal procedures'. To my surprise, finally an answer came that it would not be possible for me to repair it myself, but since the suitcase was judged to be repairable, they necessarily needed to collect it. 

So, after about 6 weeks we were at the start again. The suitcase was in my possession, and the Dolfi's agents were almost forcing me to stay home and wait for a courier which might or might not have arrived on the scheduled day, no guarantees were given (surprise, surprise - third party policy). I refused it decisively, and was only promised in return that a manager, somebody with a bigger decision power would contact me and propose a solution. I was already informed before that a manager was involved in the case but somehow not willing to speak to me, as my request to transfer the call was rejected. Of course nobody did contact me back...

From then on it was crystal clear to me that Dolfi1920 had no willingness to settle the case and they wanted me to give up and relinquish my rights. As previously stated, Lufthansa also considered the matter closed. I had no choice but to look for help elsewhere.

Further complaints

But of course it was not the end of my complaints to Lufthansa. I immediately wrote another one in reply to the one sort of telling me to get lost. So the strongest email I wrote was:

"Dear Mr xxx, 

Thank you for your timely response and another assurance that you as Lufthansa are eventually liable for my problem. Because of that, all my complaints are, and will be, directed to Lufthansa, and not any third party that you had forced me to cooperate with, without my consent or approval.

Then, I think you misunderstood my demand, so I will state it clearly. I do not want Lufthansa to tell Dolfi1920 how to do their job. It would be great if you had a better quality control scheme over the parties you employ, but my problem is that I have lost confidence in the willingness and capabilities of that third party to provide me the required service. Therefore, I come to Lufthansa, as the liable party, to solve the problem without relying on Dolfi1920, and to propose a new way forward. In the case you want to make use of another third party, which is well within your rights, I would require that Lufthansa acts as an intermediary in all communications.

Finally, I do not pretend to know the extent of my rights or how I could escalate the problem further. If you force me to find out, by not proposing a satisfying solution or again waiving your responsibility of any action, that will most certainly affect my future choices as a client. For sure, I have already described my problem, and your unwillingness to help, to several of my friends, though I have not yet taken it online. 

Therefore again, I urge Lufthansa to solve the problem and do not pretend you cannot do anything about it.

Kind regards,

Paweł xxx"

This whole blog spurs out of that email, as I made a promise to myself to take things online to warn about such practices, once they have no leverage against me. The response was short and infuriating, in which the most important part was:

"We do not want to disappoint you any further, since your continued description does not give us cause to change our position, we appreciate your understanding that Lufthansa regards the case as closed and will make no further comments on the matter."

I do not need to state clearly what they told me to do with my case, though it was put in such polite words. The liable party finally refused to take any further action and I was left alone with my problem. I seriously started exploring further options, but also a bit anxious contacted Dolfi1920 in parallel...

That was the end of contact with Lufthansa for quite a while, and it left a very bitter taste.

First complaints

As I had not received the promised call with a solution from Dolfi1920, I decided to do a more thorough online research on the company. I was aware that people only make extra effort to complain online and was not expecting great reviews. However, what I encountered was a limited, but clear stream of dissatisfied customers whose rights were seemingly violated by them. To list a few:

• Facebook unofficial page
• Blog story of their bad service
• Customer experience story - horrifying [PL]

From then on, I really started expecting trouble. Nevertheless, I waited a few days for contact that never came. Then, I decided to write a complaint letter to Lufthansa and sent it by email. It was a long one, you probably noticed I tend to write a lot, in which I described my problems, inconveniences, and demanded their involvement as well as supervision of the matter. 

The following day I received a phone call early in the morning where the Lufthansa agent apologised and promised to expedite the process to Dolfi's management. However, being asked to supervise the process or to follow up on that, he decisively refused. It was a strange conversation, the caller did not speak English well, and was breaking up a lot. I voiced my concerns but these were either disregarded or quietly omitted. Nevertheless, with a promise of prioritizing my issue, I was hopeful of a swift contact from Dolfi, and of solving the matter soon. We ended the conversation on friendly terms. 

Yet, Dolfi1920 never responded to my complaint. In one of the future phone conversations I was told they received, but nobody just bothered to call me and arrange anything. I realised they would try to wait me out so that I give in, and adjust to them. Being a quite stubborn person, that never happened and I just waited. Fortunately, I had no travel plans where I would have needed a large suitcase, which still remained damaged and in my possession.

A week has passed with no reaction from either Lufthansa or Dolfi1920, so I decided to write another complaint, this time in a bit stronger articulation. Since it is my email, I can post it here without any further repercussions:

"Dear Sir/Madam,
I am yet again writing to complain about the level of service you are providing, regarding my damaged luggage with FB ID 30424550, and reference number GDNLH36248. It has been another week and no progress in the matter.
I wrote to you previously on May 15th to escalate the problems I was facing with Dolfi1920, a company to which you assigned my case to. I am afraid they simply ignored my complaint as we weren't in contact since that was made. I am outraged that you treat your customers like that.
This time I really require you to take charge of the matter and come up with a solution to the problem, including a definite timeline. I am afraid that raising the issue to Dolfi1920's management is by no means sufficient, as they ignored it, and I quite frankly am no longer willing to cooperate in such a manner.
All in all, I absolutely require a solution from you with no half-measures. As before, you can contact me via email, or call xxxxxxx
I am looking forward to your timely response.
Kind regards,
Paweł xxxxx"

The following day I received a polite reply. It just was not something I had expected. Lufthansa completely washed their hands of it, and apart from forwarding my email to Dolfi1920, refused to do anything. Quoting a part of the email:

"(..) And the said repair shop Dolfi1920 is a third party management that has its own policy and procedure which means that Airline policy does not apply at all with a different company and with a different nature of business. (..) Whilst we understand your disappointment on this occasion, Lufthansa cannot influence the policy and procedure which is under the third party responsibility."

This was of course outrageous, as under the Montreal Convention it was Lufthansa that was liable for the damage, not a party they employed to fix it. I arrived at a strange situation where the liable party refused to take any action, the repair company I was forced to deal with kept on ignoring me, and quite frankly had no obligations towards me as I had not purchased any service from them. 

It was the first time then that I allowed myself to think that there was a possibility the two companies would leave me hanging, and I would never get my suitcase repaired nor any compensation. Not really liking this option, I decided to research my possibilities of a complaint to the authorities, and once more try to arrange something with Dolfi1920. Disappointed, I decided to call Dolfi1920 and see what can be done...

Initial hopes

On May 10th I was called by a representative of Dolfi1920 to arrange a pickup of the damaged suitcase. It appeared the company has its headquarters in Poland and we swiftly moved from speaking Dutch, via English (my Dutch is still quite poor unfortunately) to Polish. The agent was pleasant, friendly and very communicative. For legal reasons I will not name any of the employees I encountered. Suffice to write that there were in total three agents from Dolfi1920 and a single one from Lufthansa involved over the entire course of the matter. 

Immediately my trouble started as employed by Dolfi1920 courier services only worked on weekdays between 9 and 17 and would not schedule a visit for a specific hour. I thought it was really strange and resisted such arrangement, typically being at work during the day, as a regular productive member of the society. The agent was relentless, and after a long conversation I gave in and decided to schedule the pickup in two days and to work from home then, which was possible but a bit inconvenient for me. Specifically asking to relay my mobile number to the courier and to inform me of any developments, I was eager to have the case closed in a short time. I was told that it would take two weeks for the transportation both ways and repair in between, and considered it a fair deal.

On Thursday, May 12th I stayed home working and awaiting the courier. Except, he never came. Nor I received any contact from any of the involved parties. Today, since I am very suspicious of Dolfi1920, which I describe in details further, I even allow myself to think that the courier service might have never been organised at all. Of course I have no proof of anything, except for a statement from Dolfi's agent over a telephone. No written confirmation was sent, and I know now it was a mistake not to demand one. In the evening I sent an email to Dolfi1920 to inform about the failed pickup. 

The following day in the morning I received a call from the same agent expressing his surprise about the lack of pickup. With no apologies about the circumstances he suggested that the courier would appear that day and I should give it to him then. Of course that was not possible as I was busy at work, and the suitcase was home. Then, the biggest concern for him was not to find a solution to suit my needs but to call of the courier service. After a while, he started pushing again to set a new date and repeat the arrangement. I strongly refused and demanded that the pickup is scheduled for a specific hour of my convenience. That was apparently not possible and we went through a list of proposed solutions, none of which really suited me. These were:

• Having somebody else meet the courier,
• Leave the suitcase in front of the house and let the courier pick it from there!;
• Ask a neighbour to do it,
• Bring the suitcase to work and schedule the pickup from there.

Could I have gone to extra trouble and arrange any of them? Of course I could have, but none of the options was really convenient for me. People I live with have other things to do during the day, option 2 was hilarious in the centre of a town, and I could not see myself packing a large suitcase on my bike and cycle for almost 8 km with it (a typical way of commuting to work in the Netherlands). Asking a colleague for a pickup, or using public transport was also an option, but I just did not want to go this extra mile to suit their capabilities while they were supposed to adjust to my needs. 

It is possible that there would not be any case nor this blog should I gave in and did any of the above-mentioned. However, with the current experience in dealing with Dolfi1920, I do not believe that pickup would have been the end of my misery. Let's call it an informed speculation. 

Yet, being unhappy about the lack of pickup to previous day I rejected to do more than the minimum, demanding the pickup is scheduled for the time convenient for me. I actually offered a weekend or almost any weekday morning till 10ish, as long as the courier comes. That was not good enough for Dolfi1920, who certainly did not offer anything more than the bare minimum required. A bit puzzled agent ended the conversation with a promise to speak to his supervisor, find a suitable solution, and then call me back later that day. But of course, he never did.

The disaster hits

On April 29th, I was travelling from Amsterdam Schiphol to Gdańsk via Munich. Upon collecting my suitcase I realised it was missing a wheel. It was my first experience of this type as usually I fly only with a hand luggage. Without thinking much of it I went to report it. Then, I experienced my first hiccups. 

Reporting the damage was easy, nobody questioned its validity and I managed to quickly get a signed form. However, since my flight back was in 9 days I was informed that there were no chances of getting it repaired or replaced in that time, so I would have to deal with a damaged one, or find a suiting solution on my own. When I asked for a substitute, the agent almost choked with laughter. I realised I would have to endure an inconvenient trip back including transfers and nobody cared the least. Yet, since it was just a wheel, and being happy to be back home, I did not care too much.

The damage

Two days later I used an online form to report damage to Lufthansa. I got quickly a reply about processing and a day later a formal reply accepting the claim. Not knowing why, a customer satisfaction survey followed immediately, as if Lufthansa considered the matter closed. Furthermore I was a bit puzzled by a part of their email, which read: 

We would be happy to assist you in this matter. We do require an independent assessment for all damaged items. You are welcome to contact our recommended repairers, Dolfi1920 who will repair or replace your suitcase with a similar model as applicable and then invoice us directly so you are not required to make any payment. We have provided further contact details below.

Please notice that in this polite text Lufthansa forces me to deal with a third party company, something I did not agree to, nor expected. Yet, I was unaware at this point that my claim has been sold to the lowest bidder (of course this is still only a hunch, Lufthansa never commented on why and how my case has changed "ownership").

To start arranging a repair, still in good faith and without prejudice, I waited until my return to the Netherlands. Of course I had to fill yet another online form, asking the plenty of details about the suitcase. I managed to do so on May 9th and awaited a reply.

Background story

I would like to share a story of my dealings with Lufthansa as well as a repair company called Dolfi1920 over a damaged suitcase during one of my flights. I allowed myself to paraphrase Lufthansa's slogan - nonstop you - to better suit the reality. I am only publishing this blog after the case has been settled, so that they do not hold any leverage over me. It took 106 days to settle a seemingly simple case, and way too much effort, including involvement from the European Consumer Center. Unfortunately, the only way for me as a customer to fight for my rights in the future is to make the case public.

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