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.
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