after "the Big One".....Luggage Forwarding. Again!

[shark b8]

Didn't really mean to post so soon after the Sojourn trip but.....

 

Some readers may remember, a little over a year ago, I tried out Luggage Forwarding, the company with which Seabourn partners.  Our luggage arrived on the Odyssey ELEVEN DAYS after it sailed.  I may have mentioned it around here.  🤬

 

I figured using the service to come home was a lot less risky, as if it's a few days after some deadline, who cares?  So we packed up a number of items and sent them along their merry way, and departed the ship with only carry-on (which, from Barcelona, to D.C., to San Francisco, to Hawaii was quite wonderful).

 

Well.   Two of the suitcases arrived a few days ago, one of which had three of the 4 wheels broken. I sent a note to LF, and received only the legalistic reply indicating that LF accepts no responsibility.

 

Now, today, they sent me an email claiming that delivery of the remainder of the pieces could not be made yesterday, because we weren't home to sign.  First of all, we were home to sign (both of us), no one came to the door and asked.  Secondly, the first two items from a few days before, were left on our doorstep, no signature was requested (we were home then too)

 

Their email also said, and I quote, "only three attempts will be made for delivery; if all are unsuccessful, the baggage will be returned to the origin at your expense."  

 

I have asked them to escalate this up the food chain, asking for someone who might be a little more hands-on with these problems, rather than just copying/pasting  liability policies.  We shall see, I will happily mention it if they do a little better.  In meantime, keep caveat emptoring, folks. 

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by shark b8

[SLSD]

27 minutes ago, shark b8 said:

Didn't really mean to post so soon after the Sojourn trip but.....

 

Some readers may remember, a little over a year ago, I tried out Luggage Forwarding, the company with which Seabourn partners.  Our luggage arrived on the Odyssey ELEVEN DAYS after it sailed.  I may have mentioned it around here.  🤬

 

I figured using the service to come home was a lot less risky, as if it's a few days after some deadline, who cares?  So we packed up a number of items and sent them along their merry way, and departed the ship with only carry-on (which, from Barcelona, to D.C., to San Francisco, to Hawaii was quite wonderful).

 

Well.   Two of the suitcases arrived a few days ago, one of which had three of the 4 wheels broken. I sent a note to LF, and received only the legalistic reply indicating that LF accepts no responsibility.

 

Now, today, they sent me an email claiming that delivery of the remainder of the pieces could not be made yesterday, because we weren't home to sign.  First of all, we were home to sign (both of us), no one came to the door and asked.  Secondly, the first two items from a few days before, were left on our doorstep, no signature was requested (we were home then too)

 

Their email also said, and I quote, "only three attempts will be made for delivery; if all are unsuccessful, the baggage will be returned to the origin at your expense."  

 

I have asked them to escalate this up the food chain, asking for someone who might be a little more hands-on with these problems, rather than just copying/pasting  liability policies.  We shall see, I will happily mention it if they do a little better.  In meantime, keep caveat emptoring, folks. 

 

Oh my.  We have just used Luggage Forward for the first time and tracking says our bag (we only shipped one) is already in Copenhagen.  

 

You might check your travel insurance.  I was attempting to read some of the fine print on ours yesterday and noted that damage to luggage was included.  

 

We have only shipped one way with Luggage Forward.  We shipped because we have a tight connection going out--and it includes a change of airlines.  Not ideal, I know.  

 

Keep us posted.  

Edited June 6, 2023 by SLSD

[dutchies47]

We have followed your worldcruise we were suppose to be on but canceledWe got off the Sojourn when you got on in Jan Loved your reports, pictures etc My husband wants to know what camera you used for your pictures especially in Africa We are booked next November 2024 for 90 days on Sojourn around SAWill do 80 days in November and ending in Sydney

[shark b8]

41 minutes ago, dutchies47 said:

My husband wants to know what camera you used for your pictures especially in Africa.  We are booked next November 2024 for 90 days on Sojourn around SA

 

Just an iPhone, for the pics.  And bon voyage on your trips!

[Mr Luxury]

7 hours ago, shark b8 said:

Didn't really mean to post so soon after the Sojourn trip but.....

 

Some readers may remember, a little over a year ago, I tried out Luggage Forwarding, the company with which Seabourn partners.  Our luggage arrived on the Odyssey ELEVEN DAYS after it sailed.  I may have mentioned it around here.  🤬

 

I figured using the service to come home was a lot less risky, as if it's a few days after some deadline, who cares?  So we packed up a number of items and sent them along their merry way, and departed the ship with only carry-on (which, from Barcelona, to D.C., to San Francisco, to Hawaii was quite wonderful).

 

Well.   Two of the suitcases arrived a few days ago, one of which had three of the 4 wheels broken. I sent a note to LF, and received only the legalistic reply indicating that LF accepts no responsibility.

 

Now, today, they sent me an email claiming that delivery of the remainder of the pieces could not be made yesterday, because we weren't home to sign.  First of all, we were home to sign (both of us), no one came to the door and asked.  Secondly, the first two items from a few days before, were left on our doorstep, no signature was requested (we were home then too)

 

Their email also said, and I quote, "only three attempts will be made for delivery; if all are unsuccessful, the baggage will be returned to the origin at your expense."  

 

I have asked them to escalate this up the food chain, asking for someone who might be a little more hands-on with these problems, rather than just copying/pasting  liability policies.  We shall see, I will happily mention it if they do a little better.  In meantime, keep caveat emptoring, folks. 

 

Once bitten I would have thought.

Edited June 7, 2023 by Mr Luxury

[markham]

Two of the 4 times we used LF we had delays and stress for a service that costs a lot of money. We do not take cruises and knowingly invite aggravation. But that is exactly what you risk with this “service”. 
 

My advice is simple: pack less, drag your own bags, check them in and track them if you like on an App, and thereby remain in control. Also, consider arriving at the embarkation port an extra day early so you have much more chance that any checked in airline baggage, if delayed, catches up with you at your hotel. The price of that extra hotel night, you may well find, is less than the LF cost. Enjoy your life.

 

This isn’t so hard to do, LFers, since the trend today is less formal clothing. That said, pack smart and attractive clothing in keeping with the sophistication of your Seabourn/Silversea/Regent luxury cruise. That means if you like to wear your baggy and saggy comfy jeans from your 1980 hang loose days you might switch them off your packing lists for good. Nothing like a new pair of tailored trousers for the occasion, I’d say. You CAN afford to do so at this time of life. And they will take a lot less packing space. Ok?

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[Ithikan]

Kudos to anyone who still owns a pair of "baggy and saggy comfy jeans" from the 1980s.  And, if you're able to pull on and actually fasten those beloved, high-waisted "Mom jeans," I say, Brava! 

[SLSD]

6 hours ago, markham said:

 

My advice is simple: pack less, drag your own bags, check them in and track them if you like on an App, and thereby remain in control. Also, consider arriving at the embarkation port an extra day early so you have much more chance that any checked in airline baggage, if delayed, catches up with you at your hotel. The price of that extra hotel night, you may well find, is less than the LF cost. Enjoy your life.

 

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

We sent one bag by Luggage Forward for our  upcoming cruise.  Last I checked, it was already in Copenhagen.  Let's hope it stays there until we arrive!  Why did we send it?  We are perfectly capable of taking our luggage with us--but we have an iffy connection which includes  changing airlines.   So--we decided to pack ultralight--with carryons with what we could live with--and one bag between us going only one way with more clothing.  I'll be sure to report what happens.  

 

Mr. SLSD got a new pair of jeans because he was very concerned that his might be considered saggy and baggy (or maybe it was really me who was concerned).  At any rate, the new jeans are dark blue, no fading, and quite trim on his slim 71 year old body.  AND, he will only be wearing them off the ship while on excursions or exploring.   

[Mr Luxury]

40 minutes ago, SLSD said:

We sent one bag by Luggage Forward for our  upcoming cruise.  Last I checked, it was already in Copenhagen.  Let's hope it stays there until we arrive!  Why did we send it?  We are perfectly capable of taking our luggage with us--but we have an iffy connection which includes  changing airlines.   So--we decided to pack ultralight--with carryons with what we could live with--and one bag between us going only one way with more clothing.  I'll be sure to report what happens.  

 

Mr. SLSD got a new pair of jeans because he was very concerned that his might be considered saggy and baggy (or maybe it was really me who was concerned).  At any rate, the new jeans are dark blue, no fading, and quite trim on his slim 71 year old body.  AND, he will only be wearing them off the ship while on excursions or exploring.   

Off the ship sounds like a good plan 😀

[SLSD]

20 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Off the ship sounds like a good plan 😀

I'm glad you approve!  He might be wearing them at breakfast and/or lunch some days.  Don't worry, they will not be darkening the door of the Restaurant in the evening or heaven forbid  the TK Grill.  And they will not be worn everyday.  Mr. SLSD will not be wearing shorts or tshirts either.  I think the fashion police can look elsewhere.  I'm just making light of Markham's aversion to saggy and baggy--and I totally agree with him and thank him for being the impetus for Mr. SLSD getting a new pair of jeans.  

Edited June 7, 2023 by SLSD

[Mr Luxury]

All progress is good.

Why no shorts,I like a pair of shorts during the day.

[SLSD]

8 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

All progress is good.

Why no shorts,I like a pair of shorts during the day.

He just doesn't wear them and hasn't for years.  Probably because we live half of the time at our rural farm and shorts are not a good idea there.  

[naplessailor]

We have used Luggage Forward (and Luggage Free at times) for years. We have always been pleased with the service. Maybe we have been lucky, who knows. Now, we do usually ship one bag and take another with us. Part of this is because we enjoy exploring an embarkation port for a few days prior to boarding and do not need all those clothes on land and it also gives us peace of mind with tight connections getting to the ship. When in a hotel prior to boarding, I don’t want to have the extra bag making a trip hazard in the room. And, if you travel internationally and need to collect luggage for customs and then immediately give back to the airline for a connecting flight, it makes it much easier to navigate a small bag when one has a bad knee and back. So I am a big fan of shipping luggage ahead of time for us. We also only ship clothes so have not had a problem with excessive screenings.  If you look at the snafus that have happened recently with airlines changing schedules, short staffing issues and large numbers of people flying post pandemic, I feel this is a good way to go.

 

I hope this gives you some comfort. We are leaving again in two months and we are ready to book our luggage shipping soon. Good luck and safe travels.

[SLSD]

14 minutes ago, naplessailor said:

We have used Luggage Forward (and Luggage Free at times) for years. We have always been pleased with the service. Maybe we have been lucky, who knows. Now, we do usually ship one bag and take another with us. Part of this is because we enjoy exploring an embarkation port for a few days prior to boarding and do not need all those clothes on land and it also gives us peace of mind with tight connections getting to the ship. When in a hotel prior to boarding, I don’t want to have the extra bag making a trip hazard in the room. And, if you travel internationally and need to collect luggage for customs and then immediately give back to the airline for a connecting flight, it makes it much easier to navigate a small bag when one has a bad knee and back. So I am a big fan of shipping luggage ahead of time for us. We also only ship clothes so have not had a problem with excessive screenings.  If you look at the snafus that have happened recently with airlines changing schedules, short staffing issues and large numbers of people flying post pandemic, I feel this is a good way to go.

 

I hope this gives you some comfort. We are leaving again in two months and we are ready to book our luggage shipping soon. Good luck and safe travels.

It does give me some comfort.  We'll hope for a good experience.  By the way, we should expect the bag shipped with Luggage Forward to appear in our suite.  Is that correct?

[SDuckers]

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

It does give me some comfort.  We'll hope for a good experience.  By the way, we should expect the bag shipped with Luggage Forward to appear in our suite.  Is that correct?

That has been our experience, although one time we did find our bag outside a room two doors down the hall from ours.  No big deal.  

 

We've use LF twice -- once round trip and once out-bound only.  We intend to use it again on our next cruise (a crossing from Miami to Lisbon), because after we arrive in Lisbon, we intend to do additional travel and don't want to drag our bigger bag around with us on those last few days.  I will just take hope that SharkB8 has just been bitten more than average 🙂

 

[SLSD]

So they leave the bag OUTSIDE your suite rather than inside?  Is that the usual?

[shark b8]

10 minutes ago, SLSD said:

So they leave the bag OUTSIDE your suite rather than inside?  Is that the usual?

 

When our bags finally arrived halfway through our three week Caribbean '21 cruise, they were in the suite.

 

(stay tuned.  update(s) to come) 

[naplessailor]

Ours have always been delivered into the cabin. I think that is typical. It probably depends if the door is locked and who is the one to deliver. If they have a key to get in or if the cabin attendant needs to deliver. Sometimes (depending on the port) it is delivered before the luggage we brought with us.

[SLSD]

57 minutes ago, shark b8 said:

 

When our bags finally arrived halfway through our three week Caribbean '21 cruise, they were in the suite.

 

(stay tuned.  update(s) to come) 

As of now, tracking is telling us that our bags are already in Copenhagen with a delivery date of June 11th.  Hopefully, the wheels will still be attached.  

[SDuckers]

2 hours ago, SLSD said:

So they leave the bag OUTSIDE your suite rather than inside?  Is that the usual?

Not sure.  The first time we used them, the bag was in our suite when we got on the ship.  The second time, we boarded pretty early in the embarkation time so I think the LF bags got added to bags that were just checked in at check-in time on the pier, and everyone's bags were left outside their room (whether LF or just regular check-in time bags).

[shark b8]

Update.  (one of several):

 

Just to continue to be clear about what has transpired, you will remember that yesterday, after being told no delivery could be made because we weren’t there to sign (we actually were) I received a personal email from a LF rep stating:  "three attempts will be made for delivery; if all are unsuccessful, the baggage will be returned to the origin at your expense."  Several hours prior to that, I had received an auto-generated email which said “Your shipment is on a DHL vehicle and is scheduled to be delivered by the end of the day today, Tuesday, Jun 6, 2023. In most cases you don’t need to be home for delivery”.   The luggage did not arrive yesterday. So another case where they need to get their story straight.

[shark b8]

Further update:

 

I did get this email below, after all the above events occurred (and after I amped up the language considerably, and requested an escalation to someone high up the food chain):

 

We are terribly sorry for any confusion & frustration this has caused. I will advise for our partner to perform a no signature delivery as soon as possible for your remaining pieces of luggage. We always aim to provide top-quality service and hope to rectify this. I have also opened a compliant claim on your behalf. We value your patronage & I will bring this to the attention of a supervisor to see what we can offer you for the inconvenience.

Our team will continue to monitor your shipment to ensure delivery is successful.

 

My inclination is to request less flowery language and sincere promises, and request more action.

[shark b8]

(all luggage has now arrived.   further weirdness, communications and updates to follow - only continue to read thread if you have a bit of a travel-masochism streak)     😇

[frantic36]

@shark b8 I am interested to follow along. We had no problem with LF with our luggage going to Miami in January but we had issues with luggage coming back with delays to my luggage and some damage. Nothing irreparable but just frustrating. We have decided due to the multiple restrictions of what can be packed and delays we will pass on LF from now on.

[Utopia1]

I have used Luggage Forward and Luggage Free many times and will continue to use them. My only criticism is the fact that lotions, creams , aerosol cans etc. can not be packed.  (Also apple tags and electrical items are prohibited.)

The convenience and reliability has made traveling a lot easier.