My Kmart suitcase carked it after one trip so now I'm looking for a good quality large sized luggage that offers lifetime warranty.
Antler was the cheapest I found so far at $257.40 which happens to be on sale at the moment https://www.antler.com.au/products/stamford-large-putty, has anyone any suggestions of cheaper luggage brands?
Also, the lifetime warranty is only for the manufacturing defects and doesn't cover any misuse or mishandling which is mostly the case due to carelessness of airline's baggage handler.
Yes, this is an important point. The warranties on luggage are mostly useless as they don't cover the way most luggage is damaged - in transit.
Hi,
Look at: https://www.antler.com.au/pages/warranty
and:
What does the Antler warranty cover?
What is not covered under the warranty?
I once dealt with a luggage company that offered lifetime warranty but refused to do anything after the third broken bag in 18 months. Their reason? We already replaced it three times, you've got your moneys' worth so no more'
Antler rubber wheels disintegrate over time , same for their sticky zipper tabs.
Not sure if they call that wear and tear outside of warranty coverage.
And I had trouble sourcing compatible wheels for my antler suitcases. On the off chance they could supply them or point me in the direction of anyone who could, I emailed them.
They asked for photos and my 8 year old invoice and sent me the wheels, gratis.
Good to know.
Was it easy to replace the wheel / diy ?
Very very easy. No difficulty at all. It's basically three screws for each mount.
Not cheap but Rimowa have a lifetime warranty.
I’m not going to supplement Lewis’ fortune.
IMO it's near impossible to tell the difference between quality and mishandling. If a bag lasts 5 years then breaks, it's highly unlikely it was a manufacturing issue that caused it to break but instead a handling one.
Take it back to Kmart. Consumer warranty is 12 months. Expected life of a suitcase is more than 1 trip.
Can’t I’ve relocated to the uk for two years hence I need something solid with global warranty
Take your Kmart luggage back if it is faulty. If it is due to baggage handlers then nobody will cover you.
A new case should survive baggage handlers. If not then you claim from the airline. Worst case would be a wheel gets knocked off. I’d claim from the airline AND Kmart. Airline would want photos, Kmart would want the case and receipt.
The bag might get caught up in the machinery or the handlers might toss it around. It is the problem with being caught between mishandling and lifetime warranty. Both sides might try to deny liability. We just use travel packs. Less stuff to be damaged and it is easy to climb stairs.
Then you can get a replacement from the airport.
my American tourister suitcase soft rubbery handled turned gooey and brittle and snapped after 3 years
it got fixed
they replaced the Gray handles with black ones after 3months
i complained
got $50 gift card from david jones and kept the repaired suitcase
It is often all but impossible to determine what is damage through a production fault and normal wear and tear. Most (if not all) manufacturers do not cover the latter.
What you need is luggage that airline pilots use.
Airline pilots don't check their luggage.
Look into what they use
Why?
@Loot N Plunder: Because pilots don't check luggage, they use carry on. So their opinion on the "toughest" baggage is irrelevant
Your interpretation of "lifetime warranty" and the manufacturers will be very different.
I remember chatting to the senior salesman of our company and he had given up on expensive luggage. Bought Kmart stuff and expected it to collapse eventually.
I suggested pelican cases, but they are not easily transportable.
I like my TNF duffel and have travelled all over the world.
What do you define as lifetime warranty? As it's usually lifetime warranty of 'the product', not your human lifetime lol. Like otterbox has a lifetime warranty - of 7 years.
My luggage is supplied by my drug handler. Never had an issue so far
Lots of extra “security” pockets.
check out OP shops and garage sales for slightly used luggage - people use them one once for a big trip and then get rid of them.
I usually get me suitcases during hard rubbish. usually a broken handle or wheel. handles are bought cheap from aliexpress. wheels - i replace them with a cut down roller blade wheel. a few years ago I picked up a virtually new Tosca medium suitcase. it did not close as one of the latches was bent - so I unbent it and it works perfectly.
Luggage mainly breaks in the hands of the carrier, and when that happens, they must repair or replace, so I don't see the point of a lifetime warranty.
have you ever tried to get a replacemnent through them?
Good luck. I’ve had that argument with Qantas baggage claim - their option was to me on multiple occasions “that suitcases / baggage is there to protect the contents inside”. They only ever paid me when my bag was crushed to the point it was almost a diamond shape coming from Auckland to Melbourne
5)3 thing is we flew on a B767 which afaik, packed their bags into cargo containers so what the hell did they pack mine with to do that sort of damage. I got a $50 voucher. That was about 17-18 years ago. I think that bag cost me $180. Can’t recall tte brand I remember it was on $50 off since it was a superseded model.
The wheels were terrible until I hit them with some WD-40
Since it was only its second trip, my boss at my office office to replace it, but the accounts department tried to knock back the claim until they were “instructed” to pay it.
Not one of type places including Myer ever offer to replace the case and Qantas didn’t give a shit even they are supposed to. I got told that unless it’s falling apart they are unlike to give you anything. Since I don’t fly regularly any more and haven’t for ten years, I’m not greatly concerned about luggage.
But since daughter moved to Sunshine Coast I can see at least one trip there a year, so I better start looking for something half decent.
Cheaper? Kmart.
Didn’t read the OP, did you?
Rimowa, I own 3 pieces and they have been absolutely amazing - they have fixed all lock failures for free
Osprey.
Generally it'll be a backpack (some have wheels too), but I believe they have a lifetime warranty, unless it's changed??
Great products that I've happily purchased…!
With any "lifetime" warranty, what you're essentially purchasing is replacement insurance built into the price.
Which is to say, once the luggage breaks, as it inevitably does, the company will repair or replace with new assuming that you still have the receipt, can be bothered sending it back, and the company hasn't disappeared since you bought it.
This stuff is only of any real benefit to frequent flyers. Anyone who only travels only 2-3 times a year would be better off just buying a new KMart suitcase every 4-5 years.