On Jan 2nd I decided I had had enough of arguing with Dolfi 1920 and created this blog to share my experience with the online community. After informing the company of this my correspondence with them stalled. I didn't hear back from Dolfi 1920 for weeks. It felt like they were purposefully ignoring me. Was it a change of tactics? I was running out of ammunition. There wasn't much more I could do other than try to grab SAS's attention.
It wasn't until I got an email from Dolfi 1920's lawyers that things got interesting again. Turns out that by using the name of one of their employees in my blog and directly reciting our correspondence I had stepped on their toes. What I received was a three-page personalized letter explaining why that was a problem and how regretful it was that things had spun out of control. All I could think of while reading it was how much money having a lawyer write such a letter must've cost Dolfi 1920. I'm pretty sure it's more than the 99 EUR value of my suitcase..
The letter included a settlement offer. The attorneys offered me what I had been asking for the entire time - a suitcase the same size and quality as the one which was damaged by my trip. They wanted something in exchange, of course. I had to remove any names I had used in my blog and refrain from reciting our emails.
So.. Did I take the offer?
It had been a good four months since this whole saga begun. I exchanged countless emails and spent hours dealing with this case. I had my worst experience with customer service ever. I'm probably not going to fly SAS again either, not that it would help me avoid Dolfi 1920..
I took the offer though. All I wanted was my suitcase replaced. It was never my aim to tarnish the name of some company. I don't get a kick out of doing this either. So taking down a few posts from this blog was a tiny price to pay to put this story to rest.
26 February 2015
I've got mail!
And here is the infamous "original packaging" - the root cause of the conflict. Funny how a simple cardboard box and a naked wrapper can cause so much trouble.
And here it is! This is what I've been fighting for. Hard to believe I made it.
That's it, my friends. The story of the broken suitcase has come to an end. All I can say is it wasn't easy, but it was well worth it. If you ever find yourselves in a similar situation, don't fold. Remember that you have rights and that they're worth fighting for. Most importantly, don't ever give up. If you truly believe in what you're standing up for, you will succeed.
Happy travels!
Glad to hear it worked out for you, this gives me hope. I've been waiting for a new suitcase from Dolfi1920 for 5 months now! My story so far: Sent in a damaged case for repair, it was lost by them or the post, they agreed to replace it, sent a replacement completely different from the original case, I sent it back (also here no mention of conditions like original packaging until the last minute), they want to charge me to get a replacement similar to the damaged model, by this time (already 4 months in) I had contacted SWISS for the second time because I think it is important they know what kind of company they are working with, SWISS offered to pay what Dolfi1920 is charging me (thumbs up for SWISS, great customer service on their side), Dolfi1920 has now ordered the replacement case (3 weeks ago) and will send me an invoice once they receive it... then after paying for it they will forward it to me, so I'm guessing with a delay of about half a year I will also finally have a suitcase again and will not have to borrow a case each time I fly. Good luck to all the other annoyed customers out there!
ReplyDeleteHey! Just figured out how to reply on this blog. Hope you haven't run into any more trouble involving suitcases :)
DeleteIt all sounds so familiar. I got a replacement suitcase; however, it was not close to the one that was damaged by KLM. I god an ugly generic 3-year warranty piece. My original suitcase had lifetime warranty and was a nice looking designer piece--Kenneth Cole REACTION. My luggage was purchased in the USA, was brand new and the 165 euros would NOT replace my suitcase, unless I was satisfied with a cheap replacement. It seems that they forward their appraisal to KLM, because they are only willing to cover that same amount even though I provided proof of the actual cost of replacing my suitcase in Denmark with a 10-year warranty suitcase--for which I would be satisfied. Never again will I use Dolfi1920!
ReplyDeleteHey! How did this work out for you, did you manage to get fully reimbursed for your old suitcase at the end?
DeleteGood on you for going after them. I am currently experiencing difficulties with Dolfi 1920's customer service team in respect of a case damaged whilst flying with Thomas Cook. They will only replace the damaged case with one the same size if I pay a top up amount which is a diabolical scam. Can you please provide the senior level contact details you have so I can by-pass the customer service team
ReplyDeleteThank you
Hey! Sorry to hear about your trouble. Unfortunately, I don't have any email beyond info.germany@dolfi1920.de and the email of their legal firm. Wish I could help!
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ReplyDeleteFor anyone struggling to contact/deal with them relating to a claim from Czechia they also sell suitcases under the trading name Milujemekufry. The trading name has a facebook page, livechat etc unlike Dolfi1920. A bit of public awareness of their shoddy service might help them fulfil their obligations...maybe?!
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