I have the distinct impression from reading your reply (“My advice is take it back to Wal~Mart”) that you are implying that the bag was of inferior quality. I did not purchase it at Walmart, as you assumed - although even if I had it would be irrelevant. Even the most elegant and expensive bag cannot withstand abuse indefinitely.
This bag was quite sturdy, thank you. It had held up quite nicely through several trips over the years – all the trips where I earned over 275,000 FF miles and Medallion status on Delta - and still has plenty of useful life left, just not as a rolling carryon, which was its intended purpose. I agree with you that if I had checked the bag it would have been subjected to much more “abuse”, and that is why that bag was never checked at any time on this or any other trip. I make it a practice to avoid checking luggage and have not done so in the last 15 years.
Also, I am quite certain that my issue is not with the manufacturer of the bag, but with the airline. It was clearly through the airline employee (FA)’s negligence that the damage was sustained. The bag was in good working order when it was delivered into the custody of the FA. It was not in good working order when it was returned to me. Delta can refuse to accept responsibility all day long, but that does not mean they are right. The damage was most assuredly unintentional, but it occurred, and furthermore, I clearly witnessed the circumstances in which it was damaged.
Let me offer you food for thought: Next time you hand the keys to your car to a parking attendant or valet and you watch them put a scratch in your car as they are parking it in a tight space, will you be happy to hear, “Sorry, we are not responsible for scratches or body damage. You should know that cars get nicked all the time in parking lots. You should be driving something sturdier like a Sherman Tank”?
I appreciate your taking the time to offer your perspective.
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