Many people I've come across often avoid confrontation at all costs. If their meal is less than satisfactory while dining out, they suffer in silence. If they've had poor service at a rental car agency, they vent with their spouse or friend but won't go out of their way to talk to the company in question. Many issues we encounter cost us valuable time and often money too. What's a girl to do? Speak up and when the time comes, negotiate! If you don't first succeed-try again!
You know the saying, "Squeaky wheel get the grease!" It is a saying my mom has always used as she has always diligently fought for what is rightfully hers. I suppose I get a little bit of that from her. I'd like to credit my previous sales career for my level of persistence. My husband is just like me in that regard, so we make a great team!
Our latest pursuit involved travelling home from Europe. Let me set the scene on our last travelling adventure:
We had just dealt with a particular airline (whose name I'll not mention since they were sweet enough to finally compensate us for our expenses) not adequately leaving enough time for us to get from one gate to the next while in Heathrow airport, so we had to stay overnight in London missing our 2-day trip to NYC following our Europe Cruise, without our luggage. That was disappointing and costly and I had wished I had done a better job packing my carry-on bag. Once home, after many calls, emails and a little blogging on my hubby's behalf, we were able to get compensated the full amount for all of our unexpected London expenses. We are very thankful for that considering we wound up getting a free day and night in London! Below is a photo from our trip.
Hubby and I in front of Buckingham Palace
Coming home from the same trip, the airline managed to destroy not only one, but two of our large pieces of rolling luggage! My handle completely snapped off and the wheel and frame were seriously damaged as were my hubby's wheels and frame too. We fought for nearly two months, first reporting it at the airport, then making calls, only to be unanswered. Once again hubby endeavored to blog about it and we finally got someone to return our call. Both of our bags combined were $300 and they are now completely unusable.
They offered to give us free airmiles for a future flight, which was sweet, but heck, we needed new luggage before we were ever getting on another plane. There was a lot of debate about whether a represpentative should come to our home and inspect the bags (even though we showed them to an airline representative at the airport who already documented it all in detail) and after much discussion, they finally agreed to send us a check. Well, that was last week and the check arrived today! Hurray for negotiation, patience, and persistence! It really did pay off and hubby and I were able to split our $300 smackeroos to put towards some new pieces. Now I just need to be patient again and wait for the right bargain to come along so I can purchase my new luggage.
I've never tried it before, but I've heard many good things about Hey's luggage. It is built to last with a hard case shell vs. a soft case that can easily get damaged, stained and ripped and it's supposed to be the world's lightest luggage, which would be a huge bonus in my opinion! It doesn't end there-they have really pretty colors and fun designs too, including some eco-friendly recycled plastic options. It IS on the pricey side, but I'm only looking to replace one bag and not a 3-piece set, so wish me luck in finding a deal online since they don't seem to sell their larger pieces separately. Oprah even had a set on her highly coveted "O List". Well, if Oprah likes it, then I guess it has to be good. That woman travels!
Have any of you ever purchased Hey's luggage before?
Also, if you've got a great story about getting what was finally owed to you or the power of persistence, leave us a comment! We'd love to hear what you've got to say.
