This was published 7 years ago
Traveller Letters: What to do when reporting a damaged suitcase
SHELL BE RIGHT
You read a lot about damage to suitcases but not a lot about how good an airline's response can be. Between Canberra and Auckland my tough Samsonite hard-shell suitcase was damaged.
Leaving Auckland I found the luggage claim area and was greeted by a helpful person who noted the damage and provided a contact email. A few photos attached to an email of the cracks in the suitcase resulted in a claim number and request to drop it off at Qantas in Canberra on my return.
After my return Qantas then sent the bag to Sydney for assessment and as it was not able to be repaired an identical replacement was provided, all within eight days.
Some things to remember though, try to report damage early and even if you find the damage back at the hotel, email what you have found. Also, use a couple of photos that will be date-stamped and finally (and most important), be civil.
Lawrie Kirk, Holder, ACT
LETTER OF THE WEEK
My son and I have just returned from a three-week adventure in Nepal and encourage every traveller to explore this amazing and beautiful country.
We stayed in the Tibet Guest House in Kathmandu and the Butterfly Lodge in Pokhara. Both hotels were reasonably priced, well-situated and with helpful and cheerful staff.
For a nine-day trek from Dhampus to Tatopani we were careful to choose a reputable trekking company as some operators treat their staff better than others. It was dreadful to see some porters carrying huge loads with some trekking groups told to "bring what you like, the porters will take it all". Trekkers, take a stand. Assess your load, accept that you do not have to take everything with you, or demand another porter. We can make a difference.
Bijay of Beauty Adventure Nepal treats his staff well. Happy staff mean a great trip. Our amazing guide Basanta took great care of us as did our porter SuSan.
Bijay reimbursed us on the spot when our return flight to Kathmandu was cancelled due to bad weather. This saved us from applying to the airline for a refund.
Thanks Bijay, Basanta and SuSan for a never-to-be forgotten and smoothly run trip. I feel very comfortable with this company and the hotels where we stayed.
Anne Elphinstone, Bendigo, VIC
STONE COLD
I wonder if there is some way for Curtis Stone to do a quality control check on the Curtis Stone dishes served in the main dining room on Princess ships. On two cruises on the Golden Princess we tried the Curtis Stone dishes and were bitterly disappointed.
We sent back roast pork and osso bucco and ordered other dishes. What is being served as Curtis Stone selections do him no credit at all.
Audrey Augier, Essendon, VIC
FULL BOTTLE
I wish to comment and contradict John Christiansen (Traveller Letters, April 30-May 1) regarding bringing alcohol on cruise ships. I have just returned from Hong Kong after a cruise from Sydney to Hong Kong on the Golden Princess. On embarkation in Sydney I took on board six bottles of wine.
Two bottles – one each for my wife and me – were not charged, but I had to pay $US15 a bottle for the remaining four bottles.
The bottles that had been charged were marked and I could take them into any of the ship's restaurants for meals. The two bottles free of "corkage" had to be drunk in the rooms, but could still be taken into restaurants on payment of the $US15 corkage.
It must be noted that liquor and beer are not permitted to be taken on board. On this particular cruise, there was a passenger who brought in 20 bottles, presumably a bottle for dinner nightly. Of course, it is only possible if you board the ship in your home port.
In international waters, when the wine shop is open, the liquor prices are duty-free. I managed to buy two bottles of a fairly expensive red wine and the price I paid for them was about a third less than that in Hong Kong, which is now a huge wine centre and there is no tax on wine.
However, I have no experience of taking wine on board when starting cruises in foreign ports but I think their alcohol policy will not vary greatly.
K. Chan, Allambie Heights, NSW
DAILY GRIND
Airside Kingsford-Smith departures in Sydney is a construction zone again. The sound of duelling angle-grinders has replaced the usual jumbled cacophony of lost passenger announcements.
Few food outlets have survived, so there is nowhere to sit and have a meal and drink, except for the Asian takeaway operating out of a domestic electric frypan and a kebab seller without a spit.
That "better airport" they have been building since they took over seems further away than ever.
Ian Robertson, Bowral, NSW
HIKE SOCIETY
Richard Tulloch's lament (Traveller, April 30-May 1) in his "Icon" column about boots suitable for hiking and restaurants is easily fixed with a pair of Blundstones. Or more specifically, in my case a pair of Blundstone 500s that I wore on a four-week trip early this year through Europe and Britain.
Comfortable and acceptable in the pubs of south-east London, they crunched on the snow in Hamburg, Hannover and rural Bad Eilsen, happily slopped through the Western Front mud in the fields and farms around Ypres and were comfortable in the museums and restaurants of Paris.
They were even worn, after a polish up, on a lunch date at 58 Tour Eiffel and also that evening at Moulin Rouge.
Les Smith, South Dandenong, VIC
WE WELCOME YOUR TRAVEL-RELATED OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES
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