How I Got a Refund for My Damaged Suitcase (And Why I Built BaggageRepairs.com)

Earlier this year, I flew from Chicago back to Europe on a major European airline. It was a long trip: a transatlantic flight, a connection, and then a three-hour drive home from the airport. By the time I picked up my suitcase at the carousel, I was exhausted.

That's when I noticed it. One of the wheels was completely broken off, and one of the handles was damaged. The suitcase was only a few years old, not luxury, but a solid piece of luggage that had been in perfect condition when I checked it in.

I was too tired to deal with it at the airport. I still had hours of driving ahead of me. So I went home, thinking I'd sort it out online. That decision kicked off nearly two months of frustration.

Filing the Claim Was the Easy Part

I submitted a claim through the airline's website within a few days. I described the damage, attached photos, and included my flight details. The airline acknowledged the claim quickly and gave me a case number.

Then came the reply I wasn't expecting.

"Please Visit Your Nearest Baggage Shop for an Evaluation"

The airline asked me to go to a luggage repair shop, get the damage professionally evaluated, and send back a certificate stating whether the bag could be repaired or not. They also wanted the original purchase receipt and the year of purchase.

Fair enough, I thought. I'll just find a local shop.

Except there wasn't one. Not in my town. Not in the nearest city. I live in a mid-sized city in Eastern Europe, and there are simply no specialised luggage repair shops anywhere nearby. The places I found, shoe repair shops and leather goods workshops, didn't work with luggage and couldn't provide the kind of formal evaluation certificate the airline required.

The Back-and-Forth That Lasted Weeks

I wrote back to the airline explaining the situation. I told them I'd contacted several repair facilities locally, but none could provide what they were asking for. I even offered to ship the suitcase to them directly if they had a preferred service centre.

Their response? They understood my difficulty, but still needed an evaluation statement from a "dedicated bag vendor." They suggested I try to find one online.

So I searched. And searched. Most luggage repair services I found were local shops in other countries, not set up for remote assessments. Some never replied to my enquiries. Others didn't offer the kind of written report the airline would accept.

Meanwhile, weeks were passing. I was busy with work, the claim kept slipping down my priority list, and I started to worry the airline would simply close the case.

The Turning Point

After about six weeks of back-and-forth, I finally found an online service that could evaluate luggage damage remotely. They charged a small fee, around €15, for a written assessment based on photos.

Before paying, I actually asked the airline whether they'd reimburse the evaluation fee. To their credit, they confirmed they would cover it as part of the claim.

I got the evaluation done. The report confirmed the damage was consistent with airline handling and stated the suitcase wasn't worth repairing. I sent it to the airline along with my purchase receipt.

A few weeks later, the airline approved my claim and reimbursed me based on the bag's depreciated value. It wasn't a huge amount, but it was fair, and more importantly, it was resolved.

Why This Experience Led Me to Build BaggageRepairs.com

The whole process took nearly two months. Not because the airline was being difficult; they were actually quite reasonable. It took that long because the simple service I needed, a professional luggage damage evaluation, barely existed.

I kept thinking: how many people go through this same thing? How many just give up when the airline asks for documentation they can't easily get? How many accept a low offer, or nothing at all, simply because they can't find a repair shop nearby?

That frustration is what led me to build BaggageRepairs.com. A simple online service where anyone, anywhere, can upload photos of their damaged luggage and receive a professional written assessment within 24–48 hours. No need to find a local shop. No need to ship your suitcase anywhere. Just photos, a short description, and you get the report airlines and insurers need to process your claim.

What I Learned Along the Way

• Airlines will ask for documentation. Without it, your claim stalls, no matter how obvious the damage is.
• Most people give up too early. The process can be slow and frustrating, but persistence pays off.
• Location shouldn't be a barrier. Luggage damage happens on flights all over the world; the solution shouldn't depend on whether you live near a specialist shop.
• A small fee for a proper evaluation can save you much more in compensation. In my case, a €15 report unlocked a full reimbursement.
• Airlines can be reasonable, but they need proper paperwork. Give them what they ask for, and the process works.

If You're Going Through This Right Now

I built BaggageRepairs.com because I wished it existed when I needed it. We're a professional luggage repair and assessment service: we carry out physical repairs in the UK and provide online damage evaluations for customers worldwide. If your luggage has been damaged by an airline and you're stuck trying to get a damage assessment, you don't have to go through what I went through.

Upload your photos, tell us what happened, and we'll provide a professional report you can send straight to the airline or your insurer. And if you're based in the UK, we also offer physical luggage repairs at our workshop, so we're not just an assessment service, we're a fully equipped luggage repair facility. That credibility matters when airlines review your claim.