Refused to take responsibility for luggage they damaged

Flight No.: JQ242
Flight date: 10 Aug 2017, 8.00pm – 9.20pm
Departing Christchurch, arriving Auckland

Flight was delayed for around an hour and it took longer than expected for the checked-in luggages to come out. It was past 10pm when we finally got our bags.
To our surprise, one of our bags has its latch half open at a weird angle. This bag is a hard shell one and to close it properly, we have to make sure the top and bottom shell is fitted and close all the 3 latches of the bag (one at the front, right and left side).
Upon further inspection, we realised that the bottom and top shell at the right latch was dented bad enough that we can’t fit them together properly and can’t secure the latch anymore. When we saw this, we immediately approached the front counter at the airport.

The staff at the airport was helpful. They saw our bag and the damage, past us a Jetstar’s “Damage to or items missing from our baggage” letter with our “Baggage Services Reference (PIR)” number written on it (looked legit), and asked us to call and write to Jetstar directly as they are the airport personnel and not Jetstar personnel. Seeing how it’s already near 11pm and all of us are pretty tired, we agreed and left the airport.

We called Jetstar the next day and the staff asked us to bring our bag to a repair store and get a quote for repair. However, due to our limited time in Auckland and a packed schedule we explained that we can’t afford the time to do that. Furthermore, since we are tourists, we do not know where a repair store is located. As such, the staff advised us to write in for a claim when we have the time. Everybody seemed helpful and reasonable at this point.

The problem started when we returned to our country and wrote to Jetstar. Below a summary of the back and forth email conversations between us and Jetstar.

Us, 15 Aug 2017: Provided flight info, explained the situation and the damage, provided our PIR no. and provided photo evidence of the damage luggage.

Jetstar, 19 Aug 2017: Apologised for the damage. Rejected our claim because they are not liable for normal wear and tear of baggage, such as scratches, scuffs, dents and cuts. Asked us to claim from our travel insurance, if we have any.

Us, 19 Aug 2017: Asked Jetstar to explain what is their definition of “wear and tear”. Further explained that the luggage bag can no longer function properly and is permanently damaged, which should not be considered as “wear and tear”.

Jetstar, 26 Aug 2017: Rejected our claim because it is normally assumed that bags are properly packed and can withstand the normal baggage process (i.e. baggage travelling on conveyor belts, loaded between aircraft and terminals) and because bag exteriors, including handles, zips, and wheels are considered susceptible to damage throughout the baggage handling process. They asked us again to claim from our travel insurance, if any.

Us, 28 Aug 2017: Explained that our bag was properly packed and because we have used it for around 2 years on numerous different flights and airlines without any issue, the damage was likely due to Jetstar’s negligence when handling the bag. Asked Jetstar to explain what exactly they cover in luggage damage since they mentioned exclusion to bag exteriors including handles, zips and wheels (what else is there to cover really?). We have further asked for this case to be escalated to the right party for further consideration.

Jetstar, 6 Sep 2017: Rejected our claim again and reiterated that they do not cover for “wear and tear”. Asked us to follow up with our travel insurance. Apologised that they cannot explain to me what they cover for luggage damage because they need to maintain the confidentiality of their internal processes for checked baggage. Explained that they have already investigated thoroughly and unable to escalate my case.

Oh wow, corporate bureaucracy BS at its finest. Hiding behind policies and claiming zero responsibility for their actions.
If you are considering to take Jetstar flight, just pray and hope that nothing out of the ordinary happens, because from the above experience, they will try their best to wiggle out of any responsibility of damage they caused. When asked for more info, they will simply say that they can’t disclose their internal process. For me, never again.

BTW, I have considered making a complaint to NZ Consumer Protection but I need to pay NZD45 to file a claim and need to be there to attend the tribunal, which doesn’t make sense in my case.