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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you check your luggage

37 replies

CupidIsFired · 21/08/2019 14:29

Just come back from holiday. I hear about people picking up wrong suitcases all the time but thankfully it had never happened to me.
Well when we landed home last night, we were waiting at the carousel for our baggage, I had DD 16 months with me and she was tired, so I sat on the bench with her while my DM and friends waited for the luggage. I saw my friend take a buggy off and it was the same as mine, my mum was insisting it wasn't. I went over and it was the exact same buggy as mine, only it was alot dirtier and it was damaged. Some rips to the hood and underbasket etc. Checked the label and it was someone else's. I waited for everything to come out and there were no more buggies just this one. My mum went through and had a lool around to see if she could see anyone with my buggy but she couldn't. I asked a member of staff and they said they would help me locate the other family.
We went through and the man was trying to find the contact number for the family when I spotted my buggy. I went over to the family with their buggy and said "hey I'm really Sorry, I think you have picked up my buggy instead, but here is yours" the woman didn't even check the labels she looked at the other women travelling with her who had a pretty miserable expression, took her bag off the buggy and sort of huffed a bit. Didn't even apologise or even look a little shocked. I bought my buggy recently so it's pretty new looking and theirs wasn't. It almost felt as though they knew they had the wrong one? They took their buggy and left without saying a word. They actually made me feel as though I did something wrong.
I always check the labels on my luggage and don't know why some people don't?
Also if I had picked up someone else's things by mistake, I would've at least apologised or said thank you for returning it? Or AIBU to expect that? I know travelling is tiring, especially with small children, I still returned their item to them aswell so a simple sorry, thank you wouldn't have hurt.

OP posts:
Pootles34 · 21/08/2019 14:31

Yeah they knew. Of course they did! Glad you managed to get yours back.

FrappeLatte · 21/08/2019 14:33

Yep they knew, she didn’t say thank you as you took away her chance for a free shiny new pram.

Butchyrestingface · 21/08/2019 14:34

She did it on purpose and got rumbled. She tried to swap her crappy abused buggy for your well kept version.

Think she’s gonna look happy or apologetic in the circumstances?

Original poster
CupidIsFired · 21/08/2019 14:38

@Butchyrestingface I mean, if that's the case then sure I wouldn't expect it. But why make it so obvious. Also, every item of luggage has a label with your details on it so I don't know how they thought they would get away with it. Unless they thought I wouldn't check maybe.

OP posts:
negomi90 · 21/08/2019 14:44

I have colourful bags, with distinct name bands and colourful bag straps. Fact - there won't be a bag exactly like mine (accounting for my decorations) on the same plane.
I still quickly double check my name tag before leaving the baggage hall.

Bravelurker · 21/08/2019 14:45

Oh god, how rude. I would have been tempted to say 'nice try love' then run like fuck in case she was a scrapper.

BossAssBitch · 21/08/2019 14:49

Bravelurker
Oh god, how rude. I would have been tempted to say 'nice try love' then run like fuck in case she was a scrapper

Grin me too

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 21/08/2019 14:52

Always check even though are cases are distinctive (mine are red and white DH has blue and green).
It would be really easy to walk off with other people's bags though they are never checked!

IhateBoswell · 21/08/2019 14:53

then run like fuck in case she was a scrapper.

GrinGrin

RainOrSun · 21/08/2019 14:55

Someone took my case through customs, leaving me with their dirty washing. I was thanked for not blowing my top at them when they returned to the airport. So, I'd say people left with the wrong bag are often very very unpleasant to the person who made the mistake, and perhaps they were expecting worse than the polite request from you?

Likethebattle · 21/08/2019 14:57

My mind had colourful bands round her case and was standing waiting, she looked over and saw a man with several cases including hers! She went over and said ‘oh I think you have my case!’ His response was ‘no I don’t think so!’ She said ‘oh is your name xxxxxxx xxxxx?’ He said ‘no so she grabbed the case showed him the label and said ‘that is my name and what’s on this label so i’ll Just take this thanks!’ It didn’t even look like his other cases!

Scentsandsensible · 21/08/2019 15:00

I did this! Took the wrong luggage from the conveyor. Luckily was staying with family as opposed to a holiday. The airline callled and said we had taken x persons luggage, and had to drive all the way back to the airport to do the swap.

whatever123noname · 21/08/2019 15:01

Two close family members have had their suitcases taken. In one incident, the person was actually trying to steal it (they had no luggage of their own, just picked one and left and were caught on their way out as my aunt saw them walking away). The second time, someone wrongly took my mum's suitcase and came back with it 2 hours later by which point my mum lost her pre-booked taxi - it looked nothing like their own suitcase but the person was drunk (both grey but very different size, shade and pattern).

Xenia · 21/08/2019 15:02

She sounds like a thief!
I make homemade labels of cardboard with pink string attaching them to our cases which no one else has so they tend to look distinctive. Also our cases are almost falling to pieces so never very attractive to anyone!

Scentsandsensible · 21/08/2019 15:02

I was hugely apologetic

Original poster
CupidIsFired · 21/08/2019 15:03

@Bravelurker hahaGrin

@RainOrSun maybe, but I was polite so I thought maybe I would get some politeness back Confused I know my buggy is quite popular as I've seen many people with the same one. I got it on offer and it's just our holiday/emergency buggy. So I'm fully prepared to make sure I check the labels on it as thete is probably going to be someone with the same one on one of our journeys at some point, which has just happened. And also I understand that people get tired and maybe not thinking straight after travelling as they just want to get home. That's why I was polite. Just their response (or lack of) wasn't what I expected after trying to be nice. Smile

OP posts:
nononever · 21/08/2019 15:06

Glad you got your buggy back, sounds like they thought they were onto a good thing.

One time we were on the shuttle bus between terminals at Heathrow when a couple discovered they'd picked up the wrong luggage by mistake. Felt sorry for everyone involved and have no idea if it was resolved in time for them to catch their flight.

Celaeno · 21/08/2019 15:07

She sounds like a chancer. But some people are just stupid- in their hurry to get out they just grab what looks like theirs.
I always personalise my luggage to avoid this. I also think someone actually trying to steal luggage is far less likely to try to wander nonchalantly off with a suitcase emblazoned very obviously with personal stickers

Original poster
CupidIsFired · 21/08/2019 15:08

@whatever123noname I'm definitley going to be standing right at the start of the carousel now incase someone tries to steal baggage on our flightShock that's terrible.

I think I'll start making up colourful tags or attaching distinctive things to my luggage like everyone else has suggested. That way it will be easy for me to see someone walking away with my stuff.

OP posts:
TSSDNCOP · 21/08/2019 15:08

Good days work if she’d pulled it off.

I get carousel stress or so I’ve told DH so I wait in the chair area.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 21/08/2019 15:16

Would a bike lock preventing a buggy being unfolded work? Never tried it personally bu would stop CFs if it could work!

Original poster
CupidIsFired · 21/08/2019 16:49

@Aroundtheworldin80moves that seems like a good idea actually. May be worth a try.

OP posts:
dreichhighlands · 21/08/2019 16:59

We have occasionally taken a suitcase of the carousel but realized straight away it wasn't ours and put it back on.
I have now put matching patterned duck tape on all of our suitcases so they stand out in a sea of black.

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 21/08/2019 17:04

www.bagsoflove.co.uk/personalised-suitcase.aspx

I think one of these with a large photo of your own face is the way to go

Winsomelosesome · 21/08/2019 17:22

I'm definitley going to be standing right at the start of the carousel now incase someone tries to steal baggage on our flight

Not always possible. We were an hour from disembarking recently to getting to the carousel thanks to passport control (UK), the whole time I was panicking someone would take our luggage. Needn't have worried as we were a further 30 minutes waiting on luggage, however that's unusual and luggage is usually off quickly. I wonder how many people who blame airlines for lost luggage have actually had theirs stolen at the airport, it wouldn't be difficult to do.

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