Woman sent 13 bags after suitcase ‘destroyed’ by airline

Where would you keep 13 suitcases? Photo / Pexels

After travelling with Delta airlines, Giséle Rochefort found that her Ricardo Beverly Hills luggage had been badly damaged. One of the wheels on the bottom of the case had been entirely ripped off and the colourful peacock feather-patterned casing on the corner of her bag was cracked open, exposing the thin inner lining of the suitcase.

In a video that was uploaded to TikTok, Rochefort says she “filed a claim” to Delta after seeing the damage to her checked-in luggage, and “they agreed to replace it”.

Later, after this confirmation, she received a notification that she had some packages ready for collection. Expecting to find the one replacement suitcase that the airline had agreed to restore, Rochefort was naturally surprised to be given enough boxes to fill the cargo tray and backseat of a Jeep.

She opened the stack of large packages and found not one, but a combined total of 13 Ricardo Beverly Hills bags inside.

Filming the haul of suitcases, Rochefort writes on-screen, “I think they made a mistake”.

Commenters were amused at the blunder. One wrote, “No mistake. It’s a sign you need to travel more,” while another said, “I think I know what everyone is getting for their bday or the holidays.” One even jokingly expressed envy at Rochefort’s situation, writing “Where do I sign up to lose my luggage?”

One large hard-shell Ricardo Beverly Hills bag retails for about US$230 (NZ$375).

According to the NZ Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), if your luggage is lost or damaged while in the care of an airline, and the airline accepts responsibility, they need to provide compensation. The CAB also suggests keeping ahold of receipts for items in the bag, checking with your travel insurer and taking a picture of your bag before flying to prepare for any unexpected issues.

In Rochefort’s case, she had a sense of humour about the incident. She filmed the many bags stacked tightly in a living room, adding the caption: “It’s called interior design, sweetie. Look it up.”

In the comments, she added that she sent the bags back, and there were definitely no hard feelings against the airline. She wrote, “Apology accepted. They’ve got my loyalty.”