Samsonite Winfield 3-Pc Hardside Luggage

I waited a long time to buy a new suitcase, and reading so many positive reviews on Amazon for this luggage I thought this would be a good choice. Yet, unfortunately for me, with my purchase of this suitcase, I am one of those with a bad experience. Before you buy this suitcase you should know that outside of manufacturing defects, the warranty (see my attached photo of it that came with the suitcase) won't cover problems from "normal usage" or "airline handling." In other words, if something fails on it as a result of manufacturing with weak materials and/or combined with poor engineering that cannot withstand "normal usage" including "airline handling"....you are out of luck. I am not a luggage warranty exoert and this may be the warranty that all manufacturers give. If so, the question becomes with any suitcase what kind of materials is the luggage manufactured with, and how well is it designed and engineered? On Amazon in 2023, I purchased a Samsonite Winfield 2 Hardside with spinner wheels in style of Checked-Medium 24-inch. With the first use of the suitcase on an international trip in March, but for some minor scratching and denting which while slightly annoying which will over time build up but which I can tolerate, I was pleased with this suitcase, and so I purchased the matching 20 inch carry-on version. Then the first significant and unacceptable problem began. WIth the 24" luggage piece, on only its second use in November 2023, I noticed the zipper draw handle mechanism was gone (see my attached photo) from the zipper track on the luggage expansion feature when I received the bag from the airline. While manufactured without defect, this zipper handle is not secured like the zipper that holds the two halves of the suitcase together. That zipper plugs into the locking mechanism, The expansion zipper is big and flops around and so it is a great target for being broken off by normal airline handling. This broken zipper renders the suitcase now a breathing accordion unless it is filled all the way. Subsequently, I read the warranty card that came with the suitcase, and this launched my significant second problem: this time with Samsonite Customer Service. Forget about talking on the phone to customer service, you are steered to chatbots or email because everyone of them was in a “training meeting call back later”, or they “are experiencing larger than normal call volumes”. Forced to email, I told Samsonite customer service that from that warranty card it looked pretty clear to me like the problem was not covered. Nonetheless, reasonably, I wanted to tell them that (first) I was upset as I thought Samsonite luggage with no years of wear and tear would handle the stress of baggage handling much better than this. Second, I wanted to tell them that I was going to write a review on Amazon warning people not to buy the bag because of a poor zipper not covered by a pretty useless ten year warranty. In essence, the warranty won’t cover the problems with what and how the suitcase is manufactured to withstand normal use and airline handling after normal use and airline handling reveals the problem. In reply, Samsonite simply did not confirm my belief that the suitcase was not covered as my problem happened in normal use. They said I had to send the suitcase in for an evaluation. So in an email back I stated the following: "I think (a customer) should be able to find out from Samsonite whether the suitcase is covered for the repair before I send it (in). In your email, you offer no other way of finding this out. Since you say: A) "Our authorized repair center will evaluate your product and determine its warranty coverage” and B) "You can check your warranty period and create a repair ticket”, it appears making the repair ticket and sending the suitcase is tied to, and the only way of Samsonite definitively telling me if the suitcase is covered for the repair or not. Does this mean I have to pay the shipping costs if I send the suitcase to your authorized repair center and you determine that it is not covered under the warranty for the repair? For that matter, do I have to pay the shipping even if the suitcase is covered for the repair? Is there a Samsonite authorized local repair shop I can take the suitcase to for the evaluation and potential repair?" Importantly, Samsonite did not respond to these questions. Instead, the representative asked me to send my name, shipping address and photos and information on the suitcase and they told me they would fill out a repair ticket for me. But I did not ask to fill out a repair ticket, since I did not have the answers (shipping and whether the repair was covered) critical to me deciding if I even wanted to complete a repair ticket. I can understand the representative not making (not her job) an evaluation and confirming with me-that as the zipper broke from normal use-that the suitcase would not be covered. However she should have at least answered my questions instead of prioritizing me sending all my information, especially photos that led me to believe they would make a preliminary evaluation from them. Why else ask me for the photos and what else would I think after me saying "I think (a customer) should be able to find out from Samsonite whether the suitcase is covered for the repair before I send it (in)”? After me asking again about shipping, Samsonite told me I would have to pay shipping to and from the authorized repair center regardless of whether they paid for the repair under warranty and again that they could only make the evaluation from having the suitcase. As for the particular representative, and my experience with Samsonite customer service, by not answering the questions I intended for the purpose of cutting to the chase of whether I wanted Samsonite to perform the repair, Samsonite just wasted my time with me gathering pointless information and having to ask questions again. She asked me for photos that did nothing for me or Samsonite. The representative, of course, all along the way apologized for my frustration and later especially for "overlooking" "one question.” However, In fact, they did not answer three questions critical to me going any further than my first communication with them, including why they asked for the photos when they would have to have the suitcase for the evaluation. When I told her what she did wrong she did not understand or would not admit what she did was wrong. Regarding your getting any definitive answers with whether their warranty is any good to you, you need to know that Samsonite’s solution is to make you commit to paying for the shipping both ways without you even knowing if you are also going to have to pay for the repair. For me, the shipping cost alone would likely pay for a local zipper repair at a tailor shop. Further, how much will everything (repair and shipping) cost compared to a new more reliable suitcase? But you can’t answer that question unless you send the suitcase to Samsonite. My recommendation is, unless you are convinced baggage handlers are going to baby your luggage and you will not look to a warranty and customer service to solve a problem with the luggage, if you value piece of mind with your choice of luggage, you would be better off buying something other than this Samsonite luggage.