Here's a personal experience to illustrate that saying.
When I had to go to Sichuan, I realised my available luggage bags were either too small (good only for a two-day trip) or too big (good enough to dispose a dead body in). I was lacking a mid-sized luggage that would hold my stuff neatly without having them flop around loosely inside.
Although I have absolute faith in Samsonite's quality, I was trying to stinge for the new house and holidays. Hey, Sammies ain't cheap. My small Samsonite already cost my dad close to S$400 - thank god it was a gift from him.
So miserly me headed to the shops in the residential estates and paid a mere S$40 for a new mid-sized luggage.
It was such a steal that the typical neighbourhood tai-tai - you know, the kind who doesn't really have a lot of dough in their banks but pretend they are rich and think that shopping in Bugis, Cotton On and OG is considered living the high life. Ppfft! - would wet her panties.
The next day I flew off to Chengdu with that new luggage. When I retrieved my luggage at the airport over in Chengdu, I found the extendable handle jammed. I yanked at it for the longest time before it finally relented. You know that story of the Enormous Turnip we used to read when we were kids? Yeah, I felt like I was enacting that story.
When I arrived at my hotel in Chengdu, I discovered that the handle was jammed because the spine was broken and the bottom end has poked out from under the bag.
By the time I flew to Jiuzhai Huanglong two days later and put the bag through yet another rough handling by the airport staff, the spine peeked out even farther. It stuck out so far out that when I tilted the bag to wheel it, the end would scrap against the floor and I would be in for some fancy fireworks.
Plus, it takes quite a bit of effort and balancing skills to wheel the bloody retarded bag around.
It was so unglam. Well, not that al cheapo luggage is any glam, but at least a well-behaving al cheapo luggage is way better than a retarded one.
Several days later when I got back to Singapore and retrieved the bag from the belt, I discovered the side handle has gotten loose and was just hanging there for its dear life on one flimsy screw.
That was the last straw. I decided to send the bag to where it really belongs - the dumpster.
You know, it is quite an irony that the bag's label reads World Explorer when all it managed to survive was just Sichuan. And Sichuan is hardly the world.
So yes, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Having learnt my lesson, I went to Tangs at VivoCity yesterday evening to get one that was decent. Not Samsonite still, cos I have a Muaythai camp and resort holiday at Koh Samet to fund for next month. But at least one that comes with warranty and a service centre to assist should there be any defects.
OH! AND DID I MENTION THAT MY NEW SWANKY LUGGAGE IS PINK? :)
So pretty.
UPDATE: Someone in the hotel saw me with my pink luggage and said, "Oooh, you are one sultry Barbie." Hur?
0 blistering yaks:
Post a Comment