When Lauren Labadie used an app called Bounce to find a place to store her bags in Marseille, France, she had every reason to believe she could trust Bounce — and that she’d see her luggage when she returned.
And if something went wrong, she was confident that Bounce would stand behind its guarantee to compensate her for any losses.
It didn’t quite work out that way.
Two of her bags went missing. And when she arrived at the hotel where she had stored her bags, she found the biggest shock of all.
“A male manager wearing my blouse,” she says.
What?
We get some strange cases here at Elliott Advocacy, but this one’s downright bizarre. Why would anyone pilfer a customer’s bag and then wear the contents to work? This case raises a few other important questions:
- Does Bounce cover your luggage if it gets lost?
- Can Bounce deny you a refund if you complain about it?
- How do you resolve a problem with Bounce?
But first things first.
What is Bounce?
Bounce is a luggage storage app that helps you find a secure place to leave your bags when you’re on a long airport layover or after checking out of your hotel. It promises to alleviate the inconvenience of carrying luggage while you’re exploring or running errands. The Bounce app offers more than 12,000 locations worldwide, and prices start at about $3 per day per bag.
Bounce says it vets all of its locations, with each facility “thoroughly inspected” to confirm that it meets its high security standards. It also uses a digital check-in and check-out system to protect your belongings. If something goes wrong, Bounce offers comprehensive coverage, with $10,000 in protection for each luggage storage booking.
Here’s how her luggage got lost
Labadie’s trip to southern France took a detour after she stored her bags in Marseille. She was three days late to retrieve her luggage because of “travel complications.”
“I attempted to contact the business to extend the booking without success,” she says. “I was prepared to pay late fees.”
But instead, she found a bigger problem. Two bags were gone. She says the other two had been pilfered. Someone had repacked the bags, removing some of the contents. (Related: Luggage lies: Baggage trackers don’t always work!)
Labadie also said a male manager was wearing her blouse.
“He claimed to have contacted Bounce, the mayor and the police,” she says. “Supposedly, they advised him to open the luggage.”
Labadie asked about the two missing bags.
“He claimed surprise,” she says. “He blamed a female manager and promised to find out as soon as possible.”
Labadie asked him where he’d gotten the blouse. He claimed to have purchased it at a thrift store.
So she filed a police report and returned to the location with four officers. She says the staff didn’t know where the manager was. Eventually, she reached a person in charge who promised to compensate her but then stopped responding to her text messages.
Since then, she says she received a “violent threat” from someone affiliated with the partner location, warning her against returning to the business.
Labadie says she lost $4,000 worth of her belongings, and she wants Bounce to compensate her.
Why Bounce turned her down
Labadie sent a polite email to Bounce, explaining the problem and asking for compensation.
She says her items were not abandoned because she made a reasonable effort to communicate with the location that she would be late.
“This incident, including the threat and Bounce’s inaction, reflects poorly on Bounce’s reputation,” she added. “Addressing this matter promptly and justly is crucial to maintaining trust and confidence in your services.”
She received the following reply:
Thank you for sharing the actions you’ve taken; however, all us must explain how your claim has led to this outcome. Please see the following details that were not met:
The partner store and our support team didn’t receive any response about extending your booking.
5.4.5. Items that were abandoned. Items stored by the Customer that are not picked up by the booking check-out time are considered abandoned and are no longer covered by BounceShieldTM Protection. Some Partners may require that abandoned Items are promptly shipped out of the Partnering location(s) and Customers will be responsible to pay for Late Pick-Up Fee and any additional shipping costs in accordance with Section 4.5.5.
Do know that the Terms & Conditions of the BounceShield program should be followed for your claim to be processed, and as these are not provided, the claim filed will remain closed without further action.
We appreciate your time in reaching out and working with our teams regarding our services. Have a great rest of your day!
So is she out of luck?
Does Bounce cover your luggage if it gets lost?
If you’re considering using Bounce to store your luggage, you might be wondering about its coverage in case your bags go missing. Bounce offers a form of protection, but it comes with important caveats.
Bounce allows users to store their luggage at various partner locations. It offers a service called Bag Protection that can compensate you for lost, damaged, or stolen items while using their storage services.
When you book a storage service through Bounce, a fee for Bag Protection is automatically included. This means you’re paying for the potential coverage right from the start.
But there are limits:
- Eligibility criteria. To qualify for compensation, you need to make your booking through the Bounce platform and follow specific procedures, such as taking photos of your items when you check in.
- Notification requirement. If something goes wrong, you must notify Bounce within 24 hours of the incident to initiate a claim.
- Exclusions. Bounce doesn’t cover everything. Items not stored through the Bounce platform, prohibited items (like valuables or perishables), and items that are improperly packaged may not be eligible for compensation.
One more thing: Bag Protection isn’t a traditional insurance policy. It’s offered at Bounce’s discretion and doesn’t cover additional costs like transportation or accommodation if your items are lost.
Bottom line: Bounce can cover your bags when they get lost, but you have to read the fine print to find out its limitations.
Can Bounce deny you a refund if you complain about it?
Something else might be happening here.
In reviewing the terms, I noticed a clause that might have actually invalidated Labadie’s claim.
- 5.5. To be eligible for compensation under the Bag Protection, Customers must not (a) have intentionally or unintentionally caused any damage to Bounce’s brand or reputation; (b) have breached these Terms; (c) have received any compensation from any insurer or other party with respect to the loss, theft, or damage for which they are claiming compensation under the Bag Protection. Customers must be prepared to disclose any relevant communication with their insurance company or other compensating party to us. Failure to do so may result in the claim being rejected. [Emphasis mine.]
In other words, if Labadie had complained to police or posted a critical comment on social media, it could have invalidated her entire claim.
This is troubling. I’ve written about nondisparagement clauses like this before, and I find them problematic for a lot of reasons. But the idea that someone could void a written guarantee because they complain about a product is really troubling.
Bounce may not have said anything about paragraph 5.5, but I suspect one of the reasons it sent Labadie packing was that she had either threatened to — or already had — badmouthed the company.
How do you resolve a problem with Bounce?
What happens when things don’t go as planned with your luggage storage? It turns out Bounce has a robust customer service department to help.
Check the App — and your email
Before you start yelling at the screen, make sure you’ve checked the Bounce app for any updates on your booking or bag storage. Sometimes, issues resolve themselves, and you just need to refresh the page. Also, click on your email inbox and your spam folder, because Bounce might have sent you a notification or update that you missed.
Contact customer support
If the issue persists, it’s time to get in touch with Bounce’s customer support team. You can do this in a few ways:
Through the app: Tap the “Help” or “Support” button, usually found in the menu or on the booking page.
On its website: You can initiate a chat through the Bounce website.
Via email or phone: Drop them a line at support@usebounce.com or call (415) 300-2554.
Escalate your case
If the initial support team can’t resolve your issue, don’t be afraid to ask to speak with a supervisor or someone who can help. Be clear and concise about the issue, and provide any relevant details or screenshots. Keep everything in writing. Here are the executive contacts for Bounce.
Remember to keep all of your important correspondence with Bounce in writing and to always be polite. Yes, even when you catch someone wearing your blouse.
Labadie followed the Elliott Method pretty closely, keeping her correspondence in writing and appealing her case. But every time she escalated the case, the company bounced her back to its original conclusion: There will be no refund.
Will she ever get her money back?
Labadie appealed her case to Bounce, but its position didn’t change. The company claimed she had not contacted the location to make arrangements for an extension which meant that she had technically abandoned her luggage.
So Labadie contacted my advocacy team. And we tried to get a better answer.
“We take the safety and security of our customers and Partners very seriously, which is why our support team is available 24/7 to address concerns,” a representative told me. “In this instance, we can confirm that we followed our processes diligently and took appropriate measures. We are currently conducting a thorough investigation into this case.”
It appears Bounce responded quickly to her queries and then contacted its partner to get his side. After opening an investigation, Bounce suspended the partner as a precautionary measure while its investigation was pending.
Bounce also replied back to Labadie.
Thanks for your patience and understanding as we’ve been carefully reviewing your case.
Our BounceShield™ Protection only provides coverage until the checkout time of the booking, but we’re making an exception in your case. Because of the exceptional circumstances and the issues reported on the partner’s side, we’re offering you $1,700 in compensation.
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