What to do if your Rimowa luggage won’t open?

When we arrived in Madrid, we excitedly tried to open our WHITE ESSENTIAL TRUNK PLUS RIMOWA (PLASTIC) so we could change & freshen up after our flight from Geneva to Madrid. Imagine our disappointment when our luggage wouldn’t open using the code we had set. It was relatively new because it was only the 5th time we’d used it on a flight.

This had never happened to us with our ORIGINAL ALUMINUM CHECK-IN RIMOWA & our HYBRID CHECK IN RIMOWA. Both of whom are much older & have had more flights under their belts.

WHAT HAPPENED?

They said that sometimes the lock’s code gets changed when there is a lot of shaking on the plane.

So we had no choice but to go to the store to have them open it. We reset the code to the same one.

They easily opened it. But I was a bit disappointed that this can happen to something so expensive. A RIMOWA LUGGAGE is one of the few luxuries in life that I splurge on, because we travel a lot & they are very good at keeping our stuff inside safe.

WHAT TO DO IF THERE IS NO RIMOWA STORE

If you are afraid that this will happen to you, when you are in a remote location with no RIMOWA store nearby. You are not alone. I got in touch with them and asked them. Thankfully they replied to me.

If, in any case, this happens again, please do not hesitate to call us on +44 207-660 0547 or +49 221-967 5910 0 and we will happily assist you. And if they are unable to help us open it and we have no choice but to break the locks, they said they would fix the luggage for free.

This was a relief to hear. So far it hasn’t happened again.

CHECK OUT THE MADRID STORE WITH US

Since we were there already, I took the time to admire the store. I’ve always loved the design of RIMOWA. It’s important to note that though it’s a German brand, it’s only the ALUMINUM ones that are made in Germany. The PLASTIC & HYBRID are made in the Czech Republic, if I recall correctly.

RIMOWA ALUMINUM LUGGAGE

I highly recommend the SILVER ALUMINUM ones because if they get scratched it’s not so obvious. If you get colored aluminum ones, when they get scratched, it’s very obvious. The only downside is that it is much heavier than the hybrid & plastic. But these aluminum ones are probably going to be heirloom & can be passed down. What are the benefits of aluminum:

The locks are better
The seal is better so the contents are less likely to get wet when
The wheels are more heavy duty
Corners are protected by metal plates
If it gets dented, RIMOWA can hammer them back in to repair
All over more sturdy

RIMOWA HANDCARRY

I’ve always hesitated in springing for the hand carry because it seems like such a hassle to need to open it fully when you need something inside it while traveling. Normally I would just zip open our soft handcarry & grab what I need, but with the RIMOWA, I would need a flat surface to open it.

For those of you who have the handcarry, do you recommend it?

They do personalization in the Madrid store. So cool!

RIMOWA HANDBAGS

The handbags that are more expensive than the luggage LOL!

Crossbody

RIMOWA HYBRID

For me the hybrid is the best of both worlds. They have the sturdy features of aluminum minus the weight. Here are the advantages:

The locks are the same as aluminum
The seal doesn’t shut as tightly as aluminum
The wheels are heavy duty like the aluminum
Corners are protected by metal plates
If it gets broken, it cannot be hammered in for repair
Sturdier than the plastic

RIMOWA PLASTIC

I really love our WHITE RIMOWA ESSENTIAL TRUNK. The clean chic look cannot be beat. Here are some points think of if you are buying plastic RIMOWAs:

The locks aren’t as great. Code can change unexpectedly
There is no seal. Items inside will get wet if it rains
Check to see if wheels are big & heavy duty like the aluminum
No metal protection for corners
If it gets broken, it cannot be hammered in for repair
Much lighter than the hybrid & aluminum

Look they have some protective cover for the handcarries now! I wonder if they have the same for the check ins?

DO THEY GET SCRATCHED?

When people ask me if scratches bother me, I say no. The more scratches, that means the more you have traveled. If you feel like you would feel bad if your luggage was scratched, then the RIMOWA is not for you.

Of course, I clean each luggage to remove whatever marks I can after each travel. I don’t sweat whatever I can’t remove.

If it’s a big dent, they can easily hammer in the ALUMINUM. We’ve done it already before. I would say buy it if you have precious cargo inside. If you don’t then it’s not worth it. We shop when we travel so the RIMOWA is worth it for us.