"Whether on the move to an enjoyable vacation destination or a necessary business one, no one enjoys the prospect of lugging heavy luggage down their stairs, into a vehicle's trunk, across the parking lot and into the airport terminal. Even the aid of a helpful bellhop at the airports' doors doesn't eliminate a long wait in line at the airline desk as tags and claim forms are exchanged. And after the trip, who looks forward to standing in crowded luggage claim areas as bags are yanked off conveyors, frequently into the shins of other anxious passengers, until that long awaited piece of luggage circles by? And that's if the bag makes it there in the first place.
Problems with luggage long ago passed the frequently maligned "airline food" as the number one complaint of airline travel, the food being a problem that only disappeared when the food did. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the need for clothing, business materials and personal effects while traveling will go away any time soon. With that in mind, and with the concerns brought about after 9/11, a new company has come to "grips" with the annoying situation. Beginning operation in September 2005, The Luggage Club, located in Wisconsin, will pickup luggage at any designated location and deliver it to any hotel, convention center, home, office or cruise ship a traveler might request. Included in this pickup can be luggage, trade show material, business equipment, golf clubs, skis, kayaks, wheelchairs and bikes -to name a few of the things they have successfully delivered.
In one recent transaction, a businessman traveling from Omaha to Portland for a game of "customer golf," with a third leg of the trip taking him to the non-golf destination of Toronto, solicited the help of The Luggage Club to relieve his burden of dragging along clubs and bags. Arriving in Portland, his clubs and luggage were neatly sitting in his hotel room when he opened the door. When his game of golf and business over the tees were completed, he packed his bags for Toronto and headed to the airport once again. The Luggage Club delivered his bags to Toronto and his clubs back to Omaha. The clubs made their way home well before he did, and his back and shins were none-the-worse for the transport.
As the Luggage Club's CEO, Gene Langenecker, relayed that story to me he also reported a steady growth in business, and when we spoke, shortly after the recently discovered terrorist plot involving British flights to the United States, he mentioned seeing an immediate spike in calls. "We have shopped services to get the best," he says, "and can offer next-day to any extended time delivery. We offer excellent customer service, and security measures are taken out of the flyers' list of concerns." With international service reaching 220 countries and guaranteed on-time delivery, the appeal to corporations is easy to see. Companies can enlist the Luggage Club's services by accessing an assigned code number, and the arrangements can be made online. Only international travel requires a phone call, and in those incidences, customer service representatives are readily available.
The cost for the service varies depending upon the location, the speed of delivery requested and the type of bags being transported. An instant quote on the company's Web site, www.theluggageclub.com, revealed that the one-way delivery cost for two large roller bags and a standard golf bag from Lexington to Sarasota, Fla., by way of example, would range from $240 (for four days in transit) to $729 (for next day morning delivery). Discounts are available to the disabled, and corporate rates reflect frequent use.
The Luggage Club's motto, "Changing the Way People Travel," is reflecting an ease in travel that is catching on. A tracking system, accessible online as well, offers a routing device for the wary traveler who wants to follow his belongings' path. A considered regard for personal injury, a more efficient use of business hours and a respect for treasured vacation time -all addressed through The Luggage Club's services -are a nod to the old recommendation to "find a need and meet it" when beginning a new business venture.
Logging on to the Luggage Club Web site will provide the needed information to explore and take advantage of the services this new business offers, and phone numbers are provided there, as well, if questions should arise. As is said, "It's in the bag" for this new business as they endeavor to meet the developing needs of travelers in this changing world.
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