SNCF Lost Property - France (urgent!!)

Checkers91

Hi - does anyone have any experience with lost property onboard French trains?

I left some luggage on a train during a changeover this evening, which has ended up at Le Havre train station. I am at Dieppe with a ferry due at 12 midnight.

Le Havre has confirmed that they have my luggage but I wouldn't be able to go retrieve it until tomorrow. Does anyone know if I would be able to arrange for this to be couriered back to me in the UK, or do I have to go collect in person, which will require me to miss my ferry, pay for trains / car hire to get there and then pay for a new ferry back tomorrow from Dieppe or Le Havre?

Many thanks
Joe

martindow

You've probably made your decision by now.

I think I would have claimed on my travel insurance and let them organise picking up and sending it on to you or paying out to replace the items. Unless there were irreplaceable items in your luggage it would not be worth the hassle of missing the ferry.

bigadaj

martindow wrote: »

You've probably made your decision by now.

I think I would have claimed on my travel insurance and let them organise picking up and sending it on to you or paying out to replace the items. Unless there were irreplaceable items in your luggage it would not be worth the hassle of missing the ferry.

Would an insurance policy pay out in these circumstances, I wouldn't have thought so if the OP simply left his luggage on the train.

martindow

bigadaj wrote: »

Would an insurance policy pay out in these circumstances, I wouldn't have thought so if the OP simply left his luggage on the train.

Maybe not - I suppose it depends on the small print in the policy. I would have though quite a lot of claims involve things being left behind in various forms of transport. In this case the OP knows where it has ended up although it wasn't feasible to collect it without missing a booked ferry.

Perhaps phoning the insurers while waiting for the ferry would have been the best bet (and hope that there was some cover).

bigadaj

martindow wrote: »

Maybe not - I suppose it depends on the small print in the policy. I would have though quite a lot of claims involve things being left behind in various forms of transport. In this case the OP knows where it has ended up although it wasn't feasible to collect it without missing a booked ferry.

Perhaps phoning the insurers while waiting for the ferry would have been the best bet (and hope that there was some cover).

Yes, lost luggage cover that I've seen is generally where someone else is in charge of or responsible for the luggage rather than being in the policyholders control. So potentially a claim for checked baggage, though the airline might compensate, hotel etc or simple theft.