A testimony: Victorinox – Appreciating God’s foresight

It was twelve years ago. Leaving Manhattan later that day, I needed to get a small hand luggage. Searching online, I found the nearest luggage store – a small corner shop, where I picked a random luggage brand that had no meaning to me. All I cared for was its functionality.

Fast forward to the present, the wheels had finally worn out. When traveling, the wheels made so much noise that it became embarrassing. Initially, I assumed the noise was normal but it soon became too intolerable to bear.

The first solution that came to mind was to get a Tumi luggage. Tumi had a good reputation for making solid bags but with a hefty price tag. It had also been recently recommended. Thus, I visited a store but the one that met my needs would set me back about GBP1,000 / $1,200. So I decided to sleep on it.

Few days later, I was reading chapter 6 of “Your Money or Your Life” with some friends, where the author discussed the idea of learning to fix things and aiming to maxime their functional usage before replacing them. At that moment, it occured to me how much I really loved that luggage of mine, considering how solidly it had worked for me over the years. Basically, throwing it away simply because of the wheels didn’t quite sit right with me. Therefore, for the first time, I googled how to replace luggage wheels, and started searching for replacement wheels. This took hours and in my frustration, I said a prayer asking God for help and finally ordered a set of wheels. Unfortunately, these were incompatible and had to be returned.

Short of ideas and a trip upcoming, I then checked the brand of the luggage. It said Victorinox. I had never heard of this brand, so Google came in handy. I found a mega store nearby, rang them, and lo and behold, they said that they not only had the spare parts to replace my wheels, but that they would replace it for free! Imagine! 

As you would expect, I wasted no time visiting the store. While they were replacing the wheels, I learnt more about the brand. It’s a Swiss brand that’s over 100 years old, initially specialising in Swiss army knives but has now branched out into luggage, wrist watches, fragrances etc. With respect to the wheels, I learnt that my replacement wheels were specially made for the company by Japanese firm, Mitsubishi, and were ultra silent. Imagine my joy when I walked out of the store with brand new high-tech wheels! 😁😎

Why am I telling this story?

To encourage you. It may not sound like a major testimony but I keep learning how to appreciate God in both the big and small, and to gain the right perpective on life’s situations. Takeaways:

• God hears even our smallest prayers. I believe it was my faith that I could find replacement wheels that helped me remain persistent in my search for a solution. That faith ultimately led me to God’s answer to my prayers – free high-tech wheels, fixed within 30 minutes, and right on time.

• A number of other brands typically charge GBP20 / $25 per wheel. In essence, I averted an unnecessary $GBP1,000 / $1,200 spend on a new luggage, and discovered a secret saving of GBP100 / $120 as this Victorinox free replcement you don’t find anywhere online! Also, the bag was definitely out of warranty.

• Finally, looking back to twelve years ago when I was picking that Victorinox luggage in a random Manhattan corner store, wasn’t God already at work then, guiding my steps?! Perhaps this is what “finding after many days, bread cast upon the waters” looks like… (Eccl 11:1-2)

Glory to God who knows the end from the beginning, who hears all our prayers and remains ever faithful. He offers His friendship and secret counsel to the godly who fear Him. (Proverbs 3:32 AMPC / NLT)

Update: One year and three months since I penned the original post above (i.e. in January 2025), I had to replace the trolley (i.e. the handle) of my luggage as it had worn out. So I put this free Victorinox replacement service to the test again, and lo and behold, they did not disappoint! God came through again – although my luggage had been discontinued (I bought it over 13 years ago), they had just one left in all of Europe of the spare part that I needed! Special thanks to Osmar for sorting me out.