Earlier this year when airlines started banning luggage with lithium-ion batteries in their cabins, smart luggage maker Bluesmart had a problem — one that ultimately led to the company’s demise.
Bluesmart’s bags included a battery that’s not meant to be taken out, and customers needed to be able to remove it in order to fly. While the company eventually posted elaborate directions on how to remove the component on its site, doing so rendered many of the features of the suitcase useless.
Though Bluesmart was looking into ways to change how its suitcases operate, the luggage ban was one that ultimately resulted in the closing of the business. In a statement Tuesday, Bluesmart said that the new rules “put our company in an irreversibly difficult financial and business situation.”
The company has stopped manufacturing and selling its products immediately, and will no longer be supporting or offering a warranty for bags that are at retail locations or sold online. The company is also no longer accepting returns or replacements for its bags.
If you purchased one of its bags through crowdfunding, you can attempt to get a refund for that purchase by going to the company’s Proof of Claims page.
And if you’re a Bluesmart owner who wants to keep using the bag, here are some detailed instructions on how to get that battery out for good (spoiler: it’s not easy).
