TSA are jerks
 

Just flew back into Australia today from the phoenix forum. When we unopended one of our travellers bags that had all nice gifts from the phoenix area, we noticed a TSA form saying they had inspected the bag. Any breakables that were in this bag were all broken and packaging bags ripped. Everything was packaged properly, but not put back that wayWe also had other breakables in other bags that were not opended by TSA and all these gifts are fine.

TSA are a bunch of jerks approx $200-$300 of gifts are broken. Some lovely Kokopelli statues just too damged to try to even get them professionally fixed.



:BangBang:
:BangBang:

and the skies are so much safer now. pffftt more like our bags are open game for your local TSA agent to go shopping in your luggage.:disgust

think id prefer the brittish to the TSA

:error

Yea, they are idiots. Last time I went through they asked me to take off my shoes and I refused, saying I wasn't going to walk barefoot where 10 million other people walked. I just stood my ground. They let me walk right through, and didn't even wand me.

Things like this really pisses me off - is there nothing you can do? ie file some sort of claim?

The same thing happened to me when i came back from PHX

nothing was broken , but all my stuff were a mess

They're as bad as Canada Customs, no checks and balances, no recourse just complete unchecked authority. Sacrificing Freedom and Personal Rights for false security. Sure search my shit but fuckin' respect it; and know you'll lose your job if ya don't. Is that too much to ask?

Yeah we have taken photos but even though they fully unpacked that bag and repacked it, im sure they will just say we didnt pack it good enough

having our bags searched didnt bother us as security is security but just that theyve damged stuff

we had to walk through with shoes off also :321GFY

If the airline industy had its way, they would weigh you, charge you by the pound, stamp your forehead, load you up on a conveyor belt, and throw you on the plane, like they do your luggage.... you guys know what im talking about. You look outside the window, and they just toss that shit around like the trash man does when he comes to pick up your garbage.

If you fly, pretty much make it rule, that anything of value, put it in your carry on.

if it cant be replaced, or you dont want it broken or lost, dont check it.

Yet so few can see the obvious and are happy to loose more and more 'freedom' on a regular basis. Ask the average American what's great about the USA and one of the top answers is 'feedom'. Shame those same people are too dumb to realise that they now have less 'feedom' than a very large part of the rest of the Western world.

Both the USA and UK are now using security measures to protect from terrorism for civil and non-terrorist activity on a very regular basis. But who wants freedom when you can be 'safe' right? :error

Didn't you know? This is a post-9/11 world and you just have to deal with stuff like this.

Yeah you are right. They shouldn`t behave like that.

Hmmm...re-read that and I really must fix my R key :)

I know how you feel mate.
Every time I travel, I padlock (and I mean sturdily padlock) my suitcase, and ziptie any smaller compartments.
1) Those shitty travel locks you buy / come w/ the suitcase are SHIT. If you can't pop them w/ your fingers, a pair of scissors / paperclip will do the trick.
2) Zipties offer some protection from things.. appearing.. in your bag pockets.

I've never had a problem w/ this method.. flew into the USA, here comes my suitcase, open, sprawling stuff everywhere.
They'd tried to chomp the padlock, with no success, so had instead cut / ripped the zipper off the suitcase - so there was no way of resealing it - trashed everything in the suitcase, and threw it back.

That and the fingerprints and photos - all I can say is, fuck that.
USA hahahaha one fucken paranoid and Orwellian country.

quamtum, you are no longer allowed to secure your bag in any way. TSA can AND WILL cut off any locks, ties, or other devices which are intended to limit their access. It is their mandate in the US to do this.

Here is a simple hint: CARRY ON. If you have breakable things, carry them on. Keep them in your hands, and keep them safe - OR package them seperately for shipping home in their own box, padded as much as you can manage. Go to a UPS store of whatever and get them to pack it for shipping.

Wrapping stuff in shirts and hoping it makes it home ain't gonna do the deal.

Alex

Total bullshit. Absolute, total bullshit.
It's almost as much of a joke as their "Use locks that the TSA can open"

Where's your defense when you have shit slipped into your bag?

I do not buy into panic-mongering, but if the situation arose that you had something placed into your bag and you made no attempts to secure it, your defense goes out the window.

Incidently, the airport official I spoke to said the TSA should replace any zipties or locks that they break.

Yeah it all horribly sucks

we would have probably had them as carryon if we could, but we had 4 checkin bags at approx 65 Pound each and 3 carryon bags..so there was too much to carry on

something we have to all live with unfortunately

:(

I use TSA approved locks on my check in stuff all the time

Ii went through security with 10 kilos of cocaine in my bag and the guy goes you got a lighter in there? I go maybe i think i might....

He takes my lighter and doesnt worry about the colombian marching powder

Usually they just rip them off..guess they were felling generous that day :disgust

Honestly, I had a really cool ass old dude who was TSA, who said he had been working the airport for years prior at LAX say that when TSA was formed and the big flood of people hired were mainly people who were lucky enough to never have gotten caught for their criminal activity and that most of them would still be only capable of working at fast food jobs if they did not decide to step up to TRY to get a job. I laughed when he told me about this.. Because honestly it does not seem too far off AT ALL..

I had 2 SPA Cash Zippos and an engraved zippo (which I got as a birthday gift from a good friend/employee) stolen from my bag, while meanwhile there were about 10 bic lighters still in the luggage when I got home.

I know not all are bad, but majority from MY experiences, they are a buncha fuckin thieves.... that's why now all my major valuables are carry on...

quantum-x: The answer is that you have no protection against someone "slipping something in". The TSA requires by law to be able to access you bag completely. No exceptions. Locking a bag now is a waste, the locks will be removed. Some airports (Vegas last time I went through) won't even accept your bags if they are locked.

Once you get out of the US and claim your bags elsewhere, you can then lock them up all you like.

Alex

In a lot of airports they go through your baggage INFRONT of you before putting a sticker on it to say it's OK. This is how it should be everywhere. Infront of you, that way there is no confusion, no stealing and people will trust the TSA moreso.

My suitcase is *always* searched.

the fact that they can open your bags without you present pisses me off.

Thats EXACTLY what they want you to think, I advice you to see the documentary 9/11 - Loose change.

My bags have only been opened twice and searched.....but, me?

I am on a 'special' list...I get searched every time I fly.

I will say they are usually very polite; but, it is a royal pain in the ass.

Last year when I came to the forum I hat five five flights altogether and I was personally searched on atleast half of them. Then another BBW friend I have had the same thing happen to her the next month. I figure they think fat chicks are padded outfits with bombs.

the u.s.a. is not the land of the free.

christ. the country was built on a mass genocide. the majority of americans still believe that the indians gave up all this land.

don't get me started.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

i liked the security chicks in the movie soul plane. because it is true.

Well, at least you guys made it home alright. It was a helluva journey I'm sure. :thumbsup

BTW, I couldn't call you, so I did the next best thing.. do a search for your name.