TSA Gorillas

Has anyone ever filed a complaint against TSA? This is the second time I've gotten a note in my baggage stating they've spot checked my bag for inspection and the second time nearly everything I bought back was broken! The first time it was three bottles of wine and this time it was a lot of souvenir stuff I brought back for friends and family in the UK. The note said they're not liable for damage to bags if they have to cut off locks but what about the contents? I made sure I packed everything very well with bubble wrap and bags of mini marshmallows. Even boxed stuff was badly broken. Oh and I used a hard shell suitcase just for extra protection. I would file a claim with my travel insurance company but I have a £50 excess and didn't save any receipts. 

No, but I've been subject to the TSA looting of the luggage before too.  They busted up some personal mementos when I was first moving over - including a Vietnamese wood carving piece that had three pieces hinged together...and then it was in even more pieces.  A friend brought it back from Vietnam for me one time - it couldn't be replaced.  Another time they poked holes in my Jello instant pudding - which fortunately was in a plastic carrier bag as well (they rewrapped it back up in that) or I would have had pudding powder all over in my luggage.

It does make it extra sweet, however, when you get their love note in a bag entirely full of dirty, smelly vacation underwear and other assorted laundry.  Hope they enjoy going through that!

It does make it extra sweet, however, when you get their love note in a bag entirely full of dirty, smelly vacation underwear and other assorted laundry.  Hope they enjoy going through that!

ha ha! I took comfort in that. At first when I opened the bag and saw their 'love note' I thought "OMG my dirty unmentionables!"

TSA.... Oh they are such wonderful people....(sarcastically speaking)
why is it that I get wanded when I clearly couldn't have anything on me...I was wearing shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops last summer in chicago......the alarm went off when I went through....cause my shorts have metal snaps.... I mean I sortof understand..but I was frisked first....
UGH! Almost late for my plane.....
CHICAGO...stay away from it...

Whatever, Pebbles. If we don't protect the right of the TSA to wreck your lugguage and destroy your belongings, the terrorists win.

TSA.... Oh they are such wonderful people....(sarcastically speaking)
why is it that I get wanded when I clearly couldn't have anything on me...I was wearing shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops last summer in chicago......the alarm went off when I went through....cause my shorts have metal snaps.... I mean I sortof understand..but I was frisked first....
UGH! Almost late for my plane.....
CHICAGO...stay away from it...

Yeah, they're total airport Nazi's in Chicago. I was wanded last week and the woman actually traced the outline of my bra! 

Whatever, Pebbles. If we don't protect the right of the TSA to wreck your lugguage and destroy your belongings, the terrorists win.

I know 

It's only going to get worse I fear.  I know someone who works for them in Portland, ME and she says morale is going down the tubes and they have trouble keeping staff. 

That is exactly why more and more people are actually choosing to have their luggage shipped ahead of time and afterwards by shipping companies, instead of dealing with crap like that.

I had TSA steal a very expensive swiss army knife out of my checked bags once.  I know they took it because I put it, along with a leatherman, into an inside pocket of the bag right before the bag drop for screening by TSA, and then it came back with the note saying they screened it, the leatherman was in there, but the very expensive swiss army knife was awol! 

... and then it came back with the note saying they screened it, the leatherman was in there, but the very expensive swiss army knife was awol! 

Terrible!

Yeah, seriously! And how can I prove it, you know?

Yeah, seriously! And how can I prove it, you know?

Yeah I know. I wrote a strongly worded email to TSA last night. A total waste of time I know. 

GRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! 

Did you have travel insurance phatbeetle? Something like that I probably would have claimed.

Nope...unfortunately. I never really thought about getting travel insurance before, but I probably should have, as I lived in Florida and the rest of my family in Massachusetts and I traveled there pretty regularly, at least 5-7 times a year, as well as other vacations.  Oh well. 

I don't know anything about this particular newspaper, but I thought the commentary article was interesting...

http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12548&Itemid=42