Being stuck in an airport for 24h is bad enough. Getting home and finding the damn TSA agents took your computer apart to its components and put it back together and *broke it* is worse. Anyone know who the hell I would call to demand some kind of compensation, or at least what a single long beep repeating ad infinitum from an HP pavilion with a Phoenix BIOS indicates? I'm hoping I can find the busted component and replace it...
Posted by Charles Capps (Member # 9) on :
... get a lawyer.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
TSA agents?
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
So the TSA detained you at the airport and took your computer? What did you do to make them angry, hmm?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
I told you not to subscribe to "Naughty Flight Attendants.com"- put you on their watch list.
Posted by HopefulNebula (Member # 1933) on :
Eish. I was going to come in here with my horror story, but there's really no point. You win.
And I second Charles' statement.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
If it worked fine before they took it apart, it's going to be a hardware problem. Either they put it back together wrong, or they fried something through static shock. I'm guessing these TSA agents aren't that hardware savvy.
Take it to the repair shop and send the purposely exorbitant bill to the White House. That'll learn em Posted by Mikey T (Member # 144) on :
Ouch, that sucks. At least you didn't have them search your carry on to find a 9 inch oak penis sculpture and aluminum vibrator when they thought they were guns.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
OK, spill it, mister.
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
A single long beep repeating ad infinitum usually means that there is a memory error. Try removing and reseating the RAM and try again. If that doesn't work, remove and if possible replace the possibly offending piece.
I'm not surprised at the level of incompetence in these people. These very same guys use a crowbar to OPEN A LAPTOP.
Who pays these guys anyways?
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
I just hope you don't have to buy a new laptop. Don't they have X-Ray machines to take a look without having to destroy the thing. Laptops are significantly more difficult to take apart compared to a desktop PC.
The best advice I can give, is to take it to the repair shop. Find out exactly what's wrong with it, and get legal counsel. You might be able to force them to fix it or replace it.
Things like this makes me sure that I'll never fly into the states. I'll ride my bike down thank you. And if they want to take apart my computer, I'll refuse unless they have a trained computer technician present to do it.
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
Oh no. That's the worst thing you can ever do is refuse to do anything at the airport. Pretty sure that's a jailable offence down there. Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Like I said. I never plan on entering the US by air. And if by some strange chance they want to take it apart at the border, I will flatly tell them that I will not consent unless a trained technician does it. I'll just turn around and go back to a country that's actually "free".
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
It sounds to me like they pulled his luggage and took apart his laptop without his knowledge or consent, since he said he found out about it after getting home. Is that the case, Daniel? If it is, how do you know it was TSA, and not some random luggage handler that just dropped it? Either way, someone needs to pay.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
quote:If you have a lost or damaged item AND you believe that TSA was responsible, you should file a claim with the TSA Claims Management Office.
Looks like it's a slow and painful process, unfortunately.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
When is it ever otherwise?
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
10 SEP 2001?
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
^ That was my brother-in-law's first official day in the Air Force!
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
You actually checked your laptop?
You are much braver than I.
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
I had my laptop on the plane with me when I flew here to Alberta. But then again that was within Canada.
Posted by Mikey T (Member # 144) on :
quote: OK, spill it, mister.
It was my friend, seriouly. She was coming back from SF Pride a few years ago and she and her girlfriend were subjected to it...
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Of course it's company policy never to imply ownership in the event of a dildo. Always use the indefinite article: A dildo, never...YOUR...dildo.
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
Ahem.
Daniel Butler only mentioned that he checked in a computer. I was assuming that is what he talked about.
The reference to the laptop was to an incident I know of involves a friend of mine who was told to check his carry-on, which included a laptop, as luggage. This was on a return flight from Atlanta to Toronto. She was assured that it would be okay.....
..... that is, until she received her carry on at her destination which the laptop all damaged up, with a note saying that "This electronic device was inspected by the [insert whatever agency here]. We do not assume any responsibility for any damages arising from the inspection".
Inspecting the damage, it looks like the numbskulls-of-security-agents did not know how to open the laptop (you have to push a button for the laptop to open, not slide a lock) so they used a crowbar to "open it up".
I've also run into that problem in which said agents tampered with said electrical device causing it to not function. Which provides a lesson for me: whatever sensitive stuff that I need to ship, make sure that it does not pass through the U.S. These agencies have apparently been getting employees from the Darwin Awards pool.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Ship it- Fedex (and I assume UPS) offer insurance/ declared value replacment coverage against such idiocy.
Besides, we (FedEx)pack a laptop into a "laptop box" that would be too big a pain in the ass for anyone to casually open and inspect.
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
Actually you might run into some trouble with UPS insurance claims. My family has had a string of extremely frustrating incidents with them (including $6000 worth of damage to my sister's and her partner's bikes-- insured paid and everything, also a $1200 baritone sax got bent all out of alignment.)
With the TSA and traveling with laptops, carry-on is ideal. I suggest putting your laptop into a sleep mode so that if you're asked to switch it on, you don't have to wait for minutes of bootup. I just got back from a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (nice!), and had to bring two laptops. Because I also had my big video camera with, I checked the older, more dispensible laptop. To my amazement, I didn't have any trouble either with the baggage tossers or going through security.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Ahhh people misunderstand...it was a desktop in my suitcase. Yes, I know, inherently stupid, but it was that or pay 50 bucks to ship it. But reseating the RAM worked, so thank you very much Saltah'na. And for the ignorant, TSA = Transportation Security Administration, the security guys in US airports.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
quote:If you have a lost or damaged item AND you believe that TSA was responsible, you should file a claim with the TSA Claims Management Office.
Looks like it's a slow and painful process, unfortunately.
Thanks a bundle...and I forgot to mention, I know they took it apart because a) the modem was loose inside the case, unscrewed from its PCI slot and b) my PCI fan was in the wrong PCI slot.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Mmm and as a third post because I'm too lazy to hit the edit button, speaking of UPS and FedEx, I would recommend FedEx for *any* shipping...I've never tried UPS, but DHL consistently missed the pickup I scheduled, costing me time and money, three times in a row, with a driver who knew next to nothing about the paperwork I was supposed to have that the website didn't tell me about...
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