UX50 charger stolen by airport security

[lupinstel]

While I sent my luggage through the LAX TSA security check, a brand new trackball mouse and my UX50 charger was stolen out of my checked luggage. Apparantly somebody knows the value of these things, so be careful. To make matters worse, not only do I need to buy a new charger, but chargers are hard to come by these days. I have only found two online stores which sell them (CDW and ritzcamera by the way). So be careful with your charger, and keep it in your carry on cuz it sure would suck to not be able to use your UX only because it can't be charged, believe me. I have been running off the extended battery for the last week, and I only have enough power left to make it until the new charger arrives. Beware the TSA!

[glassman]

Did you file a report with the airlines?

[lupinstel]

Yeah I made a call to the TSA, because its the TSA, not the airline which does bag checks. The short story is that I have to fill out some complex government forms, wait 6 months for them to be processed, if they are found to be valid, they will investigate which could take another 6 months. So yes, I will do all that, but it sure doesn't help me now. And even though I told the person on the phone the time I left my bag, and where, they don't go investigate. All they had to do was look at the video tape, at 10:10-11:00 and look for some dude pulling a trackball mouse out of its packaging, putting it in his pocket, and leaving the package in my suitcase, and him taking a charger with a mess of wires, and the power converter brick hanging off of it. I can afford the loss, but it pisses me off that I gave them my bag just like everyone else, but now they are too pre occupied with stealing and hiding things; who knows if they are really doing their job.

[vsc]

TSA destroyed my Braun shaver. I filed the paperwork and received a we are sorry letter from TSA. I'll bet you didn't know that TSA turns on shavers packed in checked bags?

So,

1) Don't pack anything that the you can't replace.
2) Don't pack electronics that can be considered as a trigger for a IED.
3) Don't expect TSA to compensate you for your loss.

[JohnKes]

TSA took my mini Swiss army knife, with 1" blade, that was attached to my keychain. What a dangerous hijacking weapon!

Then on the way back, I got the full off-to-the-side treatment because "I beeped" (ref. Mel Brooks, High Anxiety). I forgot to put my cellphone on the tray for X-ray, and they wouldn't let me just take the phone off and go through the metal detector again.

They suck man!

[PhilB]

TSA took my mini Swiss army knife, with 1" blade, that was attached to my keychain. What a dangerous hijacking weapon!

Then on the way back, I got the full off-to-the-side treatment because "I beeped" (ref. Mel Brooks, High Anxiety). I forgot to put my cellphone on the tray for X-ray, and they wouldn't let me just take the phone off and go through the metal detector again.

They suck man!

Nothing like the quality of service you get when the Federal Gov't is in charge :confused:

[evilecho]

One time leaving Winnipeg, the screener took my black and decker screwdriver bit set. It was the nifty 33 piece set. He let me keep the SCREWDRIVER but took the bit set.

Guess he didn't need another screwdriver.

:confused:

[bryus]

Don't you feel safer now?

This is just the tip of the reasons why I don't want to fly. I have not flown in about 5 years but I have to fly next summer. I really tried to find a way to drive from Denver to Connecticut but I just can't work it out so I have to fly the civil rights free airlines.

[khad_o]

i always put a pad lock to my suite case whenever i fly overseas. i haven't been out of the country for more than 3 years now. you cant trust anyone these days. well nextime if your off to fly, keep it with you in your carrying case. sure it adds a bit of weight but at least you know its the safest place around.

lupinstil, i feel sorry for you dude, i think the brando charging cradles would definetely work but if you run out of options (like ALL the ux's and accessories in the world just DISAPEARS without trace!), you'll be glad to know there (or maybe not :D) that you'll always have the option of opening up your UX, doing a MOD on your beloved unit, to enable charging via usb cable. that ofcourse will take slightly longer to charge :D

[exNewt]

Do what I do (have done it for a decade before TSA existed, and I am SERIOUS).

Pack the valuables (A/C adapters, extra memory cards, etc.) deep in the bottom of the bag. Put at least two copies of Playboy, Penthouse (or whatever) in different, easily-accessible areas of the bag.

I have never had an item stolen, but have had a LOT of lost magazines.

[khad_o]

hehe.nice.. :D

[k1w1pdaman]

yeh these airport security guys are mtherf!@#ers. I sent a bag home from London via the US. When I got home 6 months later I opened it up and all the goodies had been ransacked - some nice jackets from Thailand for example. The worst part is they didn't close the bag properly and all the photos in the bag got lost on the conveyor belt.

Their most favourite trick is to steal the Driver out of your golfclubs. One of my best mates had his PING driver "removed" from his golf bag between LAX and Auckland. No wonder they couldn't find the paperknives on the 9/11 terrorists - the terrorists weren't carrying any stuff worth stealing!

:mad:

[Jim Cooke]

Here's what I do. First, don't pack important/expensive things in checked luggage. Of course, that's not always possible. I'm a diver so I have to check my dive bag, which has a couple thousand dollars worth of dive gear. I have a supply of weird purple color cable ties. I go to the bomb scanner with my bag and watch while they check it. Before it goes down the conveyor belt, I secure the zipper openings with the cable ties. I've had a few TSA guys get snippy about it but I tell them I want to make sure that all my stuff arrives on one piece and they can get their supervisor if they want to discuss the matter. The law says a bag can be secured as long as it can be opened without cutting a lock and a cable tie qualifies.

Once I retrieve the bag, I can tell immediately if it's been opened. Just get the strangest color cable ties you can find. Some of the TSA and airline thieves have already learned the cable tie trick and carry white ones with them so getting strange color one's is important.

[TechnoCat]

I haven't had any problems since I started always putting an "inventory" sheet at the top of my checked luggage. They open it, it has a full list in plain sight. I also carry a matching list.

Of course it wouldn't help if something HAD happened, but it has the desired psychological impact thus far.

[mastershake]

That sucks, i hate the airport security too. On a flight from Newark Airport to Miami, the guys at Newark just said it was a cellphone and didnt care, my kind of people :) . But on the way back, Miami security took me out of the line and i sat for a 1/2 hour because they thought it was some kind of remote for a bomb or something, wtf? There just really dumb, and it makes you think of how good a security they are. Oh and when i flew from the dominican republic to newark, they took our AA batteries, there was like 30. They then put it in a drawer which we saw was full of different kinds of batteries, my family jokes that they probably use them for their cheap walkmens :) . Haha


~Andrew

[cat_taylor]

A friend of mine had the lock on her luggage cut off, so that won't help you either. I play violin and carry a case with an acoustic and an electric. I actually had to check it once. Now I almost never fly, I'll drive instead.

Cat