Beware US Customs opening your equipment

This is a wacky one!
I packed a client for recording in Jamaica.  10 roadcases went, 10 returned.  On the way back through Customs they opened all the cases AND equipment looking for contraband.  It was un-noticable except a Genelec 1032 did not work and there was something thumping around inside.
Turned out that all wire harnesses were disconnected and the power transformer was installed backwards mechanically and banging around.  They just unscrewed every screw on the back trying to get inside and did not know how to put stuff back.  The other 1032 had a loose transformer not yet dislodged.
Luckily no damage and no stripped Torx/Metric hex. 
Crazy!  I will identify chassis screws next time.
Mike

huh, wow, well they have all rights so.... but that's wacky for sure....

They have the right to inspect stuff, but not trash it.. It seems customs should pay the price for restoring it to working condition.

They have x-ray and scanning equipment, it seems they can see a lot without taking it apart, while resolution may suffer if it has a thick steel deck plate. 

If they want to stop ganga coming in, patrol the border with Mexico...

Sometimes customs can be peckers... I recall once flying through Southern FL after a business trip in Mexico on a corporate airplane, and they did everything but cavity search us...Made us unload all the luggage from the plane and that wasn't our final destination. This was before Mexico turned into new columbia for drug trafficking. If I was trying to smuggle in drugs I don't think I'd fly through Miami.  8)

They recently detained Rand Paul and made him miss his flight, because he refused to get all touchy feely with TSA.

We are from the government and here to help you...  ;D

JR

They have the right to inspect stuff, but not trash it.. It seems customs should pay the price for restoring it to working condition.

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True, but i guess that will be hard to achieve....

crazy story mike. At least it wasn't permanent damage. I recall a client who  purchased vai evilbay an old  tube mic. It came from germany and was held up in customs for weeks. Only to have it arrive in pieces and with a broken tube.  I suspect they were using it to record stuff then decided to break it for spite.

JohnRoberts said:

They have the right to inspect stuff, but not trash it.. It seems customs should pay the price for restoring it to working condition.

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They have every right to trash it. It doesn't seem right but I've seen whole cars left disassembled at the Canadian border. It's your problem not theirs. They are protecting the borders.

I've been told by road warriors to cable tie the rack shut and tape cable ties on the inside of the rack. This clues them in that you know what you're doing and have done it before.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/178/~/tort-claims---claim-for-property-damage-or-loss,-or-personal-injury,-or-death

Sounds like you need to file a form SF-95...  I hope you kept pictures... and logged your hours of labor.

JR

I think it's very common, especially buying new stuff overseas and receiving it with scratches and loose parts inside.

I would also suspect the odd drill holes for some importers who Customs got wrong.

JohnRoberts said:

Sounds like you need to file a form SF-95...  I hope you kept pictures... and logged your hours of labor.

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It says right there that it has to be due to negligence or omission. Doing their job looking for contraband is not negligent and not an omission.

This is not the least of my complaints about government but they deserve to be called on their behavior.  Taking valuable gear half apart and sending it along could cause damage to this private property...  They have the authority to search for contraband but not to casually damage private property IMO.

JR

How does the shipping insurance affect this ?

JohnRoberts said:

They have the authority to search for contraband but not to casually damage private property IMO.

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If they took it apart with a sledge hammer or crowbar I could see your point. I am wholly in favor of not searching Jamaican parcels for contraband. I feel differently about parcels from Yemen. It's hard to write regulations for that.

have you seen the show cops and coyotes yet? customs has a right to do whatever the want based on a hunch. No other law enforcement in the US is allowed to to that, every other law enforcement needs a warrant.

Well not only US customs are into those practics...
I got an Einstein PSU i bought on ebay...when it got here everything was loose barely standing together.
something i found strange since the seller claims it was recently serviced and has 99% feedback.

I blame canadian customs too.

.002

Last summer, I had a studio installation project in Mexico City.  I packed two heavy-duty cardboard "moving boxes" to check as baggage.  One contained mainly tools, the other mainly test gear, and I checked it as baggage on American Airlines.  As always, when "checking" gear, I carefully prepared a full itemized list...down to the quantity of misc. Allen wrenches in a pouch!....and this time had the list notarized.

(Sidebar:  that second box cost $150 to "check", but that's another tale....)

In Mexico City, I had to open and unload both boxes (and let them paw through my tool boxes) while the local custom women (!) scratched their heads about it all.  Soon, they shrugged and sent me on my way.  Fortunately, I've "checked" enough stuff on domestic flights that I knew to carry several rolls of packing tape!

On the return flight, I had to retrieve my boxes from a carousel and hump them into USA customs at DFW.  The guy looked at me (bearded and with a ponytail...lol), frowned slightly, and asked what was in the boxes.  I handed him the itemized list, and he smiled and said  "OH!  Tools of the trade..." and x-rayed both boxes before quickly sending me on my way.

I then had to re-check the boxes for the final hop from DFW to OKC...and can you believe this???  TSA in Dallas tore both boxes open, totally scrambled everything, and BARELY got the boxes taped back up well enough to make the 1/2 hour flight to Okla. City.

Sheesh.......

Bri

Legalize it....

edit.. I haven't had these kinds of problems with them (TSA has stolen stuff from my luggage though).  they are badly trained, badly uneducted civil servants. It doesn't get much worse.

I havent had lists of stuff, but I always leave notes in any checked bags when stuff is fragile, explaining what it is, in "layman's" terms, and asking to PLEASE be careful handling it.  I've had stuff opened by TSA and it's always arrive intact since then.

Odd as it may seem....

Some of us may have to travel from one point to another in order to make a living.

I am kinda used to removing my shoes.

It reminds me how much freedom has been lost.  Thank gawd I can have a cig. at SOME airports.....

Bri

Obviously the TSA is not prepared for everyone's way of working.  Like I said, they are badly trained (but better than they were at the beginning).

I hate removing my shoes.  Just thinking that I have to step on a floor thousands of people step on each day that may have walked in with dogshit (or worse) under their shoes... it's gross.

I just remembered something funny. I live in brazil, and on a trip back here I brought a bunch of greek olive oil in my suitcase. That might sound weird, but I'm greek and we love our olive oil...  Anyway, the brasilians x-rayed my luggage, and saw a bunch of strange liquid in there (21 liters )  In the US they would have just opened it, but something in brasilian law makes them call the passenger to witness and I actually opened my own luggage... they didn't touch my bags, how cool is that?  Of course the guys thought I was crazy to have that much oil in my bag, but I told them to fry an egg in olive oil and they'd understand.

(a fun fact, greece's olive oil consumption percapita is the highest in the world. double that of any of the other big consumers like Italy or Spain..  25 liters per year!). 

Brian Roth said:

Thank gawd I can have a cig. at SOME airports.....

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Are you really thankful being in those blue-smoked fishbowl smoking areas?  They look kinda heinous to me!

Mike 

mitsos said:

Obviously the TSA is not prepared for everyone's way of working.  Like I said, they are badly trained (but better than they were at the beginning).

I hate removing my shoes.  Just thinking that I have to step on a floor thousands of people step on each day that may have walked in with dogsh*t (or worse) under their shoes... it's gross.

I just remembered something funny. I live in brazil, and on a trip back here I brought a bunch of greek olive oil in my suitcase. That might sound weird, but I'm greek and we love our olive oil...  Anyway, the brasilians x-rayed my luggage, and saw a bunch of strange liquid in there (21 liters )  In the US they would have just opened it, but something in brasilian law makes them call the passenger to witness and I actually opened my own luggage... they didn't touch my bags, how cool is that?  Of course the guys thought I was crazy to have that much oil in my bag, but I told them to fry an egg in olive oil and they'd understand.

(a fun fact, greece's olive oil consumption percapita is the highest in the world. double that of any of the other big consumers like Italy or Spain..  25 liters per year!).

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My wife's bag has been searched before, and they made her witness it. Any kind of suspected thread (electronics, fluids, etc.) and they'll make you do it. They'll also make you demonstrate how the decide works. Wanna screw with your friends? Slip a vibrator into their luggage, stand back and prepare to laugh...

My father once had to travel with his CPAP machine. (it's a forced air breathing device used by people suffering from sleep apnea, worn at night). TSA was told exactly what it was as it was X-rayed, they opened the bag (all in front of my father), asked him to activate it, when he said that it needed to be plugged in, they said that the motor inside looked suspicious. They grabbed a screw driver, tore it to pieces, broke a couple plastic parts in the process, then finally, after getting a loot at the motor inside, pushed the mangled mess to the side and told him he was free to go. ???!!! I would say, yes...these people absolutely hate their jobs, don't want to do more than is required and also don't give a crap about you. Most of them won't even respond to a friendly "Hello.". You're like cattle to them... Just move along to the branding booth, you vermin.