airport security scratched up my macbook!

[QCassidy352]

Add this to the reasons that I hate flying. The morons who do the security screening at Chicago's O'Hare airport managed to put scratches all over my beautiful macbook, which I had kept absolutely pristine for months. I didn't notice until I got home (just put the macbook back in its sleeve after security), so now I'm sure there's nothing I can do.

I'm so mad... I'm really anal about keeping my macs in perfect shape and I'd been so careful with this one, and then some careless jerk with no respect for other people's property does this...

On a related note, are there any products that can help get scratches out of a macbook? This is for iPods, but aren't they made of the same plastics?

 

[timnosenzo]

Ugh, that sucks! I'd be really pissed.

Have you ever tried that Applesauce stuff (on an iPod)? Never saw it before...

 

[The Man]

That sucks man. There's a general disrespect for other people's property these days. It's like, "It's just a few scratches, what are you talking about?" It's as if you are the one who is making too big a deal about it. But when it's their car, you know.

Even in stores, when I return something for repair, oh man, I cringe how these store people handle my stuff. It's MY FREAKING STUFF! Sometimes, when I buy things, the store people take everything out of the box to inspect things, but they don't handle things with care. But it's going to be mine in a few minutes, but they act as if it's theirs.

No, it has nothing to do with being anal, it has everything to do with these people not thinking about the fact that they are handeling other people's stuff. If it's an accident, okay. But people are just not careful in the first place.

 

[ZoomZoomZoom]

Sorry to hear that. How did it get scratched up without you noticing? Did you have it in checked baggage, and then they did a random check? I travel often and I'd like to know how to avoid a similar situation.

 

[Bibulous]

That is a bummer.

When did they handle it? Usually when I go thru security I take my pbook out of my bag and put it in a grey tray by itself (or along with my shoes). It's out in the open and I can keep my eye on it.

I then send my bag thru full of odds and ends, cables, cameras, ipods, chargers ect. How they can sort that mess out is beyond me, but never had an issue.

 

[CrEsTo]

Sue them!

 

[ZoomZoomZoom]

Sue them!

So American

I would expect it to be difficult to prove, and end up to be much more trouble than it's worth, especially since the OP left the airport and all before discovering the damage.

 

[Felldownthewell]

Same thing happened to me a month ago! I had put my sweatshirt under my mbp so that the bin wouldn't scratch it. The lady pulled my sweatshirt out and dropped(!) my mbp back into the bin from a distance of about a foot. It was scratched up really badly. I got lucky because apple had scratched it on the last repair and it was about to be sent in to get the case replaced ANYWAY, but still, I wish I would have made a big scene; it just wasn't worth it because it was going to get repaired anyway.

 

[esaleris]

The morons who do the security screening at Chicago's O'Hare airport managed to put scratches all over my beautiful macbook, which I had kept absolutely pristine for months.

If the TSA picked up your Macbook to inspect it and made a mess of it, I emphasize with you. Typically, however, they do not actually open the screen or turn it on, unless there's something suspicious in the X-Ray, which is rare, with a real laptop.

If you let it get scratched while in the gray bins, that's your own fault. When my Macbook came, I preserved the gray sleeve it came in and when I go to the airport, I lay the liner fabric in the bin and lay my Macbook on top. So far, not a single TSA agent has so much as opened or touched my Macbook in the 3 flights - that's 6 security checkpoints - since I got it and the only scratches on it are the ones I put on it.

 

[Rod Rod]

This is for people who don't fly or haven't flown lately in the U.S.: when a laptop goes through the X-ray machines, it has to be by itself with nothing else inside a plastic tray. You can't place it on top of your sleeve or even a piece of paper.

I raised an objection last year in Houston to having my laptop sit on the bare plastic of the tray. They allowed me to send it through in its sleeve and had a guy on the other end swab it, I suppose to test for explosives residue.

One solution may be to get some clear vinyl stickers and cover the top and bottom with them while traveling. Or go nuts and get some patterned vinyl stickers.

Edit: if the TSA agents let you put anything under your laptop while in the plastic tray, you got lucky. The policy is for the laptop to be in the tray by itself with nothing else.

 

[QCassidy352]

Edit: if the TSA agents let you put anything under your laptop while in the plastic tray, you got lucky. The policy is for the laptop to be in the tray by itself with nothing else.

quite right. They insist that it be in the bin with nothing beneath, on top of, or around it. So please, don't tell me it's my fault that these bastards couldn't have possession of my laptop for 3 minutes without damaging it. They made the rule that it had to be in the bin, unprotected.

To be honest, I don't know how it happened. I didn't see them handle it, but then again I was waiting in line, showing my boarding pass, taking off my shoes, etc. So I don't know if they handled it or if it just got damaged in the bin.

What I do know is that it was perfect when I put it in the bin, that it sat in its waterfield sleeve until it got home, and that it was scratched to hell when I took it out at home.

I'm so pissed, and what makes it worse is that I know there's no way I'll get so much as an apology, let alone a dime, from them.

edit: after checking out TSA's online claims procedure, I'm certain that I'll never get anything from them, and that it will be an enormous hassle to try. I may still do it, on principle, but nothing deters action like excessive bureaucracy, and that's what they have, in spades.

 

[Chrispy]

TSA is a joke. They pull some people to the side and swab everything (like me) but then let others go through without even watching the x-ray monitors (my boss). I got home from a trip once, noticed the TSA inspected sticker on my suitecase and opened it up to see if anything was missing. When I got it open, half of everything in the case was completely soaked with water!!! I didn't have anything liquid in there so I have no idea what the hell happened. They really do have no respect for other people's property.

 

[generik]

That's the way it is, since their job is to enforce security it is not like they are going to appear all weak in the presence of an Apple laptop. Contrary their purpose there is to be feared and hated, you ain't gonna see them smile and say "please" or dantily take out your laptops when they are on duty, that's for sure.

 

[KevKaos]

So American

I would expect it to be difficult to prove, and end up to be much more trouble than it's worth, especially since the OP left the airport and all before discovering the damage.

To bad the first line of your posting wasn't as well thought out as the rest of the posting. I'll grant you this, you did improve as you went along.

 

[freebooter]

Some kind of see-through protective sticker has to be the solution. I'm surprised the "anal" owner here didn't have them on there in the first palce. My iPods both have them, and they aren't nearly so valuable.
Live and learn, as they say.

 

[QCassidy352]

Some kind of see-through protective sticker has to be the solution. I'm surprised the "anal" owner here didn't have them on there in the first palce. My iPods both have them, and they aren't nearly so valuable.
Live and learn, as they say.

I have the invisible shield on my ipod because I expect it to get bumped around a good deal. My MB, I take damn good care of, and if TSA could show a minimal level of care for 2 freakin minutes an invisible shield wouldn't be necessary on a laptop.

That's the way it is, since their job is to enforce security it is not like they are going to appear all weak in the presence of an Apple laptop. Contrary their purpose there is to be feared and hated, you ain't gonna see them smile and say "please" or dantily take out your laptops when they are on duty, that's for sure.

This is a democracy. You and I pay these people's salaries and we elect their (ultimate) superiors. They damn well should find a way to do their job and respect people's persons and property at the same time.

 

[YS2003]

Does the rule (laptop in a bin by itself) apply for other airports outside USA? I don't take my own laptop for plane ride so far because I don't like anyone to touch my laptop. Or, is it mainly for USA airports? That's a dumb rule as it would scratch or make the notebook dirty (people put shoes in that dirty bin). I don't think a vinyl sheet or piece of cloth does not hinder the xray.
I think TSA does not care one iota about your belongings; they will handle nice notebook as if they are handling a piece of rock by foot. I hope there is more accountability on TSA's part.

 

[Felldownthewell]

Does the rule (laptop in a bin by itself) apply for other airports outside USA?

No, at least not in France, Holland, or Germany as of my last visit this past summer. In those countries I just put my bag through et voila, I was free to rush like a madman to the nearest bar for some more beer (yay low legal drinking age!)

 

[YS2003]

No, at least not in France, Holland, or Germany as of my last visit this past summer. In those countries I just put my bag through et voila, I was free to rush like a madman to the nearest bar for some more beer (yay low legal drinking age!)

Thanks for posting your experience of non-USA airports. In that case, I would stay away from USA once I leave the country.

 

[puckhead193]

whenever i fly i just keep it in the sleeve...they never say anything to me

 

[generik]

This is a democracy. You and I pay these people's salaries and we elect their (ultimate) superiors. They damn well should find a way to do their job and respect people's persons and property at the same time.

Did we? Or was it Diebold? 1984 just came 2 decades late i guess...

 

[Macky-Mac]

.....To be honest, I don't know how it happened. I didn't see them handle it, but then again I was waiting in line, showing my boarding pass, taking off my shoes, etc. So I don't know if they handled it or if it just got damaged in the bin.....

Usually they don't handle it. You put it in the bin yourself, set the bin on the belt, it rides thru the xray machine and then you pick it up at the other side. Normally they wouldn't touch it at all. It's hard to see how it got scratched. Since you didn't see them handle it, it seems a little unfair to be blaming them.

 

[jwkay]

No, at least not in France, Holland, or Germany as of my last visit this past summer. In those countries I just put my bag through et voila, I was free to rush like a madman to the nearest bar for some more beer (yay low legal drinking age!)

In Norway you're now required to put your laptop through on its own.
However, you do not have to take it out of its protective sleeve (eg Tucano Second Skin), and you place it in a plastic tray yourself. Have also been requested to do the same at Schipol (Amsterdam), and it was done in exactly the same way.

First time I experienced this, I asked if they also wanted my iPod through seperately. It's a hard drive with electronics attached after all. Nope, that wasn't necessary.

To be honest, I don't know why the want laptops on their own but not iPods, video cameras, portable DVD players etc...

 

[generik]

To be honest, I don't know why the want laptops on their own but not iPods, video cameras, portable DVD players etc...

probably size.. not like a iPod sized bomb can do a lot of damage

 

[sierra oscar]

To be honest, I don't know why the want laptops on their own but not iPods, video cameras, portable DVD players etc...

It's not (in my opinion) of any real security value - to say only target one type of electronic equipment (our portables) - just like taking off our shoes - it's all fluff and bubble, more a show of force, strength - than any real assistance to making flying safer.

The only ppl who are inconvenienced are flyers like us who don't have ill intent - the ones who have ill intent will just get smarter at what they need to do - meanwhile we are all paying the cost - time, money (security budgets) and inconvenience.

I feel most of the security / luggage knee -jerk reactions are just that - US led knee jerk reactions.

Edit: it's also only us regular ppl who are also inconvenienced - VIP's etc aren't processed the same way in most airports - never seen a supposed A-list celebrity take off their shoes with the rest of us.