Consumerist
homeland security
Posts Tagged “
Customs
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homeland security
friendly reminders
Do Your Homework Before Going On Vacation Or Customs Will Seize Your Goat
Customs seizes 4,300 items each day from unsuspecting travelers, so read up on their regulations before jaunting off on vacation or they'll seize your tasty goat when you return. Customs regulations aren't as arbitrary as they seem, but they can't be deciphered by common sense alone. More »
privacy
US Customs Helps Itself To Your Electronics And Private Data
The Washington Post has an interesting article about a coming lawsuit against theMore »
A few months earlier in the same airport, a tech engineer returning from a business trip to London objected when a federal agent asked him to type his password into his laptop computer. "This laptop doesn't belong to me," he remembers protesting. "It belongs to my company." Eventually, he agreed to log on and stood by as the officer copied the Web sites he had visited, said the engineer, a U.S. citizen who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of calling attention to himself.
news from the swamp
Federal Government Boldly Declares: "It Is Impossible To Inspect Our Way To Safety"
Inspections will not keep Americans safe from potentially dangerous foreign imports, according to a Presidential working group representing 12 federal agencies. The working group believes that the sheer number of products arriving at our ports - goods worth $2 trillion, last year - make the development and deployment of an inspection regime impossible. The alternative inspires little confidence. More »
time to upgrade
LAX Meltdown Caused By A Single Network Interface Card
According to the LA Times, the LAX computer meltdown that stranded 20,000 international passengers was the work of a single malfunctioning network interface card on a single desktop computer in the LAX international terminal. From the LA Times:The card, which allows computers to connect to a local area network, experienced a partial failure that started about 12:50 p.m. Saturday, slowing down the system, said Jennifer Connors, a chief in the office of field operations for the Customs and Border Protection agency.More »
above and beyond
Hotels.com Succeeds Where Priceline Fails
Jim traveled to Miami to pick up a car he was importing from abroad. He booked stays at several hotels through Priceline and Hotels.com for the drive home, but when customs wouldn't clear his car on schedule, Jim needed to change his plans. Priceline didn't help, but Hotels.com did.Ginger from customer care took my call. I explained my situation and let her know that I was aware that these cancellations were last minute, but asked if there was any way to cancel or get a voucher or possibly reschedule. Right away she told me that booking for the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel had a no cancellation policy, but offered to see what she could do. *Bonus* Before putting me on hold she let me know that it may take a long time, but reassured me that if I hung on she would be back. She was back about 5 minutes and told me that she was able to cancel the Sheraton and give me a full refund. She put me on hold again to look into the booking for today. A few minutes later she came back to let me know that she was able to cancel and refund that booking as well.Jim's full story, after the jump... More »
