How has your overseas mail been lately?

[Kurofune]

Have you noticed recent irregularity in mail to and from the US? Until a couple weeks ago, I had no problems at all. Now there's a package I mailed to the US that's overdue to arrive at its destination, and a package sent to me over a month ago that has yet to arrive. A few other pieces of mail I'm expecting are late too. Just wondering if anybody else is experiencing the same thing.

[GuyJean]

Just wondering if anybody else is experiencing the same thing.

I have two packages that still haven't arrived; both were mailed from the States and over a month ago.. Hhhhmmm..

GJ

[American Oyaji]

I sent something last month and it arrived in a week.

But I sent it FedEx tho.

[cstaylor]

Yeah, those TSA goons destroyed my lugguage last time I flew through California. Filed a claim... we'll see if they pay up.

[Caustic Saint]

Yeah, those TSA goons destroyed my lugguage last time I flew through California. Filed a claim... we'll see if they pay up.

I find the TSA to be quite underwhelming.

When I flew out of Seatac at the beginning of this month the ticket agent said all luggage must now be left unlocked or you have to take it over to the TSA screening station and lock it up after they've screened it. No way was I letting my stuff stay unlocked (lots of electronics and other assorted bits of geekery in there), so I dragged it over to the screening station.

My suitcase comes out in about 5 minutes, I lock it up and off it goes. My big backpack, on the other hand, stays behind the wall for a good 20 minutes. I knew it was packed to the gills, but come on! How effing hard is it to x-ray a bag, do your little hand search and jam the stuff back in there? Then, when it finally comes out, they've threaded these blue "I've been screened" plastic things through where I put my locks. Fortunately I was able to lock it up using the zipper pulls.

I don't care what any "we can't let the terrorists win" justification they're using, the system still sucks.

(For a related read, check out the article "Confessions of a Baggage Screener" over at Wired. It's from the Sept. 2003 issue.)

[Blah Pete]

I sent two boxes from California to Japan in August. One box took about 10 days and the other about 25 days. Both were insured, had the same contents, mailed at the same time, insured, boxes were the same size.

The airport security is the worst. I had all my video equipment, camera, lights, monitor, etc. and I had to leave my bags/cases unlocked at security. Not a good feeling when you have expensive itmes in your bags and the security guys are only making $6/hour...