Well That's Ruined...

[BookCat]

Sorry for stating the obvious, but why didn't they just open the box?

[Christi0469]

Sorry for stating the obvious, but why didn't they just open the box?

Perhaps box opening was outside that particular customs agent's expertise (assuming of couse they have any expertise at all).

 

 

I am sure there are good U.S. Customs agents, but obviously this agent has issues. It does seem that U.S. Customs suspects that contaband can be hidden within wood.

[BookCat]

Not long ago, in preparing to resac my Conway Stewart Dinkie, I ordered some French chalk; luckily, I ordered it from within the UK. It arrived in one of those little plastic bags you see heroin in on telly. Imagine what US customs would make of that? Around the same time I ordered some blunt syringes from fleabay. I'd hate to imagine what US customs would have thought had I bought both the chalk and ink syringes from a US seller who sent them in the same package!! Oh, what fun they would have had getting chalk all over themselves.

Edited August 28, 2014 by BookCat

[Icywolfe]

Somebody should mail a brick again. Not a ordinary brick but a hollow one filled with lead weights (higher weight for a small size package) and inside the note with a encoded message. That says "Sup NSA. Would you like some coffee or tea with that?" and something childish like "Your mom was great in bed. Bye"

 

That will troll the officer who had to decode that. Well it's our tax dollars afterall.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Icywolfe

[KBeezie]

Somebody should mail a brick again. Not a ordinary brink but a hollow one filled with lead weights (higher weight for a small size package) and inside the note with a encoded message. That says "Sup NSA. Would you like some coffee or tea with that?" and something childish like "Your mom was great in bed. Bye"

 

that will troll them officer who had to decode that. Well it's our tax dollars afterall.

 

And just for fun they'd put you on the no-fly list.

[Icywolfe]

 

And just for fun they'd put you on the no-fly list.

Not if you give a fake name + ID.

 

Also that is why I'm asking who is much braver than me to do it.

------

 

If anybody what to do that this is the perfect message:

Medhmztfejvcfejnkumfiuxfrruufosuztnspspzsvztqcfeoifspuotzmqouzsnhyuvjzmshnqpsvevutujjycucfeoifspuonmtznsnhqrfoiunhyuv

It's slightly vulgar.

 

It's substitution encoding. The pattern for it is "coweatscowscatsgoesmoo."

Edited August 28, 2014 by Icywolfe

[KBeezie]

Not if you give a fake name + ID.

 

Also that is why I'm asking who is much braver than me to do it.

------

 

If anybody what to do that this is the perfect message:

Medhmztfejvcfejnkumfiuxfrruufosuztnspspzsvztqcfeoifspuotzmqouzsnhyuvjzmshnqpsvevutujjycucfeoifspuonmtznsnhqrfoiunhyuv

It's slightly vulgar.

 

It's substitution encoding. The pattern for it is "coweatscowscatsgoesmoo."

 

 

Or you could just base64encode so they think it's some kid.

[GatzBcn]

I am getting so angry and peeved off just reading all the comments.

 

I buy and sell regularly online and if something like this happened to me, no matter the cost of the thing, I would be crying from frustation.

 

I don't think it has to do nothing with South America. Customs inspect specially objects coming into the country, why would you so extensively check something that is leaving your country?? I was going to talk bad about UK customs, until you mentioned US.

 

Ah, good old US. Where the stuff I sell gets stuck for one week at customs. Where there is such a big paranoia about protecting the country. Where you need to get a visa even if you are just on transit in the airport. Where my Mexican boyfriend's aunt was told to have relations with Al-qaeda when she was travelling to visit some family. A retired school teacher in her sixties.

 

I am sorry, but just check one or two episodes on some "Customs Control" series or "Airport Traffic" and you will see: they have no respect for property or people whatsoever. I really, really, really hope there is some way that you can recover some money, not from the seller who has no fault, but from the courier at least (I am sure they have some kind of insurance for that).

 

Fffff, I am so outraged now!!!

Edited August 28, 2014 by GatzBcn

[GatzBcn]

Sorry for stating the obvious, but why didn't they just open the box?

How can you say that!!! What if there had been anthrax there??? Or cocaine and everything had been polluted??? Or a bomb... oh, wait, a bomb would have exploded too...

 

I am sorry, it's just too stupid and my mind still can't believe this happened.

[tendollarword]

Sorry for stating the obvious, but why didn't they just open the box?

 

Where's the fun in that?

[Venemo]

The customs officer was simply envious. He saw your pen and thought: "If I can't have it, noone shall have it" and thus ruined it.

[Caine]

Fedex have left me a voice mail to say that they think it was the National Guard/Customs of the originating country that have done this, they've also in the same breath said they can't do anything about it. Waiting for them to call me back again so I can ask about claiming for damages. Lets just say I'm not holding my breath on that.

So its not the US customs that have drilled the holes on this occasion.

[BookCat]

Sorry for stating the obvious, but why didn't they just open the box?

 

How can you say that!!! What if there had been anthrax there??? Or cocaine and everything had been polluted??? Or a bomb... oh, wait, a bomb would have exploded too...

 

I am sorry, it's just too stupid and my mind still can't believe this happened.

 

If there had been anthrax in it or some other kind of nasty germ, drilling into the box would have released it into the air anyway. And yep, the bomb would have exploded: drilling is no way to dismantle a bomb!

 

From reading the thread it seems US customs suspect people of hollowing out wood to smuggle drugs inside, and their way of testing whether the wood is solid is to drill holes in it. In this case they were drilling into a box! Perhaps they can't read labels?

 

Don't back down. Get compensation for this mindless violence to property. Fedex should be insured against such claims.

[JotterAddict62]

Fedex have left me a voice mail to say that they think it was the National Guard/Customs of the originating country that have done this, they've also in the same breath said they can't do anything about it. Waiting for them to call me back again so I can ask about claiming for damages. Lets just say I'm not holding my breath on that.

So its not the US customs that have drilled the holes on this occasion.

I have been reading all the post on this topic and it baffles me what gov't polices are to screw over the law abiding middle class people of any country. Now you are going to get the blame game runaround from all the agencies involved. We did not do it someone else did it. The drug dogs were off that day so we got the drill out. We did not know a pen could cost that much as we only use bic's. It was bigger than a bread box.

Sorry to here about the the trouble you have to go through.

[napalm]

Fedex have left me a voice mail to say that they think it was the National Guard/Customs of the originating country that have done this, they've also in the same breath said they can't do anything about it. Waiting for them to call me back again so I can ask about claiming for damages. Lets just say I'm not holding my breath on that.

So its not the US customs that have drilled the holes on this occasion.

 

So may we know which was this "originating country" please....

[Icywolfe]

Fedex have left me a voice mail to say that they think it was the National Guard/Customs of the originating country that have done this, they've also in the same breath said they can't do anything about it. Waiting for them to call me back again so I can ask about claiming for damages. Lets just say I'm not holding my breath on that.

So its not the US customs that have drilled the holes on this occasion.

Your package went down a very deep rabbit hole.

 

But is makes wonder why the US customs tape?

[Chrissy]

It's easy enough to find the pen in 'sold items' on ebay.

 

I'm a bit mystified about what to do for the best.

 

I don't see why FedEx should be able to wash their hands of it. They were paid a fee to accept, transport and deliver a package that was insured for a high price. It didn't arrive intact because it was destroyed while in their care. What's their insurance for if it doesn't cover damage? Unless they can show you a clause in their T's and C's that specifically states that no damage or loss caused by Customs is covered, then the buck stops right there with them.

 

Also, if US Customs destroyed it then why should they not have to foot the insurance bill for their actions? There was no need to do what they did, and if they don't have to face the consequences of their actions they would just be able to do this sort of thing with impunity. How can that be right? What do their website T's and C's say about them causing deliberate and unnecessary damage? It's easy enough to prove that the damage was unnecessary if swabs are taken and there is no clear evidence of drugs. Surely, that is what they always do second, after the X-ray? In order to proceed to this level of damage they must need either a positive drug sniffer dog result, or a positive swab test result, or an unclear swab test result. They can't just go around drilling holes in everything without having any evidence that it's essential.

 

As they seem to have put information in the package incriminating themselves as the officials who searched the package, I would be finding out the name of the person in charge and making contact to sort this out.

 

I think a claim against FedEx is more likely to succeed and that would be my first action.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Chrissy

[serpent]

I would start here if you can prove it was us customs, https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/178/~/tort-claims---claim-for-property-damage-or-loss,-or-personal-injury,-or-death.

[Inkheart]

I can't imagine how disappointing this is, and the pointless destruction is disturbing as well.

 

I'm so sorry! Best of luck...

[Caine]

I will try to speak to Fedex tomorrow, not easy getting through to the person who's looking into it always goes to voicemail. I suspect however they will find an exception in their policy for this. I will take it further though if necessary.