TSA broke my GURU CR901. Advice?

Triathlon Forum
1

So I just returned to the US after competing in the Norseman.
Once I retrieved my Trinco Ironclad box (borrowed from a friend). I opened it in from of Delta baggage claims. I noticed the straps were kinda loose and I wanted to make sure everything was in there.
I noticed a 4" long crack in the top of the down tube. Then saw multiple cracks on the bottom of the down tube 3"+.

In the paint I saw a crescent dimple. About the size of the end of the wheel hub.

The packaging material I had been the wheels was not there so the stickers on my Reynolds AERO 72’s were scuffed up about where the wheels overlap.
They moved the wheels and set one on top of the frame (the foam was between the wheels and the frame but placed in a bad spot)

So I have dug out the receipt for the bike.
I need to get an estimate for a rebuild
I have copies of flight and baggage info.
The nice woman at the Delta baggage claim gave me a reference number and was a witness to me opening the bike and I showed her the damage

I have had a couple people tell me I am going to get the short end of the straw, to put it nicely.
I hope to submit the claim early next week

Anyone have advice on getting less of a short straw???

2

In my experience, you just need to be persistent. Don’t stop persuing until you get what you feel observed. It took them 4 offers to finally reimburse me fully for my wheels, but they did. Once they admit fault to breaking some part of the bike, then obviously they couldn’t have not broken other parts with the same act… so just keep digging at them until you get what you want. Persistence my friend.

Congrats on Norseman.

3

What do you mean by “it took them 4 offers”?

4

First off, sorry ths happened. It’s so aggregating when TSA breaks into your bike box. I’m going to start to hang out at the ticket counter and see if they go through it while i am there then at least maybe i can repack the bike. I don’t know if it will work but i want to give it a shot, to this point I have just been lucky my bike hasn’t been damaged.

As stated in the post above, be persistent and patient. Just brace yourself for the excruciating long battle.
Loud, abusive language, F bombs will only hurt your chances of getting your money back. But I believe you have a good shot.

Good luck, I hope this gets resolved in your favor.

5

i can’t offer any suggestions but i understand your aggravation. your dealing with a bunch of freakin fat ass food blisters. i used to carry a cable jump rope, so being metal and coiled up i’m sure it lit up their screen and they had no idea what they were looking at. it would go through then they’d look to see who’s bag it was, as a flight crew member i’m standing there in uniform and they’d ask if the bag was mine, even though it had my airline’s name and logo embroidered on it about 4"x6", in color. i’d tell them it’s a jump rope and they’d have a deer in the headlight looks. often i’d remark, ‘you don’t use a jump rope do you?’ they’d say, ‘no’. i’d say, ‘i can tell’. some got it, most didn’t.

tsa=
too stupid for arby’s
thousand’s standing around
taking sissors away

i never thought i’d hate a bureaucracy more than the irs. homeland security has eclipsed that.
if this is my last post ever homeland security has found me via nsa…or i’m in russia.

6

They say they will pay for “x” damage which only covered a small portion of the cost. I would say “that’s unacceptable” and make my case, they would make me jump through a few hoops, then give me another offer to cover “y” damage etc.

7

Geeze… I can see this taking months. So much for racing until next year

8

Just on a side note… TSA didn’t break your tube… Delta’s baggage handlers did. TSA doesn’t load your box on their plane or handle it… They scan it and maybe open it and close it back up… From the damage you’re describing, Delta damaged it… Hence why you’re asking them to pay for it. I’m not TSA fan, but your topic title is blaming the wrong people. If TSA is the ones who damaged it, Delta would be telling you to talk to them. Why would Delta even entertain paying you if they didn’t do it?

ETA: Further, CBP (customs) may have opened it when it was coming back in the US, not TSA.

9

So sorry this happened to you. Personally, I don’t trust TSA, Airlines, or customs…with very good reason. I now ONLY go to races where I have to fly if I can use TriBike Transport or direct ship it. That is just the reality of today’s world.

10

That’s the smartest route… TriBike Transport is insured too (if I remember correctly)… I don’t trust checked baggage anymore… Too many stories of damage and too many people touching things. I had a bag lost for 5 days before and it’s INSANE that they look at you and tell you that they have no idea where your bag is. I mean, this is 2014 (though it was 2007 at the time), how do they have no idea where a bag is?!?

On another side note… I think you’re on track to getting the least amount of screwed. You’ve got receipts and an airline witness… I know that the airline limits the amount they will pay, but I don’t know what the limit is. I’m pretty certain that it’s more for special/oversized luggage than it is for regular bags. I would not say you’re “out of luck” though. You will probably get something, but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t cover everything. : ( Sorry that happened to you… I hate airlines.

11

KB, I don’t feel like I am blaming the wrong people. The bike box is a popular box that is often used with no problems.
The problem comes from TSA opening the well packaged container. moving the wheels. Shifting the wheel hub on top of the frame and then closing it back up.

That sets Delta up for causing damage when handling. TSA is not trained to unpack and repack bike boxes. Maybe they need a better technology for specialty items like bikes.
Maybe they should ask for our help in repackaging the bikes. I would gladly do it for peace of mind.

Should I be a victim of this crime? Do the baggage handlers sometimes abuse baggage. If they break your luggage when they crush your bag and it’s contents, should they pay for it. Logic would say so.
That’s why I wouldn’t pack a tall wine glass in a piece of newspaper and place it in a duffle bag. Of course it would get broken.

The box is probably fine for a smaller road frame.
I will not fly my next frame in this box. Only in something TSA can look in but not rearrange bike and wheel configuration.

Point is, TSA went in and re packed the case in a way that some degree of damage WOULD occur unless someone handled it with kid gloves. I am sure they will try to blame Delta.

12

If you were flying from Norway to the US, how is the TSA involved? They weren’t at the overseas airport, and unless you had a connection in the US, would never have touched it. And if you did have a connection but didn’t inspecting the item before re-checking on the connecting flight, how can you ascertain it was damaged here or somewhere else along the way?

13

KB, I don’t feel like I am blaming the wrong people. The bike box is a popular box that is often used with no problems.
The problem comes from TSA opening the well packaged container. moving the wheels. Shifting the wheel hub on top of the frame and then closing it back up.

That sets Delta up for causing damage when handling. TSA is not trained to unpack and repack bike boxes. Maybe they need a better technology for specialty items like bikes.

Maybe they should ask for our help in repackaging the bikes. I would gladly do it for peace of mind.

Should I be a victim of this crime? Do the baggage handlers sometimes abuse baggage. If they break your luggage when they crush your bag and it’s contents, should they pay for it. Logic would say so.
That’s why I wouldn’t pack a tall wine glass in a piece of newspaper and place it in a duffle bag. Of course it would get broken.

The box is probably fine for a smaller road frame.
I will not fly my next frame in this box. Only in something TSA can look in but not rearrange bike and wheel configuration.

Point is, TSA went in and re packed the case in a way that some degree of damage WOULD occur unless someone handled it with kid gloves. I am sure they will try to blame Delta.
Exactly, TSA opens, shifts and then repackages. I spent a good hour watching TSA go through bike containers after Honu. One of the agents, who is a cyclist himself, spent time talking with me about what they look for, how and where they look for it. At the Kona airport they see a LOT of bikes. They clearly did their best to repackage the bike but there was NO way they could do it as well, or exactly, as the owner. Even the same box can be packaged differently by each bike owner, which doesn’t make the agents’ job easier. I’m not siding with the TSA, just pointing out what they go through. Of course, at airports where they don’t know anything about bikes it’ll be a huge junk show.

There’s no way they’ll let us in to repack since that opens the possibility for contamination of secured premises and items.

I had considered switching from EVOC to a hard case but after what I saw and learned at KOA there’s no way I’d switch. As you point out, the containers like the EVOC allow the TSA to open, swab, look for CO2 cartridges and close it all without having to shift anything.

One can always assume that baggage handlers will toss–even throw onto the ramp–anything that even looks fragile or heavy. (I’ve seen it!) TSA will blame you and the airline. The airline will blame you and TSA. I feel for your broken property and wish you all the best in getting compensation.

14

If you were flying from Norway to the US, how is the TSA involved? They weren’t at the overseas airport, and unless you had a connection in the US, would never have touched it. And if you did have a connection but didn’t inspecting the item before re-checking on the connecting flight, how can you ascertain it was damaged here or somewhere else along the way?

We flew to Amsterdam and then to JFK in NY. Once you arrive on US soil, you have to go to baggage pickup just like you do when you get to your final destination. Then you have to get boarding passes for the rest of your connecting flights.
We had one more flight. Checked baggage. TSA left their card in the box after the check. The box arrived in Norfolk where I opened it and the frame was broken.
I know I put packaging between the wheels. The packaging had been removed between the wheels and shoved in the corner of the box where the foam held it in place. The wheels rubbed together and scratched the Reynolds stickers.
Delta can’t be blamed for that either.

I know it was packed right in Norway because I packed it and I am funny about my stuff. I had to bike build in 2010 and it still looks like new. Mechanics always comment how clean and well kept it is.

Now, did delta guys huck my box like firewood on the log pile? Probably and that is what drove the hub into the frame. I just wish the hub had been in the same place that it was on the way to Norway. That’s why I had a bike to ride.

I would have been a sad puppy if this happened before the race. It would have been time to expoxy pieces of aluminum angle iron to the downtube. Or rent a beach cruiser and really make the race even harder

15

Ship via FedEx.

16

Any chance you took pictures of the bike in the case before you got on plane?

17

First off, sorry ths happened. It’s so aggregating when TSA breaks into your bike box. I’m going to start to hang out at the ticket counter and see if they go through it while i am there then at least maybe i can repack the bike. I don’t know if it will work but i want to give it a shot, to this point I have just been lucky my bike hasn’t been damaged.

r.

They aren’t supposed to let you touch your bike after you give it to TSA. At PCB airport after IMFL they had an roped off area they were doing screening for bikes. I got a brand new TSA agent who I stood there and watched her inspect then try to figure out how to put it back in box with me coaching her. After a long time she asked me come help do it and I put it all back together. Soon after her supervisor came over an chewed her out. Whole process took a ridiculous amount of time 20 minutes or more. No way they could process all the bikes coming thru that small airport couple days after IM at that speed. Not the wisest place to put a new TSA employee either.

18

**There’s no way they’ll let us in to repack since that opens the possibility for contamination of secured premises and items. **

Not true, at least not in my experience, and I’ve flown a lot over the past 15-20 years with my bike. I always take my bike down to TSA and politely ask if they mind me waiting while they inspect my bike to help close the case back up. I’ve never had TSA tell me no. I’m not allowed near them during the inspection, but once they are done they’ve let me come in and repack and close the box.

19

That really stinks. I’m sure you are in for a long fight to get properly reimbursed. TSA is horrible and the airlines are the most arrogant industry in the world. Between the two I no longer fly unless I positively have to for some reason. That said, if I were traveling to a race abroad it would have to be a destination with bike transport as mentioned.

20

**There’s no way they’ll let us in to repack since that opens the possibility for contamination of secured premises and items. **

Not true, at least not in my experience, and I’ve flown a lot over the past 15-20 years with my bike. I always take my bike down to TSA and politely ask if they mind me waiting while they inspect my bike to help close the case back up. I’ve never had TSA tell me no. I’m not allowed near them during the inspection, but once they are done they’ve let me come in and repack and close the box.

I have had that too. Sometimes they only let me watch until they get frustrated trying to close the box. Then they let me do it - swabbing my hands for explosives which is fine.