don_hoodventures

Before getting to your departure gate, have you ever accidentally left any items at the TSA checkpoint? I have once. One Friday, while being distracted at the checkpoint before being patted down, I left a belt and a small red travel bag. I didn’t realize the items were left until the morning after I arrived at my destination. So, this is when/where the fuckery began.

Saturday, I googled “lost items TSA.” From that search, I found a lost and found number on the TSA web site. The number was a non-working number.

Sunday morning, the day of my flight back home, I google searched the airport I flew out of. Then I searched to see if the airport had a number to TSA’s lost and found. The airport had a number. It led me to a voicemail for TSA. I left my name, as much of a description as I could about my items, and my number. It’s been over a week now from that day and I have yet to receive a call back. When I arrived back home all of the TSA checkpoints were closed for the night.

The next morning, I called a number that I acquired from a friend of mine who worked in the airport where my items were left. I was told that the number was a TSA office number. I called immediately. The man who answered seemed very helpful. He asked me many questions about when did I fly and about my lost items. Then he asked for my number and told me he would contact me soon with information about my items. But to this current day I have yet to receive a call back from him.

As I was calling the number from my friend, I was driving to the airport where I left my items to speak to a TSA agent about my belongings. I walked to the TSA checkpoint exit. I explained to the agent there about my situation. He left for a moment and quickly came back with a card with a number on it. I told him that the number was the same non-working number from their website. I agreed with the agent that I needed to speak to a TSA supervisor. The kind TSA supervisor pulled out her phone and a card with the address to a place she said was close, the place where lost and found items get sent daily. She could not find the place on google maps and the address directed us to a place over 30 minutes away. So the TSA Supervisor left for a brief moment and came back with another address. This new address seemed correct. She told me the building is not labeled with anything but the address. She also told me that once I get to the building that I would have to walk around back and ring a bell just outside of the door. This seemed really dodgy.

The same time I was driving up, another car was approaching the building. The passenger of that car got out before I did and walked to the front door. When he saw me, he asked if I was there for a lost and found item. I said yes. He told me there was a small sign on the front door that directed us to the back. We walked around to the side rear of the building and rang the bell. No one answered at first. So, I rang the bell again. A woman came on the intercom telling us to push the door in then pulling it after the door buzzed. I really started to feel like I was on Amazing Race. The guy and I signed in. He had a tracking number, I had no clue where he got that. The lady at the front was jumbling up her words as she spoke with us because she was eating Pringles while talking. She apologized for that and asked me for my tracking number. I told her I didn’t have one and described my items and told her my flight information.

About ten minutes later the office assistant came back with my red bag and belt.

I quickly came to a conclusion that the process of retrieving lost items from TSA was not intended to be easy. There are stores where lost and found items are sold around America. I assume that TSA adds lost and found items into their budget. People leave items at TSA checkpoints all the time so I understand why TSA sends the lost items to another building. But I can’t understand why It was/is so hard to receive lost items.

I guess we do not pay enough taxes, to TSA has to make money off of our left items.