My Luggage Lock Got Clipped
 

I took my flight my nyc using jetblue and checked in one bag. Well i had bought a luggage lock but problem is it was a safe skies lock and i never got it to work. Amazon reviews even showed many ppl say the lock didnt work. Well it does lock but i couldnt put a combination so if u put 0 0 0 0, it would unlock.


Anyways, as i arrived at my destintion, i waited for my luggage and then was relieved when i saw it. It wasn't until late at night, i then thought... hey what in the world happened to my luggage lock. Well obviously it gotten clipped. My question is does this always happen? I thought if they unlock it, they can then lock it back? So at that time when i got my luggage, was my lock in the trash already at JFK at airport? I even asked someone whats the point of a lock if they could open it. Well if they open it, dont once they clip the lock.. the lock is broken and no use? Its too late now since i left the airport yesterday but if i was still at the airport, could i have reported this?


I'm just really confused at whats the point of buying a luggage lock if it gets clipped. Is there a reason mine got clipped? Another thing that came to my mind was don't they always have to inspect checked luggage 100% just to make sure there isn't anything illegal that is put inside? Im confused at why some ppl who lock their bags don't get their locks clipped. Could it be because of the specific airport i used as JFK? Obviously i'm not going to buy another lock since it will probably be clipped again. Also, that lock i bought is TSA approved so why was my lock clipped?


Thanks

It could be that the guy with the key was on break, the TSA agent thought it was not an approved lock, or their TSA key didn't work. If TSA couldn't get inside, they clipped the lock. TSA doesn't go into every bag, but if they choose yours for random search or suspicious item, they are going to get inside before the bag goes on the plane. It could also be that your lock popped open all by itself and fell off.

The point of buying the luggage lock is for the false sense of security it gives you that the contents of your checked bag are secure. You can report anything you want. Lacking proof that it didn't pop off by itself, I don't see anyone at the airport giving you a new one.

Also, TSA can do whatever they like and they know it.

There is zero point in locking checked luggage. If TSA wants to open it, they will and if some other carrier / airport employee at the departure/arrival/connecting airport wants to, they're going to as well.

I don't usually check luggage, but a few weeks ago I had to take along some extra material for work. When I picked up my bag at baggage claim, I noticed the TSA sentry lock was missing. I found it inside the bag after I got home.

This is true, but do you also leave your house/car unlocked? One point of locking things is to discourage casual thievery. If someone really wants to get into your house/car/baggage/whatever, they will.

I lose about 3-4 locks a year and I blame the TSA. I recently complained to them about the the apparent inability of the agents to replace the lock on the bag and the response I got disclaimed all responsibility for luggage locks, further suggesting that the TSA recommends not locking luggage at all. I intend to write a complaint letter to my representatives about the utter disregard for our possessions. It probably won't accomplish anything, but I'll fell better.

It makes it a bit harder for the thief. It won't stop him but it might get him to go to the next bag instead.

The main question is not what happened to the lock. The lock is cheap. Forget about it. It's the cost of doing business so to speak.

The main question is: Did you have a TSA notice in your bag and did they steal anything? If your contents are still all there, you're good.

Don't worry about the rest. Next time, use a colored zip tie. They are cheaper and accomplish exactly the same thing.

Till

Yes, I lock my condo & car. But, nobody has authority to enter those without my permission and I give that permission by providing them a key. The two locks are hardly impenetrable, but they can't be easily drilled out without triggering an alarm and attracting attention.

Not so with luggage locks. They can be clipped with ordinary tools in 5 seconds and generally nobody is the wiser. Bags are, of course, handled by a broad number of people beyond TSA on departure, at connection points and on arrival. Unless you've got a clipped lock and a note from TSA, there's no particular reason why it's TSA.

Given that there's such an incredibly low percentage of luggage that is locked, it's a sign to thieves that there's something valuable in the luggage and therefore a reason to clip the suitcase and rummage.

You are assuming the TSA were the people who opened the lock. Was there a TSA inspection notice in the bag?

It could be the lock broke and fell off, it could be airline or baggage people who broke in shopping, it could be the TSA needed to do an inspection and their keys did not work (you mentioned the lock was not functioning properly), or it could have been as simple as so many people can't figure out how to change the combination, or don't want to be bothered, that somebody just put in 0000 and popped it for a look inside the bag.

I am always amazed when you get a bag back and the combination is set differently than when you dropped it off. Somebody tried to get in.

The point of locking is to hope that the casual thief, if given a choice between two bags, will choose the one without the lock instead of having to spend time on the one with a lock. It's certainly not going to keep anybody who wants into your bag from getting there, just a deterrent to get them to consider another bag.

But leaving the combination at 0000 or whatever made it too easy for them.

I'd rather have my stuff come on the conveyorbelt still inside my suitcase instead of in drips and drabs because they decided to peek inside it and break the locks to do so. Have never locked a checked bag ever and I know they have looked inside and I've never had anything stolen.

Agree with all that you said but two little points.

TSA does not always leave a notice.

Numbers on locks can easily be changed when they rub against other luggage which they usually do. A piece of duct tape over the wheels will prevent that.

Till

A tHief rarely cuts the lock. (S)he uses a ball point and a very common trick on the zipper track. It is even faster and no suspicious tools are required.

Seems there is a problem no one's been drawing attention to, that TSA is leaving luggage unsecured after inspection. They did it to me too. I lost a serious amount of stuff out of my luggage after the TSA did not secure locks back properly. The airline made it worse by then delaying my luggage for a day. By the time I received it all the handlers of the luggage after the TSA had had ample time to pick my luggage over and notably only the very best stuff was missing - but all of that was missing.

This is actually going to put me off visiting the US at all in future, so fewer dollars income to the US!

Have other people lost valuables out of their luggage after the TSA did not re-secure it correctly?

TSA clipped my zip ties the last time I traveled, but replaced them with new ones.