Complaining...what is the purpose?
 

I have had some issues with TSA...the latest with my children:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=684849

Several FT's have told me to complain.

I am an avid 'complainer' to the private sector, but frankly I do not see the point to complain to the government sector other than raising my blood pressure. I only complain when I see a reasonable chance of someone accepting the input for the better.

For better or worse I have just learned to accept what the govt dishes.

Why do you complain?

Should I complain?

Do you think it really matters?

Run up the complaint numbers. Hopefully the GAO will notice and Congress will eventually shut down this disgrace of an agency.

I am in the unique situation on having unique travel situations not encountered by many (i.e. for example I have not mentioned that I flew myself for DTW this time...and that was one of the reasons we late). We travel millions of miles as a family which put us in a unique group that runs into unique situations. Last year we left the country for a year and lived in NZ....we are thinking of doing this later this year in Europe. Unique situations lead to unique issues.

It makes me wonder when someone like myself that genuinely wants to give valid input is so 'worn down' by the TSA that I genuinely don't think it would matter.

Are you completely worn down right now or just temporarily tired?

Honestly, I do not think it matters...I just want someone to convince me [and others] that complaining to the government matters...I really do think it is a waste of time and that even in the best case they have no way to absorb the input constructively.

I'm positive that sometimes it results in change.

A lot of people seem to say "File those complaints!" but I honestly think it does no good. Do they bother to get read? Do they go straight into the paper shredder? What happens to them?
I'm sure that if all those complaints were read, the TSA's policies and procedures would've changed for the better (even though I think they're just doing what they're told, and doing their job.)

There have been noted instances of the government under reporting statistics and hence this could be one more instance where they can scrub their numbers to make it look good. The dog ate the complaints...;)

After I filled out a complaint form about an unbelievably rude and "make up the rules as he went along" 3-stripe supervisor, I did get a call from the "Customer Service" representative for the TSA at ORD. Talked to him for about 45 minutes and he seemend to be genuinely concerned.

To test to see if my complaint went on deaf ears or not, I purposely went through the same lane where said screener was working at my next visit to ORD. The result was a positive one (well, if anything can be positive with the TSA) and the supervisor went by the SOP.

Can you FOIA the complaints? Might be a good way of finding out if they're going straight into the circular file if you can.

Send complaints to your Senator and your Congressional representative. They have the most chance of being effective there.

I don't complain to the gov either. I am afraid they will be spying on me from then on. They might even put some voodoo hex on me. :D

Where desired by the government, it would be done with or without your filing of a complaint.

Complaints ended groping
 

If you will recall, the groping of women ended after thousands of complaints were filed at many different levels - even while DHS/TSA was denying that there were complaints in that number. The last number I recall seeing from TSA was that they'd received less than 300 complaints - and this was immediately before the groping was ended.

Complaints do work if sent to the correct people.

Dhs Ig
 

Don't forget the DHS IG. The TSA doesn't have one of its own. Any FSD or TSA office HAS to respond to an IG complaint. The DHS has a statutory IG, meaning the position was created in law with direct reporting requirements to Congress. The IG is also supposed to be immune from organizational pressure and bias, but, back in the 100% Republican government days, the executive branch managed to get rid of a great IG who -- Clark Kent Ervin -- but I'm not sure that would happen today in this "post-election world."

The IG is especially effective if you believe the hotline or other complaint system has blown you off. If you are 100% professional and not a whiner when you call or email the IG Hotline, rest assured you will ruin someone's day.

http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/about/gc_1163703329805.shtm