beware of "checking-in" your camera

[hongsien]

I one day flew from JKT to Singapore and forgot my Nikon F2AS + 55mm/2.8 lens was in my bag (not locked), and I checked it in as I didn't have anything else.........the check in lady did ask me if there were any valuables inside and take it out if so, but I answered no......

When I arrived here in Singapore it was opened, and only the camera + lens were gone! I don't know if it happened here in Changi or in JKT....whoknows, anyway I made someone happy with a very good camera!! :bsmilie::bsmilie::bsmilie:

 

[nameless]

May I know which Insurance company you worked at? I knew that only laptop covers $1000 max the rest will be $500 only include camera. haha. if your company covers $1000 for the camera I would like to buy from you leh. can pm your number?

 

[pikapig]

I one day flew from JKT to Singapore and forgot my Nikon F2AS + 55mm/2.8 lens was in my bag (not locked), and I checked it in as I didn't have anything else.........the check in lady did ask me if there were any valuables inside and take it out if so, but I answered no......

When I arrived here in Singapore it was opened, and only the camera + lens were gone! I don't know if it happened here in Changi or in JKT....whoknows, anyway I made someone happy with a very good camera!! :bsmilie::bsmilie::bsmilie:

U can make an inquiry...changi airport has v v strict rules and will take necessary actions to investigate this issue...for ur information, almost every single part of the airport is under CCTV...and de CCTV coverage is as good as those in a casino tat a person who pick his nose can be seen clearly on screen:bsmilie:

for those Baggage handling stuff...i suppose they will be required to check their belongings in and out of the area...

 

[mayngbt]

they could be targeting at what you are holding. My colleague travelled to Bangkok and her cash in the luggage was stolen+ all her undies???:dunno:
My colleague did not know that her cash and stuffs were stolen as the baggage look alright when she cleared customs. She only come to know about it when she opened the luggage in the hotel
she left some cash in her luggage as her friend who travelled one week before her was told to surrender all her cash to the customs with some stupid excuses.

 

[mayngbt]

wa lau eh!! i'm flying off to HCM next week and will be bringing my 40D, 3 lenses, tripod, flash and a panny HD videocam in my primus minimus as carry-on. my wife worse!! she bringing her G10, sony netbook n NDSL....

how sia? when i bought all these gadgets, i know there's a risk of it being stolen while travelling but i tell myself still must bring them along coz the memories that can be captured are worth so much more. now dat there's a recent case in HCM... i'm starting to have 2nd thoughts. no point risking blindly...

haiz... if its me alone i can juz fight my way thru... at most kena poke backside nia. but my wife will be there with me. scared they take it out on her.

what wld u guys do? pls advise

please minimise the valuables u are bringing, walking in the street itself is at high risk too

 

[mayngbt]

May I know which Insurance company you worked at? I knew that only laptop covers $1000 max the rest will be $500 only include camera. haha. if your company covers $1000 for the camera I would like to buy from you leh. can pm your number?

i think it is also depending on what kind of insurance u are buying, the classic or the higher end . but honestly we don't want to lost our valuables and claim from insurance.. imagine those pix in ur memory card, nothing can replace their value

 

[hongsien]

they could be targeting at what you are holding. My colleague travelled to Bangkok and her cash in the luggage was stolen+ all her undies???:dunno:
My colleague did not know that her cash and stuffs were stolen as the baggage look alright when she cleared customs. She only come to know about it when she opened the luggage in the hotel
she left some cash in her luggage as her friend who travelled one week before her was told to surrender all her cash to the customs with some stupid excuses.

I assume your friend handcarried the cash, and it went through the X-ray, was it ever opened while at customs? I don't think there is someone inside the X-ray machine? Was her handbag with cash always in her hands, or she had to surrender at some point?

HS

 

[yyD70S]

Thanks for sharing.

Although not always possible, your re-emphasis on the "check in early" gets my :thumbsup:

Our brain works and think better when time is on our side.

hi dannygirl,

i would still go ahead. just exercise caution. try not to flash around. and check-in early. you would have lots of time to talk things through with the customs if you're early (and be nice..). cheers!

 

[ed9119]

..... any official wanting my dslr and/or laptop before boarding a flight will have to pry it from my cold dead fingers

I would make a FREAKING HUGE public scene at the airport and take down names and ID numbers of anyone who wants to get involved in this scam...... and take close up pics of each and everyone involved .... I would walk the whole scam crew to the plane and have them clarify it with the chief steward ...... AND WITH OTHER PASSENGERS who somehow managed to carry THEIR laptops and cameras onto the plane

p/s and the plane cannot take off if you are NOT onboard BECAUSE your checked luggage then becomes a security threat without you on the plane and an untallied manifesto (pax has checked in but not on planbe) .......... AND LET the flight crew KNOW that you are held up with these scumbags......let the chief steward clean it up

pp/s NEVER follow anyone into any private office to discuss this nonsense......... discuss/debate it ON THE SPOT in full public view.

 

[Headshotzx]

Would it help if we printed out the entire terms and conditions with regards to luggage on each individual carrier and show whoever's calling the shots that we are entitled to our rights to hand carry our stuff?

 

[Drtamon]

..... any official wanting my dslr and/or laptop before boarding a flight will have to pry it from my cold dead fingers

I would make a FREAKING HUGE public scene at the airport and take down names and ID numbers of anyone who wants to get involved in this scam...... and take close up pics of each and everyone involved .... I would walk the whole scam crew to the plane and have them clarify it with the chief steward ...... AND WITH OTHER PASSENGERS who somehow managed to carry THEIR laptops and cameras onto the plane

p/s and the plane cannot take off if you are NOT onboard BECAUSE your checked luggage then becomes a security threat without you on the plane and an untallied manifesto (pax has checked in but not on planbe) .......... AND LET the flight crew KNOW that you are held up with these scumbags......let the chief steward clean it up

pp/s NEVER follow anyone into any private office to discuss this nonsense......... discuss/debate it ON THE SPOT in full public view.

yeah you're right. Just be more careful at certain airports. I also kana "fined" for a expired Vietnamese Visa. However, the Visa was for a earlier internship. On the said trip, I do not require a Visa for stays up to 30 days as Sg is part of Vn Visa wavier program.

Your point of the plane having to wait for you is right as you have already checked in. However, if it drags out too long, the aircraft's captain has the authority to offload your luggage and take you off the flight. Hence leaving you behind.

BTW, for lost/stolen luggage, victims can file complain with the airline and they will have to deal with their ground handlers at both the airports. There is some compensation too.

But all is not worth the trouble!

 

[astroboy]

Frankly I would rather miss the flight than have my camera gear checked in. I know my gear is easily worth more than the flight ticket.

Anyway thanks to TS for bringing this up.

 

[FM2]

I have been to Vietnam and have seen Singaporean carrying their Canon body with grip and 70-200mm lens but they were in a big group with many photographers...for me, I went with a smaller group and all of companion only bring a point and shoot, I had a SDLR with me and already the tour guide was striking conversation about my DSLR and wanted to play around with it all the time...so travel smart...

 

[neech7]

Would it help if we printed out the entire terms and conditions with regards to luggage on each individual carrier and show whoever's calling the shots that we are entitled to our rights to hand carry our stuff?

If you do that I am sure the crook will change his mind and wave you through. He wouldn't want his supervisor coming over to see what the fuss is all about. Unless of course the supervisor is in it too.

 

[wheresmycheese]

hi all,

DISCLAIMER: this is so far a once off incident. i am not generalizing and such an occurrence does not mean it will always happen. this information is provided for the purpose of general travellers' caution and is not intended to pinpoint a certain country nor its officers.

would like to share an experience with all. i'm in the insurance business and there was a client whose travel insurance claim was processed today. he had a wonderful trip in HCMC, vietnam, and was catching his flight back to singapore. he was a little late in reaching the airport and was one of the last few to check-in for his flight. after checking-in his luggage, he proceeded to enter the boarding gate but was stopped at the x-ray machines. he was ordered at the boarding gate, to check-in his canon 500D and his PSP. he tried to ask not to check-in these 'fragile items' but was given no chance. not wanting to miss his flight, he complied with the customs officer at HCMC airport and was escorted to a "privilege check-in" counter. put his camera & PSP in his bag, he padlocked it and checked it in. after he padlocked the bag, the customs officer did something out of the ordinary. the customs officer pasted a blue sticker on top of the padlock (do note that all other checked-in bags had no blue sticker on it).

upon arriving back here in singapore, the client found the padlock loop on the zipper to be broken, no padlock & no blue sticker left, and his camera and PSP stolen (which explains why we had to process a travel insurance claim today). he shared that apparently, he wasn't the only one. after he checked-in at HCMC, there were a few ang mohs who had also checked-in late. they also had blue stickers pasted on their bags and all their electronics that were checked-in have all been stolen. though there was travel insurance, do note that most travel insurance only pays up to a maximum of S$1,000.00 for a lost camera/laptop.

once again, i would like to highlight that this is the first time i have come across such a case. and there is no reason to discriminate or to assume that this happens on a regular basis. however, i would like to share this experience with CS members as we tend to travel with equipment that sometimes costs between $5k to $10k. do remember to take care of your belongings. and remember while travel insurance does provide some form of protection, most only provide for a value of S$1k. prevention and the knowledge of one's rights is better than seeking remedies & compensation later.

travel insurance pays up to only $1000 depending on what plan you buy right?

 

[antacid]

If you do that I am sure the crook will change his mind and wave you through. He wouldn't want his supervisor coming over to see what the fuss is all about. Unless of course the supervisor is in it too.

in such countries, the supervisor, his boss, and his boss's boss will be in it too.

this happened to me and my friends at bali. we went there for diving, and had our camera housings and other gadgets packed into pelican cases. my friend was the vain type with lots of stickers plastered all over it. mine was beat up and frankly looks abused.

when we collected it from the luggage belt, we noticed a chalk mark on my friend's case, but not on mine. as we cleared customs, i was waved through without a 2nd glance, but my friend was asked to open his up for inspection. when he opened it up, all the customs officers crowded around (and you know how many there are in those countries...the more the merrier) like it was some show.

they asked my friend for tax invoices for the equipment etc, because they said it was more than a certain amount - "very expensive" they said. so they will want a US$1000 deposit refundable when we leave the country.

we all knew this was BS and there's no way we will see the money again. so we started bargaining. we got stuck at US$300, then my friend lost his patience and demanded to see the supervisor. the officer he was talking to grinned very widely and said "aku lah!"

palm, meet face. hahahaha. in the end, we told them we only had traveller's cheques and $120USD with his. showed some wallets and travellers cheques and so we got off with a small inconvenience. demanded an official receipt, and got a scrap of paper with his signature and an office chop on it. hahaha

halfway thru, the officers stopped another traveller, and we saw that he also had a chalk mark on his bag. so same charade all over again.

so now we travel with wet tissues to wipe off any marks, and keep a look out for tampering. we put cable tie on our openings so we know if anything has been opened. if you bag has a large zip all around, don't waste your time locking it. i can open the bag with a ballpoint pen, take everything out, and close it back without even touching the lock.

so now i travel with luggage that looks as if even the garang guni doesnt want it. my camera housings, ports and strobes are in a dirty trolley bag that i hand-carry like one of those aunties, except it weighs 20kg! haha

 

[lightning]

End of the day...only travel with Singapore Airlines and never check in late.:bsmilie:

 

[KelvinDestiny]

in such countries, the supervisor, his boss, and his boss's boss will be in it too.

this happened to me and my friends at bali. we went there for diving, and had our camera housings and other gadgets packed into pelican cases. my friend was the vain type with lots of stickers plastered all over it. mine was beat up and frankly looks abused.

when we collected it from the luggage belt, we noticed a chalk mark on my friend's case, but not on mine. as we cleared customs, i was waved through without a 2nd glance, but my friend was asked to open his up for inspection. when he opened it up, all the customs officers crowded around (and you know how many there are in those countries...the more the merrier) like it was some show.

they asked my friend for tax invoices for the equipment etc, because they said it was more than a certain amount - "very expensive" they said. so they will want a US$1000 deposit refundable when we leave the country.

we all knew this was BS and there's no way we will see the money again. so we started bargaining. we got stuck at US$300, then my friend lost his patience and demanded to see the supervisor. the officer he was talking to grinned very widely and said "aku lah!"

palm, meet face. hahahaha. in the end, we told them we only had traveller's cheques and $120USD with his. showed some wallets and travellers cheques and so we got off with a small inconvenience. demanded an official receipt, and got a scrap of paper with his signature and an office chop on it. hahaha

halfway thru, the officers stopped another traveller, and we saw that he also had a chalk mark on his bag. so same charade all over again.

so now we travel with wet tissues to wipe off any marks, and keep a look out for tampering. we put cable tie on our openings so we know if anything has been opened. if you bag has a large zip all around, don't waste your time locking it. i can open the bag with a ballpoint pen, take everything out, and close it back without even touching the lock.

so now i travel with luggage that looks as if even the garang guni doesnt want it. my camera housings, ports and strobes are in a dirty trolley bag that i hand-carry like one of those aunties, except it weighs 20kg! haha

wow.. i had a experience once.. my luggage front pouch was locked with a small lock and a key chain for easy identification when i reach aus i found that the lock and the keychain was pulled out but luckily i didnt put anything inside the pouch.. :bsmilie:

 

[ed9119]

............. if you bag has a large zip all around, don't waste your time locking it. i can open the bag with a ballpoint pen, take everything out, and close it back without even touching the lock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwfYuUPcgHg

 

[nixontkl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwfYuUPcgHg

heard about the vulnerability of zipper luggage from colleagues, thus i never bought those thou they are cheap. bought those hard case type.

so far i never flash my DSLR when checking in, its always in the bag out of sight. show off and u invite thief. and airport crew thief have all the advantage, after check in the luggage go thru x-ray machine which allow the crew to see whats inside, they can open up to check or force open it without u knowing. and upon returning to your own country, the trouble it take to sue the airport crew of the other country, the few thousand $ worth of equipment is not worth the time and $ to do and that what the thief are pinning on to get away. we are all just tom dick and harry, we are not those big ass celebrity or important figure that can make a impact on the country.
last yr the case of Gongli or was it Zhang ziyi, lost a 10 or 20K watch, the impact is gossip global scale type, something had to be done. someone ass along the path her luggage took sure took the blame. as for u and me, they will just cover it up. the thief must be new or ignorant enough to prey on the luggage for important ppl.