Big ESTA Problem

[Guest]

Back in June when I applied to renew our ESTAs my wife’s one was returned as “unauthorized to travel.” I managed to contact Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and found the world’s most unhelpful customer service team. They had her recorded as overstaying on our last visit, leaving in November 2012. I spotted what looked like a simple date format error. We left US 11th August, their records showed us leaving 8th November. 11/08/ 2012 or 08/11/2012, you would think a simple thing to put right!

Officer X at CBP then switched my own and my son’s status also to Unauthorized. And also the records of my other two family members who travelled with us on previous trip.

This was seven weeks before we were due to travel. Frantic calls to Thomson who we travelled with in 2012 and had tickets booked with for 2013 failed to spur them into resolving the issue as a matter of urgency. Resulting in them requesting we put a complaint in writing and therefore adding to the delay.

CBP wouldn’t accept their records could be incorrect. Calls to US Embassy and official complaints to CBP resulted in a response, “as discussed on phone”. Their advice was to apply for visa and attend interview with evidence showing we were in the UK.
Started the ball rolling for evidence, work records of time sheets, school register, and covering letters to confirm accuracy of the records. Bank and credit card details of transactions in the UK etc.
Then, overnight working on application for visas. Next day we rang to book appointment at the London Embassy. But, their busiest time of year and they were not taking any calls for appointments until the following month, for appointments in August (we were due to fly 3rd Aug). Belfast had an earlier appointment, just about to confirm when they explained that the Visas need to be couriered to us after the meeting (if they were OK) This was the day we were due to go.

That was the end of our holiday to Florida. (This situation wasn’t covered by our insurance).

Weeks later I’ve got to the bottom of the problem. The Local Departure Control System (Check in Desk) at Sanford Airport had an update to software on 8th August 2012, which passed validation tests (note 08/08) but on 13/08/2012 CBP notified the Airport Authority of an error (not 13 months in a year). On 15th August the error was corrected. Everyone leaving the airport between 8-15 August were recorded with incorrect dates. Corrected data was not resent until August 2013.

But, even with corrected flight data the information has already been used on other systems and more recent ESTA applications of mine were again rejected.
Sanford Airport Authority, the local CBP and Headquarters of CBP eventually made some changes and my ESTAs have just been approved.

I wanted to share this experience in case there are others who have been affected by this in August 2012 and are unaware.

And as a warning, apply for ESTAs before booking flights, well before the 72hours currently recommended.

We lost money, Thomson didn’t, they probably resold our flight and gained from our misfortune.

[JudyC]

That's just dreadful. What a shambles, it's a real shame you had the misfortune to be caught up in this.

[Guest]

Wow. That must have been frustrating and infuriating. I doubt I would be so calm about it as your post comes across. What an awful experience.

[Guest]

Terrible experience, you should get some sort of compensation given it was their mistake. We travelled last September and have yet to renew our ESTAs, I might do them sooner rather than later

[sunaddict]

Very annoying position to find yourself in Not sure what Thomsons had to do with it though?

[Juliemack]

Phew! We flew out of MCO on the 9/8/12... What a ridiculous reason for you to have lost your holiday. You would have thought it could have been resolved before it came to that

[Dinglebert]

Originally Posted by xxSarahxx

Terrible experience, you should get some sort of compensation given it was their mistake. We travelled last September and have yet to renew our ESTAs, I might do them sooner rather than later

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Not a hope for compensation. They can choose to refuse anybody for any reason, even if that reason is they made a mistake. Its their country and we have to play by their rules. Unfair yes.

[FindingMerida]

God, what a nightmare. How frustrating to be so badly affected by something that was clearly a mistake somewhere in the system
Glad you got it all sorted in the end

[BevS97]

I'm fairly sure we flew home on the 14th or 15th as my birthday is the 16, and I think we got home just before.

What do you need to do to check?

[BevS97]

Actually we flew from MCO. Was that affected?