LONDON EMBASSY - DON'T EVEN BRING YOUR CAR KEYS!!

[latteberry 1]

Our interview was today. Yesterday they implemented a TOTAL ban on all electronic devices. And by ALL, I mean, not even an electronic CAR KEY.

We never got any notice, phone call, nothing. We left our mobiles behind, as instructed. But we had no idea that we would have our car key held for ransom. And not by the embassy. They won't hold ANYTHING anymore.

Some a$$hat brought his mobile phone, then tried to hide it in the bushes for later retrieval, and we had the pleasure of watching the Metropolitan Police thumb-cuff him while they searched through the bushes for whatever he had planted there. (It was actually pretty cool, seeing a grown man brought to his knees just by having his arm twisted behind his back and his thumb yanked up toward his shoulders.)

Yes, the chemist a couple blocks away is quite enterprising. They charge £10 to hold your mobile phone and car keys for you (will not hold any other valuables). They had a steady stream of people, probably making hundreds per hour, all day long. This is going to be a whole new business for them. They may never need to fill another prescription.

Now, as an American Citizen, I could have entered through the citizen side with my cell phone if I had brought one. And I also could have entered with my car key. The bizarre thing is that the CANADIAN citizen in front of me in the US Citizen line was also allowed to bring in his mobile. So, it's unclear to me the value of allowing them in one entrance and not in the other. But had I gone in the citizen side, they told me I would not have access to the Visa side. So that left me hobbling two blocks to the chemist to pay the extortion in order to attend the interview with my spouse.

I understand the concern about electronic devices. But as a disabled person, and an American citizen, I believe it's reasonable accommodation to allow me to bring my car key with me and plan to explain that to my representatives. Forcing everyone to pay a stranger two blocks away to hold our car keys is absolutely ridiculous.

Oh, and our visa was approved...and we got the text that it's being delivered tomorrow.