Photo: schengenvisainfo.com
Here’s a very expensive (or at least troublesome) lesson on why you should never tick boxes online in a hurry or without reading what you’re agreeing to: one elderly Scottish man has been permanently banned from the U.S. after he mistakenly declared himself a terrorist.
Adding insult to injury, he did so right before he and his wife were scheduled to fly out to New York, for a holiday they had long planned – and saved up for. They had to kiss those plans goodbye, they told The Independent in a recent interview.
John and Marion Stevenson were supposed to fly to New York at the beginning of this week. They had spent around £2,000 on flights with United Airlines, accommodation and transfers, and were looking forward to the journey of a lifetime – they had never been to America and were eager to make NYC a first.
Stevenson logged online to fill out the Esta visa form, which is when he accidentally outed himself as a terrorist. He explains that the page kept timing out and that loading times were very slow, so he must have clicked the wrong box without even realizing it. He definitely doesn’t recall deliberately declaring himself a terrorist, that’s for sure.
“We were filling out the visa form and it kept timing out before we could tick all the boxes,” Stevenson says. “Then it crashed and when it came back up, you start where you finish off. One of the questions ask if you are a terrorist and it must have jumped from No to Yes without me knowing.”
He’s been trying to right this wrong ever since, he admits to the publication. So far, he’s had little sympathy from the authorities – he is a terrorist, after all.
“I even called border control in the US and gave them my passport details,” Stevenson explains. “They looked up my Esta number and said ‘you’re a terrorist’. I told them that I was 70 years old and I don’t even recognize what that means. It is the biggest nightmare I’ve ever had.”
Stevenson is now hoping a visit at the U.S. embassy in London might help clear this blunder he unknowingly caused. Even so, United Airlines will not refund his tickets, but he will be getting some of the money he’s paid upfront back – for accommodation and transfers.
John and Marion Stevenson were supposed to fly to New York at the beginning of this week. They had spent around £2,000 on flights with United Airlines, accommodation and transfers, and were looking forward to the journey of a lifetime – they had never been to America and were eager to make NYC a first.
Stevenson logged online to fill out the Esta visa form, which is when he accidentally outed himself as a terrorist. He explains that the page kept timing out and that loading times were very slow, so he must have clicked the wrong box without even realizing it. He definitely doesn’t recall deliberately declaring himself a terrorist, that’s for sure.
“We were filling out the visa form and it kept timing out before we could tick all the boxes,” Stevenson says. “Then it crashed and when it came back up, you start where you finish off. One of the questions ask if you are a terrorist and it must have jumped from No to Yes without me knowing.”
He’s been trying to right this wrong ever since, he admits to the publication. So far, he’s had little sympathy from the authorities – he is a terrorist, after all.
“I even called border control in the US and gave them my passport details,” Stevenson explains. “They looked up my Esta number and said ‘you’re a terrorist’. I told them that I was 70 years old and I don’t even recognize what that means. It is the biggest nightmare I’ve ever had.”
Stevenson is now hoping a visit at the U.S. embassy in London might help clear this blunder he unknowingly caused. Even so, United Airlines will not refund his tickets, but he will be getting some of the money he’s paid upfront back – for accommodation and transfers.
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