bonanza bucko - 11-8-2012 at 07:54 AM
I have a SENTRI pass and sticker on my windshield. The windshield is cracked and will be replaced today. I logged into GOES and applied for a
replacement sticker. After applying and paying the required $25 the web site said I should "check back every few days" to see if my new sticker has
been approved.
But we need to go to BAJA in a week...Thanksgiving. Does anyone have experience going to the border station at OTAY MESA or anywhere else to get a
sticker replaced faster than the gummint apparently has in mind?
Thanks a bunch.
BB
gallesram - 11-8-2012 at 10:15 AM
I did this a few years ago and it still required an appointment. The appointments were way off so I called and they said that I could walk in and
just wait, which I did. It took a few hours but I got it the same day.
I think things have changed, though, since they started working on the border crossing. They have been flooded with applications and the backlog is
very long. I got a new vehicle and it took almost 3 months to get a new appointment. Given the new environment they may not be as flexible as they
once were. In any event, I would call them and ask if you could come in and wait; worth a try given your travel plans.
bajaguy - 11-9-2012 at 08:02 AM
Peel the old one off and take it with you when you get the new one............the SENTRI people really like it when you do that.
bonanza bucko - 11-9-2012 at 08:38 AM
Thanks guys: But it's too late. The old sticker is gone with the old windshield.
Then I went on line to see about getting a new one. Wow! I had forgotten how difficult Fed bureaucracy could make things.....and how dumb.
But I got a "conditional approval" letter back in one day! That was not expected after the statement when I applied to "check back every few days"
for that approval. Then I was also able to get an appointment on line for "the interview."
From what I can tell on the GOES web site my wife and I will have to undergo the entire interview process all over again.....will have to bring all
the personal and financial documents we brought when we got the SENTRI pass two years ago. You would think that such a waste of time....theirs and
ours....would not be required because we have already been given all the approvals. But we shall see.
I must report, despite the nasty comments above, that we were pretty impressed with the quality, courtesy and efficiency of the people running the
process at Otay Mesa the last time. The negative impressions are all pretty much the result of dealing with the web pages and the telephone system
the feds have in place. But they are only slightly worse than your basic on line merchant's stuff.
BB:-)
bajasammy - 11-9-2012 at 10:55 AM
Strange, I submitted for a new vehicle almost a month ago and I'm still on pending review status. Maybe new vehicle is a bigger deal than sticker
replacement?
SENTRI Adventures
bajaguy - 11-9-2012 at 11:29 AM
Don't know where you live, but here are three of our stories.......
Bought a new truck, just showed up at the Otay SENTRI office with registration and insurance......they were not real excited, but completed the
transaction in about an hour.
Had a windshield replaced, scraped off the SENTRI decal. Just showed up at the Otay office with all of my personal and vehicle documents. Decal
replaced within about an hour
Second new vehicle, we applied on line, took 9 weeks. When we used the Ready Lane to cross back into the US with our new car and using RFID SENTRI
cards, the CBP guy told us to NEVER apply for a vehicle decal on line, just show up at the office.
Whatever works.............I would just show up, costs you nothing except time, and if it woks, great!!
Good luck
[Edited on 11-9-2012 by bajaguy]